I have, in the past, been guilty of relying heavily upon game reviews. Games that didn’t attain a certain score fell completely off my radar. “Lair” provides the ultimate example. It, along with “Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction” and “Infamous,” convinced me to purchase a PlayStation 3. However, once the critics started panning it left and right, my enthusiasm for the dragon-riding title disappeared. I still have not played the game.

Déjà vu began to rush over me as the initial reviews for “Star Wars: The Force Unleashed” began to hit the ‘net. Was I destined to forgo this game as well? Fortunately, and unfortunately, the remnants of Hurricane Ike left me without an Internet connection for a few days. Without access to the aggregate scores of Metacritic and Gamerankings, I was forced to rely upon my own opinion. My opinion of my opinion?  Rock solid!

There was a lot of hype leading up to the release of “The Force Unleashed.” Gamers, as well as the gaming press, salivated over the thought of juggling stormtroopers and blasting through steel doors using the title’s Euphoria and Digital Molecular Matter technologies. The former being a “behavioral-technology” that dictates how enemies react; the latter determining how in-game environments deform. Plus, with the “Star Wars” branding, the game was bound to draw some attention.

However, the game’s critical reception suggests that it has not lived up to the hype.  The scores haven’t been terrible, but they are certainly much lower than many had anticipated.

Personally, I don’t see where a lot of the hate is coming from. I purchased “The Force Unleashed” on launch day and have been enjoying it ever since. The PS3 version looks great and the game’s impressive physics engines (Havok, DMM and Euphoria) do not disappoint. Abusing force powers is tons of fun.

The narrative is the game’s greatest strength. The story revolves around the exploits of Darth Vader’s secret apprentice and helps bridge the gap between Episode III and Episode IV. Though many could probably guess the outcome, all serious “Star Wars” fans owe it to themselves to see how the story plays out.

The game also allows players to upgrade the Apprentice’s abilities and purchase new moves/combos using spheres (talent, combo and power) found hidden in each level or attained by completing bonus objectives. Though the leveling system is rather rudimentary, it does allow for some customization.

Unfortunately, the game is not without its faults. First and foremost, it is incredibly short. The PS3 version features only nine missions (excluding the initial Vader romp on Kashyyyk). Essentially, you can blast through the entire story in one day if you don’t search for all the hidden goodies. However, for completionists, the two endings and unlockable costumes and lightsaber crystals should add some replay value. Still, the game was much shorter than I had hoped.

One of the biggest complaints from critics is that the gameplay is too repetitive. Do you return to a lot of the same locations? Yes. Do you continually hack through the same enemies? Sure. However, I never found myself growing weary of the gameplay. I was always able to find new and interesting ways to dispatch enemies. For instance, if I grew tired of slicing through jawas with my lightsaber, I would simply use my force powers to hurl their explosives right back at them. There are many ways to kill the opposition in this game. Experimenting is half the fun. Did anyone else guide the assembly line lasers in the TIE Fighter facility into a group of enemies?

My biggest gripe with the game is the menu system. I didn’t have a problem with it aesthetically, but I loathed the fact that almost every option required a loading screen. If I wanted to upgrade the Apprentice’s powers I had to sit through a loading screen. There were also loading screens whenever I wanted to change the color of my saber or switch my costume. This got real old, really fast. It often forced me to rely on a handful of moves, as even looking up combos required a short wait.

Overall, “The Force Unleashed” is a flawed, but good game. Aside from the aforementioned issues, I did notice a bit of screen tearing and stuttering during some of the cutscenes. The game also locked up once during my first romp through the TIE Fighter facility. These problems were annoying, but certainly did not break the game.

Though I thoroughly enjoyed “The Force Unleashed,” I would recommend that most people rent it. The brevity of the experience and online availability of the game’s cutscenes make it hard to justify an outright purchase.  Still, if you have a weekend to kill, “Star Wars: The Force Unleashed” is certainly worth your time.

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