Finally, with the conclusion of the Star Wars films, the rise of the Empire can be explored. The entire Star Wars universe has been unleashed, and the first major story will be that of the Secret Apprentice. Recruited by Darth Vader, brought into power, and sent out to hunt more than just Jedi, you will play that Apprentice. And whether you're a Star Wars nerd already in an uproar because there are more than two Sith or if you don't know Han Solo from Kit Fisto, in Star Wars: The Force Unleashed you will get to see LucasArts deliver on a tempting promise. With amazing new technology and the full power of the fully operational LucasArts licensing machine, you will get to "kick ass with the Force." The developer invited me out to its San Francisco studio to show me how.



That's not true! That's impossible!

As the Apprentice, you'll secretly serve Darth Vader. These aren't the gentle teachings of Obi-Wan; it's more like torture. Concept art shows the Apprentice's arms bound with chains, forced onto his knees. Darth Vader watches as the Apprentice assembles a lightsaber with only the Force. Later, more fully in touch with his power, the Apprentice is tooled up and armed with his lightsaber but still has shackles on his neck and one of his arms. The shackles, like the ones binding Obi-Wan in Episode II, have blue energy bolts shooting from them. Throughout the game, Darth Vader's influence will haunt you.

But Vader isn't recruiting because he's a sweetheart and thinks you deserve superpowers. The Sith lord is recruiting because he needs lots of dangerous people found and murdered. Executing Order 66, Vader will send you on missions to eliminate the remaining Jedi in the galaxy. During my demo, I got to see the Apprentice take on enemies in some sort of TIE Fighter construction facility. The facility floated in space, numerous horizontal rings stacked one over the other. Two group were at war inside of it, and so was the Apprentice's first target.

The familiar white insect-samurai armor of the Emperor's elite, the Stormtroopers, flashed everywhere in the space station. In fatigues and coveralls, a group of so-called "proto-rebels" was attacking them. All around the interior of the facility, the two groups were at war. Vader didn't want anyone, in particular the Emperor, finding out the Apprentice was there, so the Apprentice had to wipe them out ("all of them"). It's in the methods of murder that LucasArts' new technologies will really let you feel the power of The Force.

As in a few highly regarded Star Wars games, at some point moral choices will come up, but the gameplay of destruction has never been pushed as hard as this before. Morals, schmorals, this is what we've always wanted to do with Force powers. Psi-Ops was cool, but using Force Pull, Push, Choke, Lightening, Dash, Storm, and your lightsaber in tandem creates more potential for sheer heinousness than ever before.

A number of intertwined technology systems help sell the action. Each character has, essentially, a central nervous system. LucasArts calls this Euphoria, and it grants the enemies a real self-preservation instinct that plays out dynamically, instead of through a small set of action/reaction pairs and canned animations. Meanwhile, a tech called Digital Molecular Matter (DMM) allows many physical objects to behave with nearly absolute realism. That means wood splintering, metal bending and then snapping, railings snapping under too much weight, and so on. These two systems will interact to create dynamic behaviors like enemies grabbing out to save themselves from falling (and perhaps failing to get a grip because they're too slow or their armor too heavy), enemies fearfully backing away when you slash wildly with your lightsaber, and so on. All of this realism should help sell your powers like never before; plenty of games have let us play as Force users, but never has it felt so potentially out-of-control and deadly as it does here.

Back in the facility's interior hangar, Stormtroopers threatened the character with a peppering of blaster bolts from above. The Apprentice simply reached out and ripped the support struts out from under their walkways a section at a time: DSS in action. The Imperials didn't even have time to react before they died, but their comrades on the ground of the TIE hanger moved in to avenge them. While being picked up with the Force, the first armored warrior flailed, trying to get some leverage. The Apprentice flung his lightsaber; the game's targeting system makes it easy to make sure that the lightsaber goes to the same target that the Apprentice is floating. Even as the crimson red saber pierced the soldier, the Apprentice fired a searing series of Force bolts, the electricity tearing into the victim's body. With a last downward command, the Apprentice slammed the doomed Imperial into the deck in the midst of his fellows. The trooper finally exploded via a Force Lightening bomb, which wrecked horrific harm on the other cowering shooters.

The level provided other chances to deliver on what the concept art and E3 pre-vis video have promised. Rising into the air, power surging around him, the Apprentice effortlessly cleared a group of closing proto-Rebels with a blast of Force energy in all directions. The sealed blast doors warped and bent under the impact, but held. The Apprentice stalked to them, his animation already iconic, and smashed them open with a Force Push. The metal doors literally bent, although in this early build their glass can't shatter. That's coming, though.



Out in the massive TIE construction area, a mass of empty space was bounded only by the far exterior walls of the facility. Rails full of nearly-done TIE fighters spanned the massive room. This is one thing that'll be in every stage: piles of renewable resources to trash with the Force. To make up for the missing glass in the blast doors, the demonstrator wandered to the edge of a walkway where active TIE fighters screamed across the facility. (Yes, it was so large inside that space fighters were the patrol craft.) It took a few tries and more Stormtroopers than the few that were nearby, but eventually he succeeded. Throwing one of the nearby crates smack into a TIE fighter, the ship exploded as it fireballed down into darkness.

Power! Unlimited Power!


Although the TIE stage is far from complete, it's just one example of some of what's coming in Spring '08. Other environments will include the organic world of Felucia and the junk world of Raxis Prime. Each world will give the Apprentice different weapons - in the TIE facility, Stormtroopers and crates were common ammunition. On the junk world, stories worth of debris and wreckage will provide plenty of choices for destruction. The world of Felucia is nearly a mystery, although I'm already dreaming about flinging enemies into the maws of carnivorous plants.

New characters will include the samurai-themed Jedi General Kota (whose hunt took us to the TIE facility) and the female Zabrak (that's Darth Maul's race, newbs) Maris Brood. She wields dual lightsabers with tonfa-style hilts, whereas the Togruta Jedi Master Shaak Ti will command rancors against you. Your ship, the Rogue Shadow, will be piloted by a female Imperial officer named Juno Eclipse, who will also fulfill the role of love interest at George Lucas' suggestion that one be included. In Star Wars style, a wise-cracking robot will be involved in some way, although I hope that it's funny in an "I'm an assassin droid" way, not in a "Not funny Jar-jar Binks" way. In any case, if you like the new characters, you'll be pleased to hear that there are book, toys, and comics on the way as well.

It's hard to overemphasize how much potential DMM and Euphoria bring to the equation. Merely flinging an enemy towards, say, the ruins of a ship on Raxis Prime isn't necessarily enough. Euphoria will have him grabbing at his environment as he flies, desperate for purchase, and DMM means that if he gets a grip, he may well bring whole walls down. Force-pushing a heavily armored soldier into a wooden pillar could result in a lot less pillar, possibly bringing down the building around them (and possibly you).

A Rose By Any Other Name...


One concern, simply because it's so nebulous at this point, is the story itself. You will play as Vader's apprentice. You'll be recruited to help him slay Jedi, and also to aid him in overthrowing the Emperor, but we don't even know your name yet. We do know, however, that Force Unleashed will begin bridging the gap between Episode III and Episode IV. We know your lightsaber style uses a strange reverse grip, like a knife-fighter, with the blade pointing behind you when in neutral stance (although reflecting blaster shots happens unimpeded and automatically).

And although this is most assuredly, "not an RPG, not the next Knights of the Old Republic," you will still face moral choices throughout the game. This will let you follow story paths in which you gain control of the Empire, lead the Rebellion, cast your own lot, or possibly other choices. It's easy to see potential here and get excited, but getting excited about Star Wars stories based on their astounding technologies has burned me the last three movies, so I'm withholding judgment for now.

For those playing on the PS2, PSP and DS, the situation is a little different. Without the muscle to run Euphoria or DMM, the "last-gen" versions will instead offer unique perks. The PS2 and PSP versions will have an identical extra level, and their gameplay looks remarkably close to the previously mentioned Psi-Ops, but with the option to hurl a lightsaber at people. You'll still follow the same story, and play the same even-in-the-beta-build awesome looking Apprentice. ODE physics will be in place, counting in at five soft bodies and ten rigid ones.

More interestingly, in a spat with a mini-boss, the player gets to cut down an AT-ST in a God of War style button-pressing mini-game. In this sequence, the Apprentice slashed the AT-ST off balance, then leapt up, grabbed hold of the huge walker, fired a blast of dark lightening at the cockpit, and then simply reached in through the pilot's cockpit window with an ignited lightsaber and slashed open anyone unfortunate enough to be inside. It was impressively dramatic and powerful, even without the power of next-gen driving it. The DS version will likewise have "cool stuff" with the touch pad, and the PSP will definitely include ad hoc multiplayer.

Last year's E3 trailer was just a teaser for what we'll see in SWFU. The Euphoria engine and DMM should combine together with Havoc physics to create an unreal experience. Even last-gen games should have something worth looking forward to. George Lucas' green light and direct input means this isn't just the next Star Wars game, but the next chapter in the Star Wars saga. If LucasArts can live up to the promise of its new technologies and story, Force Unleashed could even be the best Star Wars game yet.

By Patrick Joynt-GameSpy.com

Star Wars The Force Unleashed Launch Trailer


STAR WARS The Force Unleashed - GAME PLAY