Since
1999, George Lucas has been forsaking Star Wars fans like Han Solo
shaking Mynocks off the Millennium Falcon's hull. By the time Revenge Of The Sith debuted in '05, even many
diehards realized that the most important fantasy story of their childhoods had
somehow become the single greatest aesthetic betrayal of their time. A new
generation—or a pair of them—had their own version of Bob Dylan
going electric.
But
with Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, the moldy old corpse of Star Wars has a pulse again. Gamers
get the chance to step into the patent-leather boots of Darth Vader himself in
the game's opening level. The sight of Vader calmly striding across a busy
battlefield, lifting enemies into the air, then tossing them into a nearby
abyss, brings a double shot of gravitas back to the Star Wars universe. There's the
sense of foreboding in these opening moments, a feeling that some truly evil
shit is about to go down.
After
murdering a Jedi, Vader discovers the Jedi's son—who is, surprise,
"strong with the Force"—and he decides to train the boy. Twenty years or
so later, that boy has grown into Vader's apprentice, a curiously likeable
Jedi-killing bad-ass with a receding hairline. He's still trying to get the
hang of his Force powers at an age when most kids are trying to get the hang of
driving a stick-shift.
Lucas'
prequels had less menace than a $2 carnival ride; there was always the sense
that all the characters were on some sort of moving Disney attraction, and that
in order to survive, they just needed to keep their arms and legs inside the
vehicle at all times. But The Force Unleashed? It's lousy with menace. Killing
Jedi, who represent all that's good and just in the Star Wars universe, not only makes
for great videogame drama, it also takes Star Wars back to its messy, sometimes
morally ambiguous origins.
Beyond
the game: The
lightsaber and Force powers can be upgraded and customized, giving the game a
welcome role-playing quality.
Worth
playing for: Using
the Force initially feels awkward, but once gamers get the hang of it, dealing
out death and destruction via fingertip lightning and slick-looking lightsaber
tosses will bring out their own personal Dark Sides.
Frustration
sets in when: Did
anyone QA test this incredibly buggy game? Plus, at least two of the game's
battles are prohibitively difficult. In the words of Yoda, "Ridiculous amounts
of patience you must have."
Final
judgment: The
Force Unleashed
is simply the best thing to happen to the Star Wars franchise in decades. Being
able to literally destroy this once-beloved world provides a long-overdue
catharsis; this is a forsaken fan's chance to give Lucas' world the bird. But
once all that residual anger has been purged, the game suddenly turns into a
warm homecoming. A more appropriate title might have been Star Wars:
Redemption.