Star Wars: The Force Unleashed vs Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is an action-adventure game from Lucasfilm Games (2008) while Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II is an action-adventure RPG game from Lucasfilm Games (2010).
Quick answer: Star Wars: The Force Unleashed has the higher Metacritic, 61 to 59.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
What each one is
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is filed under Action-Adventure. In contrast, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II under Action-Adventure and RPG.
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.
The Star Wars® Saga continues with Star Wars®: The Force Unleashed™ II, the highly anticipated sequel to the fastest-selling Star Wars game ever created.
Story, characters and reception
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)
Plot
At an Imperial facility on the planet Kamino , Darth Vader observes the training of a clone of his former apprentice Starkiller. The clone experiences various memories and visions of Starkiller's life, and is unable to strike down a droid impersonating Starkiller's love interest, Juno Eclipse. Vader labels the clone a failure in his quest to create a perfect apprentice, and the clone remembers Vader's betrayal of Starkiller; realizing Vader will try to… (Wikipedia)
Characters
The primary cast from the previous game returns to voice their characters again in The Force Unleashed II . Sam Witwer returns to provide both the likeness and voice of Starkiller, the game's protagonist. He also voices Emperor Palpatine having earned the part during a read-through of the script during development. (Wikipedia)
Reception
Commercial performance The Force Unleashed II performed under expectations. In the United States, it sold 500,000 copies within its first two weeks, thereby becoming the fifth best-selling video game of October 2010. The Force Unleashed II was the fifth-highest selling game of the week in the United Kingdom, denoting sales of 56,064 copies. (Wikipedia)
At a glance
| Star Wars: The Force Unleashed | Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | — | 5.6/10 |
| Steam rating | — | Mixed (63%, 7,997) |
| Critic aggregate | 61/100 | 59/100 |
| Price | Unknown | $19.99 |
| Install size | — | — |
| Steam Deck | Untested | unsupported |
| Released | 2008 | 2010 |
| Developer | Lucasfilm Games | Lucasfilm Games |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed vs Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II, 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: The Force UnleashedAction-adventure gameStar Wars: The Force Unleashed IIAction-adventure RPG gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Star Wars: The Force UnleashedNo descriptive tagsStar Wars: The Force Unleashed IIAction, Hack and Slash, Third PersonThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed ✓Metacritic 61Star Wars: The Force Unleashed IIMetacritic 59Metacritic's critic aggregate, from the game's Wikipedia reception where it was never on Steam.
Content and scale
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed—Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II7,997 reviewsReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Star Wars: The Force UnleashedUnknownStar Wars: The Force Unleashed II$19.99Read live from Steam and subject to change.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed takes 1 of the marked rounds to 0. That is only what a number can decide, not which you will enjoy more.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The better reviewed of the two: Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (Metacritic 61)
Where they differ
ActionSingleplayerHack and SlashThird PersonSci-fiAdventure
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is middle-of-the-road on difficulty. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II is demanding, for players who want a challenge.
System requirements, side by side
| Star Wars: The Force Unleashed | Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | — | — |
| Minimum CPU | — | Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz |
| Minimum RAM | — | 2 GB |
| Install size | — | — |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: Star Wars: The Force Unleashed · Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 0 accessibility features for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed and 1 for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are Star Wars: The Force Unleashed and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II in scope?
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed lists little scope data. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II has drawn 7,997 Steam reviews.
Is Star Wars: The Force Unleashed or Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II 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: The Force Unleashed or Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II?
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: The Force Unleashed or Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II?
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed has the higher Metacritic, 61 to 59. 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.