Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II Review

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed provided an interesting twist to the endless collection of games based on LucasFilm's movie saga. The game introduced us to an array of completely new faces in the Star Wars universe, in addition to Starkiller, a very interesting character, capable of wielding some amazing Force powers. The original was extremely fun to play, albeit the experience was marred somewhat due to a variety of rather serious glitches we encountered during gameplay. In addition, the pre-released hype surrounding the release made the game sound like it was going to be one of the best Star Wars themed titles ever... Much to our regret, well, it wasn't. It was okay, but not great. LucasArts, of course, had a chance to remedy this and increase the fun with more Force powers, additional areas where players can explore and wreak havoc.

The story begins roughly seven months after the events of the original, apparently a year before Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. This time around, things are a bit more confusing for the main character, Starkiller. At the start of his journey he's not sure whether he's Darth Vader's secret apprentice or a clone. Escaping from Vader's clutches, Starkiller heads out to discover his true identity and to learn what had become of Juno Eclipse (Starkiller's love interest from the original). Vader instructs the cold-hearted bounty hunter Boba Fett to hunt down Juno, so she can be used as bait for Starkiller. Pretty soon, Starkiller encounters Jedi Master Rahm Kota, Yoda and other familiar characters (both from the movies and the previous game).

How do you switch this damn thing off?

Hm, I can probably make this jump...

Okay, speaking as a fan of the classic Star Wars movies and of games such as The Jedi Knight series and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, I have to say Force Unleashed 2 feels very much below the standard set by aforementioned games. This primarily concerns story elements, plot structure and the characters we're shown in the game. The storyline overall feels far-fetched, while certain characters such as Yoda (whom Starkiller visits at a certain point on Dagobah) and Vader are randomly paraded through the game's plot, making them considerably less appealing than their movie counterparts. In the game these characters just feel bland and practically pointless. That said, we didn't much care for most of the things that happened during the game. Chapters in the story just seem to lead from one random battle into the next, with occasional boss fights and the usual brawl with semi-boss enemies and, of course, the unavoidable ritual of tossing an infinite amount of Stormtroopers all over the place.

The interactive environment is an important part of the gameplay as much as it was in the first game. Using a variety of small and pretty darn large objects in the area against enemies is as fun as ever. Things were spiced up with additional powers, such as the ability to Force grab objects and then charge them up with Force lightning to make them explosive and ever more devastating. Now there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. Using Starkiller's Force powers is quite rewarding; the more objects you use and smash, the more you'll increase your force abilities. The same goes for lightsaber skills. Exploring the area may also lead you to hidden lightsaber crystals, which can be switched at any time. Some crystals give you a better chance of getting additional Force points, while others boost your health regeneration. There other crystals around, some of which allow you to gain extra experience points. Experience points are, as you'd expect, utilized for various upgrades. Each of your abilities (Force Push, Lightsaber Throw, Force Lightning etc.) can be improved three times until it is maxed out.

Force Unleashed 2 seems like you're playing the original game wrapped in a slightly prettier package. Nothing has really changed in terms of gameplay. We've seen very few innovative elements, so it's more or less the usual routine of creating scenes of destruction as waves upon waves of unfortunate Stormtroopers are being flailed around like toy soldiers. Granted, it's still enjoyable, like I said, but it gets old fast, especially to those of you who played the first title. So, after kicking the crap out of all living things that cross your path, you'll probably be bored stiff going up against similar foes and hordes of the same bloody semi-bosses.