Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II is not only pretty, but very good and definitely worth a play-through.
Along with the graphics, the sound design is also wonderful. Whenever the lightsaber moves, you hear that distinct buzzing noise that can only be made by the futuristic sword. Also on contact, it sounds like you are hitting it and slicing it. The soundtrack is also very nice and reminicent of something John Williams would have written. The voice acting is also good, but Starkiller is the standout performance here.
The story is somewhat absent at the beginning, but really starts pumping midway. The only story at the beginning is that Starkiller is cloned and then escapes from Kamino, the cloning facility. He then meets up with General Rahm Koda by being guided by visions from his past self. These visions are pretty poorly explained and are left at Vader, Starkiller's master, saying "The cloning process is imperfect."Another hole I found in the story was how something miraculous was achieved in the Light Side ending. Anyway, the story progresses by Rahm Koda and Starkiller attempting to meet up with his love interest from the last game. The game ends with a final confrontation between Starkiller and Darth Vader, with an outcome which you can control. The two choices are Light Side and Dark Side, Light being good and Dark being villainous. While the Dark Side ending is a bit underwhelming, the Light Side ending is fulfilling and almost perfect.
The gameplay here is a bit of a mixed bag. The hack'n'slash lightsaber workings are very uninspired and scream the name of a *unnamed* PlayStation exclusive. The force powers are nice and make you feel powerful, but not invincible. It is easy enough to take damage, but heath regenerates quickly. Also, I found that in the game, there are not enough force powers to upgrade. In the game there may be only a handful of enemy types, but they show up in such swarms that you may stop caring about which type is which. Another note is that the level design in this game is fantastic. Each level has its own distinct style, look, feel, and platforming section. The platforming is really played out on the last Kamino level. However, if you find a way to venture to a nook or cranny of the level where you are not supposed to be, you will encounter a multitude of level design flaws, with usually the outcome of death. Also while there is little replay value here, it is still here. Trophy hunters will take their time plundering all of the Achievements by completing a variety of tasks which are in-game, and not something stupid like watching the credits. Also there are multiple difficulties to clear here ranging from Easy to Unleashed, a difficulty which is similar to Uncharted's Crushing mode.
This game is by no means perfect. However, it is thoroughly enjoyable and is definitely worth a playthrough, making it a nice rental.