Reviews// Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

Now we cut forward some years to so our wide-eyed child (Galen Marek, remember?) embittered by hatred at the hand of Lord Vader. As a young man he is sent out by his lord and mentor on a secret mission intended to further Vader's nefarious and Machiavellian plans.

Pay attention now, because Galen's first mission is of such a highly secret nature that no-one must know of his existence. If you nip off for a coffee, like I did the first time, during this cut-scene you'll be surprised to find that the rebel alliance and Imperial Storm Troopers both attack you during the level that follows. Being everyone's enemy is strangely liberating though, you don't have to worry about accidentally taking down your own men and you can unleash The Force with gleeful abandon, and that's what makes The Force Unleashed such a gloriously mindless experience.

With a simple press of the 'B' button you can unleash The Force - and it's fun and addictive. You begin to see how, if you could dispense such power so easily it might corrupt you just a tiny little bit.

Milkman late? Cast him into a bottomless pit of lava. Can't get a seat on the train? Crumple it into a spherical wreck and send it hurtling along the tracks like a bowling ball. Oh, yes, power corrupts, but having this kind of 'The Force' would corrupt absolutely. No wonder the Jedi are depicted as saintly in the Star Wars movies, they would have to be not to abuse this sort of power... not to be seduced by the Dark Side.

The game mechanic itself is nothing revolutionary, you work your way through a well constructed level, comprising rooms and corridors, throughout which you meet resistance of varying kinds. You use your weapon - a lightsabre - and your Force powers to fend off this resistance. And here is where Force Unleashed really shines - the resistence attacks intelligently, and in a different manner each time you tackle a level.

Sure, the AI is not up to C3PO standards, but it would put many university undergraduates I've met to shame. This means that you have to consider your tactics upon entering an area of combat or melee situation. You need to identify the enemy with the most potential to damage you and eliminate them first, leaving the more normal foot soldier cannon fodder for you to then take out at your leisure.

Since the dangerous guys with the big guns are often strategically located cowering behind some large crates at the other end of the room, you often need to use your Force powers to pick up some nearby packing crate and cast it at them. You have to do this with some caution, since you can only flex your mental Force muscles so many times before your brain power runs out. Further attempts result in failure and a sensation I like to imagine feels a little like a brain freeze from drinking your slurpee too fast. Galen doesn't have to do anything special to recharge his brain battery, his Force bar recharges automatically within a few seconds. If he needs to dispatch a few enemies in the intervening time, he can rely on his trusty lightsabre.