Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

Burning lightsabers in twin grips; straining muscles and clenched teeth; and the ultimate power of the Force at the beck and call of an apprentice to shadow.

As the galaxy broils in the aftermath of the Republic's fall, and the Emperor commands with a bone fist supercharged by the Dark Side, a Sith apprentice under Darth Vader's sole command is sent forth to do the fallen Skywalker's terrible bidding. The young man's mission: to finish off the last vestiges of the Jedi and remove anyone and everyone who might stand between Vader and lordship over the Empire.

According to project lead Hayden Blackman, The Force Unleashed will spin a tale of redemption in the Star Wars universe, and is destined to be the saga's next great chapter. How redemption fits into the seeming darkness of the plot remains unclear, however, since the story-developed hand-in-hand with George Lucas-is still under lock and key.

What we do know is the basic premise of gameplay in Unleashed, which, judging by what we've seen, will assuredly live up to the promise of its name.

The Force Unparalleled

In Unleashed, players will take on the persona of Vader's (as-yet unnamed) dark apprentice. Lightsaber in hand, you'll journey forth to lay devastation upon a host of Rebel targets, cutting down Alliance and Imperial troops with equal ferocity, leaving no traces of the enemy-and no friendly witnesses to your passage-behind. At your command will be four Force powers: push, repulse, grip, and lightning.

Now, compared with some older franchise installments such as the Jedi Knight series, four Force powers may seem somewhat measly. What makes Unleashed's repertoire unique is the ability to chain the powers into destructive combos. You could, for instance, drive your lightsaber into the ground and release a torrential repulsion shockwave that flings a ring of surrounding enemies in all directions, only to catch one in a vice-grip in mid-air. Pummel your newfound target with a few bolts of Force lightning, and you've got yourself a charged bomb that you can then 'forcibly' push into another group of enemies, dispelling all of them with a single human explosion.

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