First lets get one thing clear, you are not a nerd if you watch, play or read Star Wars, you are a nerd if you get married like Luke Skywalker with Chewbacca as your best man. Star Wars is a fantastic saga and offers some of the most cinematic experiences ever.

George Lucas has skillfully managed to expand the Star Wars franchise and dip into most forms of entertainment including gaming. Now some of my best gaming experiences are courtesy Lucas Arts, including Star War's Rouge Squadron, Pod Racer and Star Wars Battlefront, which basically means I eagerly await the release of the next Star Wars game a.k.a The Force Unleashed.

Star Wars: TFU is an upcoming multiplatform game that promises to make you feel like a real jedi, without having to put on a jumpsuit. TFU lets you play as a secret apprentice to Darth Vader and your objective is to eliminate the remaining Jedi from the galaxy. The plot is fairly simple, it s the gameplay that is the true highlight of the game.

Previous Star Wars games have featured Jedi knights but TFU promises to give complete freedom when interacting with the environment as a Jedi. This time you can literally do anything and make the most of the force. Check out the official trailer below.





Demo Summary


As mentioned before that the game offers complete freedom. You can pick up almost anything in the game and throw it at a distance. The interactive objects can be used for offense or defense, depending on the situation. The basic gameplay is a hack and slash game with loads of enemies at frequent intervals.

There are three basic combat elements; your Light-saber, the force and lighting attack. Combining these elements yields many powerful combos, which can literally cut the enemy in half. The force can be used to lift heavy objects, enemies or even break through doors and barriers. Lighting is another useful ability that can be used to electrocute a single enemy solider or a group using an awesome combo with your saber. The saber attacks are light and swift but combine them with the force or lighting and see amazing results.


The combat in the demo isn't too deep. There are a handful of combos that can be learnt in a single play. My favorite combo is called the saber impale wherein you lift the enemy in the air using the force and then send the saber right through him, instant imperial salami. There are many explosives lying around, these can be used to get rid of a large group of enemies, just lift and throw, remember HL2.

The other force abilities include a quick dash on the ground or midair. This is useful to get enemies at a distance. Blocking is fairly important as the enemy attacks from different directions and bouncing attacks using your saber takes more effort than shown in the movies. The demo includes a mini-boss and destroying him requires the use of a quick time event.

To be honest I didn't really enjoy the boss face-off. The quick time events at the end didn't have the smooth feel of a God of War or even a Tomb Raider, although it looks cool, it feels a little unpolished. A particular event in the demo unleashes quite a few tie-fighters at you. You can escape the area without dealing with them or rack your brains to get rid of your nemesis. There are quite a few options to destroy the tie-fighters, you can pick up an explosive and aim it at the incoming fighter or use the force to pull out a supporting metal pillar in the tie-fighter's flight path, Boom Headshot!!!!

The game plays at a very smooth and stable frame rate, and it s not low on visuals either. This isn't the best-looking title of the year but is by far the best looking Star Wars title yet. The animations are smooth and fluid and the explosions look nice. There is a lot of activity involved during combat, which means the game is heavy on in-game physics, but that has no effect on the frame rate. While playing the demo you will gain a level up, this will automatically increase the power of your force abilities. The demo clearly indicates that the game is ready to deliver a smooth, interesting, action packed Star War's adventure with loads of hack and slash, amazing combos and awesome visuals. Really looking forward to the advanced abilities after a few level-ups, in the meanwhile keep watching this space for a review.