This morning I got my first chance to play some of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed as the demo finally became available on the 360. Sadly, I was not one of the lucky ones who got a chance to play it at E3, so I was going in completely fresh. And in all honesty, my expectations were high, since I'm an unapologetic Star Wars geek. I'm not exactly a fanboy, but I know my gundarks from my wampae. And with the pre-E3 buzz being less than favorable, and with so many delays, there was a large potential for failure. So the question remains: how is the game?

In a word: amazing. In two words: MUST HAVE. The game opens in Vader's antechamber, as the Dark Lord of the Sith tasks you, Starkiller, to retrieve a lightsaber from a rogue Imperial. He tells you that everyone you encounter on the ship must be wiped out so no trace will be left. So... you want me to kill everyone? Wait, and you're giving me a lightsaber and the power of the Force to get the job done? SIGN ME UP!

Your attacks involve the lightsaber, the Force, Sith Lightning, and combinations of the three. Enemies include Stormtroopers, Imperial Officers, and a few surprises (hint: it starts with AT...) But the real stand-out of Force Unleashed is the force grab. At one point in the demo, I found myself faced with at least twenty Troopers firing like mad at yours truly. Looking up, I noticed that several TIE Fighters and Bombers were docked. I simply grabbed the craft with the Force, pulled it down atop my enemies, and the ensuing explosion took most of them out.

The only real issue I had with the demo was with Starkiller's jump attacks. He tends to hang up in the air, and float back down rather than jump towards the enemy I was trying to attack. It's not that it doesn't work well, it just didn't work like I expected.

But having played the demo, I have to say that September 16 can't get here soon enough!

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