I think it is pretty safe to say that any fan of star wars enjoys nothing more than going about, wielding a lightsaber and using force powers. Well that was the main appeal for me to start with. I had played the demo and enjoyed it, the graphics looked smooth and the game play seemed to flow very nicely. It was always one of them games that I wanted to pick up at some point in my life but was waiting for a good time. For just over £20 and little on my Xbox to play I thought I would pick it up and try the real game.

Eager to play from what I had experienced I was overjoyed with what I had purchased and looked forward to getting my teeth into what seemed like a fantastic original story in the all ready crowded Star Wars Universe. The prologue has you play as Darth Vader, on a quest to hunt down and kill one of the last Jedi, on the Wookie home planet. Unable to die and being very powerful, it is a great level to start players off on the road of the Sith, tormenting Wookies with your devastating force powers, or slicing them up with the infamous red lightsaber. I didn’t want that level to end and soon found myself just playing about having fun for about 30 minutes, when it should have been completed with about 10!

The Story begins with this training level and once you have taken down the Jedi that you were seeking, you stumble across a baby who has great potential with the force, stealing Darth Vader’s lightsaber away from him. This sets the story for the whole game and years in the future that baby has grown up to be Darth Vader’s personal Assassin, one of the strongest and most deadly Sith that the universe has seen, and he is also the character you will be taking control of for the rest of the game. Being an original Star Wars story I do not want to delve to deep into what happens because there is a lot that happens in what is a rather short game. Twist and turns and even choices you get to make that will shape the ending. For me the story in the game was possibly the strongest aspect, it was one of the factors that kept me interested until the end. Many new games can become tedious and boring and I will often lose interest unless there is a good multiplayer option but this one had the story and a rather simple but addictive game play that had me hooked until the credits had finished.

I touched on the graphics earlier and mentioned they were more than satisfactory while playing the demo, the full game had a slight improvement and the cut scenes were among some of the better graphics I have seen recently. The levels within the game are of a decent size and look wonderful in detail. The game plays out in two halves; you will visit most areas twice, once when things are lighter and more colourful, but then as the Empire rises darkness falls over the land and the once vibrant plants become dull and replaced with machinery.  The attention to detail is something I also admired, be it when you hit a wall with your lightsaber it will glow and then leave a burn mark, or when you use the force to lift a storm trooper in the air, they will grab their friend and try stay on the ground. I know a lot of work went into this game and especially how things break when you use the force, their hard work has paid off and turned out what I believe to be among the best Star Wars game we are yet to see.

Well, good graphics, interesting and original story, so far so good. Possibly the most important aspect next, the controls and game play, well I found them very easy to learn and use, despite the fact there are plenty of force moves; lightning, force grip, force push and more. All of these and still the controls remain easy to learn and use all the way through. While some games would have a complex assortment of buttons to press to pull off the force moves, a simple push of a trigger will have you throwing people about like the most experienced Sith Lord! The simplicity of the controls added to the ease of just being able to pick up and play for a few hours. I was really impressed with how the camera and all aspects of the game came together to make a massively enjoyable Star Wars game. You actually felt part of the game, being able to use such a wide range of moves to suit your play style and make it feel like you were using the force.

Now I know me being a Star Wars fan makes me a bit biased towards the game and obviously it has flaws, but overall this game has been a more than great purchase and given me hours of fun. Before you rush out and but the game, let me just talk about some of the game’s downfalls. In my opinion the game is short, I think a week of casual playing saw me get through the game and grab a good amount of achievements – with a couple of ending you can spend more time going back and choosing a different path but it was still a rather short game. The game could also become a bit repetitive, especially for non fans. Only so many enemies you can hit with a lightsaber before it gets a bit of a chore! Something I touched on earlier that I always like to have in games I buy – Online / multiplayer option. It would have been great to have an Online mode where you choose your Jedi or Sith from the array you meet in the game and battle as you do in the boss fights! It would have added a whole new side to the game that would be fantastic. There is Downloadable content, but I hear it is expensive and possibly not worth the money, but I suppose they may keep adding to it and making the game live on for longer.

So while there are loads of great aspects and features to the game, I don’t think we have found the perfect Star Wars game yet, I know several people who like the game and express similar views to what I have here. Well I hope this review has been of help to you, and if you were thinking about the game then this helped with the decision! My overall opinion on the game is;
A short but enjoyable quest where the story and controls really stand out, a must for any fan of Star Wars.

8.5 / 10