Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

Omegaman · July 2007

<div class="IPBDescription">MUAHAHAHAHAAAA</div>[youtube]3qJrV11TUa8[/youtube]

<a href="http://www.gametrailers.com/player/21832.html" target="_blank">http://www.gametrailers.com/player/21832.html</a>

At last, a game to succeed JK2 in fun!

[youtube]qvBMHghEbVU[/youtube]

What I really like is how they're just completely amping up the amount of power you'll wield. Like, let me make an analogy.

Level 3 Force Push in JK2 is to HL2's gravity gun, as Force Unleashed's power is to HL2's super gravity gun.

<i>The trailer had a guy crashing a star destroyer.</i>

Call me crazy, but I actually have my hopes up for this. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile-fix.gif" />

Gwahir · July 2007

call me a killjoy, but there were some things about that presentation that said to me, "They're falling into the same pitfalls they always do"

Thansal · July 2007

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Gwahir @ Jul 13 2007, 10:35 PM) [snapback]1638831[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'>
call me a killjoy, but there were some things about that presentation that said to me, "They're falling into the same pitfalls they always do"
</div>
What, like listening to Lucas?

Wookie game would have been AWSOME!

nuff said.

Omegaman · July 2007

I think they've got it made. But do specify what pitfalls you mean.

The only element they haven't shown us yet that I would care about is the lightsaber battles. It's extremely important that ithose be fun.

Liku · July 2007

That looks nifty, is that real-time gameplay though? Can we rip things apart like that?

I didn't watch the interview.

semipsychotic · July 2007

Their platform list is painfully lacking in PCs.

But it looks... so... pretty...

lolfighter · July 2007

His power level is over NINE THOUSAAAA-.. *facebrick*

Speed_2_Dave · July 2007

hate to say it, but the last star wars game I really really liked was KOTOR, and even that only got a 7/10 in my book.

Go back and play some X-Wing vs. TIE fighter. /wistful sigh

Crispy · July 2007

Or <i>Dark Forces</i>...

It looks like a lot of that footage was from cutscenes, especially the bit where the Storm Trooper grabs on to the edge and where the TIE Fighter is obliterated.

Jedi Knight II had very good level design. I also quite liked Rogue Squadron and it's more refined first sequel where you can play out the trench run, the battle of Hoth, even relive the Millenium Falcon gun turret defence in an arcade style <i>TIE hunter</i>.

But I don't have a lot of hopes for this game. From the way they talked about watching the films for ideas it just made me think they weren't fan enough to do Star Wars justice. Also, they don't sound like good designers considering their core game concept is "Kicking someone's ass with the Force". <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/confused-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="???" border="0" alt="confused-fix.gif" /> I just get the impression it's going to take the whole Jedi thing a bit too far and make it a 'superpower' instead of a discipline of body and mind. In short I just think it cheapens a concept central to <i>Star Wars</i> and no amount of 'ass-kicking' will stop the tears as I lament what they've done to such beloved of trilogies.

Testament · July 2007

The movies were kind of boring, but spawned a good IP.

Quaunaut · July 2007

[youtube]Ilz0iPYzrn4[/youtube]

So, the engine doesn't look that good, but at least one of those was truly in-engine. Specifically, the one where the girl is inside, and the entire place gets ripped apart by a blast- that kind of physics is the focus of that "Euphoria" engine they've been doing- it doesn't have any canned animations, but instead, AI that predicts and reacts accordingly. A video I was trying to find(but failed) showed Indy on a rope and plank bridge, trying to catch the rope handles- and sometimes losing grip, sometimes not(they would grab the base point of the bridge on one end and just start shaking it with their mouse. It was awesome).

The engine is really, insanely good. Here is a better explanation of it from above, even:

[youtube]Gy0KHdfLVfI[/youtube]

Max · July 2007

The first movie posted is just an artist-created concept of what the game might be like, which is why it looks so nice (they explain that in the video interview).

With regards to Euphoria, I'm pretty skeptical. I saw those Indiana Jones demos live at a Microsoft developer event last year, and while some of the time it looked good, most of the time it looks pretty odd. I imagine eventually it will be solid, but right now I feel like that type of system actually will take away from the gamer's experience.

[WHO]Them · July 2007

I'm hoping this game will be good. But there's nothing here to back that up.

We have:
-Cinematics of how it *should* look/play. Which somewhat fool us into thinking there's going to be gameplay there that simply won't be. Bringing down a star destroyer with the force would be awesome.... if it was just something you could do at some point. Instead it looks to be in a cutscene and they put it on the poster. Takes all the "I did that" out of it for me.
-Demos of Euphoria. Which I'm sure has some hidden goodness in it. But seems to focus on ragdolls with attachment points that search for things to grab, and guys that can better determine whether they should fall down or not.
-Demos of DMM. Featuring Jello and the weakest plywood on earth. The fact that they showcase the plywood all the time tells me that it's not nearly as cool as I'd like it to be.

Surge · July 2007

Force powers are cool and all, but I'd really like to see a lightsaber fighting system that doesn't get old. JK2's and Academy's were okay, but they could be exploited and felt too much like a deathmatch game instead of a duel.

Kassinger · July 2007

I'm afraid "The Force Unleased" will exaggerate the strength of the force to much for my taste. I enjoyed how it was used in JK, JKII and Academy.

Haze · July 2007

THEM pretty much said it all. In the first video, I was confused to what euphoria actually did, and it more or less seemed like Lucas thought they were the first ones to discover ragdolls. But after seeing the E3 video and actually finding out what it did, I can't say I'll be excited.

Most of their "wow factor" seemed like it was riding on fancy wording for everything. LOOK, THEY HAVE A NERVOUS SYSTEM! Okay. Cool. They don't need one (nor do I believe they truly "have" one). Ragdoll's random limb goes up and attaches to surface, LOOK, HE'S TRYING TO <i><u>SURVIVE!</u></i> Right. I mean, I <i>do</i> like how they grab onto things, and I think that's pretty neat, but how they tried to hype it up to be all next generation wasn't really warranted at all. It's a ragdoll that grabs onto stuff, let's not get our schlongs in a knot over it yet.

The plywood and the MOLECULAR LEVEL, IT <i>KNOWS</i> ITS PLYWOOD! Somehow that didn't feel like plywood to me at all, unless the door wasn't just a sheet of plywood but several long pieces of plywood tethered together to create a door. I think if you threw someone against plywood that was anchored as a door, either the entire piece of plywood would go, or nothing would happen. Not a million different sections splintering off when someone gets <i>tossed</i> into the door. I would have been <b>much</b> more impressed if he punched a guy, and sent the dude stumbling backwards, tripping over something and into the door, causing the door to crack at the center then buckle in while he fell through it rather than just splintering everywhere feasible. That was kind of dumb.

As for the force unleashed, I'll rent it, enjoy it for two days, then return it if it's even as good as they make it look.

semipsychotic · July 2007

I liked the force as it made its appearance in the Jedi Knight series too, but this game is about something different. Yes, it would be neat if the Sith were into the spiritual discipline thing, too, but it seems more like they're taking some reckless new recruits. What would be really cool is if the plot played on that as your character's demise: pull some stupid rookie maneuver, and you spend the rest of your time trying to redeem yourself. Or, even better, borrow from JK: Dark Forces II and allow two paths to unfold, but this time, Lawful Evil (steady and calculated) versus Chaotic Evil (rampaging and destructive). But that's probably not what's going to happen.

If it's like most games that try this kind of stuff, the AI that's supposed to be programmed for realistic or general actions relies instead on scripting and waypoints, and that's not nearly as impressive. The mutable and changing environment around you will be planned that way--I know this sounds like a crack against HL2, but it's... true. HL2 did the "scripted game" best, and as such should be the last game to do so.

But it's still so... pretty... and out of... reach....

lolfighter · July 2007

Regarding the plywood, remember the HL2 tech demos? They showed us planks breaking at the point where force was applied and splintering rather nicely. Then we noticed that they always shot the planks dead center. Uh-huh.

Shockeh · July 2007

I'm with THEM on this one.

Nice looks, shame I can't believe the game will work like that. I can picture yet another attempt where you'll have 3 or 4 exceedingly cool things you can do, shame you've got to make them still look cool on the third or fourth thousand enemy, and it gets a little old.

- Shockwave

Crispy · July 2007

Have to say I'm not that hyped for Indy after seeing that clip. If anything I'm less hyped. Plus the guy in the second vid came across as a complete and utter tool.

Sub_zer0 · July 2007

I'm going to wait till I see what the game looks like before I make any real judgments as the previd isn't really any thing to go by.

And star destroyers are utterly massive Really really big if you watch eposiode 4 (er the first one from the old sereis) you see at the start. Would be fun to crash it but still i have large doubts here.

Mantrid · July 2007

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Sub_zer0 @ Jul 16 2007, 08:52 AM) [snapback]1639182[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'>
And star destroyers are utterly massive Really really big if you watch eposiode 4 (er the first one from the old sereis) you see at the start. Would be fun to crash it but still i have large doubts here.
</div>

Well, see for yourself:

[youtube]RkBiYpD3SDc[/youtube]

Sub_zer0 · July 2007

..blimey..

Omegaman · July 2007

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Crispy @ Jul 14 2007, 03:56 AM) [snapback]1638867[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'>
I just get the impression it's going to take the whole Jedi thing a bit too far and make it a 'superpower' instead of a discipline of body and mind.</div>

Good point, but answer me this...If you suddenly gained a huge amount of midichlorians, <i>would you or would you not abuse your newfound powers?</i> <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />

Crispy · July 2007

Yes, I would abuse them, but it mostly looks like all of the 'fun' stuff is just going to be cutscenes. FTL.

I wonder if LucasArts will ever partner this game concept with <a href="http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/index.php?s=5086717661029506048&showtopic=102016" target="_blank">this</a> <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wow.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":0" border="0" alt="wow.gif" />

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

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