| Star Wars: The Force Unleashed | 
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| From: Lucas Arts Entertainment
Category: Video Games
List Price: $59.99
Buy New: $43.49
You Save: $16.50 (28%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:   (65 reviews)
Sales Rank: 66
Format: Cd
Platform: Playstation 3
ESRB: Teen
Media: Video Game
Batteries Included: No
Age: 12 - 20 years
Shipping Weight (lbs): 5
Dimensions (in): 0.1 x 0.1 x 0
MPN: 901802
Model: 32389
UPC: 023272332389
EAN: 0023272332389
ASIN: B000R39GPA
Release Date: September 16, 2008 (New: Last 30 Days)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| 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. |
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| Editorial Reviews:
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
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Use The Force to disable your enemies
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Artwork of the Jedi "Maris"
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As its name implies, The Force Unleashed completely re-imagines the scope and scale of the Force by taking full advantage of newly developed technologies that will be seen and experienced for the first time: Digital Molecular Matter (DMM), by Pixelux Entertainment, and euphoria by NaturalMotion Ltd. Paired with the powerful Havok Physics? system, these new technologies create gameplay only possible on the new generation of consoles. DMM incorporates the physical properties of anything in the environment so that everything reacts exactly like it should - wood breaks like wood, glass shatters like glass, plants on the planet Felucia bend like plants on the planet Felucia would, and more. Meanwhile, as a revolutionary behavioral-simulation engine, euphoria enables interactive characters to move, act and even think like actual human beings, adapting their behavior on the fly and resulting in a different payoff every single time.
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 Force Unleashed is LucasArts' first internally developed title for next-generation consoles, and it represents the first in-game collaboration of talents and technology between LucasArts and Industrial Light & Magic, two companies now finally under one roof at the new Letterman Digital Arts Center in San Francisco's Presidio district.
- The Force Unleashed debuts Digital Molecular Matter from Pixelux and euphoria behavioral simulation from NaturalMotion Ltd.
- 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 New Technology of The Force Unleashed
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 gameplay and the Force like it's never been seen or experienced before.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 60 more reviews...
 Most look forward to game of the year it is no multiplayer?! What is this?! October 10, 2008
When I first saw this game in development I thought it looked amazing and it turned out to be a pretty good single player, with a great storyline to go with it. The game gets addictive, and I look the force grip.The problem is, there is no multiplayer or online play. With no online play this game went from game of the year, to biggest disappointment. It's a good rental, but I don't see anyone a year from now still playing it. Without the multiplayer options, this game will have a short life. Lucas Arts should have known better. If there is a sequel, there better be online play.
 I'm sad to give this such a bad review October 10, 2008
I have the PS3 version.
While the game is very fun, I will admit, the controls have been a problem throughout the game. I eventually made it to Imperial Felucia, the third-to-the-last level, when I ended up deleting my saved game. The battle with the bull rancor had me screaming at my TV.
The targeting is bad. Flat out bad. You cannot lock onto an enemy and stay locked. Many, many times I would try to attack, only to turn and attack some random crate or rock. Occasionally this would happen two or even three times against the same enemy, and I would get whomped because I could not make the character turn and use force lightning or push on the enemy actually attacking him.
This became a decisive factor in the bull rancor battle, made even worse by camera clipping. I would try to turn the camera to face the rancor, but the camera vantage would hit a tree or rock, and reset to another direction. Sometimes the camera would jump so many times that the character would just stagger about, and I would have to "find" the rancor just to know which direction to attack. Of course, half the time it didn't matter, as I would just force lightning or throw the saber at a skeleton or other random direction. The simple ability to hold a lock and force perspective on that lock would fix the problem, but that never seemed to work.
I really liked the story, but until I see that there is a bug fix patch, I will not regret deleting a saved game three quarters finished and putting the game away.
 With a few more tweaks, this game could have been the SITH! October 9, 2008
I saw my enemies (my prey) and for a fleeting second, I pitied them. I knew their feeble training was no match for the teachings I had absorbed. However, I was taught that pity was for the weak. I could almost smell their fear as the battle commenced.
The first got off easy. I lifted him with the power of The Force and flung his body over the railing to the molten depths below. The next one fired a blaster at me but I dodged his fire with a speedy Sith maneuver - it was the last thing he never saw. My last foe was in complete shock, and I used this to my advantage: I summoned the power of lightning from my fingertips to strike the very core of his being. As I left the room, I knew the danger was far from over...but I also had the sweet taste of victory in my mouth - and my palate would not be satisfied until my mission was complete.
This is a glimpse inside the mind of Starkiller, the new apprentice of Darth Vader.
Upon doing a little research, it's clear that LucasArts wanted to make a truly epic game. The Force Unleashed incorporates several different kinds of software:
(1) Havok: This allows for a more lifelike world and animation, such as the ragdoll physics for the game characters.
(2) Digital Molecular Matter (DMM): It allows objects in the game to break differently from each impact: wood splinters like wood, glass breaks like glass, and a structure can crumble due to lack of support.
(3) Euphoria: Instead of using predefined animations, the characters' actions and reactions are synthesized in real-time; they are different every time, even when replaying the same scene.
All of these are combined to provide a very compelling and vibrant world in which we can cultivate our character to become a force to be reckoned with.
Each mission has a main objective and a number of separate, optional objectives which can increase our score, or reveal secret powerups. By leveling up, our character can increase his proficiency in Force Powers, Force Talents, and even Combinations. The lightsaber itself can be outfitted with different crystals - some change the color, others offer additional effects for protection or attacks. Costumes can be selected for the character to wear throughout the game, and a growing Databank allows us to read about different characters, locations, and vehicles. There is also a training room to hone your skills against a variety of foes. As you progress, you can select any level you have previously completed to go back and search for hidden items you may have missed. For those who want the quick and easy path, there is a code input screen to access levels and items with greater ease.
So how is the gameplay itself?
Well, it's got some excellent promise. This is not a typical "Button Masher" game; it requires the player to change their attack strategies for each opponent. Some will be affected by lightning, while others are not. Some enemies can be lifted and thrown with The Force, while others cannot. This keeps the gameplay from getting overly repetitive. There are more Star Wars cameos than you can shake a Gundark at, including the voice of Jimmy Smits reprising his role as Bail Organa.
The powers are very well explained in the tutorials. I loved using the Sith Lightning for protection and attacks, the dash maneuver proved invaluable during boss battles, but I must say that the Force Lift felt a little clunky. Using two analog sticks to move an object was awkward and the targeting system fell short at times, missing the target I was trying to hit. It's curious to note that PSI-OPS, a game with a telekinetic character, used a similar power which felt much more fluid...that game came out 4 years prior, ALSO using Havok software.
The background music is a combination of the classic John Williams scores from the first 6 films, with new music specifically made for The Force Unleashed. Apparently the music changes with the pace and environment of any given moment. This truly allows us to feel like after all previous attempts, we are finally playing a truly epic Star Wars game.
LucasArts has even announced expansion packs that will be available at the Playstation Network: new skins, and a new mission.
So with all of this going for it, and being a Star Wars Fanboy, why can't I give this game 5 stars?
Well...there were two incredibly frustrating segments to this game. I won't mention them here, but everyone who has played and completed this game knows exactly which segments I am referring to. I had to lower the difficulty level of the game in order to pass one of those segments, and I know that other gamers with less patience might have resorted to using a cheat code, or worse...turned the game off and advised their friends not to buy it - exactly what LucasArts would not want to happen. This game can be finished in about 3-4 days of intense playing. Sure, the effort put into the game is impressive, but if it's too quick to finish, most players won't want to pay the high price tag.
The desire to unlock all the force powers will keep the fans going, and for those people who didn't like Episodes I-III, there's a hidden joke in one of the levels that'll keep you laughing for the rest of the game. However, if you want to play another Star Wars game with humor as your guide, look no further than Lego Star Wars.
All in all, LucasArts clearly spent a lot of time and effort with The Force Unleashed. There was a time when I would avoid their games because the over-reliance on Star Wars material usually meant more games, but with lower quality.
I can't wait to see what their next effort brings.
Exceeded my expectations... October 9, 2008
I had my reservations about purchasing this game; these reservations were quickly dispelled when I began playing the opening chapter as Darth Vader.
If you're a Stars War fan of any degree then you should get this game. The use of The Force is exceptional and fairly intuitive after a few minutes of use or so. The game is short (less than 10 hours of gameplay), but highly entertaining. Gorgeous graphics, top notch voice acting, and fantastic cut scenes.
I think what's often overlooked is the entertainment value of using the light saber, quite fun. There are a few camera angle issues at some points, and there are several stages in the game where there is no clear direction on where to go, and you end up wasting time searching for an obvious objective-tedious, to say the least.
The best element of the game is when you have a soldier hanging helplessly in the air, and see/watch them beg for their lives and or yelp in sheer terror. And by far the best part of the game is when you pull down an entire Star Destroyer-awesome.
A very good game, not great. But worth playing, and relishing in all of its Star Wars splendor.
 Fat George makes more money off our backs October 8, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
And this time, it's not even funny.
This game is so linear, you can't get lost,
you never have to make any decision,
and it's the worst graphics I have seen in years.
They fill your view with undefinable garbage,
making the environment boring and repetitive,
and the camera never focuses on the right angle.
Before you know it, story's over.
You do accomplish amazing stuff through the game.
Such as crashing a Star-Destroyer by Force alone :
by playing with the joysticks for about 4 lousy minutes.
Or beating enemies by copying button choregraphy.
Nothing new, it's just a carbon copy of Revenge of the Sith.
And the Revenge of the Sith's story was not as predictable as
the one your being choked with in Force Unleashed.
And by all means, changing the color of the lighsaber
or the dress that my character is wearing did not help
me in any way.
The wost thing about this is that Playstation actually
accepted to endorse the game as it is and to promote it
Big Time, releasing this mini-game as a Blockbuster !
Please !
Rent it if you still want to make the rich richer.
But you'll end up with very poor quality, and less money
in your pocket to spend the next time the damn franchise
dares to disapoint us this way...
You have been warned !
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