Unfettered Blather

I don’t like third person action games in general. There is just that loss of immersion to me, to have it readily displayed that the character is not me or a creation by me. I don’t like it near as much as first-person where I get more of a sense of being there in the action. I just feel like there is something to be said for seeing the world and interacting with it through the character’s eyes.

I say all this because The Force Unleashed is looking to become one of those games I love even though it is in a genre I typically avoid.

Some minor nitpicks are the controls being somewhat unintuitive, partially due to the fine control they wanted to give the player over the environment. While I enjoy the ability to manipulate my environment using the force I continually forget which button activates your lightsaber, which one jumps, etc. So far I have not inadvertently flung myself into a chasm, but not for lack of trying. What really makes the demo stand out are the many “gee whiz” moments you’ll have. Can you actually move that TIE Fighter in the hangar? Oh yes you can! Can I lift a Stormtrooper to the top of the room and casually let them fall to their death? You bet. That last part bothers me though, the ability for the player to be cruel is vast indeed. While the game doesn’t feature any gore I think the acts of brutality you can commit are limited only by your imagination.

While moving objects and people with the force can be both fun and satisfying, I will say they still made lightsaber combat very satisfying. Personally, I hate the inverted lightsaber grip as it seems more like an attempt to look cool than be practical. Even so, the casual blocking of incoming shots and the slow motion lightsaber effects in close combat make using the lightsaber gratifying despite all the neat force powers they give you.

My one real issue was the demo’s boss battle, which is against a scout walker (AT-ST for the Star Wars nerds). It boils down to a quick-time event, which I hate. I’d like to actually fight the thing and not push buttons in a certain order to defeat it. I really hope the final game doesn’t rely on these too much.

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