Looking in on 'Star Wars: The Force Unleashed'

LucasArts' new game, 'Star Wars: The Force Unleashed,' centers around the redemption story line surrounding Darth Vader's apprentice.

(Credit: LucasArts)

SAN FRANCISCO--During the Game Development Conference, which is happening this week here, it's rare that I, or any other journalist cover it, would leave the area immediately surrounding the confab.

But when LucasArts invites you to its famous facilities in San Francisco's Presidio to show off what is being regarded as a ground-breaking game, you get the heck out of dodge.

That's why I rushed across town Thursday afternoon--to see what I believe was the first public demo of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, the studio's forthcoming game, and a title that seeks to fill in the chronological gap between the end of the unsatisfactory film, Episode III and the original Star Wars, now known as Episode IV.

In this new game, the main character is an apprentice of Darth Vader, and the story line, according to Haden Blackman, the game's project lead, centers on that apprentice's path to redemption.

According to a recent article in Vanity Fair, the full story line of the game does a good job of letting players feel as if they're getting to actually be in what could almost be a seventh Star Wars movie. The article insinuated that the storytelling was that good and that the graphics only helped cement the illusion.

'Star Wars: The Force Unleashed' features two new, ground-breaking technologies, Euphoria, a bio-feedback AI system that makes it possible to have things happen differently every time rather than looking the same each time; and Digital Molecular Matter, a new physics system that makes it possible for things to break realistically rather than in the sort of cartoon-like way they always have in games.

(Credit: LucasArts)

Based on what I saw Thursday, I'd say the graphics were good, but not movie-quality good. Still, I got a chance to see what should be two pretty ground-breaking technologies that the game showcases.

First, is what is known as Euphoria. It is a new form of artificial intelligence software, developed by a company called Natural Motion, which is designed to make it possible for things happen just a little differently each time in the game, even if they begin the same way.

In other words, in most games, if you do the same thing twice, the result will be exactly the same both times because there's no brain in the game allowing for a little chaos to creep in. Euphoria is meant to be that chaos. So things would turn out just a little bit different each time.

The other new technology is called digital molecular matter, from a company called Pixelux, and it is designed to bring more realistic consequences to things like a door breaking, or something smashing into a big piece of metal. That is to say, again, in most games, if you break a door down, it will shatter into a disturbingly unrealistic set of shattered pieces. If you break a door in real life, it would splinter and shatter and bend and there would be shards. DMM, as it's known, is meant to depict that realism.

I would say that the results of DMM, as I saw them, were good. I didn't think I was seeing real physics, or the kinds of special effects I might see in a real Star Wars movie, but it did look pretty good.

All in all, I think the game looked fun, and very complex. I'm not a big fan of the previous Star Wars games, though, so perhaps I'm missing a little context.

And only time will tell whether it really is like being in an actual movie.

[MaxZilla]

Have you ever seen Star Wars?!

Hey Terdiman, <br /> <br /> Have you even seen Star Wars? Sorry, that's a retorical question. Obviously you haven't, due to your lack of knowledge even towards Star Wars. Let me see if I can explain it that even a ****, I mean Terdiman, can understand. <br /><br />Fact #1 - Episode IV when it was released in theaters has always be referred to as the episode IV, not "the original" as you so blatently got wrong. <br /><br />Fact #2 - Episode III was a satisfactory conclusion to the second trilogy. Could it have been knocked out of the park, of course, but how high of a pedistol do you set III onto? Sorry Terd. It's like asking Obama to do the moonwalk on Election Day "if" he wins. Would we all like it to happen Heck Ya! -is it going to happen- most likely not. So lets set reasonable expectations.<br /><br />In conclusion Daniel Terdiman, next time someone has you write an artical over anything Star Wars, stop and ask yourself one simple question. What Would Paris Hilton Say? Then descibe it as Hot!

[fshattuck]

Another fanboy flameout

Hey Max,<br />If you're gonna flame, at least get your facts straight (as well as your spelling). First, Star Wars (the original) was released as such and then later retitled w/ "Episode IV - A New Hope" to diffentiate it from the sequels/prequels. Second, although I agree that Episode III was a satisfactory conclusion, that's just our opinion. To paraphrase an old saying - Opinions are like MaxZillas, everybody's got one. 8))

[Techknowledgy]

I have, and I agree with the author

As have many others, I have seen all six Star Wars films as each was released, in theaters. I remember Episode IV before it was called ?Episode IV?, when it was just ?Star Wars?, back in 1977 (the ?Episode IV? moniker came later). I have absolutely no problem with referring to Episode IV as "the original", and I can't imagine anyone else getting their knickers in a twist over this.<br /><br />Despite impressive special effects, I, too, found Episode III to be far-fetched and full of plot holes. The story was disappointingly weak, as were Episodes I and II. But then I have long thought "the original" -- yes, Episode IV -- to be the best. Lucas got that one right, and has never matched it. In fact, the weakness of Episodes I, II, and III lead me to question whether he used up his whole stock of story-telling genius 30 years ago.

[dangstar]

It's clear who is the "tard" here

Actually when Episode IV first came out to theaters in 1977, it was simply titled "Star Wars". It wasn't until it was re-released in 1981 when "Episode IV: A New Hope" was added above the original opening crawl. If you don't believe me, ask any REAL Star Wars fan or look it up in Wikipedia.<br /><br />Also, there is nothing incorrect in referring to Episode IV as the "original", especially when the film was the FIRST of 6 Star Wars films to be released.