EricBall's Tech Projects - Star Wars - The Force Unleashed

[RSS Bot]

In summary, the demo is better than the game.

 

Many moons ago I downloaded the free demo for my PS3. I played through that demo numerous times, searching for secrets, discovering combos, and finding new ways to wipe out hapless stormtroopers and rebel scum in efforts to achieve the frenzy bonus. So when I saw a kid selling it at a garage sale, I scooped it up (along with Prince of Persia). Now that I'm playing the actual game, I'm pining for the demo.

 

The one thing which is keeping me playing is the story. I want to find out what happens to Starkiller and whether he decides to be more than Vader's puppet. But there are many other things I dislike about the game.

 

The first thing I dislike is in the demo you have access to most / all of the force powers & combos while in the game you only gain them as you advance through the story. So while the demo is basically the first half of the second level of the game, while you're playing the level in the game you can't do cool things like throw your lightsaber or fry someone with lightning.

 

The second thing I dislike is after you gain those force powers some enemies gain immunities to them. So some stormtroopers can't be picked up using the force while others shrug off lightning attacks. So rather than having fun creatively killing them with combos, I find myself wading into the melee swinging my lightsaber 'cause that seems to always work (so far).

 

The third thing I dislike is the game likes to try to overwhelm you with large numbers of lesser enemies, even when you're faced with a minor or major boss. So while you're trying to eliminate one opponent, there are others taking you down (often from long range). And because they are immune to force grip, I can't even throw them into each other. (Not that it's easy to aim those throws.) Starkiller is fearsome at short and medium ranges, but long range needs throwable objects. And the level design often means there aren't any objects you can throw either. (The grab also really needs a "next object" mechanic.) Plus I'm playing this game at only the second difficulty level - I'd hate to play it any higher.

 

Finally, there are the typical complaints with this type of game, i.e. "what do I need to do to open this door?", "how do I defeat this boss?", "#%@ third person camera".

 

Oh, one quirk I found. In the game you can find crystals for your lightsaber (to simply change color, or add powers) and costumes to wear. But when the game goes into a pre-rendered scene you're shown with the default costume and lightsaber color!

 

http://atariage.com/forums/blog/7/entry-10391-star-wars-the-force-unleashed/