The first details of LucasArts' PS3 and Xbox 360 Star Wars project have finally emerged, from the latest issue of Game Informer.
It's called Star Wars: Force Unleashed and takes place between Episode III and Episode IV, when new Sith on the block Darth Vader is out to wipe the galaxy clean of runaway Jedi.
As Vader's apprentice, you're on a secret mission to dive head-first into the forbidden Dark Side of the force, take out the emperor and rule the galaxy as master and apprentice. Awww.
Xbox 360 and PS3 versions are being developed in-house at Lucasarts, while PS2, PSP and DS duties have been outsourced to another, unnamed developer.
George Lucas reportedly has a lot of input in the project, and even helped design some of the characters.
Force Unleashed uses LucasArts' much-touted Eurphoria engine, which calculates environmental damage such as smashing crates in real-time. One given example of the tech is how a tree will either break in two or splinter realistically depending on how you hit it. Likewise, steel will dent appropriately when damaged your fancy Force powers.
And speaking of Force powers, many of the world-bending tricks from theE3 tech demo are present in Force Unleashed, including the "cannon ball"-like force push, with controls presented in a similar vein to the excellent Psi-Ops.
One scene reportedly has you battling Jedi Knight Shaak Ti in the Jedi Temple, after the galaxy-wide order to exterminate the Jedi. There's also the suggestion of being able to control your own pack of Rancors, the gigantic beasties that Jabba the Hutt likes to keep under his control.
But we all know how Star Wars ends so it's going to be a very predictable cock-up for Vadar's Palpatine-trouncing plans, right? LucasArts promises to shake up the Star Wars lore with alternate endings in Unleashed, where the bad guys really can win.
We'll bring you more details - and hopefully media - as it arrives. Where's the Wii version though? Perfect for the Wii Remote...
February 12, 2007
