the Force Unleashed II - the Last Great Star Wars Game

By Oliver Giles

AVAILABLE ON: Xbox 360 (Compatible with Xbox One & Series X/S), PlayStation 3, Microsoft Windows.

NOTE: This review will be referring to the main version of the game available on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, not the downscaled version made to work with the hardware of the Nintendo Wii or the very different version created for the Nintendo DS.

    It's no secret that the output of Star Wars games since Disney bought the franchise and gave exclusive game rights to Electronic Arts has been a bit shaky, to say the least.

We've gotten two decent remakes of the classic Battlefront game, the sequel only becoming decent after a lot of community backlash, a good game in the form of Squadrons, and the very good game that is Jed Fallen Order.

However, even though Fallen Order was undoubtedly a step in the right direction in terms of what Star Wars fans and gamers want, it still wasn't truly great. This has brought me to the saddening realization that the last great Star Wars game was released over a decade ago when, on October 26, 2010, the world was given The Force Unleashed II.

This game is truly a perfect example of what a semi-linear action game should feel like.

Set in the somewhat overused tame gap between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, the game follows former Vader apprentice turned Jedi-on-the-run Starkiller as he embarks on a dangerous journey to recruit allies, many of primarily those who appeared in the first game, and rescue Juno Eclipse, the only person who could bring some sense into the confusing jumble of memories that is his life.

Along the way, you begin to unravel the mystery of whether or not the Starkiller you are playing as is truly Starkiller or simply the clone Vader has told you you are.

The game features a brilliant set of force abilities from both the light and dark sides, along with fluid and near-perfect lightsaber combat.

There are plenty of collectibles, from unique and well-designed outfits to new crystals you can use to change the color of your two lightsabers. While outfits in the game are purely cosmetic, each lightsaber crystal gives you different powers and effects, ranging from the chance to disintegrate opponents with a single strike to draining the life of your enemies with each hit and absorbing their health. The crystals you chose can impact your fighting style on higher game difficulties, or just choose your favorite colors. The choice is yours.

There are a wide variety of enemies to face in this game, from Star Wars staples such as Stormtroopers to lesser-known enemies to enemies and creatures created specifically for the game. All of this means that the combat never feels dull or repetitive throughout the game, despite there being a lot of it.

It's also worth keeping an eye out for hidden easter eggs and references as you play through the game, as there's plenty of them to be found.

As one might expect from a game set in the time period between the fall of the Republic and the true rise of the Empire, finally, the game sees you using all of your skill and power to take on Darth Vader in a rage-fuelled final showdown.

Spoiler alert for a decade-old game, you fail. 

No matter if you choose the light or dark side option at the end (kill Vader or take him prisoner), you still get killed off by Vader's new apprentice, a supposedly perfect clone of the original Starkiller, while your allies are thrown into the sea, and Juno is either knocked unconscious or killed.

Just before the game ends, however, Vader send's his new apprentice out on a mission to destroy the growing rebellion, and, as he leaves, the supposedly perfect clone takes a moment to look at the motionless form of Juno.

This brings up so many questions. Were you actually a clone this whole time? Does this newly cloned apprentice have flickerings of the same feelings for Juno that caused your Starkiller to betray his master?

These questions will likely never be answered. 

Although there was a third Force Unleashed game in the works that would have presumably followed this new apprentice, it never happened. Disney bought the rights to the Star Wars franchise and caused the implosion of Lucas Arts as a game developer, canceling several games, including the third Force Unleashed title.

As if there needed to be any more proof a third game isn't coming, practically all the extended universe material, such as the games, books, and others, has been classed as non-canonical.

So until EA decides to revive this brilliant franchise, either with a long-overdue third installment or a remastered collection, fans can always keep playing the last great Star Wars game as it is, nearly perfect and filled with nostalgia.