Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire vs Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire is an action game from Lucasfilm Games (1996) while Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is an action-adventure game from Lucasfilm Games (2008).
Quick answer: Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed are too close, or too thinly reviewed, to separate on the numbers; the table below shows what each holds.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
What each one is
Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire is filed under Action and Adventure. In contrast, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed under Action-Adventure.
As Luke Skywalker and the Rebel Alliance struggle to defeat Darth Vader and the Empire, a new threat arises. Dark Prince Xizor aspires to take Darth Vader's place at the Emperor's side. As Dash Rendar, it's up to you to protect Luke and help the Alliance. May the Force be with you!
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is a 2008 action-adventure game developed and published by LucasArts, and part of The Force Unleashed multimedia project. It was initially developed for the PS2, PS3, Wii, and Xbox 360 consoles and on iOS, second-generation N-Gage, NDS, PSP, and Java-equipped mobile phone handhelds. The game was released in North America on September 16, 2008, in Australia and Southeast Asia on September 17, and in Europe on September 19. LucasArts released downloadable content for the PS3 and Xbox 360 consoles. An Ultimate Sith Edition of the game, containing both new and previously released downloadable content, was released in November 2009, and later ported to Mac OS X and Windows. An enhanced remaster of the Wii version, developed by Aspyr, was released for the Nintendo Switch on April 20, 2022.
Story, characters and reception
No Wikipedia detail on file.
Plot
Shortly into the Galactic Empire 's rule, Imperial spies locate a Jedi survivor of the Great Purge named Kento Marek on Kashyyyk . Darth Vader arrives as the planet is invaded and eliminates any Wookiee resistance between him and the fugitive Jedi. Reaching Kento's home, Vader easily defeats him in a lightsaber duel but senses someone far more powerful nearby. (Wikipedia)
Characters
Sam Witwer provides Starkiller's voice and likeness. Sam Witwer as Galen Marek / Starkiller — The forbidden child of a Jedi, Starkiller was adopted by his father's killer, Darth Vader, who, aware of his strong connection to the Force , raised him to be his secret apprentice. Once his training is complete, Starkiller is dispatched by his master to kill several prominent Jedi who survived the Great Jedi Purge . (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception 1. 738 million unit sales of The Force Unleashed across all platforms made it the third best-selling game globally in the third quarter of 2008; as of July 2009, it had sold six million copies. The Force Unleashed was both the fastest-selling Star Wars game and LucasArts' fastest-selling game. (Wikipedia)
At a glance
| Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire | Star Wars: The Force Unleashed | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 5.9/10 | — |
| Steam rating | Mostly Positive (74%, 871) | — |
| Critic aggregate | No aggregate | 61/100 |
| Price | $5.99 | Unknown |
| Install size | 0.32 GB | — |
| Steam Deck | playable | Untested |
| Released | 1996 | 2008 |
| Developer | Lucasfilm Games | Lucasfilm Games |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire vs Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
Star Wars: Shadows of the EmpireAction gameStar Wars: The Force UnleashedAction-adventure gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Star Wars: Shadows of the EmpireAction, Adventure, SpaceStar Wars: The Force UnleashedNo descriptive tagsThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Content and scale
Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire871 reviews · 0.32 GBStar Wars: The Force Unleashed—Reach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire$5.99Star Wars: The Force UnleashedUnknownRead live from Steam and subject to change.
Across the rounds a number can settle, it is level at 0 each. Which one is "better" is the part no figure decides, so we leave it to what you want from the two.
Where they differ
ActionAdventureSpaceClassicThird-Person ShooterSingleplayer
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire is middle-of-the-road on difficulty. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is middle-of-the-road on difficulty.
System requirements, side by side
| Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire | Star Wars: The Force Unleashed | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | DirectX 9.0c Compatible Video Card w/ 256 MB RAM | — |
| Minimum CPU | 1.8 GHz Processor | — |
| Minimum RAM | 1 GB | — |
| Install size | 0.32 GB | — |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire · Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 1 accessibility feature for Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire and 0 for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed in scope?
Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire has drawn 871 Steam reviews and installs in 0.32 GB. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed lists little scope data.
Is Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire or Star Wars: The Force Unleashed better?
Neither carries enough reviews for us to score it reliably, so we do not call a winner. The table above shows what each does have.
Which is cheaper, Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire or Star Wars: The Force Unleashed?
One or both do not have a current listed price, so a straight comparison is not possible. See the table above.
Should I get Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire or Star Wars: The Force Unleashed?
Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed are too close, or too thinly reviewed, to separate on the numbers; the table below shows what each holds. It also depends on what you want: the "which to pick" section above calls out which is cheaper, lighter on storage, better on a Steam Deck and the safer bet by weight of reviews.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
All comparisonsHow we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.