Star Wars: The Force Unleashed received pretty mixed reviews, with the DS version being the lowest rated out of them all. So, you'd think that this game would be absolutely horrible, right?
The moment you turn on the game, it doesn't look like there's a lot of Options, and well, there isn't. Extras? Eh, no. Credits, and Cheat Codes. Then there's Single Player and Multiplayer. The first part of this review will be on the Single Player campaign, the second part will on the Multiplayer mode.
The story is decent, but not incredible (at least from what I've seen anyway). You play as Darth Vader in the first level, and at the end of the level you find a young child who is 'force-strong'. Then the kid grows up and we find out his name is 'StarKiller'. Then the Emperor tells Darth Vader to kill you, but he doesn't. Soon after, StarKiller has to make a very hard choice. You'll have to play to find out.
The graphics are decent, especially for the DS. Obviously they don't compare to any of the other versions of the game, because the DS's hardware is the weakest out of all the other consoles. In screenshots, the game looks really pixelized, but you don't really pay much attention to the graphics when you're playing.
The control scheme is awkward at best, and the camera doesn't help at all. You use the Arrows to move your character, and the L button blocks. You then use the touchscreen for everything else, including jumping, attacking and force powers. The camera is a disgrace. You can't move it, and it sucks because the game is 3D. You can't see what's behind you, and it's awkward trying to attack monsters that aren't directly next to or in front of you. There's loads of weird attacks and combos you can do, and it all just becomes too complicated, so I usually just tap Melee attack over and over.
Multiplayer mode is pretty fun. There's 2 modes, 'Free for All' and 'Balance the Force'. I haven't played Balance the Force though, so this part of the review will be based on the Free for All mode.
Free For All is basically a 4-Player brawl game where you fight on a map (pretty small), and you can use all your attacks from the Single-Player game. You can also choose your character from the Single-Player games, so I'm not pretty sure that your upgrades, clothes and combos would all work in the Multiplayer game aswell. That's pretty damn awesome! I basically destroy everyone, THEY'RE NOT EVEN A CHALLENGE. Also, everybody that's playing needs a cart of the game, no DS Download Play.
What's wrong with the game? Well... a lot. The graphics are pretty bad, but I suppose it's acceptable because of the DS's capabilities aren't that high, and it is 3D. The touchscreen feels REALLY tacked on, it would've been so much better with button controls, and only use the TouchScreen for mini-games, and the Menu. I suppose the game isn't that bad, there's just a few things that needed more refining.
BUY OR NOT TO BUY: Unless you are a huge Star Wars fan that relies on the story, don't pick this game up. It's riddles with problems.
I give Star Wars: The Force Unleashed for the DS, a.... 5/10.
