The Force Unleashed

[WorkingMike]

so I finally got around to this little gem of a title. What the hell happened there? They had a great story, cool force powers, interesting locales and managed to somehow forget to add fun.

Did anyone developing it actually play the game?

I try to finish all my games, sometimes more than once, but man - this one feels like work.

[leo8877]

I absolutely loved this game.  For me it was so awesome to be that "Force Wrecking-Ball" they advertised.

[EngineNo9]

I just got my copy back from a friend, but the first few levels I played were very fun other than the quick-time events and boss fights.  Those parts really felt out of place and sucked the fun from my experience.  Hopefully I can get some more playing in this weekend and get a bit further to see how the rest of the game is.

[Dimmona]

Let's make the main character a Force wielding wrecking ball with a fun mechanic for tossing around enemies... but then to scale the difficulty let's make most characters immune to force powers and give them cheap counter attacks to your lightsaber.

It's like they once they got the Force mechanic working they uncorked the champagne instead of actually wrapping a decent game around it...

[Xmann]

towards the middle of the game i found it so difficult i quit....thank goodness it was a rental.

[TiLT]

I'm stuck at the third boss. Dunno how long it will be before I bother to give him another shot. The problem is that he's so hard he feels bugged. You simply can't win that fight without abusing flaws in the physics system and AI. Makes it feel like there was very little bug-testing going on.

[EngineNo9]

You can change the difficulty at any time, right?  Try turning it all the way down for that boss and then back up after.

[Lordnine]

Anyone who wants to get rid of this obviously worthless game should let me know and I’ll be happy to buy it for a small fee. 

[pr0ner]

You can change the difficulty at any time, right?  Try turning it all the way down for that boss and then back up after.

If you do that, you won't get any of the achievements for completing the game.

[wonderpug]

You can change the difficulty at any time, right?  Try turning it all the way down for that boss and then back up after.

If you do that, you won't get any of the achievements for completing the game.

Are achievements really so appealing that you'd be willing to kill the fun of the game to pursue them?  TiLT also won't get the achievement for completing the game if he gives up in frustration. 

[TiLT]

You can change the difficulty at any time, right?  Try turning it all the way down for that boss and then back up after.

If you do that, you won't get any of the achievements for completing the game.

Are achievements really so appealing that you'd be willing to kill the fun of the game to pursue them?  TiLT also won't get the achievement for completing the game if he gives up in frustration. 

Achievements aren't a factor for me since the PS3 version doesn't have Trophy support (sadly). I might try turning down the difficulty so I can get past that fight... after I finish both Resistance games.

It's somewhat telling that walkthroughs I've read agree that the boss fight I'm on is the hardest in the entire game (and broken), even though it's near the very beginning.

[coopasonic]

I'm stuck at the third boss. Dunno how long it will be before I bother to give him another shot. The problem is that he's so hard he feels bugged. You simply can't win that fight without abusing flaws in the physics system and AI. Makes it feel like there was very little bug-testing going on.

Now I'm wondering if I got to the third boss yet. All the bosses have been stupid hard in my mind.

[CeeKay]

You can change the difficulty at any time, right?  Try turning it all the way down for that boss and then back up after.

If you do that, you won't get any of the achievements for completing the game.

Are achievements really so appealing that you'd be willing to kill the fun of the game to pursue them?  TiLT also won't get the achievement for completing the game if he gives up in frustration. 

+1.  who cares about achievements other than tank achievement whores?    as much as I love Star Wars I think I'll keep waiting for this one to fall to under 20 bucks or to be my free game in a b2g1 free sale.

[TiLT]

I'm stuck at the third boss. Dunno how long it will be before I bother to give him another shot. The problem is that he's so hard he feels bugged. You simply can't win that fight without abusing flaws in the physics system and AI. Makes it feel like there was very little bug-testing going on.

Now I'm wondering if I got to the third boss yet. All the bosses have been stupid hard in my mind.

Spoiler for Hiden:

It's the guy with the fake Jedi Council. You can't fight him with your lightsaber (he parries pretty much every attack and can counterattack you with unblockable attacks of his own) and fighting at a range is extremely dangerous since random debris can take your health from 100% to 10% in one single Force Push. Add the two massive enemies he spawns during the battle that you HAVE to fight as well as the long time the battle lasts, and you've got an excercise in MAJOR frustration. I've never gotten him below 70% health or so. The trick is to use a particular Force Lightning combo combined with Force Push to throw him into walls, but even this is dangerous as he randomly resists these attacks and can use them as an opening for his own charges.

[The Grue]

You talking about Kazdan Paratus on Raxus Prime?  Not sure what I did special, but I didn't have any problems fighting him.  Looking at a FAQ now, it seems he:

Spoiler for Hiden:

Has a weakness to electricity and I believe I had a crystal that gave me electrical attacks.

[coopasonic]

I beat him, but it was epic with many restarts. I think that's the last time I played the game. I had to put it down after that.

[pr0ner]

What difficulty level are you guys playing on?  I had a couple of issues there, but nothing like what you all are describing.

[TiLT]

I almost always play on what's closest to Normal difficulty in games, so I'd say that's what I'm using here as well.

Keep in mind that I mentioned the battle seems bugged. If some people are having an easier time than others, this could be the result of bugged behavior that doesn't trigger on someone else's system. I'm pretty good at action games, but this boss just seems impossible after trying to beat him about 20 times.

[Bob]

I'm at that stupid star destroyer scene. 

A less fun moment couldn't exist.

[Xmann]

ya i beat that boss rather easily on my first try.   i think about 2 or 3 missions past that boss is where i quit.   just getting through the levels were beyond ridiculous to me.  

[Autistic Angel]

When I played The Force Unleashed on the default difficulty, I thought that Kazdan Paratus was so tough because it was early in the game and I was still learning the controls.  After him, I didn't have any problems with the difficulty curve for the rest of the game.

Then I started replaying on the next hardest difficulty, and Paratus nearly stopped me dead.  Beating him simply isn't a matter of skill -- it's pure blind luck.  I'd have battles with him that lasted upwards of twenty minutes, spamming lightning attacks like a freaking Tesla coil, and he just doesn't take damage.

If you can beat Kazdan Paratus, you can beat the rest of the game.  There's no other fight in the game that ever approaches that degree of challenge.  Whether or not you *want* to, however, is up to you: I had a pretty good time throughout Force Unleashed, but it's general lack of polish makes it tough to recommend to other people.

-Autistic Angel

[Starshifter]

Well, I just completed this game last night.  Let me tell you something.  The story in this game alone could rival that of the original trilogy.  This would have been a blockbuster Star Wars film.  The ending (I went for the redemption/light side ending) was, for a lack of better words, classic Star Wars.  It gave me the chills.  Especially these two moments in the final cutscene:

Spoiler for Hiden:

The actual decision by Bail & Leia Organa to start the Rebel Alliance and pick its symbol - that was so cool; Kota tells Juno that it is my thoughts of her that kept me going through all my dark thoughts (a touching moment) - and the camera pans up to the stars and the classic John William's music and credits begin - brilliant!  I get the chills just thinking about it.

I played this game on Sith Lord difficulty.  It was tough and had it's moments of frustration (i.e., Kazdan & Emperor bosses) and I have a broken Force Unleashed case to prove it.  In one fit of rage I flung it clear across the room and it shattered into a thousand green plastic pieces.  Better the case than the controller.    However, all I needed to do was take a break for awhile and then come back to it and was able to think clearly and get through those tough spots.

There is something about Star Wars games that find their way into my heart.  Every one of them sucks me into the world and I literally believe I'm there and I'm Jedi!  This goes all the way back to X-Wing, Tie Fighter, the Dark Forces & Jedi Knight games and of course the KOTORs.  I guess ever since that day, nay, that magical life changing moment when I sat in a theater in May 1977 and was stunned to my core when that opening scene of Star Wars began, I always knew I wanted to live that.  I did in my dreams as a little boy and thankfully Star Wars games let me come as close as possible to realizing those dreams. 

Poetic enough? 

Game of the Year 2008.  Definitely.

[leo8877]

Well, I just completed this game last night.  Let me tell you something.  The story in this game alone could rival that of the original trilogy.  This would have been a blockbuster Star Wars film.  The ending (I went for the redemption/light side ending) was, for a lack of better words, classic Star Wars.  It gave me the chills.  Especially these two moments in the final cutscene:

Spoiler for Hiden:

The actual decision by Bail & Leia Organa to start the Rebel Alliance and pick its symbol - that was so cool; Kota tells Juno that it is my thoughts of her that kept me going through all my dark thoughts (a touching moment) - and the camera pans up to the stars and the classic John William's music and credits begin - brilliant!  I get the chills just thinking about it.

I played this game on Sith Lord difficulty.  It was tough and had it's moments of frustration (i.e., Kazdan & Emperor bosses) and I have a broken Force Unleashed case to prove it.  In one fit of rage I flung it clear across the room and it shattered into a thousand green plastic pieces.  Better the case than the controller.    However, all I needed to do was take a break for awhile and then come back to it and was able to think clearly and get through those tough spots.

There is something about Star Wars games that find their way into my heart.  Every one of them sucks me into the world and I literally believe I'm there and I'm Jedi!  This goes all the way back to X-Wing, Tie Fighter, the Dark Forces & Jedi Knight games and of course the KOTORs.  I guess ever since that day, nay, that magical life changing moment when I sat in a theater in May 1977 and was stunned to my core when that opening scene of Star Wars began, I always knew I wanted to live that.  I did in my dreams as a little boy and thankfully Star Wars games let me come as close as possible to realizing those dreams. 

Poetic enough? 

Game of the Year 2008.  Definitely.

Finally someone who feels as good about the game as I did!  Narrowly edged out of my GOTY by the brilliant Dead Space, I too, loved this game.  I thought it would have made a kick ass movie.

[Destructor]

Well, I just completed this game last night.  Let me tell you something.  The story in this game alone could rival that of the original trilogy.  This would have been a blockbuster Star Wars film.

*insert quip about how the story was so bad in the first three prequels that it wouldn't be hard to do in the first place*