The sequel to Star Wars: The Force Unleashed will be out on October 29 and the demo is now available to play, so we downloaded it to give you a quick hands-on impression,
Back in 2008 we did a double review feature of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed and the two reviews awarded the game an 8/10 and an 8.5/10. We also reviewed the PSP version and gave it an 8.5 as well.
So the game wasn’t perfect, but it wasn’t bad either and we had a decent chunk of fun with it. So let’s take a quick look at the sequel’s demo to see what’s different.
Set after the events of the first game, you play as a clone of Starkiller who is suffering from memories of the original bloke. Darth Vader has been trying to clone a stable Starkiller for quite some time now, and each one keeps going bonkers due to the flashbacks, which usually ends in them becoming a Vader Lightsaber Shish-kebab.
After the force (or a flashback) handily gives our Starkiller clone a glimpse of what’s about to happen to him, he decides to get the hell out of there at a serious pace.
Now if you didn’t already know, the idea behind Star Wars: The Force Unleashed that sets it apart from other Star Wars games, is that this game completely revolves around kicking as much ass as possible by using the force.
The gameplay instantly feels very similar to the first game, with very few changes made to the formula used before. It plays like most third-person action games and involves a healthy dose of action at almost all times. You have the use of two lightsabers, which can be used to slice and dice enemies as well as be thrown around like some rave party glow stick boomerangs of destruction.
The real meat of The Force Unleashed is – as the title suggests – all about unleashing the force. With force powers like lightning, mind tricks, telekinesis and push you have the ability to create some serious carnage. Shock the heck out of a bunch of guys, or pick some poor stormtrooper up and toss him at his buddy or into a laser shield and you will make short work of a lot of enemies very quickly. So then, not so much of a major difference really, although you can go into this new rage mode thingy that lets you tear through enemies like they are paper cut-outs.
The graphics seem to also feel very similar as well although everything looks that little bit nicer here and there. The game also introduces some of the first use you will ever see of the new technology designed to fake 60 frames per second by adding in filler frames between the normal frames. It feels smooth overall thanks to the new tech, but it does create some strange looking effects around the character at times.
Conclusion:
After a quick look at Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II, it seems pretty apparent that not too much has changed since the first. If you enjoyed the first game, you will most probably enjoy this one. If you didn’t… well, yeah.
If you have never played the game before and are wondering if it’s worth a purchase, give the demo a go, it’s available now. Alternatively, you could even probably find a really cheap second hand copy of the original to play first.
Final verdict is that SWTFU2 won’t break any major ground, but it should still be a fun romp through the Star Wars universe.
Last Updated: October 13, 2010
AC!D
October 13, 2010 at 11:46
Nice preview Nick. I already have the game pre ordered. I thought the first game was an awesome ride but got some unfaor criticism. Some of the reviews giving it a 6 or 7 were overly harsh. It had its problems like the lock on sytem being annoying at times but it was still a a hell of a game.
General Fredburger
October 13, 2010 at 22:23
I just played the demo last night and I think that they did improve on a lot of the first one’s problems. For example, it is A LOT easier to target specific objects and throw them in the right direction. The lightsabers and force repulse feel much more powerful than in the first game now that body parts and vaporization of Stormtroopers are included. The in game “Quicktime Events” are still there and it overall feels smoother and cleaner than the first.
christo le grange
October 14, 2010 at 14:30
Cool preview!
I’m somehow impervious to any negative light wrt the Force Unleashed games, i don’t know whether its due to my devoted fandom to the trilogy, but it truly is an awesome gaming experience playing these games…
Already ordered the specialist, best-est, limited-est collectors edition in all of the land!
Nick de Bruyne
October 14, 2010 at 15:17
A lot of people talked smack about the first game, but I really had a good time with it. As a Star Wars fanboy, it wasn’t too difficult to sell me on it though lol.