The Gist:
When Darth Vader is sent to the Wookie home world of Kashyyyk, he discovers a young boy who is strong in the force. Vader raises the child as his apprentice who throughout the game will learn the powers of the force and what it is to be human while throwing a lot of objects about and slicing countless faceless minions in his wake.
The Review:
First off, yes there are countless and better games within the Star Wars universe however, since this game is considered canon by Lucas himself, bridging the gap between episodes 3 and 4, I said why the hell not. Plus, rather than the click and point slash turn based attacks of the previous games, this one puts you right into the action with a whole collection of light and dark powers at your disposal and what a load of fun this is.
As stated, the story is considered cannon. Your character is known simply as Starkiller, (Samuel Witwer lending both his voice and face to the character) who I’m sure you Star Wars fans will know where they got that name from is being raised as Vader’s apprentice, unbeknownst to the Emperor. Fans will become giddy as you progress through the game’s levels which are taken and expanded upon from the movies, from the opening where you control Vader himself massacring a whole village of Wookies, to cameos from Princess Leia and Bail Organa to name a few.
Graphics wise the game delivers, character models are well done. First time playing I was certain I had seen Starkiller before, turns out he was Doomsday in Smallville. While Vader himself is just badass all shiny and imposing. The true stars though here are the level designs and their designers, from the Wookie home of Katyyyr to the high tech interiors of the Death Star, all in excruciating vivid detail, which contributes to the gameplay.
Speaking of which, gameplay is hack and slash for the most part. Your primary weapon is the lightsabre as well as using movable objects within the environment. You can throw massive boulders crushing hordes of enemies, or throw about enemies themselves. One cool feature is if you force lift say a storm trooper who is close to another one, they will grab hands trying to pull each other down. With some upgrades, you can lift both and sling them to their deaths.
Sound is top notch from the Tie fighter’s lasers to the voice acting. Most actors playing their respective parts do also lend their vocals, unfortunately Carrie Fisher did not but Catherine Taber who voices Leia does a good enough job. We do get Jimmy Smits again as Bail but the real star here is Witwer as Starkiller and the Emperor.
The Verdict:
Overall this game is a must for all Star Wars and gaming fans alike. Some platforming levels can be repetitive, enemies are not too memorable or hard for that matter but not a major complaint. Force powers are the most fun element of the game which come aplenty.
Story: 4/5 A fitting addition to the mythos
Gameplay: 4/5 could do with less platforming and more villains but hey
Graphics: 4/5 some cut scenes looked in game while the rest were great. Excellent level designs
Sound 5/5 uses every sound effect from the Star Wars archives, voice acting is great too
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