For the first time in a few years, I had opportunity yesterday to play a new game through from start to finish in one sitting. No, this does not mean that my ability to succeed at games has diminished over the years, but it does reflect on my lack of time to assign to the task. Whatever reasons or excuses I do cite, though, don’t change the fact that yesterday was a fulfilling day in the realm of gaming.

Having always been a fan of the Star Wars universe and games produced by Lucas Arts, I was incredibly excited to see how they would translate the lightsaber duels and use of the force into game play motions for use on the Wii. Needless to say, they did not disappoint. While playing through the intro and opening few missions, I was somewhat put off by the apparent lackluster visuals in the story scenes. The characters look amazing, and the motion, for the most part, is quite believable, but in the realm of the space battles and texturing of the imperial Star Destroyers and other large ships, there was an apparent disinterest to detail. However, I can’t let a few visuals stop me from trying to immerse myself into the game mechanics and story: after all, this is Star Wars. So, after I got over the initial awkwardness of trying to familiarize myself with the controls, I set out on the adventure.

If you haven’t played the game, don’t distress. I am not planning on revealing any plot or game spoilers, so read on without fear. As the game begins and you are introduced to your character and his abilities, the game slowly introduced you to a few basic force powers you can use: from throwing your lightsaber at aerial enemies to using force push against a squad of enemies. However, once you get your first chance to upgrade and purchase new powers, based on your Force Points you have collected, it is very readily apparent that mastering the game will take a great deal of patience and effort. There are literally dozens of different force powers and combinations of moves you can obtain and use throughout the game, and the similarities between them at times are so slight that it can be difficult to pull off the exact move you want to execute.

On the positive side, though, the combination of wielding the Wiimote as your lightsaber and your Nunchuck as your connection to the force soon becomes second nature as you progress through the game. As picky as this may sound, one of the most frustrating things to me through the game (which quite possibly could have been remedied had I taken the time to look for controller options in the settings panel) was the positioning of the jump button. For some reason, my instinct was to press the A button for my jump rather than the B button on my Wiimote. Of course, this seems like a small thing, but at times in the game, this slight misstep means the difference between leaping to safety and throwing your lightsaber away when you need it to defend against an onslaught of blaster fire.

Nuances aside, the game is great, and the overall mechanics are amazing. The ability to use the force to throw nearly anything within a reasonable distance (including friendlies and foes) provides some very interesting, not to mention entertaining, scenes. One such scene that sticks out in my mind is when we were combing the halls of Cloud City and a group of particularly tough thugs started attacking: I laughed out loud when my friend, almost without thought, immediately began throwing them one by one out the nearest window. So, yes, you become accustomed to your powers, and as the game progresses, each player seems to build his own style of fighting using the force, which is really enhanced when playing in Duel Mode.

The boss battles in the game are intriguing and well thought out as well. The dialog that takes place both before and during some of the battles helps to progress the story line and fill in the gaps about why certain things are taking place. My only gripe about these battles, though, is the choreographed “finishing moves” that you can perform to beat your opponent. Now, don’t get me wrong, I absolutely loved watching the scene unfold: there is nothing like watching your character mash an AT-ST into a ball like an aluminum can, slice through a Rancor from top to bottom with his lightsaber or dance along the tentacles hovering over a Sarlaac pit, but there is so little action that needs to be taken to perform these moves that it ends up being more a test of reflexes than actual skill or gaming ability. In fact, what it reminds me most of is the old Laser Disc Video Games like Dragon’s Lair or Space Ace, where your response time is more important than actually figuring out how to complete a task. In the case of The Force Unleashed, you simply shake either the Nunchuck or Wiimote when the appropriate icon appears on the screen. If you successfully perform a series of shakes, you have completed the finishing move. I must add, though, that the visuals and choreographed moves in nearly every case are so entertaining that you may completely forget about the lack of role you actually play in their completion.

What about the sound? Well, anyone familiar at all with the traditional Star Wars themes will be quite pleased by the presence of a number of recognizable melodies ranging from Darth Vader’s Imperial March to the Cantina theme from A New Hope. The sound effects themselves are also done quite well, and the familiar weapons sounds from the movies are definitely intact. Listening carefully can also prove to give you benefits during game play as well, since when using your force powers, you will often knock down opponents but not destroy them. If you turn your back on them too soon, they can get back up and deal significant damage; but by studiously listening to the response of the opponent you have targeted, there are audible signals to tell you when that particular character has met his demise.

One final thing I wanted to touch on was the Dual Mode. This is like Versus mode in fighting games, where two players can choose one of a number of unlockable characters from the main game to battle in one of several well known Star Wars locations: from Ben Kenobi’s hut on Tatooine to the Tie Fighter hanger on an Imperial Star Destroyer. This addition gives this game the needed boost of multi player capabilities that most, if not all, of the console Star Wars titles have lacked in the past. The enjoyment of force pushing an opponent through the hangar bay door into space or throwing them into the open maw of the Sarlaac is definitely enough to bring people back for more.

All in all, I definitely would rate this game as a must-have for any Star Wars lovers, but even to those who just enjoy a good action game from time to time will enjoy the different spin Lucas offers in this presentation. While I agree that the force may not seem to be the power to be reckoned with at some points in the game, I still view this game as a great achievement and encourage you to try it out. If I were to rate the game, overall I give it an 8.5.