Star Wars: the Force Unleashed Demo Sets Xbox Download Record

The demo version of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed was released a few weeks ago for download through Xbox Live and the Playstation Network. Now, LucasArts has announced that the game shattered records for the number of downloads on Xbox Live, taking only eight days to reach 1 million. The full version is due out next Tuesday, and LucasArts will be holding a launch party in San Fransisco on Monday night to celebrate. The game is part of a multimedia project which includes a best-selling book, a comic, action figures, and other tie-ins. According to Eurogamer's interview with producer Cameron Suey, previous Star Wars games suffered from a "lack of ambition." Suey also shows off some of the gameplay in a video. A video walkthrough of the PS2 and PSP versions is available at Kotaku. The game will not be available for PC. Early reviews for the game are good, but not great, and developers recently mentioned that George Lucas himself provided input on the project.

Comments

Moderate gameplay

[Enderandrew]

Some are being left disappointed with gameplay. I'm picking up the game for the story, and if that is good, I won't mind the gameplay so much. People forget that KOTOR's gameplay was pretty bad.

Re:The Force is too powerful.

[darth_MALL]

Size matters not....

Gravity Gun is better!

[jensen404]

I'm not much of a console gamer (I tried it on my brother's XBox). The Gravity gun in Half-Life 2 is so much easier and more gratifying to use than the Force move powers. The third person perspective in SW:FU makes it hard to select an object quickly. Both control sticks are used to move objects, making it feel mechanical. When throwing an object, it moves from the character's point of view, so it is hard to aim. Maybe I just suck at using gamepads.

You are part of the problem

[nobodyman]

I'm picking up the game for the story, and if that is good, I won't mind the gameplay so much.

While I can see your point to some extent (I like the Star Wars universe too), I can't help thinking that you're part of "the problem" when it comes to LucasArts, and the whole movie-tie-in market in general. What publisher is going to put any effort in making a good game if they know people like you will line up to buy it even if it sucks?

LucasArts used to make top-notch games: Full-Throttle, Grim Fandango, Monkey Island, X-Wing, and dozens more in every genre. But then Lucasarts executives (and Lucas himself, I imagine) realized that the most profitable thing to do was to churn out countless Star Wars games irrespective of quality. Yeah, there's been a couple good ones, but for every "Knights of the Old Republic" there's at least ten "Star Wars: Galaxies - Episode III Rage of the Wookiees"

Re:You are part of the problem

[Enderandrew]

Many people don't realize that LucasArts went bankrupt and folded, and that the new company is exactly that. ILM is making technology that will help ILM as much as LucasArts, and then finding a means to build a game around that. Look at the physics and dynamic rendering of the the new Indy game they are developing for instance.

LA did realize they flooded the market with crap games (Super BomBad Racing, Clone Wars, Bounty Hunter, Episode 1, etc) so now we're only going to get maybe 1 or 2 Star Wars titles a year.

I prefer the smaller, more polished titles, but I also would prefer to move back to titles like X-Wing.

Aren't we due for a new X-Wing title that features ships from all 6 movies, and the EU? Wouldn't that just sell like mad?

Re:You are part of the problem

[Bodrius]

I think you may be misreading the parent post.

Buying the game for the story doesn't mean you're buying because of the tie-in.

I'd also buy adventure / rpg games for the story - but what I'm looking for is primarily a GOOD story. Which is sorely lacking in franchise games (or games in general).

Most of the LucasArts games you describe were top-notch because they had great stories - not really great or innovative "gameplay" (except for X-Wing / Tie Fighter - that was gameplay).

Storytelling was the strength of LucasArts, for obvious reasons. There's no "problem" with that, since stories ARE a vital part of entertainment for some of us.

E.g.: Deus Ex is still one of my favorite games - it was an 'ok' FPS, but it has a great story and narrative quality. KOTOR had similar virtues / flaws mix in its genre, and more recently and to a lesser degree, so did Mass Effect.

The "problem" you describe is with crappy games with no redeeming quality - no gameplay, no story, no primary entertainment factor.

But even these days I'd have more faith in LucasArts' storytelling prowess than their game design skills. That just means I'm more likely to buy their game, since I care mostly about the story, than an FPS / action game fan, who's more concerned about the gameplay.

 

Re:You are part of the problem

[HadouKen24]

High end joysticks cost about 90 bucks, but that's always been the case. You can still pick up a decent quality joystick that will do just fine for X-wing/TIE Fighter style games for about 20 bucks. I spent a good chunk of my free time this summer playing just these kinds of games.

If it seems that joysticks cost 90 bucks, that's because the main focus in the joystick industry for the last five years has been on realistic flight sims; there just haven't been any high-profile, high-budget Mech or space combat sims since Freespace 2. Were LucasArts (Or anyone else for that matter) were to rectify the situation, there would be a lot more budget joysticks being sold.

Re:You are part of the problem

[blackicye]

I played the X-Wing series with mouse and keyboard actually, as did most of the people who were playing the series.

Joysticks are seldom if ever used in games these days (aside from Flight Simulators)

Gamepads seem to be replacing the niche once held by joysticks, and they cost about the same.

Lack of ambition?

[grahamd0]

Knights of the Old Republic and Tie Fighter suffered from a "lack of ambition"?

Fuck you, guy I've never heard of before. Guess what, physics games have been done. Played Half-Life 2? No... really? Try it, it's great.

Force Unleased sets record boredom

[Jackie_Chan_Fan]

The demo was kind of cool at first, but it quickly became boring. It was too repetitive and dull. It started off good, but then i realized its just about running around a large map running into the same badguys over and over.... pick a box up throw it.

Graphically, its pretty nice but the gameplay didnt have that special something.

Re:-1 flamebait?

[grahamd0]

Really, Mr. Coward?

You mean burying interesting and insightful stuff like:

But it does illustrate what a gigantic clusterfuck Microsoft has with the 360.

Referring to a game that's being released on PS3, 360 and Wii?

Or were you referring to the objective and replete with citations:

A healthy console shouldn't have some crossplatform third party game be its most popular download.

Can your explain, in your in your great anonymity, why exactly a highly anticipated game based on an established franchise that's been part of popular culture for a generation shouldn't be the most popular downloaded DEMO on a particular console?

No, Mr. Coward. I don't seek to bury posts I disagree with, I seek to bury flamebait trolls that offer nothing to discussion at hand. And I never post anonymously.

Fuck you,

Graham