Back in 2008, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed posed one important question: what if Darth Vader had his own secret apprentice? The answer was given to us in the form of Starkiller, a super-powerful dark Jedi who slashed his way through countless enemies and even Darth Vader himself on his path of destruction and eventual redemption. LucasArts decided to expand upon the story begun in the first game with a sequel, The Force Unleashed 2. While Unleashed 2 keeps the feel of being an unstoppable Jedi alive, the game itself brings little else to the table.
The Force Unleashed 2 picks up a few months after the first game and once again puts us in the role of Starkiller…or is it his clone? This is the dilemma Starkiller faces and is one of two primary storylines of this installment. Is the Starkiller you control the real deal or is he simply a clone? Starkiller must evade Imperial forces on his way to discover the truth and to find his lost love, Juno Eclipse, all while moving toward a final confrontation with his former master, Darth Vader.
If you’ve played the first Force Unleashed, you’ll feel right at home in the sequel. Many of the lightsaber combos you unlocked in the first game are already available from the start as are some force powers. The first level gets you accustomed to using Starkiller’s various abilities to mow down helpless Imperial troops and machines with the numerous force power and lightsaber combos at your disposal. This time around, Starkiller wields two lightsabers instead of one and allows you to customize them both with crystals scattered throughout the game which alter his blades’ color and abilities. Finding Jedi holocrons and utilizing different combos and powers awards Starkiller style points which you can spend to upgrade his force powers and make it easier to defeat your enemies.
Aside from using Starkiller’s force powers and lightsabers, the environment can be just as much of a weapon. Various objects can be picked up and thrown at whatever you happen to be fighting and even your enemies can be turned into projectiles to be hurled at their allies. One power, the mind trick, can actually cause enemies to turn against their friends or just hurl themselves to their deaths. Anything from boxes to exploding canisters, even force fields can be used to give yourself an advantage.
Unfortunately…there isn’t much more to this game.
Now I’m not going to sugar-coat this: The Force Unleashed 2 was a disappointment. The first game ran almost 10 hours long, had much more depth in terms of upgradeable abilities and the enemies provided more of a challenge later in the game. The story fit right in with the Star Wars universe and, from a Star Wars perspective, made sense and felt like it belonged. Starkiller struggled, both outwardly and within himself, to do what he felt was the right thing and he made an impact on the mythos of the entire saga. You had the chance to battle though numerous levels thoughout the game and each one varied in its environment. The game wasn’t perfect but it worked and it was one of the better Star Wars titles in recent memory.
The Force Unleashed 2 was supposed to match or even best its predecessor, but it falls pitifully short of even coming close. The gameplay in The Force Unleashed 2 runs a pathetic 4 hours long, features only 4 levels (one of which you repeat), 3 boss fights and no enemy variety. Starkiller has only a fraction of the upgradeable abilities he had in the first game with only 7 this time around which means you find yourself repeating the same old lightsaber combos over and over. Speaking of lightsabers, Starkiller’s second blade was added purely to make the game look flashy and doesn’t really make Starkiller any more powerful than he was with one. Regardless, the game provides very little in the way of a challenge since it starts off easy and gets even easier since the enemies stay the same while Starkiller gets progressively stronger, and the only replay value comes from playing the final level one more time to get the ending you didn’t choose the first time through.
This time around the story feels completely unnecessary and tacked on and the character cameos of Yoda and Boba Fett add absolutely nothing to the game itself. Starkiller has transitioned from being a troubled, conflicted young man stuggling to do what’s right into a whiny, selfish man who only cares about himself and won’t stop repeating the fact that he’s looking for Juno Eclipse and nothing else. Aside from the fact that the story is unnecessary, it doesn’t make any sense either and seems to jump around without providing an explanation for why you are where you are.
If there is one good thing I can say about The Force Unleashed 2,and trust me, good things about this game are in short supply, it’s that the game does a great job of making you feel like the unstoppable Jedi you are supposed to be. Enemies fall before your blade with little effort and force powers feel like they’re unbeatable and are being wielded by a master. The climactic battle with Darth Vader is more epic than the fight from the first game, if only a little over-the-top, and is definitely the game’s highest point. I could feel the emotion from Starkiller as he attacked his former master and seeing him hack away at Vader is fan service at its best, but not in a bad way.
In terms of presentation, the game looks and sounds amazing. Character models are well-constructed and the cutscenes blur the line between computer-generated technology and reality. Force lightning in particular comes to life in vivid detail as lightning arcs from Starkiller’s fingertips to his enemies, shocking them into oblivion. The soundtrack is what you’d expect from a Star Wars game, featuring music from previous games and movies but little original creations and the voice acting is at least bearable.
Look, the bottom line here is if you love Star Wars like I do, The Force Unleashed 2 is at least worth playing if you enjoyed the first game. There is a lot of fun to be had hacking your way through ranks of Imperials and looking badass doing it, but don’t make the mistake of paying full price for it. Rent it, buy it pre-owned if you can and return it once you’ve finished it, but don’t buy it brand new and expect to feel like it’s worth $60. It’s not.
