Posted on: May 22, 2018

Hanglyman

Games: 444 Reviews: 141

Great Story & Characters, Bad Gameplay

A game where you play Vader's secret Sith apprentice, hunting down Jedi, using your god-like powers to throw people around like toys and carve them up with dozens of different lightsaber combos? With an interesting plot and characters, customizable lightsaber and upgrade system that rewards you for slaying your foes in as many different ways as possible? It sounds great, but in practice... not so much. A lot of the game really is fun, but the problems become impossible to ignore pretty quickly. The combat system is a bit TOO complex, with too many combos to remember and awkward controls that are tricky to pull off on a keyboard. You'll use maybe half of the possible combos because they're the only ones you can remember and consistently pull off. It doesn't help that the game sometimes straight-up ignores your input, refusing to do what you tell it or attacking to the side of an enemy. The best is when it fails to register your double jump and sends you falling to your death. Also, many enemies knock you over, and you take ages to get up, leaving you vulnerable to hit after hit as they gang up on you, only to knock you down again the second you recover. The boss fights, which should be a fun test of your techniques, are cheap and unfair chores where you'll struggle to land a single hit while battling the camera, which works completely differently for boss fights and only boss fights. Then there are the infamous quick-time events. They're easy, but repetitive and boring. There are maybe 8 rancors in the game, yet every single one has the exact same QTE and death animation. It looks cool the first time, cheap and lazy every time after. The Star Destroyer is the worst, a tedious slog with misleading directions and unresponsive controls that makes you wonder what they could possibly have been thinking. And there are plenty more flaws, from the unskippable cutscenes in a game released in 2008 (seriously?!) to the long loading times to the Emperor's horrible voice acting.

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Posted on: January 31, 2019

Yorgl

Verified owner

Games: 182 Reviews: 55

Not perfect, but delivers whats expected

SW:TFU is a solid game because even with its quirks, in the end, the people behind it seemed to have focused on what could be excpected : a production that reflects the SW atmosphere, and a gameplay that makes you feel like a powerful Sith. The art is a bit aging, but overall it's still pleasant and while it doesn't have anything particular, they created several environments that make us travel all around the galaxy. The cinematics are well executed and reflects the feeling of the movies. The story isn't particularly original but, again, works quite well. A very negative point is way they needed to make one of the characters a love interest (no spoiler, it's really early in the game) : it doesn't work at all. We know nothing about her, there is not alchemy, it doesn't add anything to the atmosphere... it's just stupid. Not a big deal but I physically facepalmed on several occasions because of that. Where the game shines is the gameplay. It's quite straightforward and easy to handle, but has also a good depth to it. By playing in normal, the game proposes a challenges that encourages the player to use all their toolkit, and it's quite fun to use the force grip, the shock, the lightsaber throw and many other iconic moves. Except against certain ennemies, overall it works well and it's balanced. The skills system is quite OK. Rather simple, but rewarding and adds a touch of customisation. Finally, the game doesn't make the mistake of stretching over 20hrs. It can be done in less that 10 hours, which is more than enough, imho.

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Posted on: February 20, 2022

Einzelgamer

Verified owner

Games: 620 Reviews: 23

Not a Polished Experience

I had to battle through some serious moments of frustration with this game, but managed to beat it. Unfortunately, it won't be one that I play through again as the clumsy and janky gameplay makes it a bit of a slog. If you are a Star Wars fan, then it's a nice addition to your collection. I'm glad I played it, but also glad it's over.

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Posted on: February 7, 2021

fsmcas

Verified owner

Games: 756 Reviews: 14

Loved it! Now, it's meh.

Back then, I loved this game so much. Mainly the physics were the best I had ever seen, and sadly, in parts, they still are. I remebered the game as a fun hack'n'slay in which you throw enemies around and into walls and laser grids, metal would deform and stormtroopers would grab onto things like the NPCs in GTA IV. It wasn't deep, but it was fun. -about ten years later- Now, I repleayed the game and was hooked immediately, great start. Force-blasting whole buildings into shattered pieces, what a feeling. But after a few levels, I realized how bad the fighting in this game is. The physics-based combat feels great, but I've spend more time ragdolling on the ground then actually playing. in almost every fight there are a few enemies that spam attacks that knock you over, and by the time you stand up again the next projectile hits you. This might sound like one little "git gut" thing, but this problem specifically ruined the game for me. I remebered it to make you feel like a mighty Sith, yet you feel like the playball of some bullies, being thrown around all the time. The fighting is really bad - force powers are great, but the very second you cannot win by pusing enemies around, the game breaks. Physics: 6/5, in parts still reference today! No other game I can think of tried to copy this. Just imagine throwing an enemie against a metal fence and the fence does not break but DEFORM in a realistic way! Presentation: 4/5. Great design, not great level design. In one level you are in a plant world and every force blast makes the whole flora wobble, another time you are in the belly of a beast. Graphics are great for the time and "okay" today. Gameplay: 2/5. Force - awesome. Whole rest - nope. Bad. Just not good.

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Posted on: December 30, 2017

za.ch

Verified owner

Games: 180 Reviews: 2

A fun, but deeply flawed game.

This game tries to be the Devil May Cry of Star Wars, combos, Force Powers, choices in your path of training and different options to dispatch of hordes of enemies in creative ways. It's a power fantasy with a lot of elements to love. The graphics are typical lucasarts, acceptable, but nothing remarkable, just fitting the tone and style of all the star wars classics that came before. Compared to something like Prince of Persia from the same year this is unfortunate, but something you should expect with a Lucasarts game. Still, not a problem, even by today's standards. Unfortunately the execution of the game itself is deeply flawed. The cap to 30 FPS is unfortunate, but not a core problem, but input lag, unresponsive controls, lack of fluidity in the animations leading to a lot of animation locks, a bad camera and an overall lack of tools in your defensive option during gameplay leads to an experience which simply is not up to par with other games of the genre. The ideas are there, it could have been a classic like the DMC games or Arkham Asylum, but the execution is just not up to the same level of detail and attention. The bland story does not help either to keep you engage and some of the Boss fights and stages seem extremely forced, trying to get you to use some of the force powers specifically to mix up things. A good idea in theory, but never before was it this dull to destroy a star destroyer bits by bits with the force and hopefully it never will again either. Overall, still a good buy for star wars fans on a sale, I think I got more than my $10 of fun out of it, but for people who are looking into some spectacle fighters … look elsewhere, because the competition is really that much better.

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