Twenty eight years have passed since George Lucas’ space opera started and now it has finally come to a close. Spanning six movies, more novels than you can shake a bantha at, and more videogames that probably any other franchise in history Star Wars has certainly left its mark. Sure the games have been hit or miss, from the award winning Knights of the Old Republic, to the atrocious Super Bombad Racing. Regardless they keep making them and we keep buying them, why you ask? Because deep down we all dream of being a Jedi, a Wookie, or at least a muppet with a serious case of anxiety attacks. Along with the final chapter of the saga has come a game that promises the best lightsaber combat in the history of the franchise. A bold statement, but with developer The Collective behind it I had high hopes. Find out the good and bad, or should I say dark and light side of this game’s force!
The Good
For starters the combat is very fluid and responsive. Pulling off flashy combos is simple and most importantly fun. Watching Obi-Wan and Anakin rip through countless amounts of battle droids seems to never grow repetitive. The graphics are also very smooth, and the animations look superb. As with almost every Star Wars game the music and sound effects are spot on. The voice overs are done by the same actors who voiced the characters in Cartoon Network’s Clone Wars animated series. One of the best features is the two player duel mode, where you can pit two of your favorite warriors against one another. It certainly washes away the horrible memories of Masters of the Teras Kasi. When you complete the game you also open up 5 co-op missions consisting of levels from the single player game.
The Bad
Some of the levels in the game can seem to drag at times, and the enemy models seem extremely limited. Though it is certainly not a huge deal to me, you can finish this game in just under four hours on your first play through; and the extras will only last you a couple hours at best. If you have not seen the movie then this game will also spoil some of the plot, but it also expands on some parts of the movie which is a nice touch. When going through the game a second time your experience must exceed your first play through in order to gain more which restricts your upgrades and can be annoying.
The Verdict
In the end it all boils down to how much you love your Star Wars. Personally I loved the lightsaber combat and enjoyed playing through the events of the movie. The duel mode will have me coming back for more and more, and the co-op missions, although short, were more than welcome. For non SW fans this game should definitely be rented as you will get all you want out of it in one or two sittings. An excellent end to the SW saga and another reason for guys like me to fantasize about owning a lightsaber.
