Star Wars - The Force Unleashed

One major drawback to the game are the boss fights. Instead of progressively getting difficult, the opponents tend to vary in strength and abilities. The irregularity of the power levels when it comes to henchmen and boss fights is a put-off. Some pre-boss fights make you face the legendary Rancor, Shadow Cards, and imperial AT-ST (All terrain Scout Transport) vehicles.

Some of these fights are not very well-designed; due to the limited camera movement in a PSP there's unfortunately a great deal of clipping, so all you might end up seeing is your Light Saber flashing around and not your character. This is your cue to get out ASAP. The action and use of combos, however, look quite good for a PSP game.

I haven't played the console version, and though I imagine the locations will look and feel a whole lot better, I must say the PSP version's not bad at all. The physics in the game are well-designed, and throwing stuff around or at enemies can be a blast. As you progress, you can level up after every stage by returning to your ship. The costumes you unlock are not altogether a fashion statement, but some do look pretty cool.

Power-ups are earned by killing enemies and blowing things up. You can also collect color crystals for customizing your Light Saber, and once you've got them all there are plenty of colors to choose from. Cubes collected will show off some of the game's artwork from the menus.

The videos used to link the story were bit confusing at times but also quite engaging, especially with a twist at the end. I’m unfortunately unsure as to where this all falls in before parts IV, V and VI. There are characters like princess Leia who show up, even a cameo of Obi Wan – and I’m not sure why.

The Bottomline
Like I said I haven’t played the console version, but I did like the PSP TFU. It seems there’s very little difference between the two, as you can see from the console review. In fact, I would go as far as to say Avinash pegged it right; it’s a great game that looks good and is entertaining for the most part, but the repetitiveness of the locations and the irregular power levels in boss fights tend to make it annoying. All told, this is a game that fans will enjoy, despite its flaws.