Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

 PlayStation 3
User Score
6.8

Mixed or average reviews- based on 321 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 167 out of 321
  2. Mixed: 98 out of 321
  3. Negative: 56 out of 321
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  1. Inuit_Dude
    Mar 20, 2011
    1
    this was a good idea for a game but the people behind it did not do a good enough job with it. they should have stuck with the Battle Front series and made a 3rd one instead of this garbage then work on this a bit longer then release it once it has been polished and well done
  2. jadelith
    Nov 15, 2010
    4
    Great story, great graphics. Completely arbitrary controls. Game is hard, not because it actually is (ie Ninja Gaiden series), but because the character fails to do what you want him to. If the game itself was playable, this would've been a great game. But as it is, the game simply sucks; you'll be playing the same area 5+ times because you get chain knocked down by shoulder cannons..
  3. DaveC
    May 12, 2009
    0
    This game blows. I guess if you love all things Star Wars you might give it a pass, but it even misses on that front. Overly cartoony animations and terrible character models make this miss on feeling like you're playing actual movie characters. This game is a blatant rip off of God of War - but clearly the developers didn't get what made God of War good. The quicktime sequences This game blows. I guess if you love all things Star Wars you might give it a pass, but it even misses on that front. Overly cartoony animations and terrible character models make this miss on feeling like you're playing actual movie characters. This game is a blatant rip off of God of War - but clearly the developers didn't get what made God of War good. The quicktime sequences were poorly pulled off, the camera control was abysmal. (should've left it out like GoW) Combos were'nt fun, and enemy placement was only annoying. Pretty much the only useful skill was force throwing, which was pretty poorly implemented considering you have to use it almost all the time. Loading screens when you go to the options screen or the inventory is unacceptable. I'm surprised this game passed certification. This is a poor rip off of God of War, much like THQ's Conan. Like Conan, it is a cheap feeling, inferior product. Unlike Conan, it also was no fun at all. This is the only game that I have EVER ejected from my console, and snapped the disc in half. It is also the only game that I have EVER felt the need to warn others against buying. Lucas Arts - how you have fallen.… Expand
  4. JulianS.
    Oct 2, 2008
    4
    This was one of the most disappointing games I have ever played. Lucasarts let us down after more than a year of hype and of course that is all it was hype because there was no substance to this game. As Darth Vader it
  5. JasonP
    Feb 12, 2009
    1
    I waited a year for this game to come out and having watched the first Star Wars in the late 70s and having been a huge fan of the franchise ever since, and I might add gaming during that time, I was salivating over the three physics engines and the fantastic graphics. On the physics engine and graphics, 10 out of 10 guys, on the gameplay -100. Shame on you Lucas, I thought you I waited a year for this game to come out and having watched the first Star Wars in the late 70s and having been a huge fan of the franchise ever since, and I might add gaming during that time, I was salivating over the three physics engines and the fantastic graphics. On the physics engine and graphics, 10 out of 10 guys, on the gameplay -100. Shame on you Lucas, I thought you weren't into corporate marketing over substance; you haven't finishing what could have been an absolute classic. Ok, now I'll quantify the problems: 1) A Jedi knight, that walks along a flat surface and comes to a slight incline, oops, he can't move he just gips around on the spot until you jump; COME ON! 2) The bonus cubes, placed in such a way that it's not a question of skill in reaching them, it's a question of how good you are at overcoming the terrible character control to jump just at the right moment, from a buggy game surface that will, 95% the time, result in you jumping into a void and having to restart the level. Again, I wasn't really immersed in the Jedi experience guys. This is just sloppy rushed game design. 3) Camera angles; Grrr, you're turning to fight off a group of storm troopers and all you can see is your guy's left nostril. Attempting to reset the camera angle by pushing one of the paddles just leads to disorientation and action has moved on so far you're in the same boat. Sorry, but the first "alone in the dark" handled this better than you guys, and that game… Expand
  6. SeanJ.
    Sep 26, 2008
    0
    I was so disappointed in the game I mailed it back to lucasarts. You can check Seansjohnson.com to see the letter.
  7. SimonL
    Jul 9, 2009
    2
    At first, the game was alright. But after about 30 minutes of gameplay, I realized that the game went from alright to worse. The camera system is terribly bad. During boss encounters, the development team thought it was a good idea to fix the camera sideways, making it look like a fighting game. Unfortunaly, it doesn't work. It's hard to tell from the angle the distance between At first, the game was alright. But after about 30 minutes of gameplay, I realized that the game went from alright to worse. The camera system is terribly bad. During boss encounters, the development team thought it was a good idea to fix the camera sideways, making it look like a fighting game. Unfortunaly, it doesn't work. It's hard to tell from the angle the distance between objects, from where you stand and to the wall and so on. Very irritating as the boss encounters require you to jump and move around alot. Another thing I find very annyoing is the fact that the targetting system does not work properly... Or maybe it's "working as inteded", I don't know. Anyway, the targetting system is so random that you have to force yourself not to throw the controller down on the floor. You might want to pick up one object that is right infront of you, but the targetting system doesn't want to target that specific object and instead you find yourself throwing away other things. The story is so-so and the characters feel pretty shallow. The main character is whining too much through the entire game. A plus for the different combinations there are in the fighting system. Unfortunaly, you need to spend points in order to get all the good stuff (including force powers and fighting combinations). The extras you can recieve, such as different lightsaber crystal colors or crystal cores which you can gain some passive advantages from (such as health draining when you hit an enemy) aren't quite enough for me to even wanting to replay this game. The replay value is 0. Once you played through it, you'll understand what I mean. You gain nothing from playing it again, except for a new lightsaber color. The music is quite obviously taken from the Star Wars saga as well as the sound effects. The graphics are alright, but for some reason the characters' eyes are creeping me out.… Expand
  8. TristanH.
    Oct 23, 2008
    4
    Could've been a really nice game but the Bugs and the glitch Controls made it quite a big disappointment. Pity The only good things are the nice graphics and animations. And of course the Physiks.
  9. MichaelC.
    Sep 13, 2008
    3
    Obviously the consumers reviews are based on the demo. Everyone interested should download before buying. It seems like it is yet another Star Wars game that lives based on the strength of the license. It sucks that you cannot cut people in half using your light saber like they do in the movie. Wonky controls, if you watched any of the making of videos you will be completely underwhelmed Obviously the consumers reviews are based on the demo. Everyone interested should download before buying. It seems like it is yet another Star Wars game that lives based on the strength of the license. It sucks that you cannot cut people in half using your light saber like they do in the movie. Wonky controls, if you watched any of the making of videos you will be completely underwhelmed by what they finally delivered. Play the demo before you buy.… Expand
  10. bullett
    Sep 21, 2010
    2
    I love star wars and have some great film and gaming memories but this was terrible. Full of bugs, bad controls, awful camera and of course QTE's. On the up side, it looks nice and the plot whilst silly could be a lot worse. On another plus is that it is now cheap so if there is nothing else you want to try give it a go, but don't say I didn't warn you!
  11. The-Crow
    Dec 9, 2010
    4
    This game was a major letdown for me the controls and camera angle are just terrible and the boss fights are marred by pre-scripted events that require buttons pressed in sequence as they flash up on screen. I loved the Physics Systems and the over the top force powers but nothing can overcome the completely inadequate camera system and control particularly annoying in the highlyThis game was a major letdown for me the controls and camera angle are just terrible and the boss fights are marred by pre-scripted events that require buttons pressed in sequence as they flash up on screen. I loved the Physics Systems and the over the top force powers but nothing can overcome the completely inadequate camera system and control particularly annoying in the highly unnecessary "plat former" type jump from object to object sections. Even my love of all things Star Wars could not pull me all the way through the game & I stopped playing about halfway through. A potentially great game with one massive glaringly obvious flaw in that the poor controls & camera system make it un-enjoyable.… Expand
  12. TheHorrorAnthem
    May 13, 2012
    4
    Lucas Arts, much has already been said right there. A company that has produced great things but possibly more often has brought us potential more so than exhilarating experiences. Star Wars games can be a strange breed and for obvious reasons. The most vast of all expanded sci fi universes is also probably the most protected by fans who truly enjoy all it has to offer. Anything Star WarsLucas Arts, much has already been said right there. A company that has produced great things but possibly more often has brought us potential more so than exhilarating experiences. Star Wars games can be a strange breed and for obvious reasons. The most vast of all expanded sci fi universes is also probably the most protected by fans who truly enjoy all it has to offer. Anything Star Wars is climbing up hill and more often than not it will disappoint, but not always, which is why fans anticipate everything the franchises horizon has to offer. Enter The Force Unleashed, a strange game in sense of just how on the fence it all is when being judged as a good game or not. It is a could be promising title that allows us to one, join the Dark Side, and two, focus on using the force. Two great concepts side by side in a gorgeous package and fans were stoked. Well, this gorgeous package happens to have beauty only skin deep. What could have been a full circle great game has been released as a half broken yet intriguing journey. From the point of view of those just wishing to exist in the Star Wars universe Force Unleashed is a great choice to play. Taking place between episodes 3 and 4, a time where a lot of story is available but we never thought we would see any of it. Darth Vader has himself a young and secret apprentice, which is our protagonist of the story. I do not want to go deep into the plot because it is rather fun to watch it play out. I will explain some though. Vader keeps this apprentice known as Starkiller under his wing and orders him to assassinate remaining Jedi of the council and also plans to over throw Darth Sidious with you by his side. I wont say anymore because honestly the story and cut scenes are the best part about this game and deserve to be brought to you fresh. Story wise this game is very good, and lives up to the best of Star Wars stories outside the original trilogy. It is worth playing solely for that, but everything else in the game falls flat, some even being cringe worthy in just how frustrating the game can be. Force Unleashed is a bit of a rage quitter, and has little to do with straight difficulty. The controls are so bad, and can be so awkward that the word "broken" is on the first to come to mind. It is hard to believe the game was passed by any kind of tester honestly because of how awful the game can be to play at times. It is really a shame because the potential is simply staring you in the face while your busy picking up pieces of your controller after having thrown it against the wall. Whatever you pay for this game add an additional fee for damage done to whatever room your console resides in. The force, in the case of the Ps3, is used with the R2 button, it should lock on to whatever your wishing to focus on and about 80% of the time it will. That is unless your in the heat of battle in which it jumps from about 50% to whatever it wants. Once you get frustrates with this game it is pretty much over, and frustration is inevitable. From locking onto incorrect items, to not locking at all, to getting pummeled by combos that you cannot break, to not being able to jump out of a combo you yourself are performing, to being knocked down time and time again because your under an enemy, the game can be a nightmare. For the first time in years I actually put a game on easy mode simply to enjoy the story and I still had my complaints. And I am a pretty hard gamer who has put a lot of time into very difficult but balanced games. Force Unleashed is not balanced, its just messy. Aside from controls, the game also lacks imagination, something a Star Wars game should thrive on. Levels are sometimes boring and all too linear. Make your way from A to B, take an elevator, and do it again until you run into the boss. It is very aware it is a video game and sticks to this formula. Luckily the atmosphere, environment, graphics, and story keep this from being a huge problem, but its still noticeable. In other words levels get dull and lower from the potential afford mentioned. There are great ideas the fall just short of greatness throughout. The force can be fun, throwing enemies is a blast, light sabers are always a plus, and little things like cutting an AT-ST in half or freezing a stormtrooper in carbonate are all fun additions but almost nothing can save it from the doomed gameplay. I recommend this game to just about anyone wanting a Star Wars game and anyone wanting more story out of the saga, but a warning has been said. I wanted to rate the game higher or possibly an even five but the fact that even the easy play through had a few broken frustrations has my rating sinking lower. This is a four for me but it is the greatest kind of four and scratches at the surface of a five. Not the game it could have been but worth fans attention, even if I heard Darth Sidious's voice as I wanted to break the game in half whispering "good, let the hate flow through you."… Expand
  13. Najirra
    Jan 15, 2013
    0
    This game is one straight for the hall of shame, possibly one of the worst games I have ever played in my life and the fact that this garbage was ever printed on discs is simply beyond me. The story is just about anything that keeps it standing, but if I wanted a good story I'd go watch the movies instead of torture myself with this infernal piece of trash. the combat is beyondThis game is one straight for the hall of shame, possibly one of the worst games I have ever played in my life and the fact that this garbage was ever printed on discs is simply beyond me. The story is just about anything that keeps it standing, but if I wanted a good story I'd go watch the movies instead of torture myself with this infernal piece of trash. the combat is beyond unresponsive, on higher difficulties you take an incredible amount of damage from even the most basic enemy attacks and you have absolutely no viable way to counter these attacks whatsoever, and if you do manage to guard, it's usually much too late anyway and you already lost a large chunk of health because this game does not allow you to cancel your combos so that you can guard against incoming fire. every action in this game, from opening your upgrade menu to your options menu will force a loading screen, one can only guess how that must have gone on the PS2 version of this game... the graphics don't stand out at all and the music is just a complete recycling of the same old star wars tracks we've heard in every single entry in the star wars franchise. This game is a complete and utter failure, and while I am glad I bought it pre-owned so the developers don't get a penny out of this whatsoever, the fact alone I spent the little money I paid on this kind of complete garbage feels more wasted than flushing hard earned cash down the toilet.… Expand
  14. mewkid1234
    Nov 7, 2013
    3
    The game itself is basically hilariously stupid. I mean...there is fun with throwing people off the stage and making them hit each other. The gameplay and story alike are frickin' stupid. Constantly dying like there's no point. The controls have me beat...the camera sometimes is shaky, but it's still a bad game.
  15. SeaChell25
    Jan 24, 2017
    2
    Lets`s say a game can get 3 points each on gameplay, graphics and overall feel plus one for excellence, this game would get 3 at best. The game is old, but i`ve played a lot of old games and most of them still shine when it comes to features, they are manufactured in a way that makes them indistinguishable, because they know they have to compete to stay relevant. Dynasty Warriors isLets`s say a game can get 3 points each on gameplay, graphics and overall feel plus one for excellence, this game would get 3 at best. The game is old, but i`ve played a lot of old games and most of them still shine when it comes to features, they are manufactured in a way that makes them indistinguishable, because they know they have to compete to stay relevant. Dynasty Warriors is relevant, so is God Of War. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is NOT relevant, it does not compete with games, because it is selling you, poor sucker, a soundtrack and nothing more. A collage of sounds. If you can enjoy buying a soundtrack as a game that is screaming and spitting in your face, YOU CAN NOT. Because they are two different items, idiot.

    It IS a star wars game some of us might know from the PS1, this game however is a fraudand by that i mean, don`t underestimate a fraud as a crime. This game is truly a crime and noone should put up with this. The features that were hyped in certain technical exibitions and special trailers are cut and condensed beyond repair. It feels like a game that was too buggy so they had do minimize everything. EVERYTHING. There is nothing cool left, and the bare bones that are left, are weak as hell.

    Some of the textures have to be the ugliest thing i`ve ever seen on "this" generation (PS3). The character models are horrible and repetitive. The 3D depth in this game is so weak you cant even make the next jump. I truly hope i can make a difference with this review in convincing you not to buy this, because making money is all lucas arts seemed to care about.

    Animations are suprisingly weak considering the fact that an entire, new physics model was somehow incorporated in this programm. How can bugs coexist ? If im supposed to respect this as a gamer, i should`ve bought all the porn i was streaming, or maybe "IBM and the Holocaust: 9783549071304"

    Graphics 1 out of 3.

    Gameplay.
    The controls dont work. I dont know what ideology a studio producing art or games or whatever has to believe in to conside a game like this ready to sell. If gaming would be an opera, this mafia front organization has managed to sell millions of people a bad print of a chagall painting.

    There is a certain type of idea that traumatizes everyone that even comes in contact with it, and lucas arts idea of a control scheme should have stayed where the rest of the game allready is, that would be out of context. The upgrades are worth mentioning and form an adhesive substance combined with the hyped physics and of course battery acid, haunting you like a drunk underage girl might haunt the phantasies of a pedophile.

    Only MY fantasy was to have fun with a game... and having fun playing is having fun living. See where my Problem is lucas arts ? Chris Hanson might have as much problems catching predators as i`ve using force push, basicly the only feature (of course still not even close to anything in the trailers, not even like i`m being treated with sympathy as a customer).It`s like entire features of this euphoria enginge have been sealed off from the public.

    Gameplay 2 out of 3, subtract one if you are not a robot, its a **** pie!!!, who wants to taste the chocolate ?

    Overall feel. Nuff said. the hight of antisemtitism, this game is. Add one,if you are not a robot. Im truly angry and i dont respect any ! different opinion as one uttered by a sane human being. If i see one of the people involved in this, i might actually bash them in the face. I mean who cares.    … Expand
  16. piuscorvus
    Aug 1, 2021
    2
    This game is so boring and pointless. It has some nice things such as usage of force to take and throw random things around you and use it agains your enemies but... in this game you just go and continuously fight enemies that jump on you. If you are only into smashing something all the time this would be a game for you.

Awards & Rankings

78
#78 Best PS3 Game of 2008
13
#13 Most Discussed PS3 Game of 2008
14
#14 Most Shared PS3 Game of 2008

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
71

Mixed or average reviews - based on 47 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 47
  2. Mixed: 23 out of 47
  3. Negative: 2 out of 47
  1. Playstation: The Official Magazine (US)
    70
    At the end of the day, this remains a Star Wars game - and an essential one thanks to its compelling story and, to be fair, engaging gameplay. [Oct 2008, p.74]
  2. Electronic Gaming Monthly
    56
    An ambitious--yet ultimately dissatisfying--effort. [Oct 2008, p.82]
  3. IGN
    73
    Uninspired level design and some tedious enemy battles mar an experience that gives you power over the Force like we've never really seen before. While it's far from perfect, Star Wars fans will find that it's worth playing through simply for its story and the ability to use the Force in fairly awesome ways.
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