Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is basically, part of Lucasfilm's attempt to pull another Shadows Of The Empire-esque multi-media crossover event-thingie, spanning video games, novels and comics, to bridge the gap between the end of the Prequel Trilogy and the Original Trilogy. Consequently, the hype behind the game is huge, particularly considering that this is, basically, Lucasarts' last in-house Star Wars game. It's not a bad way to go out - but it could have been better.
After a semi-tutorial/prologue/whatever in the shoes of Darth Vader, taking out a Jedi in hiding on Kashyyyk, you step into the shoes of that Jedi's son, Starkiller, Darth Vader's secret apprentice. There, you go about performing assassination missions for Vader, missions that will ultimately bring the state of the galaxy to the way things are at the start of "A New Hope".
The story is told well, but as you can guess from what it sets out to do, your destination is already known. There is an alternate ending that takes things into a somewhat "What If" direction (similar to the alternate ending from the "Episode III" game) - and it's interesting to see things take shape, the story never involved me to the level of KOTOR, or even, for that matter, the Jedi Knight games. Plus, a lot of planets get re-used. The levels themselves don't always get re-used or re-mapped, but after going to Kashyyyk, Felucia, and other planets and fighting through the various enemies the planet has to offer, having to back-track was not enjoyable.
The game's controls work well. Lightsaber attacks are mapped to the Square button, with jump mapped to X, and Force Blast and Lightning - two of the three powers you'll use the most - mapped to Circle and Triangle. Lightsaber combat generally consists of mashing square until your target dies, while occasionally mixing things up with some combos using force powers, either to do more damage or to clear yourself some room. Bosses and mid-bosses (as well as certain enemies) you finish off using God Of War style real-time-action events. They're generally well executed, with a forgiving window to hit the button (as well as logical button choices) - and, importantly, the events are used as finishers - you do not have to "Hit X To Not Die" as Yahtzee puts it - which wonderful, and all the sequences are quick and painless - except for one which I will get to later. Using force grip is particularly fun, but really shines on starship levels, where you can just chuck a barrell down a corridor at a target or - even better, toss a box out a window and watch as the vacumm of space sucks your enemies out the window before the security door slams shut.
Graphics are alright. The game shines on enclosed (and mostly enclosed) levels such as the various Star Destroyers and shipyards early on. More open areas - particularly the stages on Felucia - have some pop-up issues, not just with enviromental objects, but also enemies. Fortunately, enemies that have not been drawn in yet don't attack you (I'm looking at you, Gungrave).
However, the game has some very significent problems. First is loading. Level loading times can take a minute or two, which is okay - with little to no mid-mission loading, except between certain maps. What is a real problem though is loading on menus. While attempting to check the combo information, as well as upgrading powers, it took me about 45 seconds of loading to access the relevant menu, and another 45 seconds of loading after that to return to the pause menu so I could get back to the game. On the PS3 - a system that supports and highlights as on of its strengths the ability to have games install to the hard drive to cut back on loading times, there is no excuse whatsoever to have loading screens when accessing the sub-menus from the pause menu, at all.
When playing a cinematic action game of any kind, my rule of thumb in evaluating the game is "always be cool" (much as "always go left" in the Lone Wolf series of gamebooks, but I digress). Games like Stranglehold, God of War, Devil May Cry and, for that matter, The Force Unleashed, tends to follow this rule, of encouraging the player to do cool things, rewarding them for doing them, and not putting roadblocks in their way. I say tends for Force Unleashed because there are some distinct exceptions. First, from the first Felucia on you start getting into a bit of paper-rock-scissors gameplay with the various enemies, in terms of some who can't be harmed by a lightsaber until you force lightning them, or can't be hurt with force powers until you smack them around with the lightsaber - leading to guys who can't be hurt with a lightsaber or force powers at all. This can get really frustrating. I understand that they're trying to mix things up, but that's really not the best way to do it.
Finally, my biggest annoyance with the game - in the climax of the second to last level of the game you're supposed to use the Force to yank a Star Destroyer out of the sky, in a scene meant to be almost straight out of Dark Empire. This is a moment which should be insanely cool. Hell, it should be a Crowning Moment of Awesome for the entire game - and the rest of the level, including the mid-boss fight before it certainly fits that. However, that one moment was only frustrating, not because it was hard, but because it was tedious.
All in all, The Force Unleashed has a lot of good gameplay ideas here and they really get a great opportunity to shine within the first portion of the game. Unfortunately later portions just drag this down. It isn't quite a black-hole cluster of suck - but it isn't the stellar game we were all hoping for either. It's worth renting, but I wouldn't do much more than that.
Oh, and as far as unlockables and that sort of thing go - there are various costumes and concept artwork you can unlock, but they have no particular in-game effect. There are some alternate lightsaber crystals you can unlock as well, some of which do effect your lightsaber damage, but it's not very noticible.
After a semi-tutorial/prologue/whatever in the shoes of Darth Vader, taking out a Jedi in hiding on Kashyyyk, you step into the shoes of that Jedi's son, Starkiller, Darth Vader's secret apprentice. There, you go about performing assassination missions for Vader, missions that will ultimately bring the state of the galaxy to the way things are at the start of "A New Hope".
The story is told well, but as you can guess from what it sets out to do, your destination is already known. There is an alternate ending that takes things into a somewhat "What If" direction (similar to the alternate ending from the "Episode III" game) - and it's interesting to see things take shape, the story never involved me to the level of KOTOR, or even, for that matter, the Jedi Knight games. Plus, a lot of planets get re-used. The levels themselves don't always get re-used or re-mapped, but after going to Kashyyyk, Felucia, and other planets and fighting through the various enemies the planet has to offer, having to back-track was not enjoyable.
The game's controls work well. Lightsaber attacks are mapped to the Square button, with jump mapped to X, and Force Blast and Lightning - two of the three powers you'll use the most - mapped to Circle and Triangle. Lightsaber combat generally consists of mashing square until your target dies, while occasionally mixing things up with some combos using force powers, either to do more damage or to clear yourself some room. Bosses and mid-bosses (as well as certain enemies) you finish off using God Of War style real-time-action events. They're generally well executed, with a forgiving window to hit the button (as well as logical button choices) - and, importantly, the events are used as finishers - you do not have to "Hit X To Not Die" as Yahtzee puts it - which wonderful, and all the sequences are quick and painless - except for one which I will get to later. Using force grip is particularly fun, but really shines on starship levels, where you can just chuck a barrell down a corridor at a target or - even better, toss a box out a window and watch as the vacumm of space sucks your enemies out the window before the security door slams shut.
Graphics are alright. The game shines on enclosed (and mostly enclosed) levels such as the various Star Destroyers and shipyards early on. More open areas - particularly the stages on Felucia - have some pop-up issues, not just with enviromental objects, but also enemies. Fortunately, enemies that have not been drawn in yet don't attack you (I'm looking at you, Gungrave).
However, the game has some very significent problems. First is loading. Level loading times can take a minute or two, which is okay - with little to no mid-mission loading, except between certain maps. What is a real problem though is loading on menus. While attempting to check the combo information, as well as upgrading powers, it took me about 45 seconds of loading to access the relevant menu, and another 45 seconds of loading after that to return to the pause menu so I could get back to the game. On the PS3 - a system that supports and highlights as on of its strengths the ability to have games install to the hard drive to cut back on loading times, there is no excuse whatsoever to have loading screens when accessing the sub-menus from the pause menu, at all.
When playing a cinematic action game of any kind, my rule of thumb in evaluating the game is "always be cool" (much as "always go left" in the Lone Wolf series of gamebooks, but I digress). Games like Stranglehold, God of War, Devil May Cry and, for that matter, The Force Unleashed, tends to follow this rule, of encouraging the player to do cool things, rewarding them for doing them, and not putting roadblocks in their way. I say tends for Force Unleashed because there are some distinct exceptions. First, from the first Felucia on you start getting into a bit of paper-rock-scissors gameplay with the various enemies, in terms of some who can't be harmed by a lightsaber until you force lightning them, or can't be hurt with force powers until you smack them around with the lightsaber - leading to guys who can't be hurt with a lightsaber or force powers at all. This can get really frustrating. I understand that they're trying to mix things up, but that's really not the best way to do it.
Finally, my biggest annoyance with the game - in the climax of the second to last level of the game you're supposed to use the Force to yank a Star Destroyer out of the sky, in a scene meant to be almost straight out of Dark Empire. This is a moment which should be insanely cool. Hell, it should be a Crowning Moment of Awesome for the entire game - and the rest of the level, including the mid-boss fight before it certainly fits that. However, that one moment was only frustrating, not because it was hard, but because it was tedious.
All in all, The Force Unleashed has a lot of good gameplay ideas here and they really get a great opportunity to shine within the first portion of the game. Unfortunately later portions just drag this down. It isn't quite a black-hole cluster of suck - but it isn't the stellar game we were all hoping for either. It's worth renting, but I wouldn't do much more than that.
Oh, and as far as unlockables and that sort of thing go - there are various costumes and concept artwork you can unlock, but they have no particular in-game effect. There are some alternate lightsaber crystals you can unlock as well, some of which do effect your lightsaber damage, but it's not very noticible.