It’s been a damn long time since there was a Star Wars game worth buying. Not counting, of course, the LEGO Star Wars games. I mean a ‘real’ Star Wars game that isn’t a rehash.

So, is Force Unleashed a new beginning for a tired gaming franchise?

I got a kick out of leveling up my Jedi, too. It seems like such a simple thing, but being able to earn points to increase the secret apprentice’s ability to cook people with lighting or hurl them off a cliff with a Force grab is an excellent way to keep people playing.

Unleashed also has a great story. It is not simple, or cut & dry. And, probably, the ending will either irritate or elate you (like much of recent Star Wars lore). Thankfully, this game is allowed to deviate from Star Wars canon to a certain degree.

Now comes the unfortunate stuff:

Sadly, much like Ninja Gaiden II, the entire game is a combination of fun and frustration. Some levels are just a blast (strangely, the argument can be made that the first level is the best & most well-balanced). Other make you slump your shoulders and wonder why the hell you’re investing so much time into the game. It’s bizarrely uneven. Worse, after the game’s half-way point, you’ll be retracing your steps and heading back to planets & locales you’ve already seen or suffered through – often with only minor variances.

Which is a shame because Unleashed has so much potential it’s ridiculous. When I first started playing it, I thought that LucasArts had finally figured it out and that I was enjoying an A-grade Star Wars game.

Well, it’s not an A. But it is above average, and while it has its problems, it’s not a C, either. I did have fun, and the game gets more right than it gets wrong: B-

Class dismissed.