Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is exactly the kind of single player game we had originally hoped to see when EA and Disney joined forces. Even if you strip away the license, you’re left with a super satisfying mix or combat, story, and exploration, deftly crafted by a studio best known for...

Well-rounded; original new characters; Sprawling environments ripe for exploring; Looks and sounds truly authentic; Gameplay that makes you feel like a Jedi

Combat mechanics will occasionally frustrate; Backtracking is a bit laborious at times; Cosmetic rewards for exploring aren't that interesting

Fantastic combat; Definite FromSoft vibes; Beautiful visuals; Exploration is fun

Scanning grows tiresome; Substantial technical issues; Platforming can frustrate at times

It may sound reductive, but saying Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order was our last hope of EA ever making a decent Star Wars game isn't exactly off the mark.

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is far from a masterpiece, but to say it could’ve been one without some of its basic flaws may not be so far fetched. As it is, you can look past the tame story and inconvenient bugs and instead revelling in joyous combat, awe-inducing cinematics and fluid platforming.

Quality Jedi sim; Large-scale cinematic fights; Breathtaking traversal sequences; Pulse-raising boss fights

Underpopulated worlds; Frustrating first few hours; Baffling performance issues

Despite polish issues, Jedi Fallen Order is a ton of fun. It’s raw Star Wars just like we used to get with the Dark Forces series. I haven’t been very hopeful for the gaming future of Star Wars since EA took over the license, but that changed with Jedi Fallen Order .

Star Wars single-player gaming returns after nearly a decade; Does a good job of making you feel like you're in the Star Wars universe; Satisfying progression and gameplay; Characters are likable enough.

Buggy collision; Lacks polish in many places.

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is far from a masterpiece, but to say it could’ve been one without some of its basic flaws may not be so far fetched. As it is, you can look past the tame story and inconvenient bugs and instead revelling in joyous combat, awe-inducing cinematics and fluid platforming.

Quality Jedi sim; Large-scale cinematic fights; Breathtaking traversal sequences; Pulse-raising boss fights;

Underpopulated worlds; Frustrating first few hours; Baffling performance issues;

Fallen Order is the definition of a mixed bag, a muddy combination of trending influences with some that land and others that fall way short of the mark. The combat system at its core is impeccable fun and we struggled to put the game down, but the rest of the experience feels very disparate and bloated, and the downtime will always leave you longing for more of the brilliant moments of action. Whilst faithful to the Star Wars moniker, a yawn-worthy protagonist and an unambitious story ensure this is more of a side story than the mainline entry it could’ve been.

Best Star Wars combat system to date; Disparate but admirable mix of Dark Souls and Uncharted; Faithful to the cinematic hallmarks;

Bloated gameplay between set pieces; Boring protagonist and a lacklustre story; Performance hitches and poor signposting

This feels overdue. Though Star Wars: Battlefront II turned out good in the end (though not after a protracted and furious schedule of patching and game-altering changes), it still fell somewhat short of what gamers wanted when it came to playing a Star Wars title on PS4 .

The trouble with Star Wars is that it is no longer a long time ago, nor is it ever far, far away. We’ve had a film every year, be it a main entry or a spin-off, since 2015, and another one looms, ready to land a month from now.

I feel on principle, I should be over the moon with Jedi: Fallen Order . Even with all the negative things I brought up in this review, I strongly feel that it is one of the best Star Wars experiences money can buy. It certainly washes away the bad taste of Force Unleashed II .