Archives for the Month of August 2008 on media addict
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Demo
I haven't been doing too much gaming lately since I decided I was bored with GTA4 about 12 hours into the game. I had intended on getting Mario Kart Wii, but was only able to find a copy (for regular price) online this week. While I am waiting for Kart to arrive I downloaded the Star Wars: The Force Unleashed demo for my PS3.
This game immediately strikes me as having the same problem as pretty much every other Star Wars game; it puts too much emphasis on Star Wars. I realize this may sound strange so let me elaborate. After 6 movies, various books, TV shows and a seemingly infinite supply of merchandise I think it's fair to say that consumers understand the Star Wars universe. We know what we're going to get. That's the primary problem with this new game in the franchise, we see the same characters in the same location with the same repetitive John Williams score in the background. Why the game designers can't, or aren't allowed to, write new music for these games is beyond me.
The concept of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is actually a fantastic idea for a game; create advanced physics models that can more realistically present the force powers we have seen in the movies. This combined with hack-and-slash and platforming gameplay form the basis of the game. In the demo, however, it becomes apparent that this game is a painfully linear, button-mashing affair that seems unpolished. The force powers are fun to use, but they are blunted by a sloppy targeting system that makes it difficult to choose which object you wish to use the force on. Despite all of this I was actually starting to enjoy the game until the end of the boss fight; the insertion of a quick-time event accomplishes nothing other than add frustration to an otherwise enjoyable fight. I am still mildly interested in this game, but I would never pick it up at full price; maybe in a year when its $30.
Tropic Thunder
Tropic Thunder is a very uneven comedy. The highs are astronomical, but many jokes land with a thud. In that sense it's a fairly typical Ben Stiller movie.
Tropic Thunder's main problem is that it can't quite decide which direction to take the story and instead goes in every direction at once. Simultaneously making a film industry satire, war film, slapstick, gross-out comedy doesn't always work. Despite the issues I had with the plot, I really enjoyed Tropic Thunder. Watching Robert Downey Jr. do a bizzaro Bill Cosby impersonation was worth the price of admission. 3.5/5