Facebook – Top 100 FAVORITE Video Games: 87

87: Star Wars: The Force Unleased (multiple)
Developer: Lucasarts
Year: 2008

The real curse of doing these lists is that new games – or, at least, games I’ve played recently – that I enjoyed get more points than they would given the proper amount of time to mature. So, at times, you may find yourself thinking “Skyler, that game sucked. It wasn’t better than NBA Jam, for sure” but right now, in my heart-of-hearts, it is better. As such, I will apologize now to both you and myself in the future because of instances like this, in which a game that was awesome and fun beats out games that are awesomer and funner.

SW:TFU is a game unlike previous Star Wars games for one reason: You get a really solid control of the Force. Unlike previous attempts in games like Jedi Knight and/or The Phantom Menace (heheh), this game gives you free reign over your powers in a way previously deemed impossible given the capabilities of previous generations. Gone are clumsy push/pull quests, now replaced with full motion control over objects, greater control over pushing Storm Troopers out of Star Destroyer windows, and even pulling a Star Destroyer out of orbit and wrecking it upon a planetside. While the game itself may have its flaws in terms of difficulty and pacing, anyone that denies pushing enemies off cliffs to their deaths… or, more accurately, off of the platforms on Cloud City… anyone that says this isn’t fun is a hater. Of fun.

And the game looks great and plays smooth. Never do the controls feel overly janky, and the visuals are fantastic. Lightsaber combat, however, is a bit of a mixed bag on occasion, sometimes being far too easy, other times being so insanely difficult it gets to be hair-pullingly frustrating. A specific battle with a miniscule former-Jedi on a junk planet comes to mind in this instance. But, while it does in fact raise the difficulty somewhat, it doesn’t destroy the fun of the game, which is simply present in staggering amounts. The music, too, is ripped right from movies, but sometimes original and fitting with the style of previous Star Wars films and games.

But the best thing about this game is the story. While SW purists may scoff, the bottom line is that this game is “fact” as far as Star Wars canon is concerned. Vader did have a secret apprentice and that guy did basically bring about the start of the Rebel Alliance. Despite some of the groan-worthy aspects of this storytelling device, it works. And it works well. The character arc that Starkiller goes on is real and interesting, as are the individuals he meets up with. Hanging out with Bail Organa and his daughter (the jail-bait age Leia) is pretty cool primarly because of the ramifications these meetings have. And seeing Vader try to save his own ass time and time again is hilarious and shows how big a pansy the guy is. Palpatine’s pansy, yes, but a pansy nonetheless. There are other story surprises to be found, but rather than spoil them, I’d rather you just check the game out yourself.

All in all, I forsee The Force Unleashed having perhaps a lesser place on the list in future incarnations, or – perhaps – no place at all. Who can really say? The bottom line is, though, that the game – especially with all the extra content featuring missions taking place after the Dark Side ending (turning Luke to the dark side? Awesome)  – is really fun and innovative to the nth degree. And with a better sequel to come out in the near future (one that looks to make good on promises of vast improvement to gameplay mechanics), we can expect to see Starkiller and his choices play out for another few years at least.

Classic Moment:
The very first time Vader betrays his apprentice to Palpatine, Starkiller gets a lightsaber through the chest. While he is healed and eventually let loose upon the galaxy again, the moment of sheer pain and shock on his face, mixed with that awful feeling of betrayal, is so well created in this video game. Check the video on YouTube sometime and look at the guy’s face. Pure art in motion capture and facial animation. I felt it because I believed he felt it.

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Added September 29, 2016
As Young Skyler said, this game would be nowhere close to making the list, today. It is fun and a solidly made game, sure, but not Top 100 material.
Those Dark Side DLC missions are really damn great, though.