There have been quite a number of Star Wars games in the past but none of them were ever created to expand the storyline within the timeline of the 6 movies. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is one such game and it is epic.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed tells the story of Starkiller, Darth Vader’s secret apprentice. There are a lot of twists and turns in the storyline and they are all either revealing or shocking. Let me start out by saying that you are not going to play this game for the graphics nor the featured physics, you will play it for the story.

The game looks good by Wii standards and looks even better on other consoles. It paints a very gritty picture of the universe and still maintains a very movie like feel. The levels are well designed, pleasing to the eyes and yet easy enough to be immersed in. There are some parts however that feel hurriedly done. Worse, you will need to visit these places over and over.

The sound is pretty much Star Wars fare. Lightsaber swings and blaster fire sound very much like the movies. John William’s musical score is undying and still invokes awe and raw excitement.

The idea of the game is pretty awe inspiring. The way the game designers exaggerated everything about the force drops jaws and induces glee to Star Wars fanboys all over the world. The fact that you can use the force to push, pull, lift and electrically charge objects and even people leaves a lot of room for creative destruction. I however still can’t get over the fact that the main character was able to use the force to bring down a Star Destroyer. A freakin’ starship brought to the ground with the force!

The idea is great, the execution at times, flawed. There are a lot of bugs in the game, sometimes too annoying to play around. First, the camera doesn’t go where you need it to go. I fell too many times from ledges because I couldn’t see where I was stepping on. The force targeting system still needs a lot of tweaking. At times it targets a stormtrooper instead of a box so I end up flinging the wrong thing at the wrong person. There are also parts of the map where you get snagged in. There’s nothing that stops you from moving but apparently you can’t move!

Force Unleashed has a few extras that encourage you to play the game over again. Although linear, the game offers hidden secrets like new lightsaber colors, lightsaber combat crystals, costumes and characters you can use in versus mode.

Speaking of versus mode, it’s a fighting mini game. As you play the main story campaign of the game, you get to unlock characters you can use to beat the living daylights out of a second player. You can use your super exaggerated force powers against a human opponent or an AI opponent. All these add a couple more hours of gameplay.

All in all Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is a game you must get if you’re a Star Wars fanatic. The story is essential in explaining the time gap between Episode III and Episode IV. Don’t complain about the gameplay and the less than inspiring rendition. Once you get to the ending, prepare for the shock of your Star Wars fanboy life.

Noob Corner: The Force Unleashed is the game for anybody who secretly wishes to be a Jedi Knight or would like to play pretend with a lightsaber. Playing the game gives you the chance to release that inner geek in you while no one is watching. Graphics and Sounds are not that impressive but using the wii mote as a lightsaber has an interesting touch to it. It’s easy to play, though camera control can still be improved. All in all, The Force Unleashed is a game that serious Star Wars fans should not miss.

Graphics – 6

Sound – 8

Gameplay – 6

Replayabiliy – 6

Note: Screenies from forceunleashed.org

Resident Evil 4 continues the story set by the previous Resident Evil titles. You’re no longer fighting zombies though, but parasite infested humans, ugly, Spanish, parasite infested humans. You’ll hear the word “morir” (Spanish for “to kill”) a lot.

You play the role of Leon a brash and dashing (papogi effect grabe) American agent assigned to rescue the President’s kidnapped daughter. Napaisip nga ako eh. Bakit di buong battalion pinadala dun, bakit isang tao lang at iisang baril lang binigay. Di man lang machine gun.

The game looks good for a game released a year or so ago. You won’t see advanced shaders, bump mapping and other new graphic technologies but the look of the game contributes a lot to its eerie “gusto ko nang gumising sa bangungot na ito” feel. The Wii renders the images so well since it is a dated engine. My only complaint is the troublesome over the shoulder camera angle that sometimes blocks your view of enemies coming from behind unlike previous versions of resident evil.

The game sounds fantastic. Plug your Wii to a TV or a sound system with true surround and you’ll be losing sleep for days. Ilang beses na ako napatingin sa likod ko baka may mumu pag naglalaro ako mag isa. Sometimes the music scares you even when there’s no scary event on screen.

For gameplay, this game is HARD. Even on regular mode the game is really hard for one particular reason. There’s not enough ammo for all the mumu to kill. You will keep trying to conserve ammo. You will use your knife instead of shoot 80-90% of the time. I myself shoot parasite infected Spanish people on their needs so when they hit the floor I just stab them instead of shooting them dead. What’s even harder is that there are hundreds of them. So when you see a savepoint, SAVE!! Naiinis ako dahil yung Leon di man lang nagdala ng bag na puno ng bala. Pistol lang dala kukonti pa ng bala.

The game is filled with puzzle after puzzle. Enemies that require strategy to take down and the best part of the game is it is totally immersing. Low ammo, all alone, hard enemies, by the time you finish the game you feel like you just climbed Mt. Everest while carrying a jeepney on your back.

The game is highly replayable too. You unlock new weapons, new costumes, new game modes and yes, new characters to play as you finish the game more than once. I for one discovered the Chicago Typewriter (Thompson submachine gun) and I couldn’t wait to play the game again with it. It made the game a lot easier when I had it with me. There’s also a game within a game using a different character but we won’t tell you too much regarding that, it will ruin the story.

Bottomline this game is definitely a must have for any platform, PC, PS2 but we highly recommend playing it on the Wii since the motion controls just fit in greatly with the gameplay. If you are a fan of survival horror or you just want to test your gaming skillz, this game is for you.

Graphics 8
Sound 10
Gameplay 7
Replay Value 8