Star Wars The Force Unleashed - Xbox 360 Review

Star Wars has probably become one of the most successful Sci-Fi franchises ever. And as far as video game franchises go, LucasArts seems to be heading in the right direction. With their latest release Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, we finally get to taste what it's like living on the other side of existence - as the Sith Apprentice of Darth Vader himself, no less.

The beginning segments of the game aren't that great and you'll probably be wondering why you're starting out as Darth Vader when this is a game focused on his apprentice. Well, the apprentice has to come from somewhere and that's why you play as Darth.

As you progress in the game you will immediately begin to enjoy using your Sith powers. The further on you progress in the missions, the more powerful your powers become. You will eventually be able to upgrade everything including force powers, abilities and even your light sabre.

On a visual level the game looks extremely good - detail is exceptional and the various environments you encounter (everything from the junkyard home world of 'Raxus Prime' to the lush and exotic foliage of 'Felucia') are all brilliantly presented. The only thing that really didn't appeal to me was the movement of various characters in cut-scenes. It didn't at all look natural.

The game mechanics however are a different story. Movement in the game is fluid and fast-paced (very much like Prince of Persia or Assassins' Creed) and you'll find yourself hopping and jumping all over the place with ease. Coupled with an extremely well structured control system, anyone could easily master the 'Power of the Dark Side'. Basic movements such as jump (A button), Force Push (B button), Force Lightning (Y button), Attack (X button) and Force Grip (Right trigger) will have you controlling the game after about half an hour.

There's a difficulty level for everyone although I find that action games seem a lot more enjoyable when the challenges are set slightly higher than your own skill level would dictate. The storyline in Star Wars The Force Unleashed is interesting and engaging. The character dialogue is also top-notch with The Apprentice voiced by Battlestar Galactica's Sam Witwer, Juno Eclipse is voiced by Nathalie Cox, Culley Fredricksen is General Kota and Maris Brood voiced by Adrienne Wilkinson.

If you've enjoyed the puzzle-like challenges in games like God of War and the expansive fighting combinations of Soul Calibur, you'll probably find Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is exactly your type of game. With a storyline that's one of the best I've seen in a Star Wars game, you'll be hard pressed to find another game that packs in so much content and variety.

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Webkinz Bath

If your Webkinz health meter is running a little low, it may be because your pet stinks. Well there's no way to really tell if your pet is smelly because there's no odor meter in Webkinz World but you can definitely boost your pet's health with a quick bath.

After adopting a new Webkinz, I always take it to the doctor for a quick checkup. Right after that it's bath time. Newly adopted pets are a little low on health so the bath does them some good.

If you don't have a bathtub, you'll need to buy one at the W. Shop. There's a few different models to choose from and they range from one thousand to twelve hundred dollars worth of Kinzcash. Once the tub has been place in one of your rooms, all you have to do is click it to get your pet in the bath.

I like to start with a little bubble bath in the tub. All you do is click on the bottle a few times and you've got bubbles. Next, click some shampoo and the sponge and your pet will be lathered up. Then you can either pop the bubbles one by one or use the showerhead to rinse off. Be sure to toss in the rubber ducky for a little playtime and then click the all done towel. It must be a very good towel because you don't have to blow dry your pet. But who knows, maybe all of these Webkinz rooms smell like wet Webkinz. Like I said before there's no odor meter so you can never be sure.

Taking care of Webkinz is hard work but it's also a lot of fun. You have to feed them, play with them and also make sure they're healthy. And if your Webkinz pet is coming up a little low on the health meter, then get him right in the bath tub for a quick boost on the old health meter.

Anthony Tripp is a dad with two kids that have about 15 Webkinz. Once they invaded his house (the Webkinz, not the kids) he had to learn the art of Webkinz Care. He shares all of his new found Webkinz knowledge on his blog, http://www.webkinztoday.com

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