Not one to usually get on any soap box, but after reviewing the new game Star Wars: The Force Unleashed I couldn’t help but be dissappointed in George Lucas. Let me say that I am a diehard fan of the original three movies. I was out of the country when the first of the next three were released and never quite got the fever for the second group. The video game’s storyline actually serves to tie the two groups of films together which sounds like a great idea. The quality of the game looks excellent and I am sure that Lucas Arts did a steller job with the project as a whole.
My main criticism if you will, is that the gamer plays the apprentice to Darth Vader and is a member of the darkside hunting down the last of the Jedi. While an interesting concept, in my opinion, it goes against my whole experience as a kid of rooting for the good guys.
The magic of the original Star Wars episodes was the triumph of good over evil going against the odds in the face of great adversity. Classic tails of good versus evil have been used to challenge and encourage young people to do what is right with noble character. Star Wars has been one of the mythological stories that shaped the psychi of so many people of my generation. To this day I still have daydreams of defeating the dark side and try to live a life of choosing right over wrong.
Yes, I am no relativist and do believe there is right and wrong. Luke, Hansolo and Leigh expect nothing less from me. The kid inside me just doesn’t get this twist on the classic tail. Call me a simpleton, but I just don’t get the joy of hunting down noble characters as a villan bent on destruction.