Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (Xbox 360, PS3)

by Eddie Turner on 10/6/2008 3:00 AM EST
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  • AnnonymousCoward - Tuesday, October 7, 2008 - link

    From http://tinyurl.com/49z2kg">http://tinyurl.com/49z2kg "so processor intensive and powerful that the kind of machine you'd need to run them is not the kind of machine most people are going to have...Every platform is getting a great game and they should all be able to stand-alone; we didn't want to deliver a sub-par experience for PC gamers."

    PC's have FAR greater single-thread performance than the Cell. That was the case even before the C2D, and now I'd bet that a dual-core C2D could compete with 6 fully utilized Cell processors. Not even mentioning quad core. Or GPU physics!!

    Aside from all that, how could they deliver par performances on PS2, Wii, DS, and PSP? Does the physics there just suck, and that level of physics suckiness would be sub-par on PC?

    Note to LucasArts: use the GPU for physics!
  • Jawadali - Monday, October 6, 2008 - link

    I have only played the demo of the Xbox 360 version of this game, but If you are looking for a game where you can use force-like powers, I'd recommend playing Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy. In addition to being a decent third-person shooter, there are a decent number of powers that you can use not only to fight (or avoid fighting) enemies, but also to solve puzzles to progress through the various missions. For a PS2/Xbox game, I think the application of these powers was pretty novel and well executed in Psi-Ops.
  • jasonmellow - Monday, October 6, 2008 - link

    Star Wars Battlefront I was the reason I started building my own PC. Star Wars Battlefront II is the reason I keep upgrading my hardware and is still my favorite game due to the intense and competitive multi-player action. As a Star Wars fan who loves his PC, I bum that this new title is useless to me.
  • EddieTurner - Monday, October 6, 2008 - link

    If you make your next upgrade an Xbox 360, you'll be set. I do know that another Battlefront is at least being pondered over right now. Probably already in the works. No mention of platform though.

    Unleashed is still fun to play despite its repetition. If you're a Sta Wars fan, that'll make the experience even better.
  • TheFace - Monday, October 6, 2008 - link

    It's a rental. Why buy it with no multiplayer, no co-op. Basically little replayability.
  • Spivonious - Monday, October 6, 2008 - link

    What about the Wii version? It seems strange to ignore it.
  • EddieTurner - Monday, October 6, 2008 - link

    Lucas Arts didn't send me the Wii version. I did ask for it though.
  • strikeback03 - Monday, October 6, 2008 - link

    Didn't Yoda say "Always two there are, a master and an apprentice." How does a third fit that already established line?
  • mmntech - Monday, October 6, 2008 - link

    Vader takes on Starkiller as an apprentice in secret in order to overthrow the Palpatine. This is explained pretty early in the game, as well as in the demo. That's why he's charged with the task of leaving no witnesses, including Imperials.

    I liked this game but I think it was definitely overhyped. It was short for a console title and I felt DMM and Euphoria weren't used to their full potential except on the first level (as Vader). The highlight of Force Unleashed was finding out the fate of Jar Jar Binks. He can be found frozen in carbonite in the museum on Imperial Kashyyyk. I guess that's not him at the end of Episode VI (DVD) unless someone was foolish enough to defrost him.
  • slashbinslashbash - Monday, October 6, 2008 - link

    Wookiee (2 e's) and Kashyyyk (3 y's)
  • EddieTurner - Monday, October 6, 2008 - link

    No! IT'S NOT TRUE!!!!!! . . . : )
  • Visual - Monday, October 6, 2008 - link

    no force pull... it was so much fun to pull enemies directly onto your saber in the previous jedi knights games... impale them without even swinging! well ok, no, it didnt work too much as the damage was minimal. but this game could've fixed this, instead of breaking in completely :(
    no force deflect! now that's an incompetent lightsaber user if i ever saw one!
    how about force speed, sense, speed, absorb, speed, drain, speed, heal, speed, defense, speed, mind trick and speed? i hope they have them... if not, at least force speed should be there.

    the game really doesn't sound good to me now... maybe if the wii version does a good job with the wiimote lightsaber control... but even then, it better have multiplayer duels or it is just wasting its fun potential.

    (oh and, anandtech, your post comment has a broken stylesheet and the formatting buttons don't work)
  • Aquila76 - Tuesday, October 7, 2008 - link

    They replaced that 'pull onto Saber' move with Saber Impale (Grip and Saber Toss).

    The powers are Push, Grip/Throw, Choke, Lightning, Deflect (this is always on to a minimal extent, but you can also go into Deflect mode and block / return nearly all the blaster shots; it also increases in skill as you progress through the game), Saber Throw, Double Jump, Dash (a short-burst form of Speed), Repulse (knocks down people & objects around you), and Maelstrom (high power Force tornado that does huge damage; a bit hard to pull off if your in heavy combat, though). Most of these can be combined (Jump & Lightning or Push, Lightning & Push makes your foe slide away from you crackling and then and Detonate upon contact with object or other foes, Push & Lightning knocks enemies down and fires an electric ball to Scorch them, etc.). There are also Lightsaber chain moves (swing L, R, then Up, etc.) and Lightsaber & Force combos (2 or 3 swings and Push or Lightning, Jump and swing, Jump then Dash then swing, etc.).

    Wii version has dueling mode for the multi-player. The Wii-remote is quite possibly the best Lightsaber controller, ever. I'm surprised they didn't review the Wii version. Maybe they're gonna do it separately?

    I actually rented and played the whole game straight through on Saturday. The wife was out of town, so I didn't have the nagging 'empty the trash' or 'take out the dog' or 'pay me attention' and whatever other asinine things wives normally clamor on about when we're trying to have fun. So far, this was the best 11 hours of my year! I'm going to buy this with the next Best Buy 10% off coupon I get.
  • fepple - Monday, October 6, 2008 - link

    In some of the previous games force jumping over people then a force pull would dispatch whole groups :D
  • EddieTurner - Monday, October 6, 2008 - link

    If it's any consolation, I did detect the force head scratch, the force lean, and the force blink in the game. And I swear I saw the force nod, but I can't be sure of that one. It was late.
  • SlyNine - Tuesday, October 7, 2008 - link

    Is the force tea bagg in there ? That would be sweet.
  • KnIgHtCoM - Monday, October 6, 2008 - link

    No PC Version + No Multiplayer = FAIL
  • 9nails - Thursday, October 9, 2008 - link

    I was at Target last night, saw the display on the end cap... The Xbox 360 section was nearly sold out. Wii was second. PS3 and DS were mostly full. My purchase would have been an impulse buy, but I wanted a PC version. I checked the PC shelves, but couldn't find it.

    So there's no PC version 'eh?

    Epic Fail, indeed.
  • ComatoseDelirium - Tuesday, October 7, 2008 - link

    Great looking game, no pc version makes it a fail in my opinion.

  • ComatoseDelirium - Tuesday, October 7, 2008 - link

    Great looking game, no pc version makes it a fail in my opinion.

  • PeteRoy - Monday, October 6, 2008 - link

    I agree, no pc
  • jzodda - Monday, October 6, 2008 - link

    Epic Fail
  • FITCamaro - Monday, October 6, 2008 - link

    I remember them saying that they didn't do a PC version because they wouldn't be able to do all the games systems well due to the wide variety of systems out there. But they could do a Wii and PS2 version.....

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