The Dark Knight

What’s better than being a powerful young Jedi? Being an apprentice to Darth Vader himself, on missions where your only option is The Force Unleashed. With controller in hand, we see if the next Star Wars game lives up to its name.

"Whoa! I don’t think anyone’s done that here before,” laughs Haden Blackman, project lead on Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. We’ve just walked into a massive chamber and, without thinking about it, used Force Grip to snag an in-flight TIE Fighter that was whizzing past us. It’s a moment of awe and wonder, as we ponder what to do with our newfound toy; but before we can put it to use, we accidentally let it go, and off it flies. Oh well…we’re just an Apprentice, after all.

In this second mission of LucasArts’ upcoming game, Darth Vader has sent us — his loyal servant and student of the Sith — to an enormous TIE Fighter factory. Our orders are to take down General Kota, a rogue Jedi who’s scheming against the Empire. It’s a mission we’ve seen before (for a preview in our February 2008 issue), but for the first time, we’re actually playing The Force Unleashed in an exclusive hands-on demo. And as the next hour shows us, cutting loose with those Force powers is really what this game is all about.

THE OPPOSITE OF LIGHT

As revealed previously, Force Unleashed follows in the footsteps of the Jedi Knight games, but it takes them to the next level, both technologically and in the scope of your abilities. The developers want you to feel like an all-mighty badass, wielding the Force to a degree we haven’t seen before in a videogame. It’s a focus that’s clear right from the start, where you begin the game as the scariest Sith of all — Darth Vader.

Yup, for Force’s first mission (technically, the prologue), you’re playing as Vader, having just landed on the Wookiee homeworld, Kashyyyk. In this time period between Episodes III and IV, you’re out to exterminate the rest of the Jedi, and one of your targets is hiding on this lush jungle planet. As you and your Imperial cadre march toward his location, a world of Wookiees stands in your way… and the fun begins. Unlike Jedi Knight II and Jedi Academy — where you initially had no Force powers or limited ones — Force Unleashed gives you a taste of full Jedi might in its first mission, so you know what kind of power awaits you as you level up in later levels.

As we strolled down a pathway (Vader’s too cool to run, so he has a slow saunter), we felt sadistic glee as we employed Darth’s signature ability, Force Choke, on various Wookiees. You can use it in combos, of course — Choke an enemy so he’s dangling in mid-air, then slash him with your saber. Force Push is where the real fun is at, though. A quick button-tap flings foes dozens of feet — perfect for blasting them off Kashyyyk’s cliffs — but if you hold the button to charge it up, then release, opponents will soar several times that distance. Thanks to much-touted Digital Molecular Matter (DMM) technology, which gives in-game materials realistic physical properties, you’ll see some awesome effects, too: when we used a charged-up Force Push on some Wookiees standing on a huge rope bridge, the hapless hirsutes went flying while the bridge flowed up and down in giant, beautiful waves.

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