Lucas Arts have become something of an enigma in recent years. Once upon a time they could do no wrong with nearly every game they released seemingly achieving classic status. Whether it was their point and click adventures or their franchise based games like Star Wars, they always delivered, but something happened to them and they seemingly lost their way. As their output and desire to exploit the new IP that the Star Wars Prequel movies offered increased, the quality took a real nose dive. It caused Lucas Arts to take a step back and re-evaluate their position.
It is fair to say that the out put has dropped somewhat but has the quality increased?
The original Force Unleashed was very much a game you either loved or loathed. Personally I loved it. It had been an awful long time since a Star Wars game actually made you feel like you were actually being immersed into the Star Wars universe as opposed to some rushed cash in job. Technically it was fantastic with a great emphasis placed in the physics engine. This resulted in scenery that was destructible and could be bent and twisted through using the force powers at your disposal, but the best fun was to he had flinging Stormtroopers all over the place. More importantly it had a great story line that gelled well with the Star Wars series. Although by no means canon, it didn't deviate from the perceived Star Wars mythology and at the same time it also packed quite an emotional punch.
Fast forward to 2010 and The Force Unleashed 2 was released.
Following on from the first game you re-assume the role of Vaders apprentice Galen Marek known as Starkiller, only there is a degree of ambiguity as to whether you are the same Galen Marek from the first game or whether you are a clone. As an interesting footnote Starkiller was the original name that George Lucas was going to call Luke Skywalker - his name was changed from Annikin Starkiller.
Whereas the first game focused more on Starkiller's fight against the Dark Side of the Force and his eventual assistance in the formation of the Rebel Alliance, this game is more personal, a more darker game if you will.
Starkiller is pre-occupied with finding Juno Ecplise the female starship captain from the first game who Starkiller had formed strong emotional feelings for. He is also trying to find out the truth behind his own existence. Is he a clone or is he the real Galen Marek?
After escaping the cloning facility on Kamino, Starkiller sets about his quest traveling to varied locations around the galaxy unlocking more and more powers as he goes along. This time round the combat feels more visceral. This is not a Starkiller who is looking for justification or a mission, he is looking to find the person he loves as well as finding out who he is. There are times playing this game where the sheer anger of Starkiller almost oozes out of the console as he sets about dispatching multiple Stormtroopers in an instant or plucking TIE Fighters out of the sky and crushing them. It seems his power has increased considerably.
Once again the Havok, Digital Molecular Matter and Euphoria engines have been used to great effect. The results are a stunning looking game that works so well in drawing you into the universe. Stormtroopers have real weight to them when they are slammed through windows or against walls and floors and the ability to manipulate objects in the environment and use them as weapons is as fun as ever.
Surprisingly, though, the story line does not seem as compelling as in the first game. Given the subject matter of the story it should have been a guaranteed bet to make this more involving but the problem is that at times it feels rushed and consequently you end up feeling that there are chunks of this game missing. This is supported by how short the game is. I clocked it in little over four and half hours and I was taking my time. Given that there is no multiplayer element to it at all, that is quite shocking and is the main area that it let's itself down with.
The Force Unleashed was a perfectly paced game and was compelling to play and also interesting to re-visit to try and unlock secrets. However Force Unleashed 2 doesn't have the same hook at all. Once complete I felt little need to go back and I felt so disappointed that there were so many unanswered questions. There never felt that there was any consequence to what was ultimately selfish reasons for Starkiller's adventure.
Remember in Empire Strikes back where Yoda tells Luke that if he rushes off to save his friends he effectively risks costing the Rebel Alliance the whole ware against the Empire? Yoda was worried that Luke would either fall to the Dark Side or be killed because he wasn't ready. Well there appears to be no gravity at all to what is going on in this game. It is dark yes and it is a more personal fight between Vader and Starkiller this time round, but the lack of any larger consequence almost makes the story redundant. At no point did I ever think that Starkiller's actions where going to change the course of the future of the Galaxy.
Game play wise, it is spot on. The combat is dynamic and fluid and I never get tired of dispatching bad guys in new and novel ways via a combination of the force and the duel sabres Starkiller now wields. It's just that there is not enough of it. It is interesting to note that Haden Blackman who was the executive producer of the original game left the project late on prior to the release of this sequel. Perhaps this is why the game feels to truncated. I don't know.
This is by no means a terrible game but it should have been so much better. Another couple of hours game play should have been the minimum requirement and could easily have provided more satisfactory story. Instead what we have is a game that somehow feels rushed and too short and that is a crying shame.
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