JeWii? = Jedi for the Wii. <.<

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Preview: Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

While Star Wars has never really exited the pubic conscience, 2008 is the year it will burst back onto the scene like never before. Two new TV shows, guest turns by Vader and Yoda in Soulcalibur IV, and a true new-gen debut based on an all-new story in Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. While there's plenty of sweet new Star Wars information within the next few pages, we thought we'd focus the most on what's really new -- the Wii version of The Force Unleashed. Is it the true Wii lightsaber game? Read on to find out.


By the time Star Wars: The Force Unleashed lands on the Wii, it will have been well over 500 days since the Wii's launch. That's 500 days without a real, honest-to-goodness Star Wars lightsaber game. While the Nintendo 64 and GameCube both launched with Star Wars games, LucasArts noticeably ignored the Wii's launch lineup. The first game from LucasArts didn't even arrive until a year into the console's existence. That title? Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga, which, while a great game unto itself, was not what most Wii Star Wars fans were clamoring for.

The Dark (Side) Days
During the wait, other Wii games competed to earn the Wii's swordfighting crown...a crown many believed Star Wars should have owned from the start. Some games, such as Red Steel and Dragon Blade, failed. Others, like Legend of Zelda and No More Heroes, have managed to steal some of the thunder of the inevitable Wii lightsaber debut. No More Heroes, in particular, seemed to have been borne out of the frustration of waiting for the ultimate Wii lightsaber game, with a nerd-punk "beam katana"-wielding protagonist. In fact, the Wii Remote's speaker emitted a familiar "fwoosh" any time the hero turned on his weapon. Coincidence? We think not.

Without dwelling too much on other titles, No More Heroes was enjoyed by many, though it had its share of detractors too. Some critics claimed it was the real Wii lightsaber game. We have a feeling that LucasArts sensed people would find refuge in other swordfighting titles, which is why it's taking a different route than most expected with Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.

The Force Maelstrom is the godliest power we've seen yet, and is definitely a Dark Side tactic.

Force UnWiished
Having had extensive hands-on time with The Force Unleashed for Wii, we can indeed confirm that the combat makes great use of motion-based lightsaber attacks. It's not 1:1 motion sensing, but it manages to mimic 'saber swings in most directions (left to right, right to left, up to down, down to up, and straight thrusting). It's not a completely new concept--Dragon Blade and No More Heroes used the same method to a degree--but a few additional Force-infused actions really sell the Star Wars Wii ethos. There's blocking, which requires you hold the Wii Remote sideways so your on-screen counterpart can do the same. There's also Force Push, which allows you to shove anything not bolted to the ground simply by thrusting the Nunchuk forward. A few basic actions are still mapped to standard button presses, but otherwise, this is about as immersive a motion-sensing Star Wars adventure can get. Check out the "Control the Force" spread to get the full lay of the land for the Force Unleashed's unique control method.

The Apprentice: Sith Edition
For those of you unfamiliar with The Force Unleashed, here's a quick primer. Set in the uneasy years between the two trilogies, you play the role of Darth Vader's secret apprentice, trained by the Dark Lord of the Sith and groomed to secretly take down the Emperor. Of course, being a secret apprentice means you can't leave any trace of your misdeeds, so both Rebel forces and Empire troops are fit for the killing. The producers of the game have repeatedly said that the story is about redemption, and that the Apprentice won't necessarily end the game the same as he started it, so don't be surprised if this new hire takes a swipe at the boss at some point.

Our play session focused on one of three levels that you won't see in the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions--The Jedi Temple, where Vader began his reign of terror by slaying younglings . The other two stages exclusive to the Wii, PS2, and PSP are Nar Shaddaa and an expanded version of Cloud City. But our hands-down favorite is still The Jedi Temple level, and we're surprised that it's been omitted from the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions because it's such a vital part of the Star Wars universe. The Temple had the eeriness that you'd expect of a former massacre site; it may have not been packed with enemies, but offing the few living ones felt like a continuation of what had happened at the end of Episode III.


After clearing a hallway filled with temple spirits, we got to try out our first boss battle, in which we took on Darth Desolus, who is a new character introduced in The Force Unleashed. In battling Desolus, we quickly noticed that boss battles are much more epic in scale and require more finesse with the motion controls. We lashed out at Desolus, and our lightsabres locked together. We struggled to overpower Desolus, and as you've seen in the many movies, that sort of situation usually leads to an intense parry or show of strength. The same goes for Force attacks; Force Lightning and other Force powers will push against each other. When you're engaged in "Saber Lock" or "Force Lock," you've got to tilt your Wii Remote or Nunchuk to an angle indicated onscreen, then punch forward once you're correctly aligned. Though hard to describe, these battles of will feel truly authentic, like the way you would resolve a physical stalemate in a Star Wars battle.

Our next boss battle came against an AT-ST walker. First we whittled down the killer machine's lifebar by hurling large objects using Force Push, then we engaged in some God of War-style control prompts to finish it off. But these motion-sensitive finishing moves are just the icing on the cake; they're highly damaging and quite cinematic, but not necessary to win the fight. Of course, you'll want all the help you can get, because the motion controls for this portion of the fight felt a little iffy. We noticed that the finishing-move motions didn't directly correlate to the on-screen action, which made for missed opportunities and even a little frustration. Hopefully the developers can improve the motion-control sensitivity while also making the motions match the action.

Force Fencing
Perhaps the most enticing feature of the Wii version is a new Duel Mode, which brings together almost every Lightsaber-wielding Jedi and Sith in a fast-paced versus fighting mode that incorporates all of the single-player mode's moves into Power Stone-style brawls that take place in some of the most memorable settings in Star Wars history. Duel Mode was a happy surprise, and ended up being one of our favorite experiences in the Wii version of The Force Unleashed.

We engaged in some intense battles in Duel Mode, and we wouldn't hesitate to call it the most satisfying Star Wars multiplayer mode outside of the Battlefront series. Jam-packed with environmental hazards in Star Wars dangerzones like the Jedi Temple, Raxus Prime, Hoth, and Kashyyk, the frantic fights in Duel Mode came closest to living up to the name and premise of The Force Unleashed. These were unpredictable, thrilling battles that allowed us to be almost anyone, fight almost anywhere, and use any power possible to come out on top... we even located power-ups that allowed us to summon Stormtroopers or enjoy infinite Force power.


You can learn more about the impressive cast--and the one surprising omission--in "Duel Mode Characters: All Secrets Revealed" on the next page.

A Promising Padawan
We took away two strong feelings about the Wii version of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. For starters, the game is rougher around the edges in terms of graphics and controls when compared to the bigger, badder Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of the game. However, we also felt that the Wii version's major additions--the exclusive stages, the Duel Mode, and most importantly, the first real implementation of Star Wars motion-based combat--have added a layer of immersion that no previous Star Wars game can match.

The game may share a narrative across all three major consoles, but your experience will vary wildly depending on your console of choice. Do you go with a game that offers intense visual realism and traditional controls? Or one that pulls you in by putting more Force in your hands? Which side will you align with?

I might have to get a Wii just for this game. Always wanted a Light saber. <.< never noticed a star wars game wasn't made exclusive for the Wii but i never owned a Wii but it does feel like this console would be perfect for Star Wars. Loved the first pic posted.

[JohnCenaFan28]

Very interesting, can't wait to play this game.

[adam apathy]

me too, i hope its as good as knights of the old republic