Smile and Nod: Flinging Dudes is Never Not Fun

Russ Pitts likes Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. Not because it's revolutionary, not because it's deep, but because it lets you fling dudes toward the first star on the right and straight on 'til morning.

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I can understand someone not digging God of War; and getting off on force powers. But still, GoW needs to be defended here. There's a reason why GoW has a 94 average on Metacritic and TFU ranges from 68-73.

Jomonjin:
I can understand someone not digging God of War; and getting off on force powers. But still, GoW needs to be defended here. There's a reason why GoW has a 94 average on Metacritic and TFU ranges from 68-73.

I don't know, I kind of agree with the writer. GoW was a decent game, but I am honestly having a lot more fun with Force Unleashed. A lot more fun than I ever had with God of War. As much as reviewers have been slamming this game, it seems that it's in a similar boat to most action flics in movie theaters. No reviewer is going to love it, but it's still pure unadulterated fun.

It makes sense, really.

It gives us pleasure to see other people in pain.

This game gives you tons of awesome ways to cause pain in people.

And you can even toy with the body after death.

Brilliant.

Using the laser sword to impress the girls? Give me a break. Jedi don't date. They don't do anything. Don't drink, don't smoke ... nothing.

I sense a disturbance in the Force is Out of Step

Great review. Though I don't see why everyone ties KotOR and Unleashed together? They different games bar the Star Wars licence.

Also, I couldn't stop thinking, with those Purge Troopers, any way to pluck their rockets from the air and guide it back at them?

This is the best assesment of this game that I've seen thus far, and I couldn't agree more (except I love the GoW series).

Excellent review, and very true. I've only had time to play the PSP version, but the graphics are so soup-like and the animations were such an eyesore it took a lot of work just to get to the end. The game itself wasn't that bad though, just hack-and-slashish.

I agree wholeheartedly, the game's a whole lot of fun.

Although I kinda want to hurt you for speakin' about my favourite game series as though it's anything but awesome and better-in-every-way than TFU.

Edit: I love this comic.

Minor factual nit-pick, Quake was released in June 1996, over a year after the first release of Dark Forces. Dark Forces has more in common with Doom than with Quake anyway.

I completely agree with Purplerain, comparing KOTOR and Unleashed is like comparing a stop sign to a blind mule, sure they're both fun to shoot at, but beyonfd that thers no real connection.

shMerker:
Minor factual nit-pick, Quake was released in June 1996, over a year after the first release of Dark Forces. Dark Forces has more in common with Doom than with Quake anyway.

Good catch. I was alerted to that one Saturday by one of our staff. I actually played both Dark Forces and Quake in the same year. In fact, I had to delay my time with Dark Forces to save up for a system upgrade, so I more than likely played Quake first.

Nevertheless, my personal recollection of the truth only passes for fact when nobody else is paying attention. :) I made the change.

tijuanatim:
I completely agree with Purplerain, comparing KOTOR and Unleashed is like comparing a stop sign to a blind mule, sure they're both fun to shoot at, but beyonfd that thers no real connection.

Very true, which is exactly what Russ said in the article, if I read it correctly. So I think we're all in agreeance there :)

The reason it's worth mentioning is because KOTOR is one of the few shining bastions of quality in the Star Wars liscense that was a pleasant surprise to jaded Star Wars gamers.

In regards to flinging dudes: Jedi Academy satiated my need to fling dudes for a good long while. It's totally outdated, but still a rock solid game.

I'm forcing myself to play through GoW. It's not NOT fun...but i'm wondering why everyone thinks it's so awesome...

TsunamiWombat:
I'm forcing myself to play through GoW. It's not NOT fun...but i'm wondering why everyone thinks it's so awesome...

There's a certain thrill in slashing up tons of people and undead monsters. I agree that GoW isn't as great as everyone says because I found the puzzles to be tiring and frustrating at the same time (odd, I know). But there was a certain appeal once you got through them into a sea of zombies and minotaurs ripe for the slaughter.

I agree force powers are sooooo fun to use!

Black and White was excellent for flinging dudes, throw them off mountains, throw them off cliffs, smack them in to buildings, tossing them in droves, my villagers were a barrel of laughs, well... screams... shortly cut off by squishy cracks and soft thuds.

Saints Row 2 is another fine dude flinging game. I love loading up a helio with my own gang members, flying them to the top of a building or bridge and flinging away. It's even better in tandem with a co-op mate.

One other nitpick. Russ Pitts says that Jedis can't drink or date and so on but in the movies Obi-Wan was twice getting a drink or "information" at the bar or cantina. Now I am not saying he was a drunk but he always seemed to get a drink at the bar and then almost immediately after finishing his brew of choice he cuts someone's arm off. Just pointing that out.

Here's a new way to flig dudes, it takes some skill (or dumb luck like me): Pick up one dude, force push him then impale him at log distance, then pick up another dude and force push him away too, doesn't do anything but if you're lucky it'll look like the saber has cut the other guy on it's way back too.

As for the write-up itself: It's amazing what actually amuses people, I agree flinging dudes is great but the developers spend all their time and money writing stories and making top-notch graphics when we can be just as easily amused by flinging people over long distances. *Scurries off to find "game ideas for when I'm older" notebook*

In regards to Black and White: Flinging dudes actually makes for a good weapon (in number 2 atleast) infact flinging anything was great, sometimes I'd drop a large rock on my own walls to make some fling-fodder.