Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (video game)

"This game is about kicking ass with the Force."

- Haden Blackman, in the March 2007 issue of Game Informer

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is a Star Wars video game that takes place between the films Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Being the centerpiece of the Star Wars: The Force Unleashed multimedia project, the game will be released on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii as well as the PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo DS and the iPhone. LucasArts is working in conjunction with Industrial Light & Magic, Pixelux Entertainment, and NaturalMotion to create a next-gen Star Wars experience. The game will showcase Digital Molecular Matter (DMM), an extremely detailed and realistic material physics engine developed by Pixelux, and euphoria, a realistic bio-mechanical A.I. engine by NaturalMotion. The Force Unleashed was originally slated for release in November 2007 but was delayed to the spring of 2008 and later delayed again to that summer. It was then announced that it will be released on September 16, 2008. A demo was made available on Xbox LIVE and Playstation Network for download on August 21, 2008.

Plot points

 * Darth Vader finds a young boy, Galen Marek, on Kashyyyk and takes him in as a secret apprentice.
 * The story revolves around "redemption," but most likely only if the player chooses to follow the light side.
 * The game will span several years.
 * Galen Marek's parents lived on Kashyyyk during the Great Jedi Purge; his mother was killed defending the Wookiees against Trandoshan slavers, and his father was killed by Darth Vader.
 * Marek fights at least four Jedi in the game: Rahm Kota in a TIE Fighter Construction facility over Nar Shaddaa; Shaak Ti and Maris Brood on Felucia, and Kazdan Paratus on Raxus Prime. Marek's assignment as Vader's apprentice is to wipe out the remaining Jedi
 * Vader is the only one who knows that Marek exists. In order to keep it that way, Marek is ordered to wipe out all witnesses. Under the philosophy that everyone is the enemy.

Galen Marek

 * Galen Marek has been given the codename Starkiller by Darth Vader, and that was his only name until he had a vision of his father on Kashyyyk.
 * "The young man has a knack for the Force and a dark slant to his attitude - making for a less-than-typical lead character for a Star Wars title." —IGN
 * "While your character is plenty evil-looking and wields a red lightsaber, company reps were quick to point out that he isn't all. In fact, concept art shows the character wearing a sort of shackle on his wrist that Vader apparently uses to control him…" —GameSpot
 * In the game, the player shares a love interest with Juno Eclipse, an Imperial who pilots their ship, the Rogue Shadow.

Darth Vader

 * It has been revealed through a special Star Wars marathon on Spike that players will be able to play as Darth Vader in the first level of the game, where he meets Galen and kills his father.
 * Vader finally came to realize that the Emperor had tricked him into turning towards the dark side, but he "thinks" he knows it's too late to go back, so the only thing he can do is destroy Lord Sidious with his own apprentice&mdash;i.e. the player.
 * By the end of the game, players will supposedly have a deeper understanding of Darth Vader and how the events in the game affect his behavior in the original trilogy.

Gameplay

 * Players start off as a Dark Side Adept with the majority of powers at their disposal, from Force push to lightning. Throughout the game, powers will evolve to legendary strength.
 * The choices that the player makes will affect the outcome of the game, resulting in several alternate endings, including the true ending.
 * Shaak Ti is one of the major Jedi that the player must face.
 * In the February 2007 issue of Game Informer, it was confirmed that players can unlock new outfits.

Music
The music was composed by Mark Griskey, who also scored Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords. It was recorded at Skywalker Sound on September 23 and 24.

When asked in an interview with Griskey by TracksSounds.com about whether or not he thought the soundtrack would be released for sales, Griskey replied, "I can always be hopeful! I don't have much control there. That's really up to the legal and PR folks to decide."

Voice cast

 * Nathalie Cox – Juno Eclipse
 * Cully Fredrickson – Rahm Kota
 * Sam Witwer – Galen Marek
 * Jimmy Smits – Bail Organa
 * Matt Sloan – Darth Vader
 * Cam Clarke – Obi-Wan Kenobi
 * Catherine Taber – Princess Leia
 * Zeb Drees – Galen Marek (child)
 * Kari Wahlgren – Aayla Secura
 * Adrienne Wilkinson – Maris Brood

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 war ships."
 * 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 plant life [sic]."
 * 30. Running the Trench - "Though a work in progress, this backdrop is complete enough to contain a lot of action and excitement."

Sequels
As revealed at Celebration Europe, LucasArts is currently planning the next installment of The Force Unleashed storyline as well as other sequels.

"All these characters are going into the continuity, they’ll all be canon, and they’re all part of the Star Wars galaxy. So I can imagine that there will be other follow-ups with those characters. We’re already starting to toss around ideas about the next storyline and how some of these characters can resurface and have major roles in a sequel."

- Haden Blackman

Official Trailers
The first official trailer premiered on Entertainment Tonight and was featured exclusively (7/12/07) on the official home for Star Wars on Yahoo!, featuring an amazing view of what's to come as far as gameplay and story line. The trailer later appeared on the game's official website.

This all-new story revisits characters and locations that fans are familiar with, but also introduces new ones that add more rich depth to the Star Wars canon. Players will meet Maris Brood, an apprentice of fan favorite Shaak Ti, and come face-to-face with General Kota, a grizzled veteran who has much to teach. They'll also set foot on Raxus Prime and see Felucia, a planet only touched upon in Episode III (also featured in Star Wars: Empire at War Forces of Corruption and Star Wars: Battlefront II), up close and personal.

There were previews on SpikeTV during April.


 * 1. Play as Darth Vader
 * 2. Amped up Force powers
 * 3. Epic Battles
 * 4. Wii Duel mode

Game Platform Differences

 * The PS3 and Xbox 360 versions are essentially the same. They both feature Ronin, a set of three high-end graphics engines whose top visual qualities can only be captured on these two platforms. It should be noted that while the Wii and PS2 versions will also feature Ronin-like engines, they will be of lower standards.
 * Havok – A system also used in the famous Halo series; it allows the game to know the dimensions of objects and how they would work against each other.
 * Euphoria – developed by Natural Motion, it gives each character a realistic sense of awareness and responsiveness, meaning no two reactions are exactly the same (albeit some can be quite similar).
 * Digital Molecular Matter, or DMM – developed by Pixelux. DMM allows for all in-game objects and materials to react realistically; as they would in the real world. For example, metal can bend and dent, and wood can snap.


 * The Wii, PS2, and PSP versions are being made by Australian game company Krome Studios, but each version is slightly different. They will all have characters and locations not featured on the other consoles, such as a bar on Nar Shaddaa and the ruins of the Jedi Temple.


 * The Wii's control scheme allows players to "wield" a lightsaber with the Wii Remote and use Force powers by moving the Nunchuk. The game also features a two-player duel mode with nine arenas and 27 characters to choose from.


 * The physics engine featured in the PS2 means that rag-doll effects, enemies flying across the screen, and destructible environments can be more prominent in the game.


 * The PSP version will feature three quick play modes – Order 66, Force Duel, and Historic Missions – but it is unclear if the game will support three or four players in Ad Hoc mode, as several official sources conflict.


 * The DS version is being made by n-space and features a touch-screen combo system and a four-player death match mode.


 * The iPhone version is being developed by THQ. This version is controlled by pre-determined movements on the touch screen that must match what is shown for successful attacks with the Force. The playable character moves to areas on his own while the player simply has to destroy the obstacles in the way, enemies and non-organic alike.

Playable characters

 * Darth Vader
 * Galen Marek

Unlockable Skins

 * PROXY

Main Characters

 * Maris Brood
 * Juno Eclipse
 * Rahm Kota
 * Palpatine
 * Princess Leia Organa
 * Bail Prestor Organa
 * Garm Bel Iblis
 * Shaak Ti
 * R2-D2
 * Kento Marek
 * Mon Mothma
 * Kazdan Paratus
 * Darth Phobos
 * Darth Desolous

Cameos

 * Yoda
 * Obi-Wan Kenobi
 * Darth Maul
 * Qui-Gon Jinn
 * Mace Windu
 * RC-1138

Non-canon appearances

 * Luke Skywalker
 * Mara Jade Skywalker
 * Count Dooku
 * Aayla Secura
 * Asajj Ventress

Creatures

 * Rancor
 * Bull Rancor
 * Sand burrower

Events

 * Great Jedi Purge
 * Second Battle of Kashyyyk
 * Battle in the Death Star

Locations

 * Coruscant
 * Jedi Temple
 * Felucia
 * Haroon
 * Kashyyyk
 * Naboo
 * Raxus Prime
 * Raxus Prime Jedi Temple
 * Tatooine
 * Yavin 4
 * Mustafar
 * Nar Shaddaa
 * TIE Fighter Construction Facility
 * Bespin

Force powers



 * Force Grip
 * Force Lightning
 * Force Push
 * Force Repulse (Originally Called Maelstrom)

Organizations and titles

 * Galactic Empire
 * Emperor's Shadow Guard
 * Imperial Navy
 * Stormtroopers
 * EVO trooper
 * Jump trooper
 * Jedi Order
 * Order of the Sith Lords
 * Alliance to Restore the Republic

Sentient species

 * Aleena
 * Felucian
 * Gamorrean
 * Gand
 * Human
 * Hutt
 * Jawa
 * Pau'an
 * Rodian
 * Togruta
 * Ugnaught
 * Whiphid
 * Wookiee
 * Zabrak

Vehicles and vessels

 * All Terrain Armored Transport
 * All Terrain Scout Transport
 * CR90 corvette
 * Death Star I
 * Executor
 * Gunship
 * Imperial I-class Star Destroyer
 * Oevvaor jet catamaran
 * Rogue Shadow
 * Star Destroyer
 * Super Star Destroyer
 * TIE/ln starfighter
 * TIE/sa bomber
 * Unstable Terrain Artillery Transport

Weapons and technology

 * Blaster
 * Darth Vader's armor
 * Lightsaber
 * Guard shoto
 * Shoto
 * Stormtrooper armor

Miscellanea

 * Junk Titan
 * Junk golem

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."
 * There will be at least 18 stages in the game according to the May issue of Games.tm.
 * 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.
 * 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 guard shotos.
 * 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, an analysis room in the Jedi Temple, and the war-torn planet surface of Raxus Prime. This video also shows several stormtroopers wielding electrostaffs.
 * 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, and an article in the March issue of Game Informer it is known that it will feature characters such as Maris Brood, General Rahm Kota, an elder Human "Samurai" Jedi with a blue lightsaber, and Juno Eclipse, a blonde Human female Imperial officer. The figures include a battle-damaged Darth Vader, Palpatine wearing a robe with alternating dark and light brown deco using Force lightning, an Imperial Guardsman wearing armor resembling Carnor Jax and armed with a red lightsaber, referred to by Hasbro toy catalogue and computer databases as an Emperor's Shadow Guard, a younger Human male Jedi with a blue lightsaber, and stormtroopers wearing armor that resembles a cross between phase II clone trooper armor and stormtrooper armor. One is referred to as a Heavy Stormtrooper.
 * The March 07 issue of Game Informer features the unveiling of this game and confirms the title. It also confirms that Shaak Ti, in control of rancors, will be one of the game's bosses.
 * Force powers in this game are said to be "over the top." When players Force push an enemy, they will react as if 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 the game Psi Ops.
 * In addition to toys, it will have a companion book and a comic. Although the game will have multiple endings, the book and comic will follow the sole canonical ending.
 * An unknown figure in Mandalorian armor can be seen flying through a window in one of the web docs.
 * When the game is finished, it is estimated to feature over 1,000 new special effects.
 * Transferring the game to the PlayStation 3 version was the reason that the game was delayed.

Game technology
The Force Unleashed uses 'Ronin', a game engine developed by LucasArts. It integrates the physics engines Havok, euphoria, and Digital Molecular Matter.

euphoria
The use of euphoria, from NaturalMotion, will give characters advanced bio-mechanical AI, allowing characters to realistically respond to changes in the environment.

"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&mdash;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
DMM creates truly interactive environments that behave as they do in real life. Materials in games usually break in predetermined ways. DMM calculates the breakpoint in real-time. It simulates what would happen to a material when broken, shattered, cut into two, snapped, splintered, pushed, squeezed, etc. It is exclusive to LucasArts until September 2008.

"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 partnering with LucasArts to deliver movie-quality special effects in real-time for the game.

"In Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, the team is striving to raise the bar to deliver movie-quality effects. As much as possible, we want gamers to feel as if they are living the adventure unfolding before their controller, and with the added processing power of the next-gen platforms it is now possible to bring movie-quality effects and lighting to games. One of the advantages that we have at LucasArts is that we're a part of the same company, Lucasfilm, which owns Industrial Light and Magic (just in case you didn't already know). And for the first time in the histories of the two companies, LucasArts and ILM are teaming up to co-develop tools that will enable Star Wars: The Force Unleashed to feature polished effects, the likes of which have only been hinted at in previous games."

- Brett Rector

Official sites/links

 * Official home of Star Wars: Force Unleashed website on Yahoo!
 * StarWars.com official discussion thread
 * StarWars.com official discussion thread

Fan sites/links

 * Unofficial Force Unleashed Website
 * Force Unleashed Fansite
 * Force Unleashed on SWGames, the Star Wars Gaming wiki
 * IGN Article
 * IGN Interview
 * GameSpot GDC 07 Impressions
 * IGN Video: Force Power Pre-Viz
 * IGN Concept Art
 * Concept Art
 * CVG exclusive
 * New York Times archive
 * Action figure gallery
 * Gamefront
 * The Force Unleashed Unofficial Website
 * The Force Unleashed Fansite, *Force Unleashed Forums
 * Petition to Lucas Arts about making a PC-version of the game
 * Slashdot GDC Article
 * Interview with Haden Blackman

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