‘Star Wars: The Force Unleashed’

‘Star Wars: The Force Unleashed’

(LucasArts) for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, PS2, PSP, DS

Genre: Action; Rating: T

Grade: A

You are an apprentice to the Dark Side of the Force, and you get to unleash all the powers that come with this role. How much cooler can a game get?

Though “The Force Unleashed” has some bugs and a few issues you’ll remember long after you’re done playing, it’s inherently strong because it ranks high in “cool.”

To start with, it’s “Star Wars,” people! A game that focuses on all the fun of being the bad guy is just what gamers and “Star Wars” fans need— especially after the last trilogy of movies that had zero excitement and that nearly neutered the great Darth Vader.

Excitement, intrigue and fun await as you dart from wookie planets to the Death Star and other locales.

As the unnamed apprentice, you’ll experience the fun of Force Grip, Force Lightning and other forces, all of which function to make you an interstellar stud.

The story has lots of interesting twists and turns, making you wish again that the recent film trilogy had not stunk so badly. (At least Vader has regained his lethal anger; Hayden Christensen kept the moping.)

Visually, the game is amazing. The levels are tied together nicely, and the action is intense, with some thrilling boss battles.

If “The Force Unleashed” has a downside, it’s length. At just under 10 hours, it feels too short — and maybe that’s because you don’t want a game this cool to end. You’d be on Yoda’s bad side if you missed out on it.

‘TNA Impact’

(Midway) for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, PS2

Genre: Sports; Rating: T

Grade: B

I’ve soured on wrestling games in the last couple of years. In college, my roommates, Dan and Luke, would watch all the pro-wrestling programs on TV each week, normally while consuming some alcohol and bad food, and we would laugh at how silly and sometimes brutal the sport had become.

“TNA Impact” is one of the newer wrestling circuits to have sprung up. My compadres and I now laugh at the older wrestlers who populate the show and who we remember from our younger days.

The game does a decent job of delivering some brutal matches and great graphics without encumbering gamers with a complicated control system.

As a wrestling game, its purpose doesn’t require much explanation.

Win matches, fool! The goal is to be the best. Luckily, just about anyone can pick up a controller and jump into the ring.

The game’s detection system makes the simpler controls patchy at times, and it can drag out some matches. Overall, though, “TNA Impact” is a more user-friendly experience than Smackdown vs. RAW! has been of late.

‘Facebreaker’

(EA Sports) for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii

Genre: Sports; Rating: T

Grade: C

“Facebreaker” has one of the best character-creation modes in any game, much less a fighting game. Too bad it’s not so enjoyable to play.

There’s a reason why all the commercials hyping this game feature celebs making their characters instead of showing off any actual gameplay.

Any game sounds fun when you have Mr. T riffing on how macho his boxer looks. But show me Mr. T actually fighting with his character, and I bet he would pity a lot of fools.

I should note that the character-creation mode is deep and possesses lots of customizations — for guys. Sorry, ladies, you get short-shrifted again. But with this lackluster boxing game, you’re not missing much.

“Facebreaker” is all button-mashing, with little drama. You’ll spend more time creating the character than pummeling any opponent.

—Chris Campbell, Scripps Howard