Recent reviews by Space Core

Foreword- I played this on PS5 on launch, and it arrived rife with bugs and glitches, and even some progression-halting issues (Lookin at you, Caij). However, after a healthy testing period more recently, I can say that it works as intended most of the time.

STAR WARS Jedi: Survivor is the sequel to EA's STAR WARS Jedi: Fallen Order and picks the story up a few years after Cal and Company escaped the Inquisitor Base. The story centers around Cal's inner struggle with darkness and what it truly means to be a Jedi. This game makes me really frustrated. Once again, EA infuriatingly proves that they can make gripping single-player experiences, that are largely free of the current era live-service slop, and yet they somehow still drop the ball so hard with after-release support and rather scummy business practices. However, we're here to review a game, not EA, so without any further ado, let’s do further.

What I liked:
+ The story of this game is a steady improvement on the last game’s story and continues to deepen Cal's character as he goes through what is possibly his most taxing journey yet. And while it’s not as bombastic as Fallen Order, that’s kind of the point. This game is trying to get Cal to let go of the larger fight so that he can safeguard those closest to him.
+ The music, ugh, THE MUSIC! I don't care how terrible a Star Wars game is (not that this game is terrible, mind you), its music will always be a pro. I wish I could import John Williams’ entire library of music into my brain 1000/10.
+ The selection of planets is fun, from the depths of Coruscant to the shattered remnants of Koboh's moon, almost every locale is interesting to explore (The last one is a little meh, but it does what it sets out to do).
+ The addition of a core planet (Koboh) that acts as the stage for a large majority of the story was such a good idea, as was the inclusion of a mount for the planet, as it really encourages the player to explore the entirety of the available space. There are still new things to find on most of the planets well after the end of the story.
+ EA listened to our suggestions on customization and completely overhauled it by adding 241 different cosmetic items players can find throughout their time playing, most of which also allow for further color/material customization, granting every Cal the ability to be as unique as the person playing him.
+ There are new enemies! From new factions to new units within the factions, everybody gets a new toy to use against the player.
+ Expanding the saber stances was a good move as far as furthering customization goes, and though I personally feel the new stances could've been adjusted more, their additions added more than they took away.
+ The new skills you can learn aren't the most groundbreaking additions; however, they greatly lend to the feeling that we're witnessing Cal's power grow significantly through the story.
+ The perks are yet another layer, and while they don't completely change the way you play the game (with a few notable exceptions) they are a nice way to further refine a chosen play style.
+ They added more boss fights throughout the game, from legendary fauna to elite soldiers, to keep the player on their toes and encourage the completion of the various side quests the game offers.

What I disliked:
- Performance, even on a PS5, was dog water and I would often contend with screen-tearing, missing textures, an instance where Cal’s lightsaber spawned a grey missing-texture that immediately spread up into the night sky, and my share of crashes. I now have a completely kitted out PC and there's still an occasional brake pad to the eyes as the frames decelerate at a breakneck pace.
- One of the reasons for my lack of review for so long was a massive issue I encountered with Caij, where, after completing the game near as possible I discovered that completing the game before completing her quest would soft-lock her for the rest of the play-through. Though I can happily say that I have yet to encounter anything even like that again, EA's forum for Survivor is still relatively active, which leads me to my next point:
- EA needs a hand with their QA team. Not only have their patches actively made the game harder to enjoy for some players, but there are also still long-standing, serious issues, from quality degradation across updates to not being able to hit things. If you have the gall to dangle a 20-dollar outfit set for your 70-dollar game in front of your customers, the game had best be near to perfection as ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ possible. While I’m glad that my experiences on PC have been smooth so far, I recognize that this isn’t the universal experience.
-/+ Finally, one thing that I was more confused about was the replacing of the Training Arena with the Holotactics table. Don’t get me wrong, it’s okay, but I spent so much more time practicing against unfair odds in that stone chamber than I ever will playing Holotactics. Questionable but not the end of the world. (I will note at the end here that this is slightly counter balanced by the enemy placement throughout the various levels, which force you into situations with large complex swarms that keep you on the backstep and require more thought, especially at higher difficulties, which I recommend.)

This game ultimately didn’t do too much wrong, the people making it just fumbled to ensure its quality, hard. This game has its issues by the handfuls, and with EA being EA, I don’t blame people for not wanting to touch it with a 10-foot pole. But it’s got a lot going for it and is easily the most fun I’ve had playing an EA game since Titanfall 2’s release. At its core it gives us more Uncharted adjacent adventures with a really engaging cast of characters. When it works it really works. If it’s on sale or if you’re looking at a service like Game Pass it’s fully worth it, just not with its current price tag unless EA is met with the Ghost of Atari Past and miraculously starts correcting their mistakes.

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order brings us back to a period not visited since Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, and while TFU has been dated in it's own rights, Fallen Order does not hesitate to bring us back to that setting and let us experience it from the other side of the coin. From being the apprentice of one of the most powerful Sith imaginable, and being the father and martyr of the Rebellion, to being a a jedi padawan stranded on a planet with no hope, seeking to bring about a new Jedi Order. This game is lore rich and will suck you in to finish it. And that I have, many times, mainly on console. But, in order for me to give you good people a fair review, I must discuss both the good and the bad that this game offers.

What I Liked:
+This game is beautifully designed, every planet looks and feels so very distinct.
+The lighting effects on both the levels and smaller light sources, like the lightsabers, blaster bolts, ect., are amazing.
+The soundtrack, as with any Star Wars title, is absolutely astonishing. All the lulls of exploration and the frantic combat situations are all backed with beautiful tracks that help the player FEEL like they are going through an Imperial Base, or traipsing around the jungles of Kashyyyk.
+The combat, aside from a few situations, is wonderfully orchestrated. If you've played any Soulslike game, you'll have an easy time adapting. The difficulty settings, unlike other games, doesn't effect the enemy's health or their damage output, but merely tweaks the parry window that incoming attacks have.
+The characters, while following many tropes, are still their own. The cast feels like a Star Wars lineup. We have the cocky yet unsure pilot. The wise mentor with a troubling past. The young hero archetype who learns and grows as the story goes.
The Droid with the secret info. And finally the budding love interest.
+The bosses, while few and far between, are diverse and difficult to fight at first glance, but with trial and error the patterns become easier and easier to counter.
+The Metroid-Vania aspect of this game makes it feel richer. When your catalog of powers and abilities grows, so do the hidden paths of all of the levels.
+The story builds perfectly in time for the final battle. When you reach that point, you can look back at all the troubles you overcame to get there, all of the powers and strategies you developed, and face the Sith for the future of the Jedi Order.

What I Disliked:
-The initial troubles i had getting this game to work. I would either get frames that dropped to Satan's doorstep, or crashing an hour into collectible hunting. But with determination, and a little bit of adjusting, I was able to keep it stable for the rest of my playtime.
-Some of the enemies are just copy-pastes. Now, with the Imperial Forces this is expected, but most of the animal enemies follow a format. You have the spider/rat enemies, found on almost every planet. Then, you have the slightly bigger enemies that charge into you to deal damage. Finally, save for Bogano, you have the bipedal big enemies that wail on you followed by unblockables. And on Bogano, these big enemies are replaced with gigantic toads....that follow the same recipe.
-The Force abilities, while kickass, are just your run of the mill powers, save for one. The Push, Pull, Saber Throw, Repulse, and so on. The one that stands out is the ability to freeze enemies and projectiles in place, and while at first it's really cool, soon the realization that it's just Kylo Ren's power sets in like stone.
-The Lightsaber customization, while varied enough, feels like it could use a lot more. If EA brought a lot more to the whole customization aspect, it would undoubtedly create more incentive to explore those hidden nooks and crannies.
-The player character, until later in the game, really does feel like the host for the player to experience the world in. That sounds good, and it really is. But for the first hour and a half Cal Kestus seems hollow. But as I said above, he does evolve into a wonderful character in his own right.
-Now, this segment isn't anything about the game that i dislike, just a little anecdote of mine in my playthrough. There's a room on one planet is packed with some harder enemies, and they are deactivated, coming at you in pairs until they're all dead. Now, they will aggro if you hit them, and one of the combos that i used alot has a radius of like 10 feet. So, in short, I had to fight off a 10 robot fight club.
-One of the most anticipated moments of the game is a total let down. Sure, Cal beating Vader would've been impossible and pure fan-service, it still would've been nice to attempt a fight.

In Conclusion:
This game is a beautiful piece of work and a fantastic addition to the Star Wars franchise. I would recommend anyone at least pick this game up and try it. It's not everyone's cup of tea, but its still an experience that is worth playing. This game has successfully replaced the Lightsaber swinging, Force flinging fun that the Star Wars games of the previous decade held for such a long time. I don't want to give this a numerical rating, because that would either over/under express the worth of this game. But I can say that this game is a blast to play.

This game is such a weirdly entertaining experience. Going through star systems, truly forging your own path, is a gratifying and awarding experience. But, there are some things i don't necessarily like, so I'll list off the pros and cons.

Pros:
The game is so beautiful
The controls, while confusing at first. are immersive and just complex enough to challenge.
The lack of constraints set you free to become whoever you want to be
The exploration really makes you feel as though your making your way through a huge and convoluted universe
The stories behind the different factions really brings you into a game that's living

Cons:
This game is so taxing on PC.
The combat, while fun later on, is a ♥♥♥♥♥ and a half to slog through, because the starting weapons do about as well as laser pointers
There is no overarching story, which is mainly a good thing as previously stated, but it can leave you feeling without meaning at times
At first, the ships operate with the grace of a half-retarded seal. Though that could just be me, so I wont stress it too much


This game, while simple, is most fun and relaxing game I've played in a long while. If you want a chill night, put on a good podcast or playlist, and just travel the stars. All-In-All, I'd give it a very solid 9.5/10.