Tap Into Your Dark Side

Published September 16, 2008

The treacherous Order 66 at the end of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith may have dealt the Jedi Order a savage blow, sending what few that avoided assassination reeling into isolation, but it did not extinguish the Jedi entirely. Enter Star Wars™: The Force Unleashed for Xbox 360®, which picks up where Revenge of Sith left off.

His road leads to some shocking Star Wars revelations.

Without giving too much away, Darth Vader's quest to track down and exterminate what few Jedi remain brings him in contact with a prospective apprentice, one he twists to embrace the Dark Side and trains to help him bring what little twilight remains of the Jedi Order to darkness. It's the Apprentice that you play, and it's his story that Force Unleashed tells.

In short, the story on display here impacts the
Star Wars canon like no other game ever has.

Taking Off the Handcuffs
If LucasArts seems to have had one goal in mind with Force Unleashed, it's to take the handcuffs off the Dark Side and see just what it can do. You don't just defeat enemies, you annihilate them. You don't just Force Push a lone Stormtrooper over an edge, you send whole waves of them hurtling hundreds of yards through the air to their certain doom.

Likewise, you'll find yourself charging enemies with lightning and then using them as a living bomb, throwing your lightsaber to slice several enemies in a single deadly toss, shattering a predatory TIE Fighter with a well-placed exploding barrel or guiding a gushing spout of deadly carbonite to freeze anyone foolish enough to charge you.

However you eliminate your enemies, the result will be spectacular as Force Unleashed offers the player all the tools to create truly amazing death throes for thousands of enemies.

Creativity Rewards
The Force Unleashed wants so much for you to take full and creative advantage of your vast suite of Force Powers and combos that you're awarded points for every enemy you defeat. The more creative and awe-inspiring the kill, the more points you'll net.

Even sub-boss encounters are jaw-dropping.

Cut a Jawa down (always fun) with a standard combo and you'll see a modest return, but ignite him with lightning and toss him into a troupe of his comrades standing near a ledge, and there are ever greater rewards.

Story Time
It would shameful to spoil any part of the game's story, but Star Wars fans should know they're in for an enormous treat. The Apprentice's journey and relationship with Vader colors everything that happens thereafter. In short, the story on display here impacts the Star Wars canon like no other game ever has. It's taut, surprising, emotional, and even thoughtful. Prepare to geek out.

RPG Choice
While the vast bulk of your time will be spent in a free-for-all of Force-powered chaos, you will also define your own powers. Accrue points to upgrade and specialize your Force Powers (such as Force Repulse), Force Talents (such as Fortitude, granting you more health) and Force Combos (such as lightsaber abilities).

One point for each category is earned every time you gain a new level, but you can also earn bonus points by collecting Jedi Holocrons as well as completing secondary mission objectives. The Holocrons offer more than just bonus points too, unlocking brand new costumes and even lightsaber crystals. Use these to change your saber's color (perhaps a stylish Mace Windu-purple) and upgrade its power (increasing damage to lightning-based saber attacks).

Euphoria
Much has been made of the game's use of the Euphoria Natural Motion engine, and the end result bears out the hype. Essentially, Euphoria imbues each character in the game with Artificial Intelligence that spontaneously produces their reactions, and consequently, their animations.

Leave no witnesses.

Throw a Stormtrooper against a wall and watch them scramble for a handhold as they slide down. Fling them into a buddy and notice how they instinctively grab hold of them or attempt to dive out of the way. You get the idea.

In practice, Euphoria is a startling new achievement in current-gen gaming. We saw its first fledgling steps in Grand Theft Auto IV™, but it's really finding its stride in The Force Unleashed. It adds such a welcome dash of unpredictability to the action that you'll be keeping your eyes peeled from start to finish hoping never to miss some new and unique chain of reactions.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is a landmark game for both the franchise and Xbox 360. There's technology on display here that affects gameplay in ways we've never fully seen before, as well as a Star Wars experience for the ages. In short, it's a perfect storm of content and gameplay.

Article by Ryan Treit