Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

The Force Unleashed has different features across platforms. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions, powered by the Ronin engine, utilize high-definition graphics and advanced dynamic destruction effects. These versions also support downloadable content in the form of two expansions that expand upon the game's plot. The Nintendo versions use motion controls to implement Starkiller's attacks, with the Wii version using the Wii Remote to execute lightsaber attacks and the Nunchuk to wield Force powers,[12] while the Nintendo DS version utilizes the touchscreen to execute attacks, where single actions can be executed by tapping a certain region of the screen (with each region corresponding to a particular action, such as jumping or Force pushing), while more advanced attacks can be performed by dragging the stylus across neighboring regions of the screen.[13]

The PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable versions are identical in content to the Wii version, which is different than the PS3 and Xbox 360 version. Since these versions don't support or use downloadable content, they exclusively intersperse certain levels with three of the five Jedi trials that Starkiller completes at the Jedi temple in Coruscant to further hone his abilities, which are all included in a DLC pack for the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions.[14] The PSP version also exclusively features five additional "historical" bonus levels that re-enact pivotal scenes and duels throughout the Star Wars saga,[15] as well as special scenarios that can be played with as different Star Wars characters who have the same abilities in the standard single-player mode. The Nintendo DS version utilizes 3-D graphics like all other major versions, but lacks voice acting.

The Wii and handheld versions support multiplayer. Two players duel against each other as famous Jedi and Sith in the Star Wars saga in the Wii version,[12] while the handheld versions utilize wireless multiplayer for a four-player battle mode.[16][15]

Three downloadable content (DLC) levels for the game were released. The first one is set during the events of the main story and explores more of Starkiller's background,[21] while the second and third ones expand upon the non-canonical Dark Side ending of the game, taking place in their own alternate timeline.[22][23]

The Coruscant DLC depicts Starkiller, at some point before traveling to Kashyyyk, deciding to visit the abandoned Jedi Temple to learn more about his identity and connection to the Force. After fighting his way past the Imperial security forces, he reaches the old Council Chambers, where he meets Kento Marek's spirit who tells him that he needs to pass three Jedi trials. Upon doing so, Starkiller is faced with a mysterious Sith warrior, revealed to be a dark reflection of himself created by his own fear. Following his defeat, Starkiller finds a holocron left by Marek, who reveals himself as his father and implores him to return to the light side. Starkiller then returns to the Rogue Shadow to resume his current mission.

The Tatooine and Hoth DLC's are set during alternate depictions of A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, respectively, and present Starkiller as the Emperor's trusted assassin, referred to as "Lord Starkiller".

In the Tatooine DLC, he's tasked with retrieving the Death Star plans stolen by the Rebel Alliance, which have been tracked to Tatooine. He visits Jabba the Hutt, who has knowledge on the plans' whereabouts, revealing that they're in the possession of two droids at Mos Eisley. When Starkiller refuses to work for him, Jabba attempts to have Starkiller eaten by his rancor. Killing the beast, Starkiller escapes from Jabba's palace after massacring Jabba's mercenaries, including Boba Fett. At Mos Eisley, Starkiller kills Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi after a duel which allows the droids to board the Millennium Falcon, though Starkiller manages to place a tracking device on the ship before it takes off.

In the Hoth DLC, Starkiller partakes in the Battle of Hoth, where the Empire attacks the weakened Rebel Alliance base. During the battle, Starkiller infiltrates the base with orders to capture Luke Skywalker, who had begun training as a Jedi. Starkiller finds and defeats Skywalker in the base's hangar, severing his right hand. When the Falcon tries to take off, Starkiller seizes the ship with the Force while goading Skywalker to give into the Dark Side to rescue his friends. Skywalker attacks Starkiller with Force lightning, causing him to let go of the ship and congratulate Skywalker for embracing the Dark Side, planning to make him his apprentice the same way that Vader did to him.

The first visualization of "the Force unleashed" was in this concept art by Greg Knight, which shows a stormtrooper being "Force-pushed".[39]

Game planning began in summer 2004.[40] Initially, about six developers started with a "clean slate" to conceptualize a new Star Wars game; the small group of engineers, artists, and designers spent more than a year brainstorming ideas for what might make a good game.[41] Over 100 initial concepts were whittled down to 20 to 25 that included making the game the third entry in the Knights of the Old Republic series or having the protagonist be a Wookiee "superhero", Darth Maul, a bounty hunter, a smuggler, a mercenary or the last member of the Skywalker family living 500 years after the events of Return of the Jedi.[9][42][43][44] The decision to focus on the largely unexplored period between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope helped energize the design team.[41] Consumer feedback helped the developers narrow in on seven concepts, and elements from those seven went into The Force Unleashed's overall concept.[9]

Production was greatly aided by concept art, which was intended to visually bridge the two Star Wars trilogies, convey the impression of a "lived-in" universe, show how the galaxy changes under Imperial rule, and to seem familiar yet new.[26][40] An off-hand comment about the Force in the game being powerful enough "to pull a Star Destroyer out of the sky" inspired an image by senior concept artist Amy Beth Christenson that became an important part of the developers' idea pitches and evolved into a major moment in the game.[26] These illustrations also inspired the creation of dozens of simple, three-dimensional animations.[40] Eventually, a one-minute previsualization video highlighting the idea of "kicking someone's ass with the Force" helped convince the designers that The Force Unleashed would be "a great game";[40][45] George Lucas, upon seeing the one-minute video, told the designers to "go make that game".[45] Once the concept was solidified, the development team grew from ten to twenty people.[46] The idea of "reimagining" the Force as "amped up" in The Force Unleashed aligned with LucasArts' overall goal of harnessing the power of the latest video game consoles to "dramatically" change gaming, specifically through the use of simulation-based gameplay.[41]

In April 2005, after several months of planning, the LucasArts team received Lucas' encouragement to create a game centered on Darth Vader's secret apprentice in the largely unexplored period between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, drawing the two trilogies together.[24][42][43][47] LucasArts spent six months developing the story.[9] Lucas spent hours discussing with the developers the relationship between Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine and provided feedback on what Vader would want out of and how he would motivate an apprentice.[48][49] Lucas Licensing reviewed many game details to ensure they fit into canon.[50] Focus group feedback indicated that, while hunting down Jedi at Vader's order would be fun, the character should be redeemed, in keeping with a major Star Wars motif.[9] Before the game's release, Lucasfilm claimed it would "unveil new revelations about the Star Wars galaxy" with a "redemption" motif.[24][51] The story progresses through a combination of scripted events, in-game cinematics, cutscenes, and dialogue.[48]

Looking over a number of unexplored already existing characters, the creative team considered bringing Darth Plagueis, Emperor Palpatine's enigmatic master only mentioned in Revenge of the Sith, into the game's story through various methods: one was for Plagueis' spirit to serve as the guide for Vader's secret apprentice to provide players with information about their character's powers, another had Plagueis as the story's MacGuffin by having Vader send his apprentice to search for Plagueis to resurrect his beloved Padmé Amidala, making Vader's apprentice actually a reincarnated Plagueis or having a redeemed Plagueis become the apprentice's mentor. Knight and the developers explored different possible looks for Plagueis, depicting him as a human resembling actor Michael Gambon, a zombie, a time traveler, a cyborg, etc.[52] Although the game introduces new characters, developers felt the presence of characters already part of Star Wars would help anchor the game within the official continuity.[26]

A Euphoria-coded soldier grasps a Havok-coded crate before both are flung through a Digital Molecular Matter-coded display.[53]

During pre-production, about 30 people were on the project team.[46] LucasArts spent several years developing the tools and technology to create The Force Unleashed.[54] Prototyping, level construction, marketing, and public relations took about a year.[9] Until late 2006, the production team was ascertaining "how many polygons, lights, [and] characters" next-generation platforms supported;[46] a year of full production began in early 2007.[9] A series of quickly-produced "play blast" videos helped the developers focus on mechanics, the user interface, and finishing moves.[26] Development of the Xbox 360 version came first; PlayStation 3 development started when the production team had enough development kits.[42] Making the game run on both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 was "a monumental task".[48]

The game is based on LucasArts' proprietary "Ronin" game engine but also integrates third-party technology: Havok for rigid body physics, Pixelux Entertainment's "Digital Molecular Matter" (DMM) for dynamically destructible objects, and NaturalMotion's Euphoria for realistic non-player character artificial intelligence.[42][55] The focus of employing Euphoria to develop The Force Unleashed caused LucasArts to "sideline" Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings, an Indiana Jones title that had been in development since two years ago, for a while until development on the Star Wars title concluded.[56] LucasArts' programmers had to overcome technical hurdles to get Havok-, DMM- and Euphoria-coded components to interact.[17] Developers also had to strike a balance between realistic and entertaining physics.[17] LucasArts initially opted not to release a personal computer version of The Force Unleashed, stating that doing the game well would be too processor-intensive for typical PCs[24] and that scaling down the game's procedural physics for the PC platform would "fundamentally" change The Force Unleashed's gameplay.[57] However, LucasArts later announced Windows and Mac versions of the game, developed in conjunction with Aspyr Media, for release in Fall 2009.[58]

Lacking Havok, Euphoria, and DMM, Krome's Wii version relies on the company's in-house physics engine.[59] Some character animations may be ragdoll while others are preset; in developing the game, Krome tried to blur the distinction between the two.[59] The lighting system in the Wii version is more advanced than that in the PS2 version, which Krome also built; the PS2 includes more graphic details than their PSP version.[59]

The Force Unleashed is intended to make players think they are "actually, finally, in a Star Wars movie".[60] It is the first game on which LucasArts and Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) collaborated since they both relocated to the Letterman Digital Arts Center in San Francisco, California.[51] This collaboration allowed the companies to co-develop tools to make film-quality effects.[61] LucasArts worked with ILM's Zeno tool framework and helped ILM build its Zed game editor.[62] Lucas said having the two companies working together in the same building was "a great collaboration".[63]

It took Senior Manager of Voice and Audio Darragh O'Farrell four months to cast The Force Unleashed.[64] ILM's face- and motion-capture "CloneCam" technology recorded actors' voice and physical performances.[54][65] This led to a change in LucasArts' casting process: for the first time, actors needed to match characters' age and gender.[65] Actors performed their lines together, rather than in isolation, to better get the sense of their characters interacting with each other.[54] Consequently, the script's dialogue was reduced while reliance on characters' expressions — captured through the CloneCam — increased.[65] CloneCam technology had previously been used in producing the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.[65]

LucasArts music supervisor Jesse Harlin said the music matches the game's motif of redemption and goal of bridging the gap between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope:

We had to make sure that the game's score started off rooted within the Prequel Trilogy feel of ethnic percussion and sweeping themes that spoke to the nobility and grandeur of the old Jedi Order. As the game progresses, however, the Empire gains more control, the Jedi are hunted, and the ordered control of the Prequels gives way to the more romantic temperament of the Original Trilogy.[66]

The game's soundtrack includes material composed by John Williams for the films in addition to material created specifically for The Force Unleashed. Jesse Harlin composed the game's main theme, while Mark Griskey composed the score. Griskey made use of several motifs from the film scores as well as Harlin's main theme.[66][67] The 90-minute soundtrack was recorded by the Skywalker Symphony Orchestra and mixed at Skywalker Sound in Lucas Valley in September and October 2007.[66] During gameplay, a proprietary engine combines "musical elements according to the pace, plot, and environment of the game at any given moment", resulting in a unique musical experience.[67] A promotional soundtrack album was made available online through Tracksounds.com in 2008.[67]

Sean Williams' novelization was released in the United States on August 19, 2008. It spent one week as #1 on both Publishers Weekly's[68] and The New York Times'[69] hardcover fiction bestsellers lists, slipping to #7[70] and #9,[71] respectively, the following week. It also reached #15 on USA Today's bestsellers list.[72]

Williams took on the writing project in part because of the "catchy description" of The Force Unleashed being "Episode 3.5" of the Star Wars saga.[33] The novel focuses on the dark side of the Force and its practitioners; Williams found it "interesting" to portray the Jedi as "bad guys."[33] The author most enjoyed developing the character of Juno Eclipse, exploring the "feminine" side of The Force Unleashed in a way the video game does not.[33] Williams also said that while the game allows the player to "do" Starkiller's actions, the novel allows readers to experience Starkiller's thoughts about those actions, adding another dimension to the story.[33]

Dark Horse's The Force Unleashed graphic novel was published August 18, 2008.[73] Newsarama called the graphic novel a "solid story" that matches the video game source material in both structure and plot.[74] IGN gave the graphic novel a score of 6.9/10 (6.4/10 for art, 7.5/10 for the writing), praising the overall story but faulting inconsistency in the art and questioning whether the comic medium was the best way to convey the story.[75]

At Toy Fair 2007, Hasbro showed seven figures from their action figure line based on the game.[76] Lego released a model of the Starkiller's ship, the Rogue Shadow.[77]

Two weeks after the game's release, LucasArts announced development on two downloadable expansion packs for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game.[78] The first expansion added "skins" that allow the player's character to appear as Star Wars figures other than Starkiller, such as Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, Qui-Gon Jinn, Jango Fett, C-3PO, Luke Skywalker, Darth Maul, Darth Sion, Mace Windu, Plo Koon, Kit Fisto and Ki-Adi-Mundi.[78] The skins chosen to be part of the expansion were based in part on fans' feedback.[14] The second expansion pack added a new mission that expands on Starkiller's background.[21] Although a moment in the game's main story was considered as a "jumping off point" for the expansion, LucasArts decided instead to make the new mission instantly accessible to players.[14] The mission's location — the Jedi Temple on Coruscant — appears in the Wii, PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable versions of The Force Unleashed, but was cut during planning from the PS3 and Xbox 360 platforms.[14]

The Tatooine Downloadable Content, released August 27, 2009, is the first of two expansions that occur in an "Infinities" storyline, an alternate history in which Starkiller kills Vader and becomes Palpatine's assassin.[22][23] The second Infinities expansion, which takes place on Hoth, was originally only available as part of the Ultimate Sith Edition, which also includes all previous downloadable content.[22] However, the Hoth expansion was later made available for download on the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live.[79]

The Force Unleashed received mixed to fairly positive reviews. Electronic Gaming Monthly said the game is "ambitious--yet dissatisfying";[91] however, GameSpot said the game "gets more right than it does wrong".[102] GameSpot said the PC port of the game retained all of the game's strengths and weaknesses, but that the port failed to take advantage of the PC platform.[100]

GameSpot called the game's story "more intimate and more powerful" than the Star Wars franchise's prequel trilogy;[102] X-Play identified the game's story as one of the game's "few bright spots" and said the game's visuals successfully convey Star Wars' "classic used universe" feel.[113] GamePro and GameSpot praised the game's art and physics, and GamePro also commended Starkiller's "cool powers".[118][119] IGN praised the game's voice acting, particularly Witwer's performance as Starkiller.[108] The Washington Times identified Mark Griskey's soundtrack as "another star" of the game, and Tracksounds called it "the most entertaining Star Wars score since Return of the Jedi".[38][67] Time called The Force Unleashed the seventh best video game of 2008.[120] The game received GameSpot's 2008 award for Best Use of a Creative License and was nominated for Best Voice Acting.[114][121] Gaming Target selected the game as one of their "40 Games We'll Still Be Playing From 2008".[122]

Conversely, Entertainment Weekly called The Force Unleashed the second-worst game of 2008 and GameTrailers called it the most disappointing game that year;[123][124] it was also a nominee for GameSpot's Most Disappointing Game recognition.[125] Official Xbox Magazine cited the game's linear gameplay and lack of multiplayer as reasons the game falls short of being "an all-engrossing Star Wars experience".[91] gamesTM suggested that allowing players to take a hack-and-slash approach means many "will never view the title's full potential".[91] IGN and X-Play criticized some boss battles and enemies' behavior;[113][126] GamePro also faulted "disappointing" boss battles and the game's "uneven" combat.[118] Rather than feeling more powerful as the game progresses, GamePro felt that increases in Starkiller's powers were dampened by increasingly difficult enemy abilities and positions;[118] X-Play commented that despite a good level-up system, Starkiller and his enemies are "pretty much on even ground most of the time".[113] Wired.com, X-Play, and GameSpot criticized the game's third-person camera and the sequence that requires the player to make Starkiller pull a Star Destroyer out of the sky.[102][113][119][127] Wired.com speculated that LucasArts could have recognized the frustration of the Star Destroyer sequence and removed it, but left it in because they hyped the sequence before the game's release.[127] Wired.com and GameSpot further criticized the load times and abrupt gameplay-cinematic transitions.[102][119][127] GameSpot also faulted "loose" targeting and some visual and audio glitches.[102][119] IGN, which also identified problems with targeting, speculated that DMM's processor intensiveness limited its use throughout the game, detracting from players' ability to feel immersed.[126] GameTrailers and IGN were disappointed with the lack of variety within and between levels.[108][128] X-Play, pointing to "Default Text" as the bonus objective description in the Xbox 360 version's final mission and other glitches, said it seems the developers one day "just stopped working on the game".[113] GameSpot cited the port's lack of visual options and poor framerate as evidence the PC edition had been rushed.[100]

IGN described the Jedi Academy expansion as "pretty decent".[129] GameSpot said LucasArts seems to have acknowledged some of the game's criticisms in developing the Tatooine expansion,[23] but IGN called the level's boss fights "a joke" in light of the player's high Force powers.[130] IGN found the level design in The Ultimate Sith Edition's Hoth scenario uninteresting, and called the boss fight against Luke Skywalker tough but "not nearly as fun" as it could have been.[130]

The demo was the fourth most-played Xbox Live game during the week of August 25, trailing Grand Theft Auto IV, Halo 3, and Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare;[131] it was the ninth most-played Xbox Live title throughout all of 2008.[132] The week it was released, The Force Unleashed was the sixth most-played game on Xbox Live, and it rose to fifth the following week.[133][134] In its first week on sale in Australia, the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of The Force Unleashed were the top and second-best sellers, respectively.[135] In the United States, the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 version sold 325,000 and 610,000 copies, respectively, in September 2008; that month, the Xbox 360 version was the best-selling game and the PlayStation 3 version was the fifth best-selling game for their respective consoles.[136][137]

Nintendo Power praised the story and the number of lightsaber combos but criticized the game's easiness and hack-and-slash gameplay.[138] It also praised the Wii version for its story and Force powers, but criticized the game's lightsaber controls and linear gameplay.[138] GameSpot noticed visual glitches and problematic audio compression that detracted from the Wii version's "mature and exciting" story, adding that the reduced number of Force-manipulable objects helps mitigate the targeting problems experienced on other platforms.[103] Referring to the Wii remote and nunchuck controls, GameSpot also speculated that The Force Unleashed is "possibly the most waggle-heavy" Wii game.[103] Zero Punctuation criticized the Wii version's graphics and compared lightsaber combat to "trying to follow an aerobics routine with both your arms tied to different windmills".[139] The ability to upgrade Starkiller's abilities in the PS2 version, according to IGN, is not as "robust" as it should be, and the game's targeting system is sometimes frustrating.[140] IGN said the PS2's real-time cutscene rendering made Starkiller seem emotionless, and that pre-rendered cutscenes would have been better.[107] GameSpot found the DS version's plot interesting but the storytelling itself "lackluster".[99] While the DS version is easy, with Starkiller killing enemies "like a hot knife through butter", GameSpot said the player's sense of power is not matched by a sense of freedom.[99] GameSpot called the PSP version's camera "unwieldy", but added that smaller and less cluttered environments make the targeting system less frustrating than on other platforms.[15] The Wii version was a nominee for multiple Wii-specific awards from IGN in its 2008 video game awards, including Best Story and Best Voice Acting.[141][142]

In the week of its release, the Wii version was the sixth bestselling game in Australia and was second to Wii Fit among games for that platform.[135] The PS2 version was the eighth bestseller in Australia, and both the PS2 and PSP versions were the top sellers on their respective platforms.[135] The DS version was eighth most sold among DS games in Australia.[135] In the United States, the Wii version sold 223,000 copies in September 2008, making it the ninth best-selling game that month.[136][137] In the United States, the PlayStation 2 version was the 14th best-selling game in September 2008, selling over 100,000 copies.[143]