Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

[Figrin D'an]

This the latest Star Wars gaming project that Lucasarts has been working on. It's still pretty early in development, and it looks (for now) to be a console title.
Some links for info:

http://www.lucasarts.com/games/theforceunleashed/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Force_Unleashed

http://www.twitchguru.com/2007/05/30/inside_star_wars/



While it will have a solid graphics engine, and looks to have good gameplay, the story is what I'm more interested in.

The game picks up at some point between ROTS and ANH. Vader is continuing his hunt to exterminate any remaining Jedi that survived Order 66. The main playable character in the story is a yet unnamed Force user whom has become Vader's personal apprentice. This secret apprentice, whom Vader has hidden from Palpatine, is less of a Jedi or Sith in mentality, but it almost like a vicious attack dog... someone who Vader clearly abused while training him in order to make him as such. While the story focuses on this new character and his love interest (an Imperial officer named Juno Eclipse), it is also going to expand on Vader's storyline, supposedly with direct input from Lucas.

Among other characters to make appearances are General Kota, a Jedi whom escaped death when his troops turned on him (much like Obi-Wan), and... Shaak Ti, whom apparently survived the Purge as well (though what her role will be is yet unknown).

It's kind of neat that we'll see a little bit of what took place in the 18 years between Episodes III and IV, in a story that has Lucas' blessing. This at least looks promising.

[Tipp Gray]

It does look good. I like the concept of the character being Vader's hidden apprentice.

[Dante Marzullo]

Read the article in Game Informer, it's gonna be AWESOME.

[Terran Starek]

Yeah, this game looks reaaaalllllyyy good. They keep pushing back the release date. It was originally scheduled for release this last spring, then pushed back to fall, now they're saying Winter '08.

Either way, it's probably gonna be good.

[Morgan Evanar]

I do not believe in Lucasarts titles until I play Lucasarts titles.

[Droo]

It looks absolutely incredible. I certainly hope it will get a PC release.

[Regan Valdis]

It'd be silly for them not too - imagine the sales, not to mention the mods, they'd be missing out on.

I'm excited about this game to say the very least.

[Hartus Kenobi]

I'm not into gaming at all, but I gotta say, that is fantastic. It's nice to see the Force taken up a notch too.

[Terran Starek]

Here are a couple of videos (courtesy of YouTube) concerning the new game:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pp1stQ49Bfo - This one is the demo video of one piece of design software being used by LucasArts on this game and others, like the next Indiana Jones installment.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVpLWnF3MWA - This is my personal favorite, showcasing the "Euphoria" engine and the AI advancements for the game.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4EF9IkhAOo - This video is a demo of the Digital Molecular Matter (DMM) engine being used in the game.

[Khendon Sevon]

DMM is genius. I have a friend that met the CEO of the company (his father's company works with them) that developed it. The entire idea is just smart.

I'm glad to see that they're taking advantage of the amazing advances being done by middleware companies.

[Yog]

Very impressive use of technology. "Euphoria" and DMM looks like a giant leap forward opening up many exciting posibilities.

[Yog]

Brand new trailer from E3..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1M6WJIKXNA

This game looks absolutely amazing.

[Terran Starek]

Yeah . . . wow . . .wow. I can't wait. I wish we had a time frame for this game.

This is the reason why I bought a 360. :lol

[Jedieb]

I've, oops, I mean my SON got a PS3 for his birthday this summer. I'll, I mean HE'LL have a great time playing it next spring. I really like that they're basically taking the Force and exaggerating what you can do with it to ridiculous levels. This game should be amazing.

[Mu Satach]

http://starwars.yahoo.com/

Trailer - don't know if this was the YouTube trailer linked to before, but since that link is dead anyway.

It gave me goosebumps on my back. :)

[Ilias Nytrau]

That's awesomeness. Supreme. Looks very good.

[Terran Starek]

That one is new to me.

Very nice! Very awesome! Looks soooooo good!

Man, I'm pumped for a year from now! :D

[Dasquian Belargic]

Every time I watch that, I get all giddy.

:eee

[Wyl Staedtler]

Um, holy crap. That makes me want to try video games.

[Dasquian Belargic]

Play 'Knights of the Old Republic' too, Wyl.

Srsly.

[Yog]

The release date is set to september 16.

Trailer:
http://www.dagbladet.no/kultur/2008/04/03/531487.html

[Crusader]

I would be lieing if I said that I did not see this coming...I guess the game gets the extra polish time since marketing thinks that a release after the Clone Wars is going to push this game.

[Slayn Cloak]

It'd be silly for them not too - imagine the sales, not to mention the mods, they'd be missing out on.

I'm excited about this game to say the very least.

No one cares about pc gamers anymore. We can expect a pc port / title a year or more after the consol tards get theirs. If you look at all the fun releases in recent memory we had to wait ages; Gears and fafing about reed are prime examples of this ( faffing comes out next week yaaay ).
I’ve been excited about this game for like six months – possible longer. I try not to think about it though, as I know I’ll be waiting a long, long time.

[Peter McCoy]

Well The Force Unleashed is less than a month away now. I believe one again Europe is getting it a few days later than everywhere else. I really don't see the necessity in doing that, it really bugs me.

But anyway - who's played the demo? I just downloaded it for PS3 and have played through it twice. It's a lot of fun and the only thing that was bad about it was it's length. The details that show when I was still in the PS3 menu said it was around 20-30 minutes long. No way, more like 10 at most. But it was one hell of a 10 minutes! Throwing storage crates at TIE Fighters is cool in itself. But force-grabbing a guy, electrocuting him and then throwing him at his allies is even better.

Before I get the train home from work tomorrow, I'll be popping into GAME to pre-order this bad-boy. No way am I waiting any longer than necessary to play this. It's released on the 19th of September here - the day before my birthday. Good timing since I have that day plus 2 to play it before I'm back in work on the Monday. It's a shame it's not out on the 17th as I have those days booked off as well. Alas.

I'm so excited about this game. If the demo is anything to go by, it'll be enough to drag me away from Spore. Not that it'll be better, just that it'll be an amazing game and will make a nice change from civilisation-building to civilisation-destroying :p

[Dasquian Belargic]

I can't believe they are releasing this for absolutely every format possible, including PS2, iPhone and N-Gage, but not PC. :shakefist

Anyone know why?

[Lilaena De'Ville]

I forgot to mention we downloaded the demo for this to our xbox and it fricking kicks butt. Its so much fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!! <-- exclamation marks

[Dasquian Belargic]

:shakefist @ you!

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Sorry, but its true. :mneh

[Dasquian Belargic]

I bet it is. The only console we have is a DS, though :( I can't imagine it being particularly epic on that platform.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

I can't imagine it being epic on the iPhone, either. wtf?? That just doesn't make sense.

[Aurelias Kazaar]

With my X-box dead I won't be able to get it until later. I'm so bummed >_<

[Peter McCoy]

I got an email from GAME.co.uk about this game. Apparently pre-order customers will have bonus force powers/additional lightsaber crystals upon starting the game. Not sure how this will work, surely it's not a different version of the game. Perhaps it's a code you input - which would just feel like a cheat. Unless it's a couple of completely new powers rather than ones other people will unlock later in the game. I hope that's not the case. Imagine how easy Jedi Academy would have been from the start if you had Grip tier 3. Now I usually got it quite quickly but that was my choice. To start with the most powerful... power... would be unbalanced.

All I know is I'm geting extra powers from the start according to the letter. What those powers are, I'll find out in a few days.

[Ediremos]

Been playing the game for a few hours now, and I quite like it. I love the Force aspect, and the storyline is rather well thought out - all I will say is: Sith will be Sith...

If you haven't got it yet, I'd suggest picking it up (even for a run through), but I want to keep the game and pass the unlockable content.

I am very fond of this game.

...as well as Fable 2 and Fallout 3. *cough*

[The Message]

Good to hear your enjoying it Ediremos. I've been watching the reviews this game has been getting and the majority seem to be mediocre. Average C to low B. Or 66-77.

Which was REALLY disappointing for me. This game looked like a bucket of fun and then the reviewers started taking apart. But with any big games like this people (especially reviewers) have huge expectations and i'm hoping there just exaggerating the issues..:\

Although, most of their points make me think otherwise as the issue isn't with the gameplay or the story but the game itself being too buggy in parts. Physics making you get in stuck in odd places. Targeting system is harsh and finicky at the best of times. Some of the quick time sequences at the end of the game apparently give you instructions that are just plain wrong? Apparently there are a lot of bugs in the game which shouldn't.

l'll probably still end up getting it though but probably not for a while. Hopefully they will release a patch that might address some issues. Its possible right?:lol

[Ediremos]

Granted some of the controls are a little sticky, and the targeting could have used some more work, but I think on the whole it was impressive for what it was.

I admit that during the chaos of the game you don't notice any of the NPCs grabbing things (like the AI program suggests), but there's still some decent work put into the game, and the story is actually quite good - I just finished the game, after two days or so, and completed both endings (explained with the spoiler following).

Both endings take place after you have bested Vader in combat, and you're given a choice:

Ending One: You take on Palpatine, actually defeat him, but a fellow Jedi talks you out of killing him. You decide to leave him be, and go to leave the Death Star chamber, when Stormtroopers burst in and your allies (Bail Organa, Mon Mothma, a Jedi, etc) make a break while you tackle Palpatine and his force lightning - in the end you force the lightning to backfire and die saving the rebellion-to-be's leaders. Vader survives, obviously (as this is the 'correct continuality' ending) and they say how you are wasted power. Bail and co. meet up and finalize the rebellion, via a meeting, and out of respect they choose to use your family crest as the rebel banner (the red circle with the prongs and crown).

Ending Two: You kill Vader, in quite a cool fashion, before Palpatine presents you with a test of loyalty - kill your Jedi friend. You don't, and get force lightning'd, before being thrown out of a window of the Death Star onto a landing platform, and then having your ship thrown on top of you by Palpatine; this crushes you and Bail. You then wake up covered in armor, strapped to a table similar to Vader ala Episode III, and then Palpatine tells you how you're his new puppet (gives the 'you had so much potential' speech), and how you'll do until his next Apprentice comes along - Vader being dead and all.

I enjoyed both.

Towards the middle I was getting a little annoyed with how linear the game played, but then I just shrugged and went along for the ride.

I have found a bug in particular that annoys me, where when I pick up a holocron with 'Sith Robes' as a costume choice, it doesn't seem to save following the completion of the level - so, in the end, you don't get the robes for whatever reason.

...as it stands, I have all costumes save one: guess which? :P

I may or may not return the game, but I do admit it's quite fun - and the replay value could be there, for those who like to pick up a game and just go crazy or brain-dead for a while.

My next game of choice is Fable 2, which should offer much more in the way of replayability and such. Then, of course, Fallout 3, which promises all kinds of exploration goodness.

[Peter McCoy]

I'm playing through it at the moment. Absolutely love it so far. The level settings are just gorgeous. The opening level of Kashyyyk was just pure awesomeness - Star Destroyers flying overhead within the planets atmosphere, Full wings (easily more, I think) of TIE Fighters swarming past across the water, AT-AT's walking down below the cliffs as you lay waste to an army of Wookiees. Your Force Push even blasts the bark off of trees.

There was one particular small section I adored. It was on-board an Imperial Medical Frigate. You walk along a corridor at the rear of the ship and can look out at space and the engines outside are immense. The roar of them was great, as well as the glow from their exhaust. It lasted maybe twenty seconds as I glanced at it on my way past, but it was bloody brilliant.

Got a cool red lightsaber crystal - same as the default red colour, but with a white pulse that runs through it constantly.

And I echo your Fallout sentiments. I can't wait for that game! Got it pre-ordered from GAME so its mine as soon as it's released. I just picked up S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Shadow of Chernobyl the other day. Haven't played much but I love it already - an open wasteland to explore at my leisure with bandits and survivors in the aftermath of a fictional second Chernobyl nuclear disaster. The gameplay is a good chunk of what I consider my dream game - an explorable wilderness devoid of governmental control or established normal civilisation practices.

[Ediremos]

Stalker = Save often...

[Shawn]

Just beat this last night. I have to say, the middle of the road reviews are pretty accurate. My biggest complaint? The difficulty is all over the place.

For most of the game, enemies pose exactly zero threat to you. Then you'll get to a boss fight that's hair-pullingly frustrating. The Star Destroyer section very nearly made me return the game to Blockbuster unfinished. It doesn't help that I ran into (what I'm pretty sure was) a glitch that made one of the TIE Fighters untargetable. I only managed to destroy it with sheer luck.

The story is pretty good, but it seems to jump around a lot and leave it up to the player to fill in the gaps. While the Force powers were supposed to feel all amped-up and extreme, they actually felt pretty natural to me; Playing the introduction with Vader, he felt exactly how powerful I always imagined he would be.

For the most part, the rest of the glitches I ran into didn't really bother me, but the game is definitely buggy. I think it's a testament to how well done the overall package is that I kept on playing, despite these issues.

The game is completely beautiful, and the cinematics truly are, well, cinematic. It absolutely felt like a Star Wars movie, and really feels like what the prequels wish they could be. It's probably a pipe dream, but a patch with a few bug fixes and difficulty balances could really propel The Force Unleashed to great heights.

[Msshi'fn]

I've played through a majority of the game now. And while the Force powers are a bit exaggerated, it still makes for one hell of a game. But the story is still my favorite aspect of the entire thing all around.

In fact, I liked the game so much, I based my character around it. :D

[Khendon Sevon]

It's an okay game. They don't use the full potential of the technology they licensed, which is sad.

There are bugs. There are graphic glitches. The control design is silly, and various other elements, as well, aren't as polished and well-thought-out as they could be.

The AI is horrible.

Basically, it's another Lucas Arts "this could have been great! If we hadn't done it..." situation.

That being said, it's playable. The environments are very rich and art is enjoyable.

I'm also a tech critic; so, expect their lack of cutting edge lighting to make me slightly grumpy, as well as the miss-utilization of DMM.