I
do appreciate Ubisoft's position to make Star Wars
Episode III: Revenge of the Sith an unapologetic hack
and slash game but I don't really feel like part of
the Star Wars universe while I'm playing it. Maybe
I need to move back into my parent's basement to get
that "special feeling" back. Hey, millions
of nerds can't be wrong. Perhaps I also need to take
the vow of chastity - with other people that is. They
don't call him Hans Solo for nothing.
In
Revenge of the Sith you get to play as both Obi Won
and Anakin Skywalker, who eventually becomes Darth
Vader. If you don't already know that, you probably
have a girlfriend.
Interestingly,
both characters have different combat abilities. Although
they both use the lightsaber and various Force moves,
it feels different in execution. In an effort to keep
the game from degenerating into a button mashing fest,
you will build up a meter to unleash a special Force
move by diversifying your moves. If you play more
defensively and use more Force powers such as the
Force Shove and the Mind Trick you will earn a special
screen-clearing move that will get rid of all your
onscreen headaches for the time being.
Power
orbs can be collected and used to enhance your existing
powers. They aren't difficult to find and they always
seem to be in the same place but I won't spoil the
fun for you. Just swing the lightsaber all over the
place and you're bound to find 'em. Don't tell me
you need a cheat code to find these orbs.
Patters
will have to be recognized to foil bosses but they're
not that difficult. The AI is designed to keep you
on your guard but not to overwhelm or overpower. This
also reduces the tendency to button mash when you
get into a panic situation. The conflict here is a
little more in keeping with the Jedi style of sophisticated
fighting.
The
level designs are bland, as is the theme music which
is recreated digitally with the passion and depth
of a cell phone ring tone. The lightsabers are awesome
and hum and swoosh with authority. The sprites are
large and animate very well which is really all you
need for a good 2D brawler. A two-player co-op and
head-to-head mode extend the replay value although
I would advise waiting a week or two to play each
of these modes as it does tend to get repetitious
and you probably won't enjoy it as much if it's still
fresh in your mind. I know that's like asking you
not to drink all the Coke in the fridge, which will
be gone in an afternoon with you puking up brown syrup.

I
really don't think you're going to get as much out
of this game as you might think so I would advise
renting it first. You can always rent it again during
the slow gaming months which are coming soon to a
planet near you.
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