Force Unleashed For Forty-Somethings

Since the video game Star Wars: The Force Unleased was released on September 16, 1.5 million copies have been sold. MetaCritic gives the Wii version of the game a score of 69, not a particularly high score. Users give it a higher score of 7.8, a fairly big difference between critic and user. There's also a big difference in the MetaCritic reviews, ranging from 82 in Official Nintendo Magazine UK to 42 in 1UP.

As a reader of MetaCritic, I place more credibility in the user review. I feel the same way when evaluating cars or phones. For me, the wisdom of the crowds is more credible than the wisdom of the professional or semi-professional product reviewer. I also think that the average user is using evaluation criteria that is more similar to my own criteria. Professional critics, whether they evaluate food, video games or enterprise software, are sometimes jaded by looking at hundreds of products, each one similar to the others.

I bought Star Wars: The Force Unleashed for my son to play on the Wii. Since I don't really enjoy video games, I was surprised at how much fun the new game was. There's an exhilarting feel of raw power, the power to lift up people with a wave of your hand or destroy large machines with a flick of your wrist. In the Wii version of the game the right hand holds the Wii Remote and controls the light saber. There's a visceral thrill in moving your right hand around and seeing a bright red energy blade cut through air, buildings, and machines.

Equally fun is the Wii Nunchuck in the left hand. Moving your left hand forward unleashes the Force. There's other funky button combinations which I may never master. However, for a quick thrill, waving my hands around and moving boulders is highly satisfying. Most of the professional reviews got stuck on the simplicity of the plot or the problems with graphics and game physics. Many of the users used their gut. Sure, the game has problems. However, the bottom line is that it is fun to play.

Perhaps like me, many people are looking at the reviews from the community and realizing that the Wisdom of the Crowds is more accurate than the professional reviewer.