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Faithful Star Wars fans may balk at the newest chapter of the Star Wars saga, the Force Unleashed.  Taking place between the third and fourth films, TFU will bridge perhaps the most intriguing gap in the Star Wars mythology.  While this is excellent news for some, others, most notably sticklers for continuity, are worried about the potential damage to their beloved canon.  There are already tons of books and comics that take place during that 16 year period, each one an official part of Star Wars lore, and many worry that The Force Unleashed will overwrite or undo many of the events therein.  Despite those who fear the changes that will inevitably come with the new game (and associated books, comics, miniatures, etc…), Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is still one of the year’s most eagerly anticipated titles.  And guess what – we got to play it!  Does the reality of the game live up to the Euphoria/DMM-fueled hype?  In a word, yes.

First off, for all the people who were worried a few months ago about the game’s framerate; based on our experience with the game, there is absolutely nothing to be concerned about.  While we didn’t get a chance to se dozens of characters on screen at once, we did see about 6 or 7 at a time along with various droids, moving TIE Fighters and, of course, the Apprentice, and never did we see a single skipped frame.  Considering all the middleware craziness that’s going on at any given time, that’s pretty impressive.  In addition to running silky smooth, The Force Unleashed looks great.  Environments are lush and highly detailed with gorgeous real-time lighting and texturing, and when you combine them with the game’s excellent character models, you’ve got one of the most visually polished titles to be found at E3.  As solid as the gameplay looks, the cut scenes are even more impressive, with incredibly detailed character models and naturalistic animations.  Watching Vader purposefully stride through a war-torn Kasshyyk, hurling Wookies all the while, only to be confronted by a brave but terrified 8-year old Starkiller will send chills down the spine of even the most jaded of Star Wars fans.   The few cinematics we saw did a great job of tying the action together, something that is both vitally important and, sadly, often forgotten in Star Wars titles.

Then there’s the action.  Playing as Starkiller gives you that ever-satisfying feeling of being a true bad-ass in a fantasy world in which we all want to live.  Even though we were only able to utilize a few of the Apprentice’s abilities, there was no shortage of methods with which to destroy everyone (and everything) that was foolish enough to get in our way.  Whether performing simple lightsaber attacks, deflecting opponents’ shots back at them to hurling nearby droids at them, the action always feels right, like you are a true force-sensitive engine of destruction with total freedom to dispatch enemies however you like.  Unlike many other Star Wars games where you need to make sure not to hit your teammates with errant saber throws or Force pushes, The Force Unleashed allows you to destroy without such compunctions.  Since you are a secret that only Vader knows about, everyone in the game, Rebel, Imperial or otherwise, is your enemy.  Basically, if someone has the misfortune of seeing you, they can’t be allowed to live, as they could conceivably tell about your existence.  It’s a good thing, too, because wiping out enemies is so much fun, there’s no way you’d b able to avoid doing the same to your allies.  As promised, Force powers are beefed up severely, allowing you to perform small miracles like grabbing starfighters mid-flight, then flinging them into crowds of soldiers.  The powers work very well in conjunction with the game’s highly touted Dynamic Material Modeling engine, so when you force blast a large metal door, it looks and feels totally different than doing the same thing to a tree or a person.  Wood splinters, metal bends and glass shatters just the way it should, further immersing you in theis incredibly well-crafted world. 

Honestly, my only complaint is that I have to wait until November to play the game again.  Unlocking new Force powers and facing some of the enemies we saw in the trailer (armored Rancor beast?  Yes please!) is just too exciting a prospect to wait for.  While I can’t vouch for how well the story fits into the larger Star Wars world, the gameplay and presentation of The Force Unleashed is top notch and should keep Star Wars fans happy for quite a while. 

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