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The Quick And Easy Path Rules! (top article) and The Force is Everywhere (bottom article)
Gameinformer
February 2008 / Issue 178
Pages 64-65
The Quick And Easy Path Rules!
>Playstation 3 / XBOX 360
>Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
>Style: 1-Player Action
>Publisher: Lucasarts
>Developer: Lucasarts
>Release: Summer
You might not know it from watching the original Star Wars trilogy, but the Force can be used for more than slowly moving things up and down. The prequels definitely expanded the Forces applications, but viewers still never got a complete picture of its potential. That will change when The Force Unleashed finally hits later this year. As the next chapter in the Star Wars saga, this game is all about expanding gamers perception of the Force and how it allows a single warrior to take down an entire army - a goal the devolvement team seams to have a firm handle on. In the time that we spent playing as Darth Vaders apprentice, we used the Force in ways in ways we had never even imagined.
The first mission you will undertake as the Apprentice (portrayed by Sam Witwer from Battlestar Galactica and The Mist) occurs in a TIE fighter construction facility. Because Lord Vader has ordered you to leave no witnesses, all inhabitants - including stormtroopers - must be eliminated. Fortunately, this environment serves as the perfect training ground to experiment with the Forces newfound flexibility; there is a constant stream of mechanical components in various stages of assembly waiting to be used. When faced with a handful of armed guards, we simply reached toward the ceiling and sent an entire TIE fighter crashing into them. We then used the Force to throw the flaming@#$%pit into another group of enemies (giving us payoff camera view of the destruction) and jumped into the fray with our red lightsaber swinging.
All of the individual Force powers will be mapped to their own buttons on the controller, so players will not need to mess around with selecting moves from a menu screen. The fluidity with which the powers are integrated into the combat is reminiscent of the cult hit Psi-Ops. A press of the right bumper might initiate a Force grab on a hapless rebel, while holding it down will start to choke him as he hovers in mid-air (leaving you free to fling the corpse into a gun turret). If you happen to get surrounded by aggressive Felucians, you can hold a button to charge up Force repulse, a power that throws enemies back to lower levels ? and completely vaporizes them when powered up.
Being able to use these powers on the fly is impressive, but even better are the ways multiple abilities can be combined for different effects. Even a simple power like a Force grab can lead into some jaw-dropping situations. For example, imagine you are holding a druid aloft; you could skewer it with your lightsaber, send a nearby metal container flying into it, or channel Force lightning to turn it into an unstable bomb that will explode on impact. If you prefer melee combat, you could use Force push right after a dash to send foes reeling back, then charge you lightsaber with lightning to increase damage and reach.
Now picture all of these scenarios imbued with the previously announced Euphoria engine, which allows characters to interact naturally with the environment. Stormtroopers grab onto railings to keep from falling off ledges, duck to avoid debris, and hold onto each other?s ankles as you fling them across the room. Simply witnessing the carnage that results from your actions is a reward in and of itself.
With its new summer release date, gamers may have to wait a little longer than expected to start unleashing the Force, but the extra time looks like it is serving the game well. After playing just one level, we are ready to give into the Dark Side.
The Force is Everywhere
There are also games called The Force Unleashed coming to the PS2, PSP, DS, and Wii, but they will not be using the same technology that allows the 360 and PS3 versions to simulate behavior and environmental properties. That does not mean they do not have their own perks; we got our hands on the Wii incarnation, which includes a one-on-one versus mode. Swinging the remote will attack with lightsaber based in one direction (though it does not track your movement exactly), and other motion controls will activate your array of powers. For example, jabbing the nunchuck forward while holding a trigger will activate a Force push. The particulars of the configuration are still being ironed out, but the Wii version is shaping up to connect you to the Force like never before.
February 2008 / Issue 178
Pages 64-65
The Quick And Easy Path Rules!
>Playstation 3 / XBOX 360
>Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
>Style: 1-Player Action
>Publisher: Lucasarts
>Developer: Lucasarts
>Release: Summer
You might not know it from watching the original Star Wars trilogy, but the Force can be used for more than slowly moving things up and down. The prequels definitely expanded the Forces applications, but viewers still never got a complete picture of its potential. That will change when The Force Unleashed finally hits later this year. As the next chapter in the Star Wars saga, this game is all about expanding gamers perception of the Force and how it allows a single warrior to take down an entire army - a goal the devolvement team seams to have a firm handle on. In the time that we spent playing as Darth Vaders apprentice, we used the Force in ways in ways we had never even imagined.
The first mission you will undertake as the Apprentice (portrayed by Sam Witwer from Battlestar Galactica and The Mist) occurs in a TIE fighter construction facility. Because Lord Vader has ordered you to leave no witnesses, all inhabitants - including stormtroopers - must be eliminated. Fortunately, this environment serves as the perfect training ground to experiment with the Forces newfound flexibility; there is a constant stream of mechanical components in various stages of assembly waiting to be used. When faced with a handful of armed guards, we simply reached toward the ceiling and sent an entire TIE fighter crashing into them. We then used the Force to throw the flaming@#$%pit into another group of enemies (giving us payoff camera view of the destruction) and jumped into the fray with our red lightsaber swinging.
All of the individual Force powers will be mapped to their own buttons on the controller, so players will not need to mess around with selecting moves from a menu screen. The fluidity with which the powers are integrated into the combat is reminiscent of the cult hit Psi-Ops. A press of the right bumper might initiate a Force grab on a hapless rebel, while holding it down will start to choke him as he hovers in mid-air (leaving you free to fling the corpse into a gun turret). If you happen to get surrounded by aggressive Felucians, you can hold a button to charge up Force repulse, a power that throws enemies back to lower levels ? and completely vaporizes them when powered up.
Being able to use these powers on the fly is impressive, but even better are the ways multiple abilities can be combined for different effects. Even a simple power like a Force grab can lead into some jaw-dropping situations. For example, imagine you are holding a druid aloft; you could skewer it with your lightsaber, send a nearby metal container flying into it, or channel Force lightning to turn it into an unstable bomb that will explode on impact. If you prefer melee combat, you could use Force push right after a dash to send foes reeling back, then charge you lightsaber with lightning to increase damage and reach.
Now picture all of these scenarios imbued with the previously announced Euphoria engine, which allows characters to interact naturally with the environment. Stormtroopers grab onto railings to keep from falling off ledges, duck to avoid debris, and hold onto each other?s ankles as you fling them across the room. Simply witnessing the carnage that results from your actions is a reward in and of itself.
With its new summer release date, gamers may have to wait a little longer than expected to start unleashing the Force, but the extra time looks like it is serving the game well. After playing just one level, we are ready to give into the Dark Side.
The Force is Everywhere
There are also games called The Force Unleashed coming to the PS2, PSP, DS, and Wii, but they will not be using the same technology that allows the 360 and PS3 versions to simulate behavior and environmental properties. That does not mean they do not have their own perks; we got our hands on the Wii incarnation, which includes a one-on-one versus mode. Swinging the remote will attack with lightsaber based in one direction (though it does not track your movement exactly), and other motion controls will activate your array of powers. For example, jabbing the nunchuck forward while holding a trigger will activate a Force push. The particulars of the configuration are still being ironed out, but the Wii version is shaping up to connect you to the Force like never before.
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