One of the first thing gamers cried out for once the Wii remote was revealed was a lightsaber game. It makes perfect sense, the controller kind of looks like a lightsaber hilt and who doesn't want to wave a lightsaber around? Well, it took a while for Lucas Arts to respond to fans with Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, a game where you play as Darth Vader's secret pupil, Galen Marek codenamed Starkiller, but more importantly you take control of a lightsaber with your own hands. Sort of.

Things weren't clear cut from the beginning, the main platforms for the game were PS3 and 360 and the Wii version was being outsourced to Krome, which was handling the PS2 and PSP version. "Great, another crappy PS2 port!" millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror, well those voices can now be silenced.

Graphically, there's no point beating around the bush, the game shows that it's an upgraded PS2 game with a low poly count and basic low resolution textures making for some downright ugly scenes that ruin the mood, mainly during the cutscenes. But to be fair, the Wii version boasts improved lighting over the PS2 version and during gameplay some effects and techniques were implemented, hiding some of the ugly and even making for some nice looking levels. The Force powers look good too, not to mention the big amount of enemies and interactive objects present in the screen. The voice acting is pretty good and powerful with a few hit and miss moments, being the same from the other versions. The sound effects one expects from Star Wars are present and hearing lightsaber hums from the remote's speaker is pretty damned cool. The musical score is fantastic, which is to be expected as it's mostly composed of John Williams' tracks from the movies.

Control your emotions young one, fear and hatred, the path to the Dark Side they are.

Now that the worst is out of the way, let's concentrate on the gameplay, which is where The Force Unleashed manages to surprise and some might say best the other versions. Considering that the game is Force-centric and not a "lightsaber simulator" and that the Wii remote alone doesn't have the accuracy to completely mimic movements like the Motion Plus peripheral will, Krome did the right thing by keeping the controls simple. Slash to the left, right, upward, downward and stab with the controller and your character will mimic you. String these attacks together with Force Push, which is used by thrusting the Nunchuck and Force Lightning activated with the C button and you'll unleash powerful combos on your opponents, making it a very gratifying and physical experience to wipe out a room filled with enemies. The gesture controls work almost flawlessly, with some attacks not registering once in a while, but even in those occasions, the simple hack-and-slash nature of the game makes it a small matter, allowing you to continue your badass assaults on the enemy.

There are various other attacks to be learned as you progress in the game and defeating various enemies in a row will activate a multiplier that will increase the experience points you gain to upgrade techniques and Force abilities. There are plenty of Force powers to aid you in your quest like the Maelstrom used by pressing A, B, Z and C at the same time creating a huge Force field filled with electricity that attracts the surrounding enemies and objects only to send them flying off with a blast by slamming the Nunchuck and remote down. Also present is an indispensible Sith power, the Force Choke, good to strangle those whose lack of faith you find disturbing. Press Z, turn the Nunchuck upside down and watch your foe being choked in midair, always good fun.

While the game doesn't boast the Euphoria engine present in the 360 and PS3 versions, the game's physics are still very satisfying and more in tune with the action oriented gameplay instead of turning the game into a technology show off that hinders its speed. Whether you're using Force Push to throw enemies and objects out of the way, or Force Grip to grab them, play with them a bit, impale them with the lightsaber or simply throw them towards other enemies , everything interacts as one would expect.

No Sith Lord is complete without his trade mark Force Lightning.

Sometimes when fighting enemies and bosses, a Quick Time Event is triggered that requires you to respond to sequence of on screen cues, telling you to either shake the remote or the Nunchuck to defeat your opponent, resulting in some pretty cool action sequences. However, these events are used way too often, making some boss fights cheap and detracting from the action. Similarly, when you're in stalemate situations, like locked lightsabers or colliding Force powers, you need to twist the remote and Nunchuck like indicated in the screen to gain the upper hand. The gestures work very well and add quite a bit to battles, especially to Jedi duels, making them more fun and immersive.

Boss fights range from Jedi battles to taking out Rancors and AT-STs and while the clashes with Jedi are very fun and well made, taking great advantage of the motion controls, as one would wish, the other boss fights are usually unfair, insufferable and repetitive. The main culprits are the poor camera and lock on system that sometimes leaves you lost and confused, the fact that, for example, in addition to the Imperial Walkers in front of you, the designers thought it was good to add whole platoons of oddly resistant Jetpack Stormtroopers and the very annoying and reoccurring fact that you get hit and knocked down the exact moment you're getting up from an attack, leaving you powerless and trapped. Most of these fights also boil down to wearing the enemy down until you can activate a Quick Time Event to take out huge chunks of health off the enemy with a few well timed flicks.

The Jedi fights are without doubt the saving grace of the boss fights and translate very well into the multiplayer Duel mode, where you can fight a friend, choosing from a good list of characters like Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Count Dooku, Mara Jade or Aayla Secura among others. The cast comes from the original movies, the prequels and even the Expanded Universe, making it a good treat for Star Wars veterans. The Duel Mode controls pretty much like the single player and the graphics are actually better in this mode, which makes sense considering a lot of models were made just for this version.

Enter Duel Mode and recreate some classic lightsaber clashes from the films.

Star Wars The Force Unleashed is all about the thrills that waving a lightsaber around and using Force powers provide, so don't go in expecting a deep adventure game, this is strictly action. However, with several unlockables, like hidden Holocrons spread throughout the levels unlocking characters for the duel mode, artwork, information on everything Star Wars, lightsaber hilts and crystals (that can alter not only the appearance but the attributes of the weapon) and costumes that not only allow the young apprentice to look cooler, but also to look like other characters like Darth Maul, the game has more to offer than meets the eye.

Coupled with the Wii exclusive Duel Mode, which is good multiplayer fun and the added incentive of starting the game over with all previous upgrades, giving you a chance to maximize your attacks, The Force Unleashed can extend a bit more than the initial 7-10 hours necessary to finish the story mode. The huge implications the game's story has on the saga and some plot holes can turn some Star Wars fans off, but that shouldn't stop them from considering this quite solid game.

Bottom line, Star Wars The Force Unleashed is a well made action game that should entertain, despite a feeling of "been there, done that" sinking in later in the game and the great motion controls are obviously a big plus in a game with lightsabers. It's a shame that the game wasn't made ground up for the Wii and it's apparent that some things were rushed, but Krome did a good job putting the Force inside the little Wii.