Star Wars: The Force Unleashed coming to Wii in Spring 2008

Wednesday 19 Sep 2007

LucasArts has pulled another white rabbit out of the hat by announcing Star Wars: The Force Unleashed will be invading the Nintendo Wii next spring. Star Wars fans will be delighted to know that soon they will be able to become a Jedi, wielding the Wii Remote as a lightsaber and using the Nunchuck to defeat enemies with the Force.

The Force Unleashed will cast players as Darth Vader’s ‘Secret Apprentice’ and fans can look forward to new revelations about the Star Wars galaxy. Set during the largely unfamiliar era between Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, the game sees players stepping into the shoes of the villain as he endeavours to rid the universe of Jedi. Be warned because every decision you make could change the course of your destiny as the game includes multiple endings that are said to ‘rock the Star Wars continuity as [you] know it.’

Unleash the power of the Force

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed marks many firsts for LucasArts, firstly this will be its first next-gen title and first game for the Nintendo Wii and secondly this will be its first game that features Wii Remote-enabled lightsaber combat.

The Wii version is currently in development by Krome Studios. It will not be an all-new title but a port of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed which is headed to the PS3, PS2, PSP, Nintendo DS and Xbox 360. However, the Wii version will focus on lightsaber combat via its exclusive duel mode. In duel mode two players can compete head-to-head, using their Wii Remotes as if they were lightsabers as they battle to decide who the ultimate Jedi Master is.

“The Wii is a great platform for The Force Unleashed, because the console’s motion-oriented controllers really bring the game to life,” said Jim Ward, President of LucasArts. “We’ve worked hard to make the Wii version of the game unique in order to truly let you unleash the Force.”

Revolutionary new technology

Krome Studios are handling the Wii, PS2 and PSP versions of the game while LucasArts is developing the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions internally and n-Space Inc is developing a Nintendo DS version. All versions will feature the same storyline.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is the first next-gen game developed internally at LucasArts. The game will take advantage of newly developed technologies that gamers will see and experience for the first time, namely Digital Molecular Matter by Pixelux Entertainment and euphoria by NaturalMotion Ltd.

“The combination of our great story, memorable characters, and the revolutionary new technology that we’re introducing will deliver something Star Wars fans have never seen before, in addition to attracting newcomers to gaming, something that is very important to us,” added Ward.

Star Wars fans can look forward to what LucasArts describe as ‘an unprecedented promotional effort around the launch’ of the game including toys and game-based action figures.

For more information about the game and to view a spine-tingling trailer, head over to the Star Wars: The Force Unleashed official website.

More tidbits

Here is a little taste of the powers which players will yield as Darth Vader’s Secret Apprentice. Players will be able to unleash and upgrade the Secret Apprentice’s four core Force powers (Force push, grip, repulse and lightning) throughout the game, combining them for destructive combos. These new powers enable players to use the Force in new ways, for example the Secret Apprentice will Force push enemies through walls rather than just into walls or he will Force Grip enemies in midair, hit them with lightning before dropping them to the ground in an explosive bomb rather than just throwing them aside.

The game will feature new adversaries including fugitive Jedi and Force sensitive Felucians. Players will also face characters familiar from the Star Wars films including the infamous Darth Vader. Look out for locations such as Episode III’s Wookiee homeworld Kashyyyk and the floral Felucai, the junk planet Raxus Prime as well as an Imperial TIE fighter construction facility.