In 2008, LucasArts released a game taht most fans claim is the penultimate of garbage, an eight hour game called The Force Unleashed, which really doesn't allow the player to use every aspect of the magical Force, but rather limits the Force powers to about eight or ten. Synopsis: "The Sith always betray one another....I'm sure you'll learn that soon enough." The overthrow of the Republic is complete. The Separatist forces have been smashed, the Jedi Council nearly decimated, and the rest of the Order all but destroyed. Now absolute power rests in the iron fist of Darth Sidious–the
cunning Sith Lord better known as the former Senator, now Emperor,
Palpatine. But more remains to be done. Pockets of resistance in the
galaxy must still be defeated and missing Jedi accounted for...and dealt
with. These crucial tasks fall to the Emperor’s ruthless enforcer, Darth Vader. In turn, the Dark Lord has groomed a lethal apprentice entrusted with a top-secret mission: to comb the galaxy and dispatch the last of his masters’ enemies, thereby punctuating the dark side’s victory with the Jedi’s doom. Since childhood, Vader's nameless agent
has known only the cold, mercenary creed of the Sith. His past is a
void; his present, the carrying out of his deadly orders. But his future
beckons like a glistening black jewel with the ultimate promise: to
stand beside the only father he has ever known, with the galaxy at their
feet. It is a destiny he can realize only by rising to the greatest
challenge of his discipleship: destroying Emperor Palpatine. The apprentice’s journeys will take him across the far reaches of the galaxy, from the Wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk to the junkyard planet of Raxus Prime. On these missions, the young Sith Acolyte will forge an unlikely alliance with a ruined Jedi Master seeking redemption and wrestle with forbidden feelings for his beautiful comrade, Juno Eclipse.
And he will be tested as never before–by shattering revelations that
strike at the very heart of all he believes and stir within him
long-forgotten hopes of reclaiming his name...and changing his destiny.
This is by far the worst novelization of any game I've ever ready. Sean Williams can't write properly and just copies down what happens on the screen for the first act before he decides to try and do anything to enhance the story, but by then it's too little too late.
The novel opens with Darth Vader ordering the Secret Apprentice/Starkiller/Galen Marek to kill former Jedi General and Jedi Master Rahm Kota, but once Starkiller gets to the orbital station above Nar Shaddaa, Kota has already set traps for him. Starkiller and Kota duel briefly, and Kota, damaged and blind, tells him that Vader will kill him and that he (Kota) will be part of Starkiller's future. Starkiller shoves Kota out of the station and brings his lightsaber back to Vader as proof that he killed the renegade Jedi. Vader then tasks Starkiller with killing insane two-bit Jedi Kazdan Paratus on the junkyard world of Raxus Prime, which Starkiller does, but this time actually killing his target. Another mission pits him against Jedi Master "Shaak Ti" on Felucia. (I say that because most fans like to believe this character is really Ahsoka Tano from the shitty Star Wars: The Clone Wars kiddy show around that time.) "Shaak Ti" has an apprentice named Maris Brood, who escapes before Starkiller kills "Shaak Ti," but "Shaak Ti" kills herself after telling Starkiller that both Vader and the Emperor will kill him and that there's no hope for him. It's during these missions that we're introduced to Juno Eclipse, Starkiller's pilot and obvious love interest--this this bit still comes out of nowhere in both novel, comic, and game formats, like they're not even trying. She spends the majority of the book brooding over being ordered to bomb her own homeworld by Vader. Once Starkiller rejoins with Vader, Palpatine shows up and orders Vader to kill him. Vader does so, then retrieves the body and orders Starkiller's crazy droid PROXY to have Starkiller found a rebellion to help him overthrow the Empire.
Starkiller retrieves PROXY and Juno and sets about to complete his mission. He goes to Cloud City, Bespin and gets Kota to side with him, despite Kota's protests. Then they head to Kashyyyk, where Starkiller runs into Leia and R2-D2, before setting the Wookiees free and destroying the shipyards. It's there that Starkiller learns of his parents being killed by Vader during the Occupation of Kashyyyk and that his dad was a Jedi Master named Kento Marek. He also learns that his name is Galen Marek. They head back to Felucia and Galen defeats Maris and saves Bail Organa. Organa wants proof that Galen is a Jedi and that he can defeat the Emperor and Vader; Vader suggests via PROXY that Galen should hit the shipyards above Raxus Prime. Back they go and Galen kills many Imperials just to destroy the orbital docks. PROXY tries to fulfill his mission to kill Galen, but Galen defeats him. Then everyone heads to Corellia where Bail Organa, Mon Mothma, Leia, and Garm Bel Iblis agree to start a rebellion and to make war, but they're interrupted by Vader and the 501st. Vader and Galen duel, but Vader wins and almost kills Galen when PROXY intervenes as Obi-Wan Kenobi and they fight. Vader kills PROXY and watches Galen fall to his death. Miraculously, Galen survives and, with Juno, tracks Vader to the Horuz system, to the planet of Despayre, to the Death Star. Galen leaves, but not before Juno delcairs her love for him (which comes out of nowhere) and Galen slaughters his way through the Death Star, frees Bail, Mon, Garm, and Kota, then duels Vader. Vader wins, but Galen destroys the room they're in and kills himself. Palpatine and Vader take his body while, on Corellia, Bail, Mon, Leia, Kota, and Juno form the Alliance to Restore the Republic using the Marek family crest as their symbol.
The ending fight on the Death Star, in the Horuz system completely and utterly contradicts previously established cannon by both George Lucas and the Expanded Universe, where the Rebellion remained ignorant of the Death Star and where it was, and had to formulate a plan, called Operation Skyhook, to find its location after hearing numerous rumors about such a thing. This is why W. Haden Blackman and Sean Williams' story have become so hated. It wasn't just the 8hrs of gameplay, nor the shitty script, nor the out-of-left-field romance, but also the complete and utter disregard for previously established cannon. This book/game/comic deserves the reputation of trash and should never be spoken of again. But I still have that annoying sequel to review.
Up next, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II by Sean Williams, based on a story by W. Haden Blackman.
This is by far the worst novelization of any game I've ever ready. Sean Williams can't write properly and just copies down what happens on the screen for the first act before he decides to try and do anything to enhance the story, but by then it's too little too late.
The novel opens with Darth Vader ordering the Secret Apprentice/Starkiller/Galen Marek to kill former Jedi General and Jedi Master Rahm Kota, but once Starkiller gets to the orbital station above Nar Shaddaa, Kota has already set traps for him. Starkiller and Kota duel briefly, and Kota, damaged and blind, tells him that Vader will kill him and that he (Kota) will be part of Starkiller's future. Starkiller shoves Kota out of the station and brings his lightsaber back to Vader as proof that he killed the renegade Jedi. Vader then tasks Starkiller with killing insane two-bit Jedi Kazdan Paratus on the junkyard world of Raxus Prime, which Starkiller does, but this time actually killing his target. Another mission pits him against Jedi Master "Shaak Ti" on Felucia. (I say that because most fans like to believe this character is really Ahsoka Tano from the shitty Star Wars: The Clone Wars kiddy show around that time.) "Shaak Ti" has an apprentice named Maris Brood, who escapes before Starkiller kills "Shaak Ti," but "Shaak Ti" kills herself after telling Starkiller that both Vader and the Emperor will kill him and that there's no hope for him. It's during these missions that we're introduced to Juno Eclipse, Starkiller's pilot and obvious love interest--this this bit still comes out of nowhere in both novel, comic, and game formats, like they're not even trying. She spends the majority of the book brooding over being ordered to bomb her own homeworld by Vader. Once Starkiller rejoins with Vader, Palpatine shows up and orders Vader to kill him. Vader does so, then retrieves the body and orders Starkiller's crazy droid PROXY to have Starkiller found a rebellion to help him overthrow the Empire.
Starkiller retrieves PROXY and Juno and sets about to complete his mission. He goes to Cloud City, Bespin and gets Kota to side with him, despite Kota's protests. Then they head to Kashyyyk, where Starkiller runs into Leia and R2-D2, before setting the Wookiees free and destroying the shipyards. It's there that Starkiller learns of his parents being killed by Vader during the Occupation of Kashyyyk and that his dad was a Jedi Master named Kento Marek. He also learns that his name is Galen Marek. They head back to Felucia and Galen defeats Maris and saves Bail Organa. Organa wants proof that Galen is a Jedi and that he can defeat the Emperor and Vader; Vader suggests via PROXY that Galen should hit the shipyards above Raxus Prime. Back they go and Galen kills many Imperials just to destroy the orbital docks. PROXY tries to fulfill his mission to kill Galen, but Galen defeats him. Then everyone heads to Corellia where Bail Organa, Mon Mothma, Leia, and Garm Bel Iblis agree to start a rebellion and to make war, but they're interrupted by Vader and the 501st. Vader and Galen duel, but Vader wins and almost kills Galen when PROXY intervenes as Obi-Wan Kenobi and they fight. Vader kills PROXY and watches Galen fall to his death. Miraculously, Galen survives and, with Juno, tracks Vader to the Horuz system, to the planet of Despayre, to the Death Star. Galen leaves, but not before Juno delcairs her love for him (which comes out of nowhere) and Galen slaughters his way through the Death Star, frees Bail, Mon, Garm, and Kota, then duels Vader. Vader wins, but Galen destroys the room they're in and kills himself. Palpatine and Vader take his body while, on Corellia, Bail, Mon, Leia, Kota, and Juno form the Alliance to Restore the Republic using the Marek family crest as their symbol.
The ending fight on the Death Star, in the Horuz system completely and utterly contradicts previously established cannon by both George Lucas and the Expanded Universe, where the Rebellion remained ignorant of the Death Star and where it was, and had to formulate a plan, called Operation Skyhook, to find its location after hearing numerous rumors about such a thing. This is why W. Haden Blackman and Sean Williams' story have become so hated. It wasn't just the 8hrs of gameplay, nor the shitty script, nor the out-of-left-field romance, but also the complete and utter disregard for previously established cannon. This book/game/comic deserves the reputation of trash and should never be spoken of again. But I still have that annoying sequel to review.
Up next, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II by Sean Williams, based on a story by W. Haden Blackman.
