Most of you know that the sequel to the award-winning game "The Force Unleashed was released 29th of October this year. What can be said about "The Force Unleashed 2"? Let's take a look at the Xbox 360-version of this sequel. Is it a worthy sequel or just an okay game?
The game is set one year before A New Hope and 6 months after the events of the first game.
Without revealing too much, Starkiller is either cloned or still alive, as he is seen captured by Vader in one of the towers in Camino, an always rainy water-planet known for cloning technology. Who doesn't remember Obi-Wan Kenobi's first discovery of the mystical planet during a mission to track down the bounty hunter Janco Fett in "Attack Of The Clones"?
This is exactly that, except that Vader has special plans for his former apprentice..
The cinematic intro sequence showing Vader's arrival to Camino with storm troppers and feeding Starkiller with a lot of confusion about his existence is very impressive and movie-like.
The opening of the game is known by most from the demo part of the game where Starkiller gets some visions from the first game and simply escapes Vader avoiding another betrayal..
Camino itself as the first level is very detailed just like we know the planet. The rain, thunder and flashing are all very realistic. One very cool feature with this level is that you get to see Starkiller becoming wet, and the way water flow down the sides of different platforms you have to cross is also extremely realistic. You simply have to see it to believe it..
Gameplay is very similar to the first game, but combat mode is a lot more advanced than the first game. Not only are Force Grip, Push, Lighting and Repulse more realistic and much-improved, but there are also 3 additional Force powers. One small is "Force Sense". If you are stuck somewhere and wonder where to go, you can activate Force Sense to find the way. Otherwise, there are 2 new impressive Force powers called "Jedi Mind Trick" and "Force Fury". The first one is useful where you are outnumbered by several tough enemies at once, and with Mind Trick, you can both trick one jumping down to a certain death, or confuse several into fighting each others, saving you a lot of time. The most impressive new Force power is "Force Fury". When it's filled up, Starkiller unleashes all of his Force in a furious rage. Very useful when you have to take on the toughest enemies as easy as possible. You could probably say that Starkiller has grown since the first game, and has become even more powerful than before..
The inclusion of dual lightsables is very welcome, with more aggressive combat skills. You can even alter your dual lightsables with different crystals for colours and powers, as well as changing your customes and facing different challenges to improve your skills . These challenges are referred as training modes like the first game, but again different..
In addition to improving force powers and skills, there is also a cool possibility to cut your enemies, especially Stormtroppers into several pieces, so there is at least one important reason why the lowest PEG of the game is 16, because of the nature of violence in this game. Saber throw with the dual lightsables is also impressive and causes more damage than with just one..
Now i will try to bring a detailed review of the game..
Graphic: Graphic quality is vastly improved from the first game with a lot more detailed, more realistic animation and stunning landscapes and weather. It's easy to see how detailed and advanced the graphic has been done in 720p (progressive mode), which is quite a face-lift!
The water, flashing and thunder effects from the Camino level are extremely realistic, even the landscape of all the levels in the game just like seen in the movies. The way subtitles is handled couldn't have been done better. It fits nicely with the overall visuality of the game. Amazing stuffs!
Audio: Different and deeper music from different levels, which also changes during the situation. Voice and sound effects are very good and very realistic. A little improvement here but mostly because music is different and deeper. Otherwise the audio is quite identical to the first game..
Gameplay: Very similar to the first game, but now with dual lightsables with improved, more aggressive lightsable combat. 3 new Force powers like Force Sense, Mind Trick and Force Fury. Combat mode is more advanced and a lot more realistic, especially noticeable when using Force Grip, which has also been vastly improved. Dashing is more realistic, but some would say dashing is a bit slower. It might be when looking closer, but just a minor slowdown..
This can be handled when combining it with Force Push to reach another platform easier..
Conclusion: Undoubtly a very worthy sequel to the first game, and it's easy to see that Lucasarts have spent a lot of time improving things from the first game that were a bit limited. Graphic and animation are 2 things that have undergone an extreme facelift, with a much-improved combat mode and 3 new Force powers. The game is somewhat a bit short and the history has a little too much focus on Starkiller's love interest Juno Eclipse, but the upside is stronger revenge to destroy Vader for hunting, betraying and manipulating Starkiller and everything he loves. It's logical because this sequel give a more personal in-depth story of Starkiller and Vader..
I give the game an 8 of 10. It's not perfect but close enough, and a truly worthy sequel to the first game. Star Wars fans like myself will truly love this sequel, and i can tell you all that there WILL be a Force Unleashed 3 in a not too distant future. Watch this space. That's all for now..
Positive: Much-improved detail-rich graphic and animation with stunning landscapes, deeper music and movie-like sequences close to the quality of a true movie..
Negative: Game being a bit too short and probably too much focus on Starkiller's love interest Juno Eclipse, but the history lifts itself upward with a deeper and stronger hate toward Vader..
The game is truly worth having in the collection! Buy it today!
Review written by:
Helge Kvalheim, Norway