Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

 Xbox 360
User Score
6.8

Mixed or average reviews- based on 521 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 258 out of 521
  2. Mixed: 174 out of 521
  3. Negative: 89 out of 521
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  1. f1o_o1f
    Jul 17, 2021
    4
    Easily among the worst games I've ever played.
    I owned the Wii version back in the day. It was pretty much my favorite game and I must have played it around 12 times from front to back.
    Revisiting the Xbox-360 version now, I realise how incredibly bad it is. Mind you, the Wii and 360 versions are basically different games. The story is the same but gameplay, level design and pretty    Easily among the worst games I've ever played.
    I owned the Wii version back in the day. It was pretty much my favorite game and I must have played it around 12 times from front to back.

    Revisiting the Xbox-360 version now, I realise how incredibly bad it is. Mind you, the Wii and 360 versions are basically different games. The story is the same but gameplay, level design and pretty much everything else is different.

    This version is borderline unplayable. Sure, there are cool things present, but it feels more like an unpolished, unbalanced technical demo than anything else. Disney obviously doesn't give a f#ck about this property (it never was canon), but I hope that one day there will be a remake. There is a lot of potential, but as a game, there is barely anything of quality to be found here.

    Although, credit where credit is due: I don't like quick time events, but this game has one of the best QTE-implementations I've ever seen    … Expand
  2. SWFan523
    Jun 21, 2020
    4
    Not worth another playthrough. Weak narrative with a button mashing combat system with many flaws. Fondly remembered, but doesn't hold up.
  3. spadenx
    Dec 16, 2011
    4
    It was interesting and it did have potential but it was a poor start. Starkiller (a terrible name BTW) is a boring character, The story isnt interesting, Its too repetitive, Short campaign, and using force powers does get old rather quickly. It also has a bit of uneven difficulty as well. It had its moments but the game is an overall fail.
  4. Higher_Standard
    Aug 21, 2010
    3
    I liked the story and was overall entertained by the game. However the halfassedness is very easy to spot. You have a fun time with the force powers and physics but the saber combat is very weak. Lots of enemies are unbalanced and you have to die and fight them again over and over until they forget how to block or stop slamming you with some unblockable combo. The story is good minus theI liked the story and was overall entertained by the game. However the halfassedness is very easy to spot. You have a fun time with the force powers and physics but the saber combat is very weak. Lots of enemies are unbalanced and you have to die and fight them again over and over until they forget how to block or stop slamming you with some unblockable combo. The story is good minus the plot holes. The major thing that gets me is that these morons released a deluxe edition long after the game was released. Then told the fans that this edition would have a level that would not be available for dlc. So everyone had to re-buy the game for this bonus level.. Turns out that this map pack did end up on dlc.… Expand
  5. ChewySmokey
    Aug 27, 2010
    3
    They should have called it The FAIL Unleashed

    Pros: -the graphics are great. -you have quite a bit of control over your character's growth and upgrades. -the story is awesome, really, its the only thing that kept me playing it! -interesting character, level and boss design. -achievements are easy and cliche (i.e. kill X amount of enemies using Y). -attacking lesser units like storm    They should have called it The FAIL Unleashed

    Pros:
    -the graphics are great.
    -you have quite a bit of control over your character's growth and upgrades.
    -the story is awesome, really, its the only thing that kept me playing it!
    -interesting character, level and boss design.
    -achievements are easy and cliche (i.e. kill X amount of enemies using Y).
    -attacking lesser units like storm troopers can be really fun and/or hilarious.
    -you can collect "Holocrons" for power-ups and items and the game keeps track of "Force Points" based on who or what you kill.
    -there is a neat and challenging bonus objective in each level.

    Cons:
    -auto targeting is a joke (ie you're in a corridor, you use the force to pick up a barrel, there is a storm trooper and a service droid next to each other down the corridor, you aim for the trooper and throw the barrel, the game decides that the barrel should hit the wall to your right).
    -invisible walls everywhere and you can't climb on anything that you would normally be able to climb on (ie big rocks, tipped over tree trunks).
    -completely linear level design.
    -glitched level design; I almost found my way out of the level once or twice. In a boss battle I accidentally threw the boss below the level, the only indication of this being her light sabre sticking up out of the ground, causing me to have to start the level over again. In one level I found an invincibility power up, but fell off of a platform to what should have been a flaming death, but instead I survived because of the power up and was stuck at the bottom of the level, even after the power-up faded away.
    -inconsistent as hell! if I can pull a Star Destroyer from space, then why can't I pick up AT-STs or Dark Troopers!?
    -"finishing moves" in boss battles are reduced to God of War style "Simon says" button mashing...rendering some of the awesome combos you learned near pointless.

    To add insult to injury, the game was shipped with a huge glitch that took months before it was addressed; on some random level(s), the game will not keep track of Force Points, the number of Holocrons you collected or even tell you what your bonus objective was (it would say "DEFAULT TEXT") at the end of the level, this happened to me on the very last level and stayed that way until the patch for it was released.

    They should have kept this game in development for another 6 months and actually tested it!    … Expand
  6. DonKR
    Sep 23, 2008
    4
    The people who rate this game above a 5 are people who work at LucasArts or people who eat every little crumb and morsel that drop out from George Lucas' beard. Sure, the basis for the game is fun. I'll even admit that the story (albet, full of contradictions) is decent and the art is actually pretty good. You really have to be a die hard Star Wars fan to love a broken, buggy The people who rate this game above a 5 are people who work at LucasArts or people who eat every little crumb and morsel that drop out from George Lucas' beard. Sure, the basis for the game is fun. I'll even admit that the story (albet, full of contradictions) is decent and the art is actually pretty good. You really have to be a die hard Star Wars fan to love a broken, buggy and half-baked game as this. Save your money for a game that actually works!… Expand
  7. kendrickdk
    Dec 14, 2011
    3
    Whoever ported this game from console to PC should have their head examined. It is literally impossible to beat some bosses with a keyboard and mouse. Now I have to purchase a stupid xbox controller if I want to finish this game. May they suffer a thousand deaths for what they have done.
  8. Broyax
    Mar 16, 2017
    1
    Un TLT (Tue-Les Tous) starwarisé et même si on y incarne le "méchant", ça reste un petit con très agité qui saute dans tous les sens avec son sabre épileptique rouge pimpon. Navrant de voir la licence la plus connue de la galaxie s'avilir ainsi dans un jeu limité et répétitif et plutôt moche avec en prime une synchro verticale à la rue. La vilaine présentation et la jouabilité trèsUn TLT (Tue-Les Tous) starwarisé et même si on y incarne le "méchant", ça reste un petit con très agité qui saute dans tous les sens avec son sabre épileptique rouge pimpon. Navrant de voir la licence la plus connue de la galaxie s'avilir ainsi dans un jeu limité et répétitif et plutôt moche avec en prime une synchro verticale à la rue. La vilaine présentation et la jouabilité très médiocre n'incitent pas à persévérer outre-mesure dans cette sinistre connerie.… Expand
  9. barneyssj3
    Dec 29, 2016
    4
    Very disappointing game, should be far better than the first but it isn't. Dueling with the same enemies over&over, dull and boring gameplay with an incredibly short story. Such a waste of the Star Wars franchise.
  10. Kaminator
    Nov 4, 2008
    2
    Do you like falling off ledges? Good. Because that's all you're gonna do in this lousy game. Over and over. Someone show LucasArts "Assassin's Creed" for an example of a control scheme that lets you run, jump and climb all over the scenery as if it were second nature, you know, as if you actually had the surefootedness of a Sith Lord. That clicking sound you hear is Do you like falling off ledges? Good. Because that's all you're gonna do in this lousy game. Over and over. Someone show LucasArts "Assassin's Creed" for an example of a control scheme that lets you run, jump and climb all over the scenery as if it were second nature, you know, as if you actually had the surefootedness of a Sith Lord. That clicking sound you hear is everyone involved with The Force Unleashed deleting it from their resumes.… Expand
  11. RyanF
    Oct 4, 2008
    2
    Graphics and Story were nice. The game started off nice but then just kept going farther and farther down hill. Not including a multilayer component for such a short single player game was a mistake. I got really really really angry with this game. I would get shot which knocks me down, soon as your character gets up BAM another rocket to the face which knocks me down. This happend over Graphics and Story were nice. The game started off nice but then just kept going farther and farther down hill. Not including a multilayer component for such a short single player game was a mistake. I got really really really angry with this game. I would get shot which knocks me down, soon as your character gets up BAM another rocket to the face which knocks me down. This happend over and over and over. Terrible camera angles at times. Wondering why they decided to lock the camera during boss battles making it almost impossible to see at times. I was really hoping this would have been a satisfying experience but it was just another lucas let down.… Expand
  12. AndrewP
    Jan 16, 2010
    2
    The game is marred and screams "amateur". Major targeting and camera issues prevent the game to be played as showcased. The game is presented in horrible last gen graphics, even during FMVs using the same shoddy models at close range so we can see how ugly they are. Major gameplay slow down when nothing is occurring, physics issues that make push force powers weak or even stun lock The game is marred and screams "amateur". Major targeting and camera issues prevent the game to be played as showcased. The game is presented in horrible last gen graphics, even during FMVs using the same shoddy models at close range so we can see how ugly they are. Major gameplay slow down when nothing is occurring, physics issues that make push force powers weak or even stun lock Starkiller on higher difficulties, horrible AI that, at times will stand still during a boss fight while you remain unharmed until moving. The developers must have not learned to use triggers properly, as voice acting that plays during specific points in the game is tied to place, so if you walk backwards to get something you missed (holocrons, or enemies), the voices play again, and again, and again. Horrible lag in interface menus, and game must restart to apply something as basic as a costume. The light saber is of little worth on real difficulty levels, and you're forced to use the same cheap tactics and exploit the stupid AI to survive the poor controls. Way too many QTEs, and poorly designed levels that force user to trial and error jumps. The physics bites the user in the butt whenever they move something they have to walk on, as the game will treat areas as "slip off and fall" zones after touching them. Since most attacks stun you, you can die from excessive damage from standing still. The game's only saving grace is it's easily predictable plot. The game only enjoys any praise it has from intense fans of the Star Wars universe: a universe so devoid of innovation or actual plot that it survives solely on marketing and hype. I've completed the game for the sake of being a completionist, but I feel like this is the poorest $20 I've spent on a Xbox 360 game in a while. It offers nothing new to gamers or fans of Star Wars that couldn't have executed in a shoddy flash game/animation.… Expand
  13. RC
    Oct 16, 2008
    2
    The force powers in this game are really fun to use, they can seem a bit button bashy but if you really take the time you can put together some very good attacks and have alot of fun with them. Story starts off really good, playing a badass sith assasin, but as the game progress' the story loses some appeal. The game is a distraction for a short time, nothing more than that. The The force powers in this game are really fun to use, they can seem a bit button bashy but if you really take the time you can put together some very good attacks and have alot of fun with them. Story starts off really good, playing a badass sith assasin, but as the game progress' the story loses some appeal. The game is a distraction for a short time, nothing more than that. The graphics look fairly nice but considering the small maps they really aren't that great. The attacks are awful, having to complete an animation before doing the next thing not only leaves you at a disadvantage in the game but also feels very outdated. Invsible wall seems to have returned to border the levels (again outdated) and boss fights on harder difficulty settings amount to nothing more than finding a tactic and repeating it a hundred times until another terrible quick time event kicks in with no penalty for getting it wrong. Loading times are also a real let down, especially considering the game is not even that large.… Expand
  14. Bruce
    Sep 19, 2008
    4
    There's only one word to describe The Force Unleashed, "broken!" Too bad because this could have been the Star Wars game we were all waiting for but inexcusable bugs and glitches that was solved two game generations ago and some very bad game design choices bring this title down.
  15. GaryH
    Sep 21, 2008
    4
    Despite all the bad reviews I picked up The Force: Unleashed because after playing the demo I thought that it showed a lot of promise. After the first few levels I was confused about all the low scores because the game itself was actually quite fun! The art work and designs were great and the story itself is better than anything that has come out from the Star Wars universe in a long, Despite all the bad reviews I picked up The Force: Unleashed because after playing the demo I thought that it showed a lot of promise. After the first few levels I was confused about all the low scores because the game itself was actually quite fun! The art work and designs were great and the story itself is better than anything that has come out from the Star Wars universe in a long, long time. However, as I progressed through the game's real nature reared it's ugly and ill conceived head. I haven't played such an untested and unpolished game in my life. I found bugs like spelling, grammatical and even placeholder text; getting stuck on polygons; frame stuttering; disappearing bad guys and even game crashes and freezes. If you can overlook the bugs there are also numerous game play decisions that will leave you scratching your head like Stormtroopers that just stand there and do nothing as you stand right next to them. Battles that are completely uneven in difficulty (I didn't even die once fighting the final boss yet died multiple times fighting the sub-bosses in earlier stages). This game is a real shame. I could see a lot of potential in what could have been a half-way decent game but glaring glitches and some bad, bad, bad game design not only bring this title down, but make it unplayable. Buy at your own risk!… Expand
  16. Beguiler
    Sep 23, 2008
    2
    Frustrating game with far more bad points than good. Story - I had mixed feelings about the narrative. I liked the themes but the plot was too abrupt - it needed more exposition to flesh out the saga component of Star Wars that we've come to expect and more mini-quests / minutae to immerse ourselves in as fans. Graphics and Sound were decent - actually some bits looked pretty Frustrating game with far more bad points than good. Story - I had mixed feelings about the narrative. I liked the themes but the plot was too abrupt - it needed more exposition to flesh out the saga component of Star Wars that we've come to expect and more mini-quests / minutae to immerse ourselves in as fans. Graphics and Sound were decent - actually some bits looked pretty primitive (the backgrounds in the pulling down the Star Destroyer were poor). Gameplay mechanics ranged from bad to worse. Combat was a bit clugy because of the control scheme - even with the target lock button, it was far too easy to apply force powers to the wrong object or opponent. This made using combo attacks difficult at times. Camera perspective also was horrible - in tight spaces it was easy to get disoriented and in Boss fights it made getting killed twice as easy. All in all, there was very little "fun" in this game.… Expand
  17. SteveW.
    Sep 8, 2008
    3
    An amazing last-gen title... and that right there shows the problem with THE FORCE UNLEASHED. It's overly simplistic, gets dull and boring, and shockingly never runs smooth even though it doesn't push the 360s limits at all. A major disappointment.
  18. eeganrac
    Oct 24, 2008
    2
    Where do i begin......first of all if you are a fan of star wars RENT THIS GAME, do not buy it! if you are not a star wars fan, i would stay very far from this game. you will hate this game. here is the good about the game, or atleast ok. the story is to me very interesting (i am at the end of the game currently).the force powers are as they say in the title "unleashed".you have a nice Where do i begin......first of all if you are a fan of star wars RENT THIS GAME, do not buy it! if you are not a star wars fan, i would stay very far from this game. you will hate this game. here is the good about the game, or atleast ok. the story is to me very interesting (i am at the end of the game currently).the force powers are as they say in the title "unleashed".you have a nice variety of force powers to use. the graphics are good, except for the facial animation. that is about it for the good, here is the bad. the leveling system is pure garabage. the auto locking on objects is garbage. the mini games (god of war) are pointless. the whole bringing down the star destroyer that teased us in the trailer, well that was an epic fail. it is probably the worst single gaming experience i have had in a long while. i am only speaking for the xbox 360 version, but the directions the game told you to move the ship are wrong. i had to just move the thing visually and ignore what the game was telling me. the person who designed that, and the person who approved it should be FIRED! play it and you will see why. where they placed the auto save points.........i don't know what the hell they were thinking. you don't have an auto save point, then have a cut scene (you can't skip) then have to fight 2 AT AT (the 2 legged ones, if the name is wrong, sorry). then fight off some annoying storm troopers, then get to where your are going to have another cutscene (you can't skip) to fight a pack of royal guards. if you die then you get to do all that over and over again. this is just one example, the game is littered with them. there is so much wrong with this game. the people responsible for this game need to focus on xbla, and wii ware games. or better idea, get out of making video games!… Expand
  19. alexb
    Sep 16, 2008
    3
    "The Force Unleashed is simply the best thing to happen to the Star Wars franchise in decades. " it means they never played the first KOTOR.
  20. JP
    Sep 17, 2008
    2
    What a horrible, buggy game. Save your money.
  21. JaceN.
    Sep 20, 2008
    2
    The idea was simple...take the gloves off and FINALLY show "The Force" for the world-shattering power it truly is supposed to be. Unfortunately sometime during development it met the equally powerful counter-forces of "we cant let the player be too powerful" and "this is a business and we need to make money so I don't care if its finished or not...ship it".
  22. memus
    Dec 5, 2022
    3
    OMG, this game is so bad, it's almost unplayable. I thought that Fallen Order was bad, but this is even worse.

    Pros: + Parts of the cutscenes that don't have facial animations hold up quite well and have strong SW vibes. + The name of the protagonist is Starkiller (you see, I'm really scraping the bottom of the barrel to find smth positive to say) Cons: - Facial animations are    OMG, this game is so bad, it's almost unplayable. I thought that Fallen Order was bad, but this is even worse.

    Pros:
    + Parts of the cutscenes that don't have facial animations hold up quite well and have strong SW vibes.
    + The name of the protagonist is Starkiller (you see, I'm really scraping the bottom of the barrel to find smth positive to say)

    Cons:
    - Facial animations are abysmal. They're not even funny like Halo 3 ODST ones were. Just creepy.
    - Controls are terrible: unresponsive and unsatisfying. Both combat and platforming feel like a crappy demo made overnight. Combat you can button-spam to some extent, but nothing will vindicate the platforming.
    - Active objects are highlighted inconsistently. Targeting is off. It's especially annoying during the gas chamber and Star Destroyer levels.
    - Progression tree is a list on the third level of menu (why?).
    - I was failing most of the QTE-scenes at the first try, just because they were starting out of nowhere.
    - Story is meh. Nothing new. Same bits of SW lore and themes remixed.    … Expand
  23. zezeljmare
    Jun 29, 2021
    4
    EN:
    The story has potential, but unfortunately it is a bad realization, very repetitive and with bad mechanics.

    SRP:
    Priča ima potencijal, ali je nažalost loša realizacija, mnogo repetativno i sa lošom mehanikom.
  24. Mas__co
    Nov 7, 2021
    4
    Very overrated. The raw brutal Ed of the game is a maxing but it just seems of off and I didn’t have fun playing it- however the graphics still hold up and looks amazing

Awards & Rankings

80
#80 Best Xbox 360 Game of 2008
12
#12 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2008
8
#8 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2008

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
73

Mixed or average reviews - based on 74 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 40 out of 74
  2. Mixed: 33 out of 74
  3. Negative: 1 out of 74
  1. Official Xbox Magazine
    75
    With its non-branching storyline and no multiplayer, Force Unleashed is certainly less ambitious than the classic "Jedi Knight" games - and ultimately, its design makes it feel more videogame-y and less of an all-engrossing Star Wars experience than Xbox entries like "Jedi Knight II" or "Jedi Academy." But when the game is on, it's on. [Oct 2008, p.70]
    Read full review
  2. GamePro
    70
    Make no mistake: you can have a lot of fun with The Force Unleashed. [Oct 2008, p.88]
    Read full review
  3. games(TM)
    70
    By even allowing the choice between simple hack-and-slash gameplay and the more complex mix-up combos, LucusArrts has ensured that many will never view the title’s full potential. [Oct 2008, p.104]
See all critic reviews »