The reviews here are kind of strange. One is critical of it for not being an RPG and another talking about how the lightsabers aren't lethal enough... okay? The Force Unleashed is a third person hack n' slash that fills a similar niche to the God of Wars or Devil May Crys out there, though never hitting at their level. It's a fun, hilariously OTT power fantasy that injects the subtleties of the force with PCP and lets you rain wonderful destruction down on a variety of Star Wars themed opponents. While the general moment to moment action is fun, it isn't perfect. It's mechanically shallow and there are some tedious moments in the game, particularly with regards to certain bosses. A highlight at the time of the release was the euphoria engine that would allow hapless troopers and the environment to react in a believable way to your crazy force antics. The first time you see a stormtrooper grab onto another stormtrooper in an attempt to stop you from blowing them away is one of the joys you get to experience with the engine. While only a visual gimmick it does enhance the spectacle during chaotic scenarios. Story-wise it's serviceable but not particularly memorable. Ultimately it's just backdrop, justifying a variety of new locations and themed enemies for the carnage. The protagonist isn't very likeable, drawing too much from the mopiness and angst of the prequels. His entire persona is anathema next to the all the fun carnage. Supporting characters are more interesting though. All in all the game is fun but forgettable, worth playing if you are looking for some action with the trappings of Star Wars but not if you're looking for some lore rich foray into the Star Wars mythos. It's no Jedi Knight or Knights of the OId Republic, but it has its place. I would dock a point for the port quality (it's not good), but 2 stars would feel harsh so I give it 3 stars with caveats.
Demo opens with a warning that it's pre-alpha demo, so have reasonable expectations going in. For example: Textures are grainy many of which are likely placeholders, the UI isn't much too luck at though I kind of like a minimalist approach. Combat is rudimentary and unrefined. Hitting people with a steel pipe doesn't feel too weighty, and your going to take hits due to some really short range on the pipe. Audio is spotty with certain things having no discernible sound. There are no graphic settings, just choosing resolutions and screen modes. It's also short. About 10 to 15 minutes, depending on how much you stand around to soak things in. Running from start to finish can be done in under a minute. It's very atmospheric, simultaneously fresh and nostalgic and shows tons of potential. If anyone has played the original game, it's basically a fraction of the first area... med bay, a maintenance corridor and a room with a nice view of a low res image of Saturn (right?) and that's about it. Combat wise the pipe isn't a particularly weighty weapon as one would expect looking at it, but the sparq is really nice to use (think phasers from Star trek). It's got a nice particle effect and has 4 different settings (distinct from the slider from the original). The overcharge looks the part but it doesn't appear they've got any difference in the damage output. The bots (a cute retro style med bot and a spider bot) and mutants (weird googly eyed fella, looks like a Grey Alien) are interesting enough looking with decent animations and sounds. There is a (very) simple puzzle that you interact with seamlessly via interacting with nodes (no pop-up special UI, just get in close and point and click). For those wondering there is indeed a Fahrenheit 451 reference, true to the original and its legacy, don't you worry. A red flag for some (not me) is a 2 weapon-slot system, though there are currently only 2 weapons to choose from anyway so that very well may change. It has an inventory system similar to System Shock 2/Deus Ex where you fit things along a grid and different items take up different amounts of space while similar items of certain types can stack. Everything seen can change, but this is a review of the pre-alpha demo and that's just how it is. I for one like what I see. I'm definitely going to throw a few quid at the kickstarter. What's shown can change wildly by the time it releases (if it releases) and it can change for the worse, but based on this alpha alone I'm happy to pledge my support to the project, to at least try and get it off the ground. Best of luck Night Dive Studios!
