Star Wars Force Unleashed is a straightforward bash-em up lightsaber fest, played from the bad guy’s perspective. It is pure fighting action from start to finish; no sissy lever platform game elements present. The fighting is exciting and works pretty well most of the time, but unfortunately, there are some camera issues and a few graphical glitches that take away from some of the enjoyment.  And, it is a short game. However, it still has a lot to offer anyone wanting to try their hand at taking down the elite Jedi.

The action begins immediately, with Darth Vader personally undertaking a mission to wipe out some rebel forces. This is a tutorial of sorts, with explanations of the moves that are being introduced. The basic moves in the beginning of the game are variations of slashing movements, along with some cool moves that allows the player to lift objects and enemies, carry them around in the air and then throw them, and also to push objects and enemies out of the way.  Other moves are implemented as the game advances. These moves can also be practiced in the tutorial mode.

The main story plot is introduced in this first level. Darth Vader destroys a Jedi fighter, only to encounter the Jedi's young son, who tries to defend his father. Darth Vader spares the son's life and takes him with him. Years later, we see the young son now grown and the apprentice of Darth Vader. The rest of the game deals with this young man's (now named Starkiller) journey of self-discovery, while he is allied with Darth Vader and the dark force. This story is compelling and is the best part of the game, especially toward the end. The story is very effectively integrated with the fighting sequences.

Force push and force grip are the two main force attacks. When they work as expected, they are really what this game is all about: dispatching enemies with the lightsaber in a spectacular fashion. It is very satisfying to shove and fling enemies all around with the saber using the nunchuk and remote, and watch them wiggle while being carried around. When things don't work as expected, though, it's not nearly as fun and is just aggravating. The controls aren't tightly designed in this Wii version and are undependable in execution. The combos that become available later in the game will require quite a bit of movement and button pushing, making this a very motion-intensive game. Using the more complicated moves will help boost Starkiller's fighting skills and stamina during these battles, too.

These battle elements are mostly exciting, but there are a few issues in the main battles that detract from the gameplay a bit. Some of the boss battles with the sub bosses like the rancors and AT-STs can be troublesome, as it is too easy to get caught in a weird close-up view under their feet.  They're stomping around the player's head, and all the player can see are metal legs smashed against Starkiller's face. By the time Starkiller can get out and regroup, it's cost some health points. The main boss battles with the Jedi are better, and can be quite involved.  It will require a combination of force moves, saber slashing and some Quick Time Events (control matching movements). It's pretty awesome to follow the Jedi around the battle location and deliver successful hits. The QTE hits are really fun to watch! There is a bit of difficulty involved in staying in visual contact with the Jedi boss, though, as he will often disappear and then begin hammering Starkiller from behind. No amount of camera swinging can find him; players will have to move away and then come back to see him. It is not clear if this is intentional or not in these battles.

The main boss battles involve lock-in abilities which are unpredictable, as most of the time they work, but sometimes they don't. The QTE parts are fairly easy, though. And, even if some of these battles degenerate into "die, die, and die again" battles, the game will save during the battle and keep the health scores of Starkiller and the Jedi boss. Eventually, Starkiller will prevail. There are lots of difficulty levels to choose from, which is nice.

Force Unleashed looks okay generally on the Wii, but the environments are somewhat boring.  There's not much in each area to see, except for the myriad enemies. The ships and backgrounds are minimally drawn and animated. The best visuals are in the boss battles. The characters are animated very nicely in those. On the other end of the scale, the scattered objects lying around the locations are not very detailed and thus not very interesting to view.

If you are a Star Wars fan who has a burning desire to kill off droves of stormtroopers, then this is your game. Despite the sometimes problems with the camera and controls, overall this is a fun game to play. The strong story helps, as well as the plentiful health points to keep things going. The different force moves are fairly well-implemented for the most part and fun to execute. When not playing, it is still amusing to watch others play, due to the constant need to flail around with the Wii controls. This game is short, though, and thus is probably best for families with more than one potential player. There is a multi-player dual mode for off-line play which is somewhat fun for two players, as well.

Gameplay: 7.5
The fighting is intensive and engaging, which is good, as this is the focus of the entire game. The story is interesting and involving and really helps keep interest high.  The goal of improving fighting skills by gaining more points through great battle moves is a plus. However, the bad camera angles and sometimes unresponsive controls detract from the experience as a whole.  These problems could have been fixed with more development time. And, the graphics could have been better.

Graphics: 7.0
The graphics are a mixed bag. Good fighting visuals, bad environments.

Sound: 8.0
The music is very Star War-ish.

Difficulty: Medium
The fighting is as easy or difficult as wanted, due to different difficulty levels.  The main difficulty is mostly found in the long boss battles where the boss disappears and can't be found.

Concept: 7.0
There's not a whole lot of new ideas here, but the implementation is fairly well-done. The use of the nunchuk for the force push is well-designed and fun to utilize.

Multiplayer: 7.0
The duel mode is fun to face off with friends.

Overall: 7.5
This is an above average action game with the added bonus of the Star Wars theme. The fighting is mostly good and the story is compelling. The controls could be tighter and the camera viewpoint better designed. And, the graphics could really have had more detail. It's a bit short, too. Still, Star Wars fans who like action games will probably enjoy playing this game over the weekend with some friends.