Parents' Guide to

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

By Marc Saltzman, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 12+

A good -- but not great -- Star Wars adventure.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this game.

Community Reviews

age 11+

Based on 16 parent reviews

age 10+

I'm a fan of the star wars films

Get itself together csm 90% OF the reviews are made by robots and the rest are written by stupid morons who don't know what they are doing

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
Easy to play/use
age 11+

Its pretty ok its a game for a certain group.

So I think this game is for children that can take stress of the game in which I mean there are some moments where you have to use certain buttons fast also there is a point in the game you have to use the joy sticks in certain ways it was a glitch the game had where you have to move them on your own instead of what the game is telling how to if you don't know that it can be really stressful at that point. Also this game has a really good message other reviews say its pretty dark and yes at the start. You start out as Darth Vaders apprentice but later you learn the truth eventually you start the rebel alliance against the empire. So others may say its dark in some areas but the over all message is light does triumph over dark....eventually it takes till the end of the series to win but you do do a lot of good stuff that starts the rebellion and eventually wins. There is some violence in this game but nothing like M games or even T rated games Theres no limbs off not even in the cut senes. I believe as long as your child is not obsessed with it its fine to me but I'm not telling how to parent. I personally am a hug starwars fan (the Lucas movies anyway) I have played this game in all the difficulty modes thats another thing by the way make sure your on the 2nd to lowest or the lowest when you start so you can get a good idea of the game these modes are hard I mean hard hard it takes a lot of strategizing time and skill to get through the rest especially the last mode. For example the 1st difficulty (after I finished the game this is my first time in the easiest mode) takes me about 2-3hrs in all (not none stop) and when I played the hardest it takes my literally about a week in my time in all. Over all its a good game but I would not recommend this for children that are obsessed with death I only suggest this for kids that understand the sort of thing I was talking about. I loved the game not the best I have played but it challenged my brain and made me think on some levels. I wish the best of luck to all that play this game

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (16):
Kids say (87):

One of the key problems with Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, however, is its linearity; players are on a pretty tight leash as they navigate these indoor and outdoor levels and can't veer too far away from your path. How amazing would it be to have some open-ended levels, such as a Grand Theft Auto sandbox game, where you're left to explore your surroundings. This drawback can also hurt the game's replayability. Other issues are the lack of a multiplayer mode and a PC version of the game, plus the third-person camera can sometimes obscure your view instead of providing a cinematic perspective of the action.

If Star Wars: The Force Unleashed was rated by special effects alone, the sci-fi adventure would garner unanimous praise by video game reviewers. But as with some criticisms of the iconic feature films, not everyone will find substance underneath the style. But it sure is a fun ride and one that Star Wars fanatics will revel in as they appreciate its gorgeous graphics and impressive physics effects while turning a blind eye to the game's shortcomings. Visually speaking, the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions are much better (in high-definition) than the PS2, Wii, and handheld versions of the game. An iPhone version is also available at the Apple App Store.

Game Details

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