Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2

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Star Wars returns to consoles everywhere with The Force Unleashed 2. Starkiller seems to make his return as well, though given his tragic demise at the end of the original, the game does its best to leave you questioning the actual identity of this “new” protagonist.

When the original first came out, Wii owners were excited about the prospect of using the motion remotes to control lightsabers and other force movements. In the end, however, the controls seemed too random and uninspired, meaning the game was best served on either the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360. Nintendo gets the gameplay right the second time around though, and serves as the best console for this adequate sequel.

Clearly the ‘less is more’ mantra was the thought process when developing this game for the Wii. In the original, you waved your remote around all over the place, and since it came out before the age of Wii MotionPlus, the movements were quite imprecise. This time around, you tap the A button to slash with your lightsaber, while motions are saved for your best moves and finishing combos. This is a good thing, considering the protagonist, Starkiller, is wielding two lightsabers now and seems to flip around as much as Yoda in Attack Of The Clones. The nunchuk is reserved for your other force powers, such as lightning, force push, and gripping foes and objects. To top off the improved combat, the camera rarely becomes a hindrance, something that nearly ruined the original. 

Though the combat system is solid, there isn’t a great variety of enemies to use it against.  There can’t be more than a dozen different enemies, so by the end of it all – no more than just 7 hours for most players – you can get bored with the fights, especially since most don’t put up hardly any challenge at all.

While the gameplay controls have been improved greatly, the plot for the second straight game will leave Star Wars fans disappointed. Though the story certainly isn’t terrible, it’s not even as good as the original. The game begins with Darth Vader hovering over who appears to be Starkiller. You don’t really know for certain as the game starts out having you learn the truth and search out Starkiller’s former lover, Judo Eclipse. Not a bad starting point, but lack of character development and needless sidebars prevent the plot from really taking off. You play through only four different environments, beginning and ending with the water planet of Kamino. 

Though the single-player mode may still not have many completely satisfied, the multiplayer addition is sure to take some of the sting away. Nintendo fans will be pleased with a fighting multiplayer mode ripped straight from Super Smash Bros. Being able to fight between such characters as Darth Vader and Boba Fett is quite enjoyable, and in a lot of ways the saving grace to this sequel. There are eight playable characters and a half-dozen environments to choose from. Unlike Smash Bros., however, you have a life meter instead of a percentage as you go for the kill rather than a ring out.     

The franchise still hasn’t come up with the perfect Star Wars experience, but this is a good step in the right direction. A longer and more developed story would be a huge improvement, so too with a greater variety of enemies, but the solid controls makes this a worthy purchase. If you choose to try it out, remember that the Force is strongest with the Wii version.