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. VvTJVvthatsmyxboxlivetag!!
    Sep 28, 2008
    10
    This game is one of the best star wars games there are.Now maybe not as good as knights of the old republic i still find this a welcome addition to everyone's game collection.It bridges the gap between III and IV with excellent story good graphics and a good beginning to rebellion. also the first level when you play as darth vader is one of the best gaming moments there is......PERIOD.
  2. LegoEggo19
    Jan 24, 2019
    9
    This game is certainly one of the more underrated games out there. It has an excellent story, takes place in an interesting universe with interesting characters, and the gameplay is fantastic. Nothing is more satisfying than picking up a stormtrooper and throwing him into orbit. I really don't know what caused so many to dislike this game, I encountered barely any glitches, and IThis game is certainly one of the more underrated games out there. It has an excellent story, takes place in an interesting universe with interesting characters, and the gameplay is fantastic. Nothing is more satisfying than picking up a stormtrooper and throwing him into orbit. I really don't know what caused so many to dislike this game, I encountered barely any glitches, and I thoroughly enjoyed all of my time with it. If you're looking to pick up a single player Star Wars game, then this is absolutely worth your time.… Expand
  3. TheQuietGamer
    May 18, 2017
    8
    With fun lightsaber action and a wealth of force powers at your disposal, The Force Unleashed allows players to feel what it's like to be an all powerful Sith lord, unrestrained by the Jedi code. You play as the Darth Vader's secret apprentice who has been tasked with hunting down the last of the Jedi that managed to escape Order 66 with their lives in a formerly cannon tale set betweenWith fun lightsaber action and a wealth of force powers at your disposal, The Force Unleashed allows players to feel what it's like to be an all powerful Sith lord, unrestrained by the Jedi code. You play as the Darth Vader's secret apprentice who has been tasked with hunting down the last of the Jedi that managed to escape Order 66 with their lives in a formerly cannon tale set between Episodes III and IV. An exciting prospect. One only strengthened by novelty of the combat system.

    The shear number of ways you are given to dispatch your foes is incredible. There's a lot of depth running beneath the standard hack n' slash formula. The further you progress and level up, the more exciting powers and combos you'll gain access to. The point of the game is to make you feel like an unstoppable killing machine and it succeeds well. It's not always the most difficult game as it's easy to exploit your way through most encounters by spamming the most overpowered attacks, but the game still provides more challenging encounters to keep you on your toes. The boss battles for instance, although they aren't the most balanced of things. Some you can just completely pummel with little to no effort. Others are outright crapshoots. They are the parts of the game where you most easily notice how not all of The Force Unleashed systems are the most reliable.

    With no lock on system you are left at the mercy of the game's auto-targeting when trying to use your force abilities. Suffice to say it's not always the smartest system. It has a habit of jumping around too much when things get crowded (which happens often) and develops a mind of it's own. You may shoot lighting at a crate instead the enemy you were initially targeting. Something that can be lethal during a boss fight. Swordplay is also a little floaty. Like I said, there's no lock on system and unlike other action games there isn't anything that pulls you towards your enemies and sticks with them. Sometimes you'll just be slicing at the air instead of your target. Something that's only amplified by the occasionally awkward camera. Platforming is easily the most flawed part of the gameplay. It's still and also suffers from camera issues and slipperiness.

    So it's worth noting that The Force Unleashed has it's issues. However, they don't ruin the game because when things are working right, which they usually are, the game is an absolute blast like few other Star Wars games have been. Your force powers are exciting and using a lightsaber feels great. The large levels are great and filled with secrets to find. Their design harkens back to Star Wars: Bounty Hunter, only not quite as archaic and there's a map onscreen to prevent you from getting lost. Plus, the game just has that great LucasArts feel to it that we just don't get too experience anymore now that they've been relegated to a strict publisher-only role.

    As if the gameplay weren't enough, there's also a great story here. It starts off really slow as you go about hunting the Jedi on different worlds, but opens up into something more after you best past it's opening levels. The characters are great and the quest of protagonist "Starkiller" may just be a huge loss to the Star Wars cannon. The presentation is also top-notch. Even today the world's you'll travel too are so beautiful that you'll be hard pressed to not be left with your jaw hanging. A lot of detail went into bringing these worlds to life and it shows. They've stood the test of time remarkably well.

    In my opinion this is one of the best Star Wars games out there. Yes, it's got some issues, but it's one of those rare SW games that truly makes you feel like a Jedi. You get the powers and the lightsaber, both of which feel great (minus those targeting inconsistencies) and one heck of a story to go with it. For Star Wars fans this is a must. However, it's not hard to see why those who aren't so keen on the galaxy far, far away might still have fun here. It's a well-made action game in it's own right.    … Expand
  4. greg6781
    Apr 28, 2013
    10
    The game is solid, great combat, upgrade system, not a over abundence of QTEs and its challenging. But the main reason its getting a ten in my book is I am a huge fan of Star wars and this game cares about the lore and shows how the rebels came to be. Hell Lucas even says he includes this story in the star wars cannon. Plus there is no Jar Jar
  5. Vio
    Nov 20, 2011
    9
    This is not a RPG, this is a action platform game with RPG and fighting game elements - once this is realized and you embrace it for what it is it is simply awesome.

    The game's story is the usual starwars story line nothing much of a surprize here, gameplay is very fun once you learn the moves and unlock the force powers - I have found myself finishing this game multiple times looking for    This is not a RPG, this is a action platform game with RPG and fighting game elements - once this is realized and you embrace it for what it is it is simply awesome.

    The game's story is the usual starwars story line nothing much of a surprize here, gameplay is very fun once you learn the moves and unlock the force powers - I have found myself finishing this game multiple times looking for every light saber and unlocking every force power. The graphics/art in this game is beautiful. Gameplay wise the only complaint I have is that of the "hit X" "hit "A" etc timed events in order to kill "bosses".

    Did I like it? Hell yes!    … Expand
  6. BrentP
    Jun 1, 2009
    10
    This is my favorite game on the 360, thus far. It was extremely satisfying and well done. It's definitely worth buying. I'm looking forward to playing it again and again.
  7. BillyH.
    Jan 17, 2009
    10
    I have played the game through-out twice now and I'm sorry to say but this game ROCKS! You are very destructive and the story line is excellent. I love this game and highly recommend it. Why some on here rate it so low is absurd. They game pushed the envelope in so many ways and the game play great. The story behind it just takes you that much deeper into the game itself. This game I have played the game through-out twice now and I'm sorry to say but this game ROCKS! You are very destructive and the story line is excellent. I love this game and highly recommend it. Why some on here rate it so low is absurd. They game pushed the envelope in so many ways and the game play great. The story behind it just takes you that much deeper into the game itself. This game is a 9.5 - 10 in my book.… Expand
  8. DaredadCrust
    Sep 10, 2013
    8
    A great storyline and intense combat makes this game a must for all Star Wars fans. However, the game is full of bugs (like if you change your lightsaber color it will break your objective screen, telling you your objective is nil but luckily the title update fixes that). The game is also pretty short, the first three and last two levels are long but the others are insanely quick and easyA great storyline and intense combat makes this game a must for all Star Wars fans. However, the game is full of bugs (like if you change your lightsaber color it will break your objective screen, telling you your objective is nil but luckily the title update fixes that). The game is also pretty short, the first three and last two levels are long but the others are insanely quick and easy to beat. Definitely better than its sequel.… Expand
  9. TheMetacritiqer
    Apr 12, 2016
    8
    Saying this is the best Star Wars game isn't saying much but that it's also one of the best action adventure games I've played is. Starting out with classic Star Wars opening with the great theme song got me excited and it wasn't for nothing. It's a shame Lucas Arts is no more. Now we can look forward to Visceral's unannounced Star Wars game.
  10. JoroA
    Mar 21, 2016
    8
    Very addicting and fun. The story is interesting and on higher difficulties quite challenging. You feel really powerfull and you can customise your appearance and lightsaber. It has a good replay value and has interesting characters but for the most part used for radio chatter.
  11. xXxXxXs
    Nov 5, 2018
    9
    Most people who have given this game a review and called it "unplayable" just seem to be fairly ignorant about the game as a whole. There are bugs and glitches. the story is short. These things are true...but it doesn't make it a bad game. Despite maybe two tiny plot holes, the story is well written, well voice acted, and beautifully scored. The music really is great. Sam Witwer wasMost people who have given this game a review and called it "unplayable" just seem to be fairly ignorant about the game as a whole. There are bugs and glitches. the story is short. These things are true...but it doesn't make it a bad game. Despite maybe two tiny plot holes, the story is well written, well voice acted, and beautifully scored. The music really is great. Sam Witwer was amazing as Starkiller (Galen Marek) who in my opinion is one of the best Star Wars protagonists. All the side characters have their own lore and backstory to them as well. Kota was a respected general in the clone wars who rallied a group of rebels to form his own militia against the empire. PROXY is a protocol training droid who respects yet is programmed to kill his master. Juno is a highly skilled pilot who was trained to side with the empire from birth. I could go on and on but really the characters are all so great. Gameplay is fun and the physics engine is awesome when up against the effects of a force push or repulse. The game gets a bit repetitive around the end and has some fairly annoying enemy types and a near impossible "Sith Master" mode. Aside from these issues, I think this is probably up there with KOTOR and Shadows of The Empire as some of the best Star Wars stories ever made outside of the OT. Unfortunately none of this is canon any longer due to the fact that Disney has not a clue in the world as to what they are doing with the star wars universe. I think i'll just pretend this game is canon until it actually is again....if it is. Anyway yeah, this game is pretty flawed but really awesome.… Expand
  12. KnightMerrick
    Jun 21, 2020
    9
    A fun game, with an interesting story, the controls are good, but the camera is confusing to adjust, but still very good game, the origin of the rebellion in this I like much, more than the new movies. I'm glad I tried it after so many years
  13. Ciuffo
    Nov 21, 2019
    9
    The game is just so much fun, i dont get why it have a so bad metascore, not the best levekl design in the world, but the story is just brilliant ,the characters are so good and the music, guys , the music, is just exeptional
  14. Dsims37
    Jun 16, 2019
    10
    An amazing brawler. Star Wars, great graphics and story. Amazing moves. Don’t listen to the snobs and haters. This is one of the best games of its kind.
  15. Studiop0lis
    Jun 29, 2020
    9
    Good Gameplay, characters,story,plot,yeah there are some problems,but if you want a good star wars game buy this one,its better then its sequel and fallen order
  16. JasonB.
    Sep 15, 2008
    8
    Best Representation of Force Powers Ever !!!!! Love this game and have had loads of fun playing it.
  17. Teli
    Sep 22, 2008
    8
    A truly enjoyable experience. Can't wait to see future games make use of DMM. The camera was a problem only in some areas of the game. The fact that you can customize you lightsaber is neat. Definitely worth another playthough on the most difficult setting.
  18. mirig
    Sep 24, 2008
    8
    Beautiful game (though faces in cinematics look really bad), great story, individual powers are good and there are good character building and customization features. But chaining attacks is amateurishly implemented, there are lots of bugs, there are some extremely poor design decisions and lightsaber combat is a wasted opportunity. With some key fixes and a couple months of polish, it Beautiful game (though faces in cinematics look really bad), great story, individual powers are good and there are good character building and customization features. But chaining attacks is amateurishly implemented, there are lots of bugs, there are some extremely poor design decisions and lightsaber combat is a wasted opportunity. With some key fixes and a couple months of polish, it could have been a 90+ classic. Too bad they shipped it before it was done.… Expand
  19. CuthbertS.
    Jan 11, 2009
    8
    This game was very good. I thoroughly enjoyed the "unleashed force" experience, apart from the irritataing 'Bring down the star destroyer bit.' Some of the cutscenes were gooey or cheesey with a few contradictions. The game was way too short and the levels didn't feel like they'd been completely finished and they still needed some work on the level borders. The This game was very good. I thoroughly enjoyed the "unleashed force" experience, apart from the irritataing 'Bring down the star destroyer bit.' Some of the cutscenes were gooey or cheesey with a few contradictions. The game was way too short and the levels didn't feel like they'd been completely finished and they still needed some work on the level borders. The targeting and 'locked camera during parts of boss levels' sucked but no game is perfect. I loved the combos and the fact that you only have one button for lightsaber, yet you can do so much with it (bar ranged attacks.) There were a few parts where I got annoyed doing the same bit over and over again but any gamer should be prepared to do that. I kinda wish there were some side levels where you could just mess around fighting guys instead of just battling through the levels, I hate the training levels! Overall I loved the game but it just isn't finished, I would have preferred to wait longer until it is properly completed.… Expand
  20. JohnP.
    Feb 22, 2009
    8
    I see people nagging about ledges and over the top Force powers. Apparently, no one knows how to stay on the map and no one read LucasArts releases about this game being about taking the Force powers to the extreme. This game was overhyped, yes, but it did not fail to deliver in terms of absolutely amazing gameplay. I loved the story line and the graphics, not to mention the physics. The I see people nagging about ledges and over the top Force powers. Apparently, no one knows how to stay on the map and no one read LucasArts releases about this game being about taking the Force powers to the extreme. This game was overhyped, yes, but it did not fail to deliver in terms of absolutely amazing gameplay. I loved the story line and the graphics, not to mention the physics. The most redeeming aspect of this game is the unlockables and cheat codes. Who doesn't love fighting Stormtrooper with Ackbar? It does have some glitches to be worked on and the story line was quite short, rather disappointed they left out so much on the 360 version.… Expand
  21. DouglasI
    Dec 1, 2008
    8
    Distance between save checkpoints, some lackluster environment design and tedious battle sequences can drag this game down. Outstanding visual design, remarkable characters, and unique game play make it fun. The 800 pound elephant: The story that bridges Episodes 3 & 4 make this game a must play. Stunning cinematic sequences are a joy to watch. Saber play and force use become almost Distance between save checkpoints, some lackluster environment design and tedious battle sequences can drag this game down. Outstanding visual design, remarkable characters, and unique game play make it fun. The 800 pound elephant: The story that bridges Episodes 3 & 4 make this game a must play. Stunning cinematic sequences are a joy to watch. Saber play and force use become almost magical by the end of the game. A multiplayer port of the game would have make this game much more valuable. A versus combat option similar to the "Episode III" game would have been phenomenal in this game environment.… Expand
  22. Anonymous
    Oct 3, 2008
    9
    Graphics are great, story is fine and the characters have souls (metaphorically ofcourse). Also using the Force is fun, but you get pretty far with just a few combos. Also the final boss is really hard, compared to other bosses, which you usually kill with one or two tries. Also I liked how the outfits seem to be carefully done and the fun RPG-element, but you had a situation where you Graphics are great, story is fine and the characters have souls (metaphorically ofcourse). Also using the Force is fun, but you get pretty far with just a few combos. Also the final boss is really hard, compared to other bosses, which you usually kill with one or two tries. Also I liked how the outfits seem to be carefully done and the fun RPG-element, but you had a situation where you needed to decide only once.… Expand
  23. Leo
    Aug 24, 2008
    10
    This game is a combination of ninja gaiden and jedi academy in the best way unlimited amount of things you can do in this game you feel like a sith lord. Just amazing
  24. ZackH.
    Sep 15, 2008
    9
    The only thing I didn't like about it was the fact it was so short. Other than that, I loved it. Beautiful graphics, and the physics of the game were simply stunning. Using Force Repulse to fling 10 storm troopers off of a bridge is just so satisfying.
  25. LukeS.
    Sep 17, 2008
    9
    Game is awesome , would have been a ten if it was longer. Overall a great game that is worthy of the name star wars.
  26. WilliamM.
    Sep 17, 2008
    9
    I really like this game. I can't see what all the complaining is about. Sure the targting is off a little sometimes but not enough to give it a horrible rating like some people did.I would try to target one thing and it would go on to something else. It can be frustrating in battle, but not enough for me to hate this game. I am a Star Wars fan and throughly enjoyed the story. Also I really like this game. I can't see what all the complaining is about. Sure the targting is off a little sometimes but not enough to give it a horrible rating like some people did.I would try to target one thing and it would go on to something else. It can be frustrating in battle, but not enough for me to hate this game. I am a Star Wars fan and throughly enjoyed the story. Also people were complaing about it getting to hard later in the game and not being able to use force powers as much. Well let me tell you Force grip is the key. You can always throw things at people and lightsaber moves are all that. I love using the lightsaber to carve people up using shields. So all you people have fun and May the Force be with you.… Expand
  27. EveO.
    Sep 30, 2008
    8
    Really fun game, little short but fun.
  28. MattM
    Sep 5, 2008
    9
    Not sure what the Reviewer's have up there ass but they obviously are not playing the same game as the rest of us. Either that or they just suck balls at video games.
  29. JK
    Sep 9, 2008
    9
    Don't listen to reviews, and make up your own mind. I have a review copy, and it's awesome.
  30. Brad
    Sep 13, 2008
    10
    Enourmous fun. It isn't trying to be the next Jedi Knight, folks! Accept it for what it is, a fun action game that emphasizes combining the Lightsaber and Force Powers in spectacular ways, and you won't be sorry. Pretty solid story, acting, soundtrack, and visuals.
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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 »