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Wii | Action | Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

Boxart for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 17 screen shots
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Preview: Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (Page 4 of 5)

Preview by Dave Rudden | 04/01/2008 | 16:06:42 PM PST

Multiplatform Force!

We're not just confining our love to the Wii! Here's a look at why you might want to consider some other versions of The Force Unleashed.

Unleashing the Xbox 360 and PS3

Do better graphics make for a better game? Here are four advantages to playing The Force Unleashed on an Xbox 360 or PS3.

The PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of The Force Unleashed include some seriously dynamic Force power effects that you won't find on the Wii.

The PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of The Force Unleashed include some seriously dynamic Force power effects that you won't find on the Wii.

Graphics: It's obvious that the Xbox 360 and PS3 have much higher graphic capabilities than the Wii, but seeing is literally believing. The character models are simply phenomenal (The Apprentice's many costumes look gorgeously realistic), the effects of your Force powers pack a bigger punch thanks to elaborate special effects, and the environments look like they were practically ripped off the Star Wars DVDs. But don't take our word for it; check out the "Do Looks Matter?" visual comparison on the next page.

Euphoria: The Force Unleashed is one of the first games to harness Natural Motion's next-gen Euphoria rendering engine. Thanks to the power of slick code and mathematic artistry, the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions are bleed with shockingly lifelike character animations. Characters move and interact as fluidly as real-life actors. Enemies will even grab onto each other or attempt to reach for stationary objects as you lift them into the air with Force powers. The result is comical, believable, and downright amazing. In comparison, the Wii version uses less powerful "ragdoll physics" to make its characters flop and twitch. It's still cool, but it's not the same as Euphoria.

Digital Molecular Matter (DMM): Physics engines have been a driving force for game graphics for several years now. The Force Unleashed, however, has done one better: providing an engine that dictates how certain materials would react to different types of stress or trauma. Wood will splinter with light force, and shatter with heavy force. Steel doors will bend and crinkle as you push your way through them. With the powers you're allowed to abuse as a Dark Jedi, you'll be destroying a lot of scenery on the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions. The Wii isn't powerful enough to handle these cutting-edge physics calculations, so everything seems to break the same way.

Development: While all versions of the game remain relatively similar (say for the aforementioned qualities), the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game are being developed internally by LucasArts. And while LucasArts is overseeing the development of the Wii, PS2, PSP, and DS versions, the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions are straight from the LucasArts source. Think of it as learning about the Dark Side from Lord Vader himself, rather than reading about it in his memoir.

by Ryan Perez


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