Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (video game)

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is a next-gen Star Wars videogame heading to the PS3 and Xbox 360 consoles. LucasArts is working in conjunction with Industrial Light and Magic, Pixelux Entertainment, and NaturalMotion to create the ultimate next-gen Star Wars experience. The game takes place between Episodes III and IV, and is slated for release in 2007. The game will showcase Digital Molecular Matter, an extremely detailed and realistic material physics engine developed by Pixelux, and Euphoria, a realistic AI engine by NaturalMotion. Pre-visualization demonstrations of these technologies were shown at the LucasArts booth at E3 2006.

From the preview shown, the game will take place sometime after the rise of the Galactic Empire, and allow players to control a Sith apprentice. Motion images seen to date highlight the force powers that will be used in the game, showing the Force-users engaging in advanced telekinesis and Force lightning.

Story

 * You will play as Darth Vader's secret apprentice and will help him exterminate the last of the Jedi.
 * Vader finally came to realize that the Emperor had tricked him into turning towards the dark side, but he knows it's too late to go back, so the only thing he can do is destroy the Emperor with another apprentice. You.
 * You start off as a skilled Sith with the majority of powers at your disposal, from Push to Lighting. Throughout the game your powers can and will evolve to legendary strength, moreso than the Emperor himself.

Euphoria
The use of Euphoria, from NaturalMotion, will allow for extremely advanced AI, allowing characters to realistically respond to changes in the environment. For example, a Jedi can lift a stormtrooper into the air, but the stormtrooper will realistically try to grab onto something in order to get back on the ground. Something similar can be seen in the prerendered Force Pre-viz video.

"Well, you probably Force pushed a stormtrooper or two as Kyle Katarn in a Jedi Knight game, right? Imagine if that stormtrooper was able to stop his progress by grabbing onto a railing and then proceeded to grab a gun beside him and fire back at Kyle -- all this because his biomechanical AI simply knew that that's the best thing for him to do. That's euphoria in action"

- Haden Blackman

Digital Molecular Matter
"Now, imagine that Kyle pushes another stormtrooper into a building with so much force that you'd expect the stormtrooper to make a permanent dent in the wall. That happens with DMM, and no matter how many times you throw that stormtrooper into that wall, it will look different every single time, and still always look authentic. In fact, if you hit him hard enough and the building is dilapidated enough, the whole thing might collapse on the stormtrooper, because DMM also takes into account the actual physical mass of an object and the ways in which objects are constructed. Even with euphoria in place, there's no getting up from that!"

- Haden Blackman

Industrial Light & Magic
ILM is closely working with LucasArts to deliver movie-quality special effects in real-time for the game.

"Fortunately, at LucasArts, we strongly believe that game design should drive technology and not the other way around. In order to realize our core concept of the Force unleashed, we've been working closely with Industrial Light & Magic. Now that we're right down the hall from the most important visual-effects house in movie history, we're not only working with some of their best engineers, but we're also using the same toolset to make our game that was used to produce the special effects for movies like Pirates of the Caribbean 2."

- Haden Blackman

Information
From interviews, demos, and concept art, the following can be gleaned:
 * Haden Blackman is writing the story, which involves "delv[ing] deeper into Darth Vader's history."
 * Steve Sansweet confirmed that it will take place between Episode III and Episode IV, will feature both established and new characters, and its story "has some incredible revelations."
 * The demo shows a Star Destroyer in the sky over Felucia, although it was possibly only used to show off the graphics engine as opposed to reveal any plot.
 * The first piece of leaked concept art shows Vader, AT-STs, and an AT-AT fighting Wookiees on Kashyyyk.In the background is the Executor.
 * A second piece of leaked concept art shows Vader looking over a group of four people, presumably mercenaries: a Gand, a Human woman with a vibrostaff, a masked Human or humanoid male, and a droid that resembles a cross between Grievous and HK-47.
 * Another leaked concept art shows a hooded figure with blue lightsaber standing in front of what appears to be the crashed star destroyer, with spider-like droids approaching. The artist appears to have labeled the picture as "Raxus Prime."
 * A fourth leaked concept art shows Maris Brood, a female Zabrak, holding two green "light-batons."
 * A "Force Power Pre-Viz" video can be found on Star Wars: Hyperspace and also on IGN. While not actually using gameplay footage, it shows a Jedi fighting stormtroopers in several locations, apparently including Aldera on Alderaan, the medical facility on Polis Massa, and a ruined city that could be Coruscant, or possibly Nar Shaddaa.
 * In an interview released exclusively by IGN, Haden Blackman reveals more about the upcoming Star Wars game.
 * Based on the announcement of an action figure wave revolving around the content of the game, it is known that it will feature characters named Maris Brood and Juno Eclipse. The figures include a blonde female Imperial officer, a battle-damaged Darth Vader, Palpatine using Force lightning, an Imperial Guardsman wearing armor resembling Carnor Jax and armed with a red lightsaber, an older "Samurai" Jedi with a blue lightsaber, a younger male Jedi with a blue lightsaber, a scantily-clad woman with a green lightsaber, and stormtroopers wearing armor that resembles a cross between phase II clone trooper armor and stormtrooper armor.
 * The March 07 issue of Game Informer features the unveiling of this game and confirms the title.
 * Force powers in this game are going to be over the top. When you force push somebody, it's going to like a cannonball hit them in the gut. As for Force Usage, there will be a bar, but it will constantly regenerate. Some powers have unlimited uses such as Push, but more advanced powers such as Repulsion will take a couple of seconds to recharge. The control scheme will be akin to Psi Ops.

Secrets of Star Wars 07
In 2006, StarWars.com let Hyperspace members have a sneak peek at Star Wars: The Force Unleashed in a weekly feature entitled "Secrets of Star Wars 07."


 * 1.Force Repulse - "The first concept image from the biggest Star Wars entertainment event of 2007."
 * 2.That's Gotta Hurt - "Durasteel walls and marble pillars are no match for the power of the Force."
 * 3.Through the Fog - "The skies of this historically tranquil planet are once again filled with gigantic warships."
 * 4.World On Fire - "Imperial and Wookiee forces collide on Kashyyyk."
 * 5.Lost and Found - "On a world where much comes to vanish, a lone figure stands up to be noticed."
 * 6.Branching Out - "There's more of the Wookiee home world waiting to be explored."
 * 7.Wear and Tear - "Not exactly a scenic spot that would make its way into a galactic travel brochure."
 * 8.The Bigger They Are... - "Only different in your mind, my young apprentice..."
 * 9.Worlds Apart - "A galaxy awaits the next storm..."
 * 10.Greatly Exaggerated - "Reports of some demises turned out to be inaccurate..."
 * 11.You Can Never Go Back - "Some things are best left in the past."
 * 12.Under Protection - "The skies of Felucia are much safer now under the vigilant eyes of the Galactic Empire."
 * 13.Postcards from the Core - "These location studies show unfamiliar angles of a familiar home world."
 * 14.Maelstrom - "It was a storm... there was no other word to describe it. It was like a sick joke, since we were supposed to be the stormtroopers..."
 * 15.No Way But Up - "Sometimes, you can never have enough manpower to surround a Jedi."
 * 16.Droid Profiling - "An assortment of head designs to determine the look of what promises to be a memorable droid character."
 * 17.Jaws of the Sepulchre - "Some think them no more than mindless animals, but it clear that they know, respect and fear death."
 * 18.The Claw - "Some droids can't help being so grabby."
 * 19.New Boys in White - "An uncertain era produces a number of specialized Imperial forces."
 * 20.Crawling in Style - "These Jawas have used their innate mechanical skills to truly trick out their treaded ride."
 * 21.Grim Trophies - "As hobbies go, this one's hardly Jedi Code-approved."
 * 22.Camp Jawa - "There's plenty of bargains to be had, but show up early; the good stuff gets picked over quickly."
 * 23.Black and White - "Occasionally, moral dilemmas are this clear cut."
 * 24.Organic Pad - "A vessel of intriguing design touches down on a wholly natural landing pad on the overgrown plains of Felucia."
 * 25.Night on the Town - "The times may be dark, but the neon distractions help a bit."
 * 26.The Works - "Despite hazard signs cautioning about the dangers of heavy gas processing equipment, you just know an action scene is going to find its way into here."
 * 27.Speed Mode - "This souped up transport has the mode to fit the mission."
 * 28.In the Shadows - "Black is the new red."
 * 29.Tubed - "Botany fans, rejoice... these adventures allow you to really get into Felucian plantlife."
 * 30.Running the Trench - "Though a work in progress, this backdrop is complete enough to contain a lot of action and excitement."