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Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
There
is a disturbance in the world of gaming…
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith is the latest Star Wars epic
from Lucasarts that delivers the player into the turbulent world
of the yet to be released episode 3. Impulsegamer was given strict
guidelines by Electronic Arts not to publish this review until the 5th
May because this game mimics the movie, so I must advise reader
discretion. With that said, this game is probably one of the best Star
Wars games to date which truly immerses the gamer into the Star Wars
universe in this exciting third-person action/adventure game that allows
the player to experience true Jedi action as either Anakin Skywalker or
Obi-Wan Kenobi. The game also contains around fifteen minutes of actual
footage from the third movie that nicely melds with the in-game graphics
and pre-rendered CGI cinematics of this amazing title.
For those
readers that are still reading whom haven’t been scared off from the
spoiler warnings, the game revolves around the current storyline of Star
Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith which finally pieces together the
fall of the Republic and the rise of the Imperial order under Chancellor
Palpatine, the Emperor.
After three years of fighting, the Clone
Wars are finally reaching an end and when the Jedi Council dispatches
Obi-Wan Keboni to destroy General Grievous, the deadly leader of the
Separatist droid army, Anakin Skywalker is tempted by Chancellor
Palpatine who reveals the true nature of his plans and the powers of the
dark side.
However,
for Chancellor Palpatine to succeed, he must enlist the aid Anakin
Skywalker (the Jedi named as the one in ancient prophecy) to help
decimate the Jedi Council to bring a new order to the galaxy.
Unfortunately for the Jedi Council, this insidious plan is discovered
too late and in an attempt to stop Anakin, Obi-Wan valiantly battles the
new Sith Lord on the world of Mustafar, a planet of fire and lava.
Fortunately for the forces of good, they are offered a short reprieve as
Anakin is severely injured in the battle. His broken body is taken by
the Imperials who under orders by the Emperor, is finally turned into
Lord Darth Vader, a Dark Lord of the Sith. And that my dear gamers is
where this title takes place!
The storyline of Revenge of the Sith is memorably narrated through the
eyes of Anakin Skywalker and also that of Obi-Wan Kenobi but players
only control these characters at certain points in the game. The
developers have done a brilliant job at not only keeping the storyline
accurate and entertaining but also giving the gamer the freedom to play
both these integral characters to the Star Wars mythos. Clearly my most
enjoyable character in the game was that of Anakin Skywalker who starts
the game as a troubled Jedi and slowly slides towards the Dark Side of
the force as he heeds the preaching of the Emperor.
As mentioned earlier in the review, the players gets to play the title
in a third person mode that allows the gamer to easily interact with
the gaming universe. Apart from finding and using objects, running,
jumping and attacking enemies, the gamer must also master the force
system of the game that really takes this game to the next evolutionary
stage of gaming of entertainment and realism.
The gameplay of Revenge of the Sith also features a traditional mission based
style of play that lets the gamer fight their way through 16 unique and
different levels. Although the majority of levels are taken directly
from the third film, there are also some new locations that have been
inspired by the film. The missions are generally rather straightforward
that require the player to perform a variety of different objectives in
order to successfully proceed to the next level or character.
However by
completing certain objects in the mission, the game rewards the player
by unlocking new gameplay modes, missions, co-op modes and also various
characters from the Star Wars universe that include Count Dooku, Mace
Windo and newcomer General Grievous to name a few. Although the game is
aimed at the single player market with the main storyline, there is also
an exciting multiplayer mode that allows players to challenge their
friends in some of the most exciting lightsabre duels to ever grace a
game. Although Anakin was my personal favourite character in the main
mode of play, General Grievous is clearly a winner in the multiplayer
modes with his duel lightsaber wielding and his deadly mechanical body. In order to increase your force
powers and your skills in the game, you are awarded experience points
that can also be used to increase your powers, thus letting you become a Jedi
Master.
The combat system of Revenge of the Sith features a myriad of maneuvers
that include force powers, awesome combination attacks and some of the
most impressive melee lightsabre combos that will leave players craving
for more. The developers have also used the Sony DualShock controller to
their advantage as even the most novice of gamers can easily pull off
these combos by using the d-pad and analog stick. For instance, a basic
combo attack may involve pressing the square button three times or by
pressing circle, square and using the analog stick to let your
lightsabre do the walking. Although both characters have similar moves,
players will soon notice a different combat system for each character as
they progress through the game as Anakin literally unleashes devastating
force attacks with his dark powers, whereas Obi-Wan’s powers are more
defensive in nature. Some of the force powers that players have access
to, include push, throw, sabre combos and the impressive force shield.
Graphically, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith is a visual
treat on the PlayStation 2 that truly pushes the console to its limits
with its lush graphical environments and highly detailed character models.
From the first opening sequence of the game, players are immediately in
for a treat as they become part of the Star Wars
universe. The gaming locations in the game are extremely detailed and
actually look like the real locations from the movie itself. All the
character models have an extremely high polygon count for that added
realism and match that with some realistic texture details and when you
see Anakin or Obi-Wan, you could almost be mistaken in thinking that
they are the actual actors themselves.
The realistic movements of each
character in this title have been inspired by the stunt coordinator for
the movie which really helps achieve a new level of gaming masterpiece
from the almost human-like movements of all the characters. However, the
most impressive features of the graphics are the special effects that
can be discovered in every nook and cranny of the game, whether it’s the
realistic lighting effects of the lightsabres or the amazing special
effects of the force powers, everything flawlessly melds with the gaming
environment. The only downside to the graphics is that sometimes the
camera angles are a little fiddlesome but fortunately it's nothing too
drastic to interfere with the gameplay.
The musical score of the Revenge of the Sith is brilliant and features
some of the original music by John Williams that truly helps immerse you
into the amazing Star Wars universe created by George Lucas and one
cannot help but hum away to the musical score. The game also contains
some exceptional voice acting that has been performed by some of the
actors of the Clone Wars cartoon series. It would have been nice if the
game featured the voices of the actors from the movies but it’s a small
price to pay for an exceptional game. With that said, the game also
contains a plethora of Star Wars sounding sound effects such as the hum
of the lightsabre that truly sends shivers down your back.
In conclusion, if you are a Star Wars fan or not, this game has
something for everyone, whether it’s the exceptional storyline, the
sturdy gaming engine or the amazing graphics, Star Wars Episode III:
Revenge of the Sith is a true masterpiece of the 21st century. It should
be also noted that the replay value of this title is also quite high
because even if you have completed the title, there will be dozens of
things you have missed the first time around and also a plethora of
unlockable gameplay modes and characters. Highly Recommended!
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