The development team has taken in criticisms of the first title, listened to fans and, encouraged by a Writers Guild award for the Force Unleashed story, developed the darkness of the narrative considerably. Set soon after its predecessor and just a few years before A New Hope, this is a more melancholy take on the story of Starkiller, the Sith apprentice who turned against Darth Vader and seemingly sacrificed his life to ignite the rebellion. So what, LucasArts must have asked itself, do you do for the sequel? Stick with a formula that earned massive commercial success, or listen to the reviewers and veteran Star Wars game players and rebuild? From the looks of Force Unleashed II, you do a bit of both. Though critics gave the 2008 Jedi action romp a decidedly mixed reception, it was the fastest selling Star Wars game in history, shifting seven million copies worldwide.
In a Star Wars universe fraught with complex mentor/pupil relationships, it's fitting that Force Unleashed is such a tough master to follow.
