The Force is with you again, but not for long.
The story begins with Darth Vader confronting Starkiller, who is being kept in isolation. Vader reveals to him that he is a clone of his old apprentice Starkiller. He tells this clone that he was grown to seek out and kill the real Starkiller for his betrayal. Refusing to believe that he could be a clone, this new Starkiller defies Darth Vader and escapes. Going off of residual memories due to the genetic cloning, he seeks out the only person who can help him, General Kota. He must also find and rescue an old love interest of Starkiller's, as well as confront Darth Vader and find out the truth about what he really is.
The concept of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II's story may seem promising, but unfortunately it is not fleshed out very well. It never really explains much, and leaves lots of questions unanswered. It also doesn't introduce any new characters, leaving a great lack of personality in its narration. It's a very simple story overall, and the pacing is very quick due to the game's ridiculously short length (about five to six hours). The simplicity is further magnified when you take into consideration the grand scale of its predecessor's story.
Gameplay wise, it plays pretty much the same as the first Force Unleashed, but with a few tweaks. For starters, Starkiller now carries two light sabers, holding them inverted like the first game. Most of the same powers have returned, such as Force Push, Force Repulse and Force Lightning, but a new power has been added: the Jedi Mind Trick. Using this power, you're able to take control of a weak-minded opponent and either make him kill himself by leaping off a ledge or into a force field, or turn on his teammates by assaulting them. Some of the dialogue they utter when they turn traitor is actually pretty humorous.
The core mechanic that really made Force Unleashed stand out was object manipulation, and that has returned as well. You can pick up many objects and fling them around as if they were pillows, and you can do the same to most enemies. In fact, one might even be so inclined as to do nothing but pick up storm troopers and send them crashing through windows and into fans, or shooting them straight up into the air. You can also charge the objects you're "Force Gripping" with lighting and propel them forward as lightning bombs. It's also much harder to Force Grip the exact objects you want, along with target locking the correct opponents.
There will also be key segments in the levels that will have you using the Force to bend objects into platforms, or move obstructions out of the way, but those moments are fewer and less awe-inspiring than the original title. There are, however, times where Starkiller enters free fall either to escape from capture or to pursue a target. While in free fall, he can use the Force to obliterate objects in his path, or throw his light sabers to damage the enemy he's chasing. These sections provide the player with an exhilarating experience.
You can find light saber crystals lying about that give you different effects and bonuses, such as increasing the experience from killing enemies, or the ability to disintegrate or incinerate your opponents. As for the arsenal of your Force Powers, you unlock everything rather quickly, and you don't really learn anything new in the way of combos. Your powers only have three tiers you can upgrade, and you don't see much difference when using them. This ultimately makes Force Unleashed II's combat to become repetitious and mundane too quickly. To make matters worse, there's less enemy variety in the sequel as well; all your opponents are either storm trooper variants or robots.
So, where are the aliens and monsters you fight? They're in the other planetary worlds of the Star Wars universe that were not included in this game. There are no real exotic worlds to experience this time around, making the game feel less organic. It starts on Kamino, makes a trip to Cato Neimoidia, travels aboard the cruiser class Salvation, and then returns to Kamino. You visit Dagobah for only a brief instant, and you never fight anything on it; a complete and utter waste of a gameplay opportunity. Many parts of these levels are copy/pasted to artificially increase the game's length.
There are also fewer boss battles to partake in as well and unfortunately, they are drawn out and annoying. Most of the time spent on Cato Neimoidia is fighting a giant monster called a gorog. He's not really a tough boss, but he has an ungodly amount of health, and you have to wait far too long for opportunities to hit him. In his last phase, he takes unavoidable swipes at you and turns the battle into a race of who can do the most damage first. Not to ruin it for those who are expecting to fight Darth Vader again, but even the last battle of the game is a long-winded chore.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II's greatest strength is admittedly its presentation. The graphics are hands down some of the most spectacular seen in a Star Wars game. The character models and environments are built very well. The textures are incredibly sharp. The special effects are wonderful. The light sabers have their signature glows and leave scorch marks when you strike something. The cutscenes are just as pretty, if not prettier, than the first game. The only noticeable problems are those of glitches. Sometimes Starkiller will be bounced off an object like a pinball bumper, or get his feet stuck in a moving platform and have his legs pulled from underneath him. Still, it's a very fine looking game.
You can't have a Star Wars game that doesn't sound like Star Wars, and Force Unleashed II is strong in this department. From the opening Star Wars theme to the closing theme, the sound track is a delight. The sound effects are superb from the humming of the light sabers to the crushing of tie fighters as Starkiller Force Grips them into oblivion. The voice acting is performed well, but there are times where either not enough emotion is given, or lines come out forced. The only real drawback in the game's audio design is a few moments where the music cuts out and the voice acting doesn't follow with the subtitles on time.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II is a failed Jedi apprentice: so much hope, so much wasted potential. It offers less than its predecessor, and what it does offer grows stale and tiring. There are still exciting moments here and there, but the gamer will always be left asking, "Where the hell's the rest of the game?" Recycled levels and a flat story will only further add to the sting of disappointment that flows throughout this game. Yes, Starkiller may have been given an extra light saber to use, but that does not excuse why the game's combat is more boring. It's hard to recommend this title at full price, even if you really loved the original. Wait for a price drop, and if you only have a casual interest in Star Wars games, then consider this a rental only.