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TFU Most Requested Game On Goozex Downloadable Content On The Way For TFU! The Clone Wars A Hit On Cartoon Network! New Title For Fate Of The Jedi #2 Karen Traviss Talks Sev Star Wars: Battlefront III Speculation, hopes, discussion Star Wars Games Trivia Challenge Empire At War: Forces of Corruption Lego Star Wars II Discussions JC.N GL Gaming Lounge II How would you rank The Force Unleashed? 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star Current Results The Force Unleashed - Overview Posted By Anthony on July 15, 2008 TF.N was invited by Lucas Arts to play test The Force Unleashed at the Presidio the week before 4th of July. We played the newest game to continue the Star Wars Video Game Saga on all the platforms the game is being released on (PS3, Xbox 360, PS2, Wii, PSP, & Nintendo DS – the game is not being released for the PC). Helping us were Chris Cook (PR Specialist), Josh Richardson (Core Tester), and Dan Wesson (Wii Producer) of Lucas Arts. From TF.n were Tony, Randy, Zachary, and Daniel. The Story of the Secret Apprentice and basics of the plotline has been discussed to death, so we’ll focus on the game play and eye candy. The game play among all the platforms breaks down into three main areas: total immersion, physical interaction, and portability. Obviously each platform has its strengths. All the platforms start out with an Imperial Attack on the Wookie home world. You start play as Darth Vader and are positioned with ramped up force powers to fend off every major attack – Vader is no slouch, which is why he is so feared. (Side Note: He does have one force power that is explicitly stated in the books he would never have because of his injuries: Force Lightening. But I’m not quibbling – just noting.) It’s at the end of the Vader level you meet the child you take under your tutelage and make your secret apprentice. The Vader level is your training ground for the force powers you have as the Secret Apprentice and a showcase for their potential as you ramp up over the course of the game. With these ramped up force powers everything becomes a potential weapon and the Vader level gives you abundant opportunity to experiment and start a foundation for your game techniques. XBox360 / PS3 The PS3 and Xbox360 are the total immersion platforms. These platforms are the ultimate in eye candy and game experience. Good excuses to upgrade that TV to large screen with digital inputs and install the surround sound system. The Havoc Game Engine combined with Digital Molecular Matter and the Emotive AI create a very compelling environment for game play. The game visuals are stunning and while we haven’t yet reached nerd-vana with a photo realistic 3D environment. The TFU game environment is far from static. On planet levels, the plants move in conjunction with environmental conditions, the lighting and shading are well formed and all the levels (even indoors) feel expansive. No “gray mist” limiting your distance vision or feeling claustrophobic on outdoors levels. The game play is smooth and Lucas Arts did a good job of utilizing the console controllers in an intuitive manner to allow quick button combinations for both basic and complex interactions. Read a first person experience of playing the Xbox 360 and The Force Unleashed here. PS2 / Wii The game play is similar between the PS2 & the Wii and both trail in visual quality and feel behind the Xbox360 and PS3. I hate to short change the PS2, but the killer application of The Force Unleashed is on the Wii using the Wiimote as your lightsaber. This is the setup every Star Wars gamer has envisioned since the release of the Wii. Don’t let a lack of “feedback” from the Wiimote discourage you from trying The Force Unleashed on the Wii. Once you slip into character and start wielding the virtual saber you are not going to want to put it down. (Atari brought us Atari Wrist, the Wii and TFU will bring us Wii Shoulder.) And of course on the non-portable platforms only the Wii has head to head play (1 v 1 only). Whether you finish the game or not, it’s the head to head combat that will keep the Wii version of this game on the top of the stack for years to come. There are 32 different characters that can be unlocked and played via head-to-head. That should be enough combinations to keep any Star Wars enthusiast busy for some time. Hopefully Lucas Arts will come out with a “head-to-head expansion pack” for the Wii that increases the head-to-head combat for support up to 4 players and allow for many more arenas, maybe even over the Internet play too. (One can dream - How about “Counter Strike: Sith versus Jedi”?) Read a first person experience of playing the PS2 version here, and read a first person experience of playing the Wii version here. PSP/DS Games like TFU are very hard to bring to the portable world. The game play is normally designed for large screens, large sound systems, and button heavy controllers. Also the PSP and Nintendo DS offer completely different handheld experiences, with DS’s reliance on the stylus and the PSP structured more like a game controller with a screen. Lucas Arts has setup game play to bind with the strengths of each portable platform. TFU is setup to utilize the second screen on the DS as a master options menu. And using the stylus, you can select multiple attack options for some very devastating combination attacks. It took a while for me to find the correct touch and feel for multiple selections – but once you had a few combinations memorized and the proper pressure dialed in – the game play moved well. On the PSP, the graphics are better and have more depth than the DS. The combination moves require a bit of finger trickery – but not much more than you need with any other game. The PSP plays like a small version of the PS2. So you are really only sacrificing the screen size for portability and head-to-head play. That is not a bad trade off. Both the DS and PSP have head-to-head play with up to 4 players at once. We didn’t have the option to test the head-to-head play on PSP or DS with only one portable per platform. But I suspect that there will be many a school lunches uneaten as ad-hoc lunchtime TFU tournaments are formed during the fall. At least there is no trading of unlocked virtual Jedi and Sith. I really don’t want to know how many Kit Fistos it takes to trade for an Ayla Secura. Whether you are a PSP-a-holic or a DS acolyte, you’ll like TFU on your platform of choice. Conclusion Unlike the disastrous Red Rock and lukewarm Indiana Jones and the Emperor’s Tomb, Lucas Arts has really hit all the right sweet spots with The Force Unleashed. This game could be bigger than Knights of the Old Republic and Battlefront combined. The Secret Apprentice storyline fits snugly within the Clone Wars / Pre-Episode 4 time-line and Lucas Arts was able to create a suite of new characters that provide additional depth and breadth to the extended universe concept. With all the challenges going on within Lucas Arts today, we hope that The Force Unleashed does not prove to be a one-off success. The base game engine mechanics are there to build several totally immersive games before the technology is replaced by the next-gen software and hardware. The Clone Wars as a background story could be the next target for the Lucas Arts design team to utilize, or they could mine any of the Extended Universe story lines. (Thinking out loud, could ship-to-ship combat be combined with unleashed force powers? I guess the Lego Star Wars Mini-Movie Revenge of the Brick affected my in some way.) Purists will bemoan the fact that the ramped up “totally over the top” force powers completely change the way the Star Wars Universe is currently visualized. Gamers will thoroughly enjoy the experience. The increased force powers are extremely addicting and you find yourself giggling at the destructive power you can wield even without all the power-ups available later in the game. Playing as Vader in the very beginning gives you a small taste of what your force powers will be later as the Secret Apprentice and you quickly find yourself looking for walls to blast open and objects (and NPCs) to pick up and throw around. It’s never felt so good to be bad. To sum up – this game will sell a lot of gaming units for Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft. We are already looking forward to the first of what we hope are many sequels. 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July 16, 2008   The Force Unleashed Wii & DS Screenshots July 15, 2008   The Force Unleashed - Wii Platform July 15, 2008   The Force Unleashed - XBox 360 & PS3 July 15, 2008   The Force Unleashed - PS2 Platform email this story discuss in forums Select Date 2008, October 2008, September 2008, August 2008, July 2008, June 2008, May 2008, April 2008, March 2008, February 2008, January 2007, December 2007, November 2007, October 2007, September 2007, August 2007, July 2007, June 2007, May 2007, April 2007, March 2007, February 2007, January 2006, December 2006, November 2006, October 2006, September 2006, August 2006, July 2006, June 2006, May 2006, April 2006, March 2006, February 2006, January 2005, December 2005, November 2005, October 2005, September 2005, August 2005, July 2005, June 2005, May 2005, April 2005, March 2005, February 2005, January 2004, December 2004, November 2004, October 2004, September 2004, August 2004, July 2004, June 2004, May 2004, April 2004, March 2004, February 2004, January 2003, December 2003, November 2003, October 2003, September 2003, August 2003, July 2003, June 2003, May 2003, April 2003, March 2003, February 2003, January 2002, December 2002, November 2002, October 2002, September 2002, August 2002, July 2002, June 2002, May 2002, April 2002, March 2002, February 2002, January 2001, December 2001, November 2001, October 2001, September 2001, August 2001, July 2001, June 2001, May 2001, April 2001, March 2001, February 2001, January 2000, December 2000, November 2000, October 2000, September 2000, August 2000, July 2000, June 2000, May 2000, April 2000, March 2000, February 2000, January 1999, December 1999, November 1999, October 1999, September 1999, August 1999, July 1999, June 1999, May 1999, April 1999, March 1999, February 1999, January 1998, December 1998, November 1998, October Has A KOTOR MMO Been Confirmed? Posted By Mike on October 6, 2008: Updated! Announcement coming October 21? TFU Most Requested Game On Goozex Posted By Mike on October 6, 2008: For the month of September Downloadable Content On The Way For TFU! Posted By Mike on October 6, 2008: Updated! For the Xbox 360 & PS3 versions Hayden Blackman Interviewed At Kotaku Posted By Mike on October 6, 2008: I bet he's talking TFU...any takers? Former Galaxies Lead Designer Dies Posted By Mike on October 1, 2008: Jeff Freeman takes own life at 39 Rejected SW Video Game Concepts Posted By Mike on September 30, 2008: Guitar Hero: Ewoks Edition? New Jedi Alliance Trailer Posted By Mike on September 30, 2008: Coming to the DS on November 11 The Force Unleashed #1 In The UK Posted By Mike on September 30, 2008: For the second week in a row! Force-Cast: Interview With Haden Blackman Posted By Dustin on September 29, 2008: Listen in about the origin of The Force Unleashed Wii Lightsaber Attachment Posted By Mike on September 29, 2008: Updated! New attachment available? TFU Xbox 360 Achievement "Scoreboard" Posted By Mike on September 27, 2008: From the Official Xbox Magazine PALGN Previews TCW: Lightsaber Duels Posted By Mike on September 24, 2008: Due out for the Wii on November 11 TFU Sells 1.5 Million Units In First Week Posted By Mike on September 24, 2008: Fastest selling SW game of all time! Star Wars Galaxies TCG Now Available Posted By Mike on September 23, 2008: Updated! Review online Lots Of The Force Unleashed Links Posted By Mike on September 23, 2008: Updated! Cheats and more reviews Unlock Starkiller In Soulcalibur IV Posted By Mike on September 23, 2008: Starwars.com shows you how TFU Sells One Million In First Week Posted By Mike on September 22, 2008: Xbox 360 platform sells the most Pre-Order TFU At Best Buy For A Free Shirt Posted By Mike on September 21, 2008: Updated! Shirt now at StarWarsShop TFU Launch Event In Portugal Wrap Up Posted By Mike on September 21, 2008: Organized by SWCP The Top Ten Star Wars Video Games Posted By Mike on September 21, 2008: According to Digital Spy Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Review Posted By Curto on September 20, 2008: It's here! After years of anticipation, LucasArts' latest video game set in that galaxy far, far away is about to invade stores everywhere. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is FINALLY released...but was it worth the wait? Get the full review after the jump! UPDATE! Even more new cheat codes added! Enter Email Address: Find Out More... 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