Star Wars :The Force Unleashed PSP Game

You're cast as Galen "Star Killer" Malek, Darth Vader's secret apprentice. Clone Wars is completed, and Vader orders you to hunt down and destroy the last of the remaining Jedi. Exploring the universe from this dark perspective is remarkably compelling. The story is over in under six hours, but it contains multiple twists, some friendly and not-so-friendly faces, and is both explosive and remarkably intimate. You'll interact with Vader, of course, but Star Killer spends most of her time with an Android called PROXY and his female pilot, Juno Eclipse. Sharing information on the trio's adventures would spoil too much, so suffice it to say that you'll grow remarkably fond of Star Killer and his companions, and their moral conflicts carry a lot of weight.

The real star of the game is not Star Killer, though, it's the robust physics engine that drives your most impressive moves. Using Force grip, you can grab and throw any number of objects, including your enemies with Force Push, push objects and enemies out of your way. These skills and their variants deliver the game's best moments. Whether you're flinging stormtroopers into each other or offing swarms of rebels with a burst of energy, there are a number of "did you see that?" moments that will have you grabbing your friends to show them your Felucian-flinging prowess. Nonetheless, the controls dismissive and sometimes lack fluidity. There is a bit of a delay after some of the more Force power animations, so your button presses may not result in the screen action and fluttering bouncy makes some platforming sequences more frustrating than fun.

Those platforming sequences are made more annoying by Force Unleashed's heavy camera. The player has no manual camera control, and though the game tries to leash this untamable beast, it easily gets stuck in corners and against walls. A targeted system that allows you to focus on a single enemy mitigates this issue somewhat, and the camera will move behind you if you remain motionless for a second or two, but these are imperfect solutions. But the targeting is not as frustrating as it is in other versions, since environments are generally smaller and not filled with so many things. There are still some moments where you grab a different object than you intended, but see how there are fewer objects to grab, these moments give only occasional frustration.

Force Unleashed moves along with a relatively fast pace, so between droid meetings and boss battles, you will always be in the thick of the action. You will not find much challenge in the campaign, and there are plenty of health drops scattered around, including respawning them during boss fights. Should you die, you will restart at the most recent checkpoint with all the damage you've already done to your enemies still intact. This is probably the best because it keeps the pace moving. Some variety comes by way of Force Unleashed's God of War-style quick-time events that result in some terrific, flashy-looking moves, whether you're smashing on an opposing Jedi or defeating a rancor in a series of thrilling acrobatics. And it's a welcome sort of variety, then you must visit the same exact levels several times.

Fortunately, the PSP exclusive modes will scratch your itch for a good challenge, and they are more entertaining than the story mode, to boot. Several stand-alone scenarios, you can participate in famous (and hypothetical) battles from the Star Wars universe. As Anakin Skywalker, you'll skirmish with Count Dooku as the Emperor looks on as Vader, you will come to blows with Luke before dropping the family bomb. These missions, and others, are essentially extended boss battles, but they released the campaign's bosses thanks to larger environments, while mid-battle recreations of familiar scenes make them more dramatic. Other fictional scenarios let you choose a character and assume a host of Jedi, one after the other or defend against waves of enemies. The camera can still get in the way during these battles, for example, makes defeating Jabba's henchmen and Boba Fett while avoiding the hungry mouth Sarlacc more frustrating than it should be. Nevertheless, these meetings is ultimately fun, offer a lot of replay value, and appeals to the game's strengths: The environments are all the right size and there are neither too many nor too few scattered items to throw around.

The visual and audio capture both the Star Wars feel. Moderately sized environments are fairly detailed, and saber action and powerful-looking Force abilities produce flurries of particles and other special effects. Areas such as the Jedi Temple, which looked underwhelming on the Wii and PlayStation 2, benefit from the smaller screen, which gives a sharper look. The good graphics come with a warning, though: long loading times between missions, and moments where the action will pause as the UMD spins. These hitches occurred on both Slim and original model PSPs, so you should expect to meet them, regardless of what version of hardware you own. Breaks are usually not pronounced, but they will snap you back to reality at inopportune moments. John Williams' music and some original tracks as well as the familiar swoosh of sabers, sound like you'd expect, and they appeal whether you don headphones or listen via the PSP's speakers. The voice acting is all quite good and the voiceovers of the famous scenes seem to be lifted directly from the films.