The Force Unleashed - updated impressions

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When it comes to the Star Wars universe, Haden Blackman is the most knowledgeable man alive (outside of George Lucas, of course). At one point in his career, he was the guy in charge of continuity across every single piece of Star Wars product in existence. Now, LucasArts has tapped his veritable font of wisdom and lore by making him the project lead for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, which takes place during the tumultuous-but-unexplored years between Episodes III and IV. LucasArts invited us to their San Francisco studio yesterday, where Mr. Blackman gave us our first in-depth look at the game in action on the gorgeous big screen in LucasFilm/ILM’s private theater. After seeing demos of the 360, Wii, DS, and PSP versions of the game, we can say with certainty that the Dark Side has never looked so seductive.

In The Force Unleashed, you take on the role of Darth Vader’s secret apprentice, referred to only as "The Secret Apprentice." Your mission is to terminate the last of the Jedi with the bone-shattering, flesh-searing Force powers you’ve learned from the Dark Lord. The first portion of the demo focused on three levels from the 360 version of the game, and we were amazed and delighted by the interplay of Force powers, environments and enemies.