Post by motosada on Sept 19, 2008 18:45:28 GMT -5
So! Star Wars: The Force Unleashed for the Wii is pretty sweet. Sure, sure, the 360* version has the fancy-schmancy Digital Molecular Matter (DMM) and the Euphoria AI engine, and might not even use the Havok physics engine, but let's face it; if you had the choice between seeing a rancor push apart trees, or flinging poor fulls left-and-right with your very own hands, which would you choose? If you chose the former, then you're wrong, go away, I hate you.
You all are, I'm sure, familiar with the story of the game so far (you're Vader's secret adopted son/lackey, you go kill stuff for him, in this G-canon chapter that bridges between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope,) so I'll skip all that and get to the good stuff.
The Wiimote acts as your lightsaber in TFU, and responds very well to the game, about as well as any other action game of its kind. There's the normal motion-control split-second lag, and that the motions you do might not always be what you want, but it's doubtful that you'll care much as stabbing a guy by thrusting the Wiimote forward is just as effecting as slashing down from above by swinging down. The nunchuck is the real star, controlling your Force powers. C deploys your lightning, allowing you to electrocute hapless victims for your fun and profit (and later letting you not only electrocute groups, but to turn enemies into ticking timebombs that you push into groups to electrocute the lot of 'em), Z activates your grip, letting you rip apart walls, throw barrels, move platforms, kick in doors, send enemies flying, and sets up the choke move (activated by gripping an enemy and turning the Nunchuck upside down) which lets you listen to your enemy gurgle for breath before their neck snaps in a highly-satisfying manner. Is the choke my favorite thing to do, ever? Yes. Yes, it is. Am I sick? Yes. Yes, I am.
The levels are fairly expansive, with Jedi Holocrons hidden all over the levels (200 through the entire game), along with Force and Health Holocrons (increases your force bar and health bar, respectively), lightsaber crystals (color crystals change the color of, and in some cases, add visual effects to, your lightsaber, and combat crystals add combat abilities, like increased force push or higher lightsaber damage), and even new lightsaber hilts. Moving around the levels is very fun, and the levels are very linear, so you don't have to worry much about completely missing items (many are hidden in plain sight, just not always easy to get to, and a handful might require you to break a certain panel or destroy all the objects in a room to make it obtainable). Backtracking seems to be minimal at worst, though you'll revisit one stage twice during the story (the stage's layout is the same, but the visual effects and planetary design is quite different).
The story is definitely the strongest part of the game. The Apprentice (Starkiller) starts off just as a lackey, but in-game events bring him into a much larger role of prominence in the universe, and you'll certainly see some connections to the original Star Wars trilogy. I won't spoil anything for ya, though. The actors in the game, including Jimmy Smits reprising his role as Senator Bail Organa, all lent their likenesses for the game, and most lent their voice talents as well. No character doesn't look like they belong, and they even found a good match for a younger version of an original trilogy character. The voice acting is very strong, including Vader, who is played not by James Earl Jones, but the guy who did the voice of Chad Vader (look it up on YouTube). The pilot, Juno Eclipse, is very hot, the robot PROXY is very annoying, and Jimmy Smits is Jimmy Smits. Starkiller, portrayed by Sam Witwer, seems to be ready to catapult into sci-fi nstream after not only this performance, but being announced as playing Doomsday in Smallville, and puts on a good show as the conflicted, tortured, orphaned Sith apprentice.
The Wii version also has a fun little Duel mode, where two players select a character from all over the Star Wars universe (including Starkiller, Vader, Darth Maul, Luke Skywalker, Mace Windu, Obi-Won Kenobi, Qui-Gon Jinn, Shaak Ti, and tons of others) fight it out in a variety of stages - some from the game, some from the movies. The stages are totally interactive, giving you objects to grab and throw at your opponent and hazards such as sarlacc pits and open docking bay doors. The duel mode uses the same controls as the rest of the game, including Locks - if you and your opponent clash swords, you'll go into a 'Saber lock, where you need to be the first to rotate the Wiimote to a certain angle and then push forward, and if you use the same Force power, you'll be in a Force lock, which is the same as a 'Saber lock, but with the Nunchuck. They're a nice little diversion, and there are a lot of characters to play with, each with different strengths between the four stats (Lightsaber Skill, Force Push, Force Grip, Force Lightning) and fun interplay between the skills (if someone force grips you, try breaking free with a force push or force lightning, etc).
I really recommend Star Wars: The Force Unleashed to anyone looking for a good, fun action game on the Wii. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles of its 7g brethren, but it more than makes up for it with its Wiimote controls and Duel Mode.
* = and PS3, duh, but who cares?
You all are, I'm sure, familiar with the story of the game so far (you're Vader's secret adopted son/lackey, you go kill stuff for him, in this G-canon chapter that bridges between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope,) so I'll skip all that and get to the good stuff.
The Wiimote acts as your lightsaber in TFU, and responds very well to the game, about as well as any other action game of its kind. There's the normal motion-control split-second lag, and that the motions you do might not always be what you want, but it's doubtful that you'll care much as stabbing a guy by thrusting the Wiimote forward is just as effecting as slashing down from above by swinging down. The nunchuck is the real star, controlling your Force powers. C deploys your lightning, allowing you to electrocute hapless victims for your fun and profit (and later letting you not only electrocute groups, but to turn enemies into ticking timebombs that you push into groups to electrocute the lot of 'em), Z activates your grip, letting you rip apart walls, throw barrels, move platforms, kick in doors, send enemies flying, and sets up the choke move (activated by gripping an enemy and turning the Nunchuck upside down) which lets you listen to your enemy gurgle for breath before their neck snaps in a highly-satisfying manner. Is the choke my favorite thing to do, ever? Yes. Yes, it is. Am I sick? Yes. Yes, I am.
The levels are fairly expansive, with Jedi Holocrons hidden all over the levels (200 through the entire game), along with Force and Health Holocrons (increases your force bar and health bar, respectively), lightsaber crystals (color crystals change the color of, and in some cases, add visual effects to, your lightsaber, and combat crystals add combat abilities, like increased force push or higher lightsaber damage), and even new lightsaber hilts. Moving around the levels is very fun, and the levels are very linear, so you don't have to worry much about completely missing items (many are hidden in plain sight, just not always easy to get to, and a handful might require you to break a certain panel or destroy all the objects in a room to make it obtainable). Backtracking seems to be minimal at worst, though you'll revisit one stage twice during the story (the stage's layout is the same, but the visual effects and planetary design is quite different).
The story is definitely the strongest part of the game. The Apprentice (Starkiller) starts off just as a lackey, but in-game events bring him into a much larger role of prominence in the universe, and you'll certainly see some connections to the original Star Wars trilogy. I won't spoil anything for ya, though. The actors in the game, including Jimmy Smits reprising his role as Senator Bail Organa, all lent their likenesses for the game, and most lent their voice talents as well. No character doesn't look like they belong, and they even found a good match for a younger version of an original trilogy character. The voice acting is very strong, including Vader, who is played not by James Earl Jones, but the guy who did the voice of Chad Vader (look it up on YouTube). The pilot, Juno Eclipse, is very hot, the robot PROXY is very annoying, and Jimmy Smits is Jimmy Smits. Starkiller, portrayed by Sam Witwer, seems to be ready to catapult into sci-fi nstream after not only this performance, but being announced as playing Doomsday in Smallville, and puts on a good show as the conflicted, tortured, orphaned Sith apprentice.
The Wii version also has a fun little Duel mode, where two players select a character from all over the Star Wars universe (including Starkiller, Vader, Darth Maul, Luke Skywalker, Mace Windu, Obi-Won Kenobi, Qui-Gon Jinn, Shaak Ti, and tons of others) fight it out in a variety of stages - some from the game, some from the movies. The stages are totally interactive, giving you objects to grab and throw at your opponent and hazards such as sarlacc pits and open docking bay doors. The duel mode uses the same controls as the rest of the game, including Locks - if you and your opponent clash swords, you'll go into a 'Saber lock, where you need to be the first to rotate the Wiimote to a certain angle and then push forward, and if you use the same Force power, you'll be in a Force lock, which is the same as a 'Saber lock, but with the Nunchuck. They're a nice little diversion, and there are a lot of characters to play with, each with different strengths between the four stats (Lightsaber Skill, Force Push, Force Grip, Force Lightning) and fun interplay between the skills (if someone force grips you, try breaking free with a force push or force lightning, etc).
I really recommend Star Wars: The Force Unleashed to anyone looking for a good, fun action game on the Wii. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles of its 7g brethren, but it more than makes up for it with its Wiimote controls and Duel Mode.
* = and PS3, duh, but who cares?