Product Description

The next chapter in the Star Wars saga, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, tells the story of Darth Vader's Secret Apprentice, a mysterious figure trained by the menacing Sith Lord, to hunt down the last of the Jedi. Set in the dark times between Episodes III and IV, the story is both a continuation of the prequel trilogy -- exploring the aftermath of Order 66, which called for the immediate execution of all Jedi, and focusing on the continued rise of Darth Vader -- and a direct bridge to the Original Trilogy. The Force Unleashed will forever change the fate of the Galaxy and explain key plot points that directly lead into events in Star Wars: A New Hope. With The Force Unleashed , LucasArts not only introduces a new chapter in the Star Wars saga, but also two completely new and innovative technologies -- Digital Molecular Matter by Pixelux Entertainment and euphoria by NaturalMotion Ltd. These groundbreaking technologies combine with Havoc physics to create true next-gen game play and the Force like it's never been seen or experienced before.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #286 in Video Games
• Brand: Lucas Arts
• Model: 32631
• Published on: 2008-09
• Released on: 2008-09-16
• ESRB Rating: Teen
• Platform: Nintendo Wii
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: .56" h x 7.49" w x 5.69" l, .36 pounds

Features

• Confront and associate with familiar faces from the Star Wars films, including Darth Vader in addition to new adversaries such as fugitive Jedi and Force-sensitive Felucians
• Unleash and upgrade the Secret Apprentice's four core Force powers - Force push, grip, repulse and lightning - throughout the course of the game, and combine them for ultra-destructive, never-before-seen combos.
• Examples of unleashing the Force in ways never thought possible: Secret Apprentice won't just Force push enemies into walls - he'll Force push enemies through walls, and will Force grip them in midair, zap them with lightning, then drop them to the ground
• Visit locations such as Episode III's Wookiee homeworld Kashyyyk and the floral Felucia, the junk planet Raxus Prime, plus an Imperial TIE fighter construction facility
• Decisions made by players throughout the game will determine the path of the story, including multiple endings that will rock Star Wars continuity as they know it.

Amazon.com
The Star Wars saga will continue in Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, a videogame developed by LucasArts, which casts players as Darth Vader's "Secret Apprentice" and promises to unveil new revelations about the Star Wars galaxy. The expansive story, created under direction from George Lucas, is set during the largely unexplored era between Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope. In it, players will assist the iconic villain in his quest to rid the universe of Jedi - and face decisions that could change the course of their destiny.

Join the Dark Side

You are Darth Vader's Secret Apprentice View larger.

Use the Force to disable your enemies View larger.

Artwork of the Jedi "Maris" View larger.

As its name implies, The Force Unleashed completely re-imagines the scope and scale of the Force. The Wii version will not only give you a solid story-line developed by LucasArts involving the Darth Vader's secret apprentice, but you'll experience a new style of gameplay only the Wii can offer. With the Wiimote and Nunchuck you'll be able to battle your way through your enemies utilizing your Lightsaber attacks and Force powers. Not only can you experience this new control system in story mode, but you can also try your Jedi skills against a friend in the Wii, "Battle Mode." Joining the Dark Side doesn't seem like such a bad idea after all.

Game Features:

• During the period between Episodes III and IV, players hunt Jedi in the role of Darth Vader's Secret Apprentice.
• Unleash and upgrade the Secret Apprentice's four core Force powers - Force push, grip, repulse and lightning - throughout the course of the game, and combine them for ultra-destructive, never-before-seen combos.
• Examples of unleashing the Force in ways never thought possible:
  • The Secret Apprentice won't just Force push enemies into walls - he'll Force push enemies through walls.
  • The Secret Apprentice won't just Force grip foes to throw them aside - he'll Force grip them in midair, zap them with lightning, then drop them to the ground to explode like a bomb.
• In addition to new adversaries created just for the game, such as fugitive Jedi and Force-sensitive Felucians, players will also confront and associate with familiar faces from the Star Wars films, including Darth Vader.
• Visit locations such as Episode III's Wookiee homeworld Kashyyyk and the floral Felucia, the junk planet Raxus Prime, plus an Imperial TIE fighter construction facility.
• The Wii system's "Battle Mode," a one on one fighting arena simliar to the classic game, Star Wars: Masters of Teräs Käsi.
• Use the Wiimote to slash and pierce your enemies with your Jedi Lightsaber while you use the Wii Nunchuk to disable other opponents with your Force Powers.
• LucasArts is preparing an unprecedented promotional effort around the launch of The Force Unleashed, encompassing a full line of toys and game-based action figures from Hasbro, as well as a full publishing program from Dark Horse, Del Rey and Palace Press.

Meet the Cast
The Star Wars Saga will continue in 2008 with LucasArts' biggest-ever video game event. Set during the "dark times" between Episodes III and IV, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed portrays the previously untold story of Darth Vader's Secret Apprentice -- and now you can put a face to that mysterious character as well as the major supporting cast members as LucasArts unveils the actors set to star in The Force Unleashed.

The Technology of The Force Unleashed
With The Force Unleashed, LucasArts not only introduces a new chapter in the Star Wars saga, but also pushes the Wii's game engine to deliver amazing detail and realism only found in a Star Wars title. You will experience gameplay and the Force like you never had before.

Customer Reviews

Great Tech Demo, Not So Hot Game
So, I just couldn't resist. Bought the game on release day (at BestBuy) and now have played through a bunch of missions. The good:

The concept of the game is fantastic -- who doesn't love running around with a lightsaber and force pushing stormtroopers?
The graphics are more than adequate -- I'm sure not as good at the 360/PS3 but the game still looks pretty darn good.
The purchasing of new force powers with force points works well.
The story line is very good, as is the voice acting.
The actual control motions are well thought out, and pretty natural.

The problem is that the mechanics just aren't there.
The big problems with the game are:

1. Too easy -- there's really no consequence to dying. You just are resurrected and go about your merry way.
2. The camera -- I think that the camera angles are what really hinder the game. This game would be ideal from a first person perspective, but is played entirely in the third person. As a result, the camera angles are critical, and LucasArts' coding is just not up to snuff. The camera often looks in directions you don't want, especially in tight spaces and with lots of enemies. Also, since the commands/combos are all dependent on moving the Wiimote/Nunchuck in a particular direction IN RELATION TO YOUR CHARACTER the controls become confusing when the camera is not oriented over your shoulder. If you're fighting a boss it's not a big issue as you can lock the camera on your target. This doesn't really apply in a room full of stormtroopers, though.
3. Saving - the game saves as you go past checkpoints (ala Halo, and most other FPS games), but when you come back (after turning off the Wii) you start back at the beginning of the chapter as opposed to at the last checkpoint that you encountered. I fail to see the point of the checkpoint system. Further, it makes it difficult to pick up and play for a half hour -- you really want to continue until you're done with the chapter.

As a result you wind up with a beautiful looking, intuitive game with a great storyline that's just more difficult to play than it should be.

Save your $$ -- rent.

The Force is unleashed on my Wii
The story behind this new entry into the Star Wars universe starts with Darth Vader being sent to Kashyyyk by Palps in order to track down a Jedi that survived Order 66 and the Jedi purge. Vader lands on the planet in his shuttle, and you proceed to kick some serious Wookie butt. The Stormtroopers you see are a nice blend of the Clone Trooper outfit and the newer Storm Trooper outfit, you can see the progression. From their sound, I think the clones aren't in use anymore by this time. The main reason I say that is that they sound a little scared when they status Vader on things, but the whole difference in the Clones and Storm Troopers is a discussion for another geek day. Vader finds the rogue Jedi, and you get your first real battle. Once Vader defeats him and is about to deliver the final blow, the lightsaber is Force Pulled out of his hand and he turns around to see . . . a little boy, maybe 5 years old I would say. Vader feels that the Force in the kid and stands there for a minute thinking of what to do and takes back his lightsaber. The Stormtroopers come up with their guns trained on the kid, and Vader turns around to face them. Cut to the kid's scared face as you hear Vader's lightsaber fire up and takes out everyone - rouge Jedi and Stormtroopers alike. With no witneses, he leads the boy away to become his Secret Apprentice. As the Apprentice, you'll go on missions to find other rouge Jedi, and see how the Rebellion came to be. That's about all I know on the story so far, it's as far in game as I was able to get tonight.

First off, as expected, the graphics aren't anywhere close to what I'm hearing the PS3 and XBox 360 are. That's ok, because I think the graphics are still pretty impressive on this game. Cutscenes are rendered well, the action is pretty fluid, and I didn't really notice any distracting frame drops like I've seen in other titles. There were some graphics glitches, though, but I hear that those are showing up on the other consoles as well - characters sliding through objects/walls, capes and costumes cutting through figures, that kind of thing. But, it's not that bad, really. From my gamer perspective I'd say it looked pretty good.

I was initially disappointed to hear that the Havoc and DMM physics engines weren't going to be in the Wii version, but they do manage to pull it off pretty well. Your victims squrim around when you've got them in a Force Hold, they scream and grunt realistically when you toss them around like ragdolls (I'll get to that in a minute, by far the most awesome part of this game), and there is some rudimentary A.I. being implemented here where they will at least display some level of self-preservation once they realize you're going to squish them like a bug with your Force Slam. I had a few Rebel Militia guys running away after I grabbed a flaming barrel, so that's always fun. There are so many things in the environment that are breakable or throwable, it's really amazing to see. Again, I know the PS3/XBox 360 versions make this look silly with their DMM physics, but the Wii is immersive enough for me in this aspect.

The controls are what sets this game apart. When a game implements a good control scheme for the Wii, it just feels right. You get a lot of games where the controls do feel tacked on, it's just not that exicting to play. Not this one, the controls are incredible. The recently shown Motion+ 1:1 controls would have been great, but honestly, how many of us can realistically wield a sword or lightsaber in a fluid manner anyway? My Apprentice onscreen would look like a flailing idiot, just like me. The limited motion recognition is fine with me, lets me look like a fool while the Apprentice is still fun to watch. Contrary to some opinions, it's much more than just "waggle" (most of those opinions are voiced by PS3 of XBox360 snobs . . . saber-envy, I guess). You swing left-to-right, so does the Apprentice. You swing right to left, so does he. An upward swing? He throws and uppercut-like strike. Downward? Overhand slice. Thrust forward? Lunging stab. You get the picture. You can string together some pretty cool combos with this and, coupled with the force powers, open up some serious Sith whooping.

The Force powers are controlled with the Nunchuck. Push it forward, and you do a simple Force Push. If an object on the screen is highlighted, you can Force Grab by holding the Z button and use the control stick to move it out of the way or throw it at a whimpering target . . . who screams satisfyingly when it hits. The C button gives you your Force Lightning. One of my favorite moves in stringing together attacks is to grab the target soldier, hoisting him up in the air with the Force, and throwing the lightsaber to impale him. I threw a lot of guys into walls, off cliffs/catwalks, into each other. The Force Grab/Throw is by far the coolest and most natural attack I've ever experienced in any of the Star Wars games I've played. And I used it. A lot. And was grinning ear to ear the whole time. Does that make me a Sith?

There is a great training mode, for use with the young Padawans to help get the controls and attacks down before trying out the game. Very interesting use of first-person style showing both hands onscreen using a Wiimote and Nunchuck.The Apprentice's droid is facilitating the training, telling you what to do to get what effect. Well done, overall, and does a great job of introducing the controls, explaining their use, and giving you ample time to experiment with combos and the like.

Lastly, I want to spend a little time on the voice-over experience. So far, Sam Witwer is great in the voice-over acting. Apparently, the cut scenes were actually recorded by the actors on green-screen, interacting with each other, then captured and animated in the game rendering, so there is actual chemistry between them. I haven't heard much from Juno Eclipse yet, the Apprentice's pilot for his ship, the Rouge Shadow, but what I've heard from her, voiced by Nathalie Cox, has been pretty good. Matt Sloan did the voice for Darth Vader, and I'll tell you what, at first I thought it was James Earl Jones, he really nailed the voice. It looks from the cast that they have Jimmy Smits reprising his role as Bail Organa, but I haven't gotten anywhere near his part in the game, I'm guessing. The story is acted wonderfully, and I don't see (yet) any heavy handed influence from George Lucas, which is a good thing. At least, if he throws a Jar Jar Binks or Ziro the Hutt in there, at least let me be able to kill it mercilessly. It really has an older Star Wars feel to it, could even be compared to the Knights of the Old Republic game and it's storyline, and I'm really enjoying it so far. I'll report more as I get deeper into the game, and especially as I try out the Wii-exclusive Duel Mode, which really looks to be amazing. I'm sure my Padawan daughter will wipe the floor with me, but that's just good parental bonding, right?

Greatest Star Wars Experience Ever
I don't want to echo what a lot of other reviewers have already said. Yes, the graphics in this game are definitely inferior to the 360 and PS3 versions BUT I can't imagine the other versions of the game being nearly as satisfying an experience as this one. Pushing a button to do execute a force push just can't feel the same as actually doing a pushing motion with your hand and seeing your enemies fly back on the screen. The camera is definitely an issue, a lot of times you will find yourself waving your light saber like a madman at enemies you can't see because the camera is out of position. You definitely DO feel powerful in this game as a Sith Lord but at times it seems like you loose a lot of health for just a few blaster hits but this could just because I'm still in the early stages of the game.