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The Force Unleashed (Star Wars) Review
User Submitted The Force Unleashed (Star Wars) ReviewsNovember 18, 2008 i expected more from a special event like unleashed star wars: the force unleashed is another attempt at a multi-media event by lucas arts like their mediocre attempt with shadows of the empire in the 90s. don't get me wrong, the effort they put into the event was mediocre, i actually enjoyed shadows; but this isn't a shadows review... this time around we've got a video game/book/graphic novel combo, with one lego spaceship and one action figure (that i know of) thrown in, almost as an insulting after-thought. but let me just talk about the main offerings. they all complement each other, but are lacking in their own merits, so i will simply review them all. GAME: i wanted to give this game more than a 3, i really did. but with amazing games like dark forces and jedi knight coming from lucas arts more than 10 years ago, there was really no excuse for this game not being better than it was. the gameplay was fun for the most part, with the exception of the boss-battles. there's nothing i hate worse than interactive cut-scene boss battles. if you're going to have a cut-scene, let me WATCH the cut-scene. the gameplay is completely linear, which granted is to be expected since this game above all else is an interactive story. you do have one mission as darth vader, but you spend the entire rest of the game playing as the apprentice. this is entirely a melee combat game, with the addition of force powers. if you enjoy star wars for it's shoot-outs and space combat, this isn't the game for you. they could have thrown in some space combat with juno eclipse's back-story, but alas it didn't happen. this game is definitely worth playing if you're a star wars fan, but i can't recommend it at the $60 release price; rent it or wait for the price to drop. while you're waiting, give the book a read. BOOK: sean williams is no stranger to scifi, and he has prior credits in the star wars universe. this was some pretty solid writing, considering the storyline was already predetermined. he complemented the unleashed story and still managed to add to the mythos with a back-story for juno eclipse that i would like to see williams revisit in a novel of her own. a back-story, and explore what-happened to her after unleashed, since we obviously have no mention of her in the original trilogy, despite her obvious importance [sorry, being very vague here to keep it spoiler-free]. worth a read. GRAPHIC NOVEL: for a special event like unleashed, i expected the comic to be a little better than this. it just seemed a little rushed. i haven't taken a look at any of brian ching's other star wars work yet, so i don't know if this is his best art. there were a lot of proportion and perspective problems that made it hard for me to enjoy for the artwork alone. and some of the most incredible events in the story, such as the scuttling of the star destroyer, were reduced to a panel on a page. that awesome destruction was worthy of nothing less than a splash-page. in some ways, ching's out-of-proportion heads reminded me of carmine infantino's work on marvel's star wars in the 70's. i'm a big fan of infantino's art now, but it wasn't until some year's later with his work on the flash that i could really get into it. only time will tell if i feel the same way about ching after seeing more of his work. the graphic novel is worth a look, but overall, it adds nothing to the story. if you're already getting the video game and/or the book, you might want to skip this one and spend your money on the the art and making of star wars: the force unleashed. October 21, 2008 what the hell? Recent ideas from LucasArts have been weak to say the least (The Clone Wars cartoon was pathetic). The Force Unleashed is another attempt to cash in on the Star Wars franchise with a story that is so bad that I cannot believe G. Lucas approved it. As if they did not have enough high-quality material with the already well developed Expanded Universe, someone decided to introduce a new character to the saga (as the apprentice of Darth Vader) and to revisit the origin of the Rebellion. Unfortunately the plot of this graphic novel is thin and the apprentice of Darth Vader has no credibility (I mean, how come we never heard of him before in the hundred of novels and graphic novels written about Star Wars? Do they care about not violating the integrity of the Star Wars Expanded Universe at LucasArts?), and the "explanation" for the birth of the Rebellion does not make any sense. Add a poor quality art, and you understand why I recommend not wasting your money on this graphic novel. Seriously, why did they feel the need to create an apprentice to Darth Vader? It's so lame. October 15, 2008 Only a piece of the puzzle I was disappointed with this book. I was really interested in this period of time in the SW Chronology. But I guess you have to have the game to understand the whole story. There's too much action missing. Entire battles are boiled down to a one page mural drawing. I was really expecting something along the lines of the 'Legacy' series, which I've devoured multiple times. I've read Jar-Jar stories that had me more riveted. I've never played the game but I hope it has satisfied the inner Star Wars Geek in people more than this comic. Interesting Point: Starkiller was originally Luke's last name while EP 4 was in the concept phase. Shakk Ti was supposedly killed in the begining of EP 3 by Grievous, but that scene was deleted...as her death was too I guess. High Points: Baal Organa and the conception of the rebellion. I liked the knock-down drag-out fight at the end of the book which left Vader without his helmet and the emperor all tattered. Low Points: They show Juno's butt because she's wearing hip-huggers. Gimme a break. That looks tacky in real life. September 29, 2008 A different view from the Book version Having read BOTH the book and graphic novel I can say that the story line in the graphic novel is told from a different point of view and in a totally different way then from the book version I would recommend reading the book version first then the graphic novel that way you can see what the graphic novel skipped over or shows a small part of it. (I would have liked to see the robotic versions of the jedi council that starkiller fights while fighting another jedi master in the book version) It does show you what Proxy looks like as well as the Bull Rancor. It also tells WHY (in both the book and graphic novel) Starkiller when from being a sith lord trainee to a jedi trainee. For those above the age of 15, I would disregard the 3 and below star reviews since it seems that they were basing their reviews on the tv commercials, what they read in a gamer magazine or they was looking at the pictures and not reading the story. IF you want a full background story about "Force Unleashed" then read the book, but IF you want a quick story that hits the high points then get the graphic novel. September 29, 2008 A Great Story... The Game is Based On As Good as the game The Force Unleashed is, (I have the X-Box 360 Version) The Story Comes First. Now If you Play the game through it will reveal the story to you. If However You don't have the game, or just want to read the story I suggest this Graphic Novel. As well as the Del Rey Novel which goes into much deeper detail. The Graphic Novel is a Tremendous Story with Top notch Art. The only Conplaint is After Reading it, Some of the Key elements of the story just couldn't be fit into the Book. The Graphic Novel is Good for an easy read to understand the basic story and important Continuity Storyline Points. I won't spoil the story for People who want to learn first hand of the Story of "Vader's Secret Apprentace" I will tell you that George Lucas Oversaw the Entire Project from Start to finish and the Main story is Probably the most important story to come out of Lucasfilm In Years It Basically ties Episode III to Episode IV. Very Important Read. I Highly Suggest this book to all Star Wars Fans both Casual and Serious. it is Highly Recommended. September 15, 2008 Not bad at all First, I must say that I'm a casual fan of SW. I read a couple of novels, comics, played some games so I don't know all the storylines, what is cannon and what is not, etc. I just love to read good stories set in different universes and I don't mind if it screws some "facts" established in others stories. That said, I must say that I liked it. It was not too predictable for a Star Wars story and it is refreshing to read something set in this time period. My only complaint is that it could have been longer. I would have cared more for the characters but I suppose that to read the novel and the game will add some meat to the bone. So, for a Graphic Novel, it does well what it is suppose to do and I recommend this product. September 13, 2008 Save your money I was curious about the story behind Force Unleashed, but this turned out to be a complete waste of money. Yeah the entire story is told here, but it's done with zero dramatic tension or character development. Everything is described in passing (the entire story is told in flashback) and you never once get into the character's heads or feel the awesome spectacle that the game has been hyped to convey. Bravo to the artists for some above average visuals, but they've been hamstrung by the truncated narrative. In the introduction the writer/game designer describes the nerve-wracking task of selling this concept to George Lucas, and you wish they'd put even half as much effort into this adaptation. Beyond everything else, this comic proves that not every Star Wars product needs to be canon. A Jedi with "amped up" force powers is perfect for a video game experience, but force that character into continuity and you've destroyed all credibility. All of a sudden we've got multiple Force users running around in a period where they're supposed to be extinct, a Jedi whose powers eclipse Luke Skywalker's, revisions to the founding of the Rebel Alliance, and other unnecessary "revelations." If Star Wars ever cleans house and reboots the timeline, the events here need to be disregarded. September 11, 2008 Unleashed Mistery A wonderfully surprising look into what happened after the birth of Darth Vader. An unleashed look into to power of the Force and how an individual can walk the fine line between the Light and Dark. The art work mirrors modern Dark Horse Star Wars comics which provides an incredible look into the power of the Force and the Star Wars Universe. A definate must read for any Star Wars Fan. September 7, 2008 Soullessly bland Never has a work of fiction so thoroughly nonplussed me. Hayden Blackman's THE FORCE UNLEASHED is not by any means a bad comic, and paradoxically, that fact works to its disadvantage. I'd prefer to hate the thing outright, but I can't even bring myself to care about it. Name any aspect of literary quality. You will not find it represented in THE FORCE UNLEASHED. Again, it's not that the comic is terrible; on the contrary, it's devoid of any notable characteristics at all. The plot is a summary in the form of flashbacks to events which occurred years earlier. As a result, the story is totally detached from itself. The intrusive voices of the narrators provide some context but no emotion. I could not describe the characters' personalities if you paid me. They seldom react to supposedly moving events, or when they do, Blackman glosses over their reactions in a single panel. Some characters have such fascinating characteristics that the reader almost begs the author to invest them with some color. Here we have a blind, drunk ex-Jedi. Interesting, right? Wrong. We never see him drunk and he never struggles with his blindness. Over the course of 126 pages, the protagonist is never even named! (Yes, he has a name. Yes, it had already been revealed before the release of the comic. I'm not throwing Blackman any bones.) The fight scenes, ostensibly the highlight of the video game upon which this comic is based, are summarized in a bare minimum of panels: "My master tore through that shipyard, using everything Vader had taught him - and some maneuvers he invented himself. And as Vader commanded, he left no witnesses. Eventually, he reached Master Kota..." (Page 26.) Gee, that was thrilling. Even the most protracted battles lack so much as a clever format to propel them. There's never a montage of individual blows to provide visual detail. There's never a break to focus on the characters' faces and thereby indicate their emotions. (Well, okay, maybe that introspective poster-splash on 113. But I repeat, I'm not throwing Blackman any bones.) Worse, the soullessness of the story leaches any interest out of the art. Yes, the art is a compensatory factor. Divested of text, THE FORCE UNLEASHED is one of Dark Horse's most visually stunning productions. Problem is, I can't force myself to enjoy the gorgeous four-color illustrations. There's no emotion behind them, so it's impossible to find any emotion in them. But just to honor the artists' Herculean endeavors, I'll treat them individually. Brian Ching, the primary artist, is polished and atmospheric. While he lacks a sense of striking composition, his layouts are sufficiently varied to maintain the reader's attention. Late in his career, he's beginning to discipline the scribbly lines and loose anatomy for which he was once infamous. Sure, his fingers still look like greenbeans and his outlines still deform like melting marshmallows. But there's a smoothness to his shading which was absent in his earlier works and serves to tie his panels together into an absorbing environment. While Ching is clearly the most talented of the art team, THE FORCE UNLEASHED is not his best work. His alternate, Bong Dazo, is a second-rate penciller but nevertheless outshines Ching because he has never, ever produced work of this quality. (If Dark Horse's preview of KNIGHTS OF THE OLD REPUBLIC, Issue 33 is any indication, he does not plan to produce work of this quality again anytime in the near future.) Dazo's art is uninked, and the style definitely complements his work. In other comics, his drab, uniform blacklines look as though he applies them with a ballpoint pen; here, the variation in line thickness creates richer texture. Dazo lends uncharacteristic definition to mechanical objects and draws human faces with realistic bone structure instead of his typical cherubic blankness. His use of perspective is so extreme that the characters constantly appear to explode out of the page. The results are frequently absurd (human musculature is so exaggerated that one must wonder about steroid use in the galaxy far, far away) but frequently awe-inspiring, as well. When Bong Dazo draws a bull rancor, it is charging toward you to rip a gaping hole in the Fourth Wall and devour you whole. If not for the anesthetic effects of Blackman's script, this imagery would be brain-pulverizingly powerful. And I would be remiss to forget the contributions of colorist Michael Atiyeh. His color scheme is pervasively rich but never overpowering. Unlike so many other colorists, Atiyeh adapts his colors to the style of the individual artists: dark and smeared for Ching, bright and distinct for Dazo. These schemes develop atmosphere on a level so subtle that they color the reader's entire perception of the comic (pun intended) without the reader ever noticing their presence at all. That, ladies and gentlemen, is the mark of a great colorist - the best in Dark Horse's current stable, in fact. Third artist? What third artist? Oh, yeah: Wayne Nichols supplies eighteen pages. They're eminently skippable except in the unlikely event that you're actually paying attention to the plot. Nichols' art is so flat that the individual visual elements of each panel seem to have been pasted over one another instead of existing within the same field of reference. He renders technological items as bare geometric shapes. His shading is primarily crosshatched, with the result that absolutely every surface has a gravelly texture. Why, I have no idea, but then, I'm not a big fan of crosshatching in the first place. It's a pity, really, because of the three artists, Nichols is the most consistent and has the best grasp of human proportions and faces. There just isn't enough flesh to his style - as one might say of THE FORCE UNLEASHED as a whole. Is THE FORCE UNLEASHED significant to Star Wars continuity? Only via an insignificant MacGuffin involving the formation of the Rebel Alliance. Is it damaging to Star Wars continuity? Other than the chronological misplacement of the Executor, no. In fact, the plot gets itself into the worst trouble when it tries to mesh with existing continuity. (The climactic battle is wedged into the midst of what was a page-long scene in A.C. Crispin's REBEL DAWN.) Certainly, the events described are fascinating - or could be if they were written with something approaching the energy of a comatose wombat. For the first time in my life, I must seriously recommend that readers put down a book and play its video game version to get real content. August 31, 2008 Same story, new faces, impossible powers The Force Unleashed is about a young man with Force powers so immense he can whip Vader and the Emperor simultaneously. Based on a video game in which you get to play this Force-wielding giant, the conceptual emphasis is on action and playability, rather than character or drama. Consequently the graphic novel reads like a series of set pieces, big fight scenes with a bit of exposition to tie them together. Ostensibly the plot concerns the inception of the Rebellion, but as with the beginnings of most things in the Star Wars universe, the origin of the Alliance is more than it seems. Thematically, TFU cleaves closely to the SW universe formula - young man spends his life doing bad and redeems himself in the end with a tiny act of good. The orphaned Starkiller is raised as Darth Vader's secret apprentice, an amoral assassin who dispatches with equal skill characters on both sides of the war. Somewhere along the way he switches to being a good guy with a conscience and a love interest, though it's not really clear how either develops. Neither is why the leaders of the Rebellion trust anyone who shows up at their door expressing an interest in sacking the Empire. The artwork is a mixed bag, with Brain Ching opening and closing the story with some finely illustrated chapters. Unfortunately, as with his stint on Knights of the Old Republic, he seems unable to work fast enough to complete an entire project - or takes assignments with impossible deadlines - and so we get a couple of less skilled artists working on the middle sections. There is a novel of the same name covering the exact same story. I haven't yet read it, but given author Sean Williams' track record (as coauthor of one of the worst chapters of the New Jedi Order), and given that the graphic novel isn't anything worth bragging about, I'd wager the novel is as limp, or with more extraneous material, even limper. My suggestion would be to unleash your own force on the game. That is, if you have a console. PC users will have to settle for the graphic novel. # For more The Force Unleashed (Star Wars) reviews click here.
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