Star Wars - The Force Unleashed
Last night, I finally finished playing Force Unleashed/ Generally I avoid anything concerning Star Wars unless I'm damn sure George Lucas was kept far away from it's development. This was one of those times.
Yes, I know the game has been out for longer than it should have taken to complete it. And I've had it for most of that time. But it's rare for me to play games for very long, and I end up getting part way through and moving on to something else. It's not a boredom thing, it's just other things appear that take priority.
Last night I wanted to kill a few hours, and thought I would have another go at it. Initially I got up to the Death Star level (Which I knew was the end), and something started to frustrate me no end with the game. I had no idea what it was, I just started getting ten minutes into the game every time I tried to play, and gave up even though I knew I was close to the end.
Last night I loaded it up. About halfway through the level, I realised what the problem was. I'm using a PS2, and for a while it was hard to find replacement controllers, so I ended up with cheap ones that seemed to work OK. Until I realised while playing that the buttons stick after a while. This would cause me to storm into a room, fry a few troopers with force lightning, force throw a security robot into a wall, then dash over the last lone guard to finish him off with a lightsaber...
...Only to end up attacking a computer console like it was a hated enemy while the guard shot me in the back several times until I died.
This happened more than once. It eventually happened so much that the only reason that I got through one area was done to poor AI on the stormtroopers part. When I decided to retreate back the way I came, I fell into the pit the giant laser fires through. And just before I died, I saw the entire room chase me over the edge. I can start that section again, but they can't. The only problem here was that I didn't realise the room was empty when I got back to it, so spent several minutes throwing boxes and barrels into the room to force throw around when I charged in. I felt a bit stupid after that...
...And then I found out just how far I had got into the game. I managed to clear the room I always quit in by only using force powers, and was feeling pretty pleased with myself. I wandered through the door and found...
-A cut scene-
Usually if I get to a new section of a game, I'm pleased. This time, I started swearing at the screen due to my idiocy of not trying to get further when I was playing the game three or four months ago. Not only that, I realised that the cut scene made way for the final two fights in the game. I had essentially been running up to the finish line for the past few tries, and stopping with the end just around the corner! The first fight was OK, and I learned quickly that while the buttons were sticking to some degree, the only one that was giving me trouble was the square button. This, as it would happen, was the button that told Starkiller to 'hit it with the big glowy stick'.
'Fine. I'll fight Vader with just my force powers'
'Right... So I've established force powers aren't going to get me far against a boss who can counter them with his OWN force powers...'
So began twenty minutes of me nearly dislocating my thumb trying to find an angle to hit the button that would register it being pressed, and also avoid it getting stuck. Eventually, I managed to beat Vader. Victory cheers all round. After that, the Emperor will be a breeze.
Not so. By the time I started the fight, my right thumb was in so much pain, I knew ever button press because it caused my physical discomfort. I guess when it comes to playing video games I'm out of shape. It also turns out that the Emperor, despite being an old feeble looking man, is capable of seemingly moving faster than the guy onscreen when he starts fighting with his lightsaber. The fight lasted a half hour easily. Some people could put down dragging a fight out this far to some sort of skill. I'm not that skilled, just lucky. Because towards the end, as soon as it looked like I was about to die, I'd be thrown through some means onto a newly appearing health pack. On several occasions there were cases of:
“Oh shiiiiiiii- Wait! I'm fine...”
Finally I beat the old guy. This is also when I started hating quick time events. Because he key button to press at two points was the square button. Twice in a row. The only thing stopping me from doing this was the fact I'd tap it, and it would stick halfway out, meaning that it wouldn't register the next hit...
In the end, I started the game over from the beginning. Keeping all the powers and just levelling them up a bit more is fun, but it's still annoying without a proper controller. Knowing that if you hit the enemy they will die, it's frustrating watching Starkiller just stand as if he is blocking something on the other side of the room. Force powers can only do so much. But it's still fun to a point. The only annoying thing is the costumes. I unlocked a Jedi robe at the end, and the game is yet to let me use it. Every time I select it, I end up in the Sith robe. And dam it, I want to do evil dressed like Obi-Wan...
Yes, I know the game has been out for longer than it should have taken to complete it. And I've had it for most of that time. But it's rare for me to play games for very long, and I end up getting part way through and moving on to something else. It's not a boredom thing, it's just other things appear that take priority.
Last night I wanted to kill a few hours, and thought I would have another go at it. Initially I got up to the Death Star level (Which I knew was the end), and something started to frustrate me no end with the game. I had no idea what it was, I just started getting ten minutes into the game every time I tried to play, and gave up even though I knew I was close to the end.
Last night I loaded it up. About halfway through the level, I realised what the problem was. I'm using a PS2, and for a while it was hard to find replacement controllers, so I ended up with cheap ones that seemed to work OK. Until I realised while playing that the buttons stick after a while. This would cause me to storm into a room, fry a few troopers with force lightning, force throw a security robot into a wall, then dash over the last lone guard to finish him off with a lightsaber...
...Only to end up attacking a computer console like it was a hated enemy while the guard shot me in the back several times until I died.
This happened more than once. It eventually happened so much that the only reason that I got through one area was done to poor AI on the stormtroopers part. When I decided to retreate back the way I came, I fell into the pit the giant laser fires through. And just before I died, I saw the entire room chase me over the edge. I can start that section again, but they can't. The only problem here was that I didn't realise the room was empty when I got back to it, so spent several minutes throwing boxes and barrels into the room to force throw around when I charged in. I felt a bit stupid after that...
...And then I found out just how far I had got into the game. I managed to clear the room I always quit in by only using force powers, and was feeling pretty pleased with myself. I wandered through the door and found...
-A cut scene-
Usually if I get to a new section of a game, I'm pleased. This time, I started swearing at the screen due to my idiocy of not trying to get further when I was playing the game three or four months ago. Not only that, I realised that the cut scene made way for the final two fights in the game. I had essentially been running up to the finish line for the past few tries, and stopping with the end just around the corner! The first fight was OK, and I learned quickly that while the buttons were sticking to some degree, the only one that was giving me trouble was the square button. This, as it would happen, was the button that told Starkiller to 'hit it with the big glowy stick'.
'Fine. I'll fight Vader with just my force powers'
'Right... So I've established force powers aren't going to get me far against a boss who can counter them with his OWN force powers...'
So began twenty minutes of me nearly dislocating my thumb trying to find an angle to hit the button that would register it being pressed, and also avoid it getting stuck. Eventually, I managed to beat Vader. Victory cheers all round. After that, the Emperor will be a breeze.
Not so. By the time I started the fight, my right thumb was in so much pain, I knew ever button press because it caused my physical discomfort. I guess when it comes to playing video games I'm out of shape. It also turns out that the Emperor, despite being an old feeble looking man, is capable of seemingly moving faster than the guy onscreen when he starts fighting with his lightsaber. The fight lasted a half hour easily. Some people could put down dragging a fight out this far to some sort of skill. I'm not that skilled, just lucky. Because towards the end, as soon as it looked like I was about to die, I'd be thrown through some means onto a newly appearing health pack. On several occasions there were cases of:
“Oh shiiiiiiii- Wait! I'm fine...”
Finally I beat the old guy. This is also when I started hating quick time events. Because he key button to press at two points was the square button. Twice in a row. The only thing stopping me from doing this was the fact I'd tap it, and it would stick halfway out, meaning that it wouldn't register the next hit...
In the end, I started the game over from the beginning. Keeping all the powers and just levelling them up a bit more is fun, but it's still annoying without a proper controller. Knowing that if you hit the enemy they will die, it's frustrating watching Starkiller just stand as if he is blocking something on the other side of the room. Force powers can only do so much. But it's still fun to a point. The only annoying thing is the costumes. I unlocked a Jedi robe at the end, and the game is yet to let me use it. Every time I select it, I end up in the Sith robe. And dam it, I want to do evil dressed like Obi-Wan...
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