Gamespot: Force Unleashed Launch Center? + demo reviews…

I’ve seen this around the net alot today. It seems Gamespot.com have put up something called The Force Unleashed Launch Center, which is counting down 11 days and says, “review coming soon”. I have no idea what this could be, I suppose it could be a pre-release review or something.

In the meantime dozens of sites have now posted their reviews of The Force Unleashed demo. You can check out some of them below, courtesy of TheForce.net

From Examiner.com:

If the Star Wars Force Unleashed demo is any sign of things to come, there are going to be a lot of late nights spent slicing and dicing with lightsaber in hand. The game has a nice mix of fast-action gameplay and strategic decisions and promises good role-playing value and puzzles to boot. And, with its open-ended storyline, it might be the type of game you can play through time and again making different choices and exploring different areas of the game.

Star Wars Force Unleashed Demo – Gameplay
The demo’s mission is a relatively simple affair where you are sent to an installation and ordered to kill everyone inside. It guides you through using your force powers to blast through doors and unlock hangers while you practice picking up barrels and throwing them at groups of the enemy. All of this ends in a huge battle against an AT-ST that is finally defeated by doing a special move to split the thing in two.

While the Force Unleashed demo doesn’t allow you to delve much into the character building aspects of the game, it does demonstrate one crucial point: Star Wars Force Unleashed is going to be well worth the wait. It is like a super-charged Knights of the Old Republic with all the theatrical feel of the old X-Wing and Tie Fighter games. In other words, it feels like you are really inside the Star Wars universe, and it’s a blast.

Star Wars Force Unleashed Demo – Graphics, Sound and Controls
A game lives or dies based on solid gameplay, but its the graphics and sound that take it from good to great. And there’s no doubt that the Force Unleashed is going to end up in the great column. Playing on the Xbox 360, the graphics are gorgeous. The game has a dark feel to it combined with the cinematic of the Star Wars universe. The sound is also dead on from the whirl of the lightsaber to the buzz of a Tie Fighter zipping past.

The controls are also very sweet. Getting the camera angle just right so that you can throw a barrel down a hallway and into a pack of the enemy can take a little getting used to, but for the most part, the controls come quick and easy. I really liked how I could jump into the air and hover a few moments by swinging the lightsaber. I was also able to slip around corners and zig zag to evade incoming fire on my way for a fantastic leap into their midst.

The free and easy feel of the controls makes taking on a pack of enemies a real blast. My favorite tactic was to start with a leap, knock them back with a force push, slice through them with my lightsaber and — coming to the last of them — cackling a little before unleashing a lightning attack. But, hey, that’s just me.

From SoundAndVisionMag.com:

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

We explore the first four levels of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed on the Xbox 360. The Dark Side never looked so good.

As this magazine’s videogame reviewer and a longtime Star Wars fan, I was so eager to get my hands on an early copy of The Force Unleashed that I considered storming the Presidio. Luckily, however, LucasArts was kind enough to deliver an exclusive preview (for Xbox 360) right to my door. And based on the four levels I was given (about 40% of the finished game), I’m confident that, throughout, The Force will unleash superb graphics and sound for your home theater. What’s more, the gameplay itself is revolutionary in its vivid verisimilitude and unprecedented A.I. — all in a compelling plot that’s true to the spirit of the Star Wars films.

Set between the prequels and the classic trilogy, The Force Unleashed finds the Jedi Knights to be all but extinct — and you’re on a mission to hunt down the final few who have gone into hiding. That’s right: You’re on the Dark Side in this game. In fact, you begin play as Darth Vader himself, sent to exterminate a lone Jedi on the Wookiee home world of Kashyyyk. Then, starting with Level 2, you become Vader’s Secret Apprentice, armed with flashy lightsaber attacks and other powers unlike any you’ve seen in a Star Wars game — or a Star Wars movie. Here, for example, the Force grip is no longer merely for tossing foes aside. Now you’ll suspend them in midair, shock them with Sith lightning, and slam them down to the ground to explode like a bomb. The dramatically diverse environments of the first four levels are a showcase for the game’s graphics and physics. From the first moments on Kashyyyk, you can see how everything reacts with extraordinary realism. Crash through the Wookiees’ barriers, and the wood breaks and splinters as it should, depending on the impact.

In the second level, where you infiltrate a TIE Fighter factory as the Secret Apprentice, you’ll notice how your enemies act like real people by revealing their sense of self-preservation. Use the Force to attack a Stormtrooper and send him flying through the air; arms flailing, he’ll desperately try to grab onto something to prevent himself from falling. Dispatch another one, and he’ll even try to grab onto his already airborne squadmate. (“Wait a sec,” I can hear you asking. “Infiltrate a TIE Fighter factory? Attack a Stormtrooper? You said I was playing on the Dark Side.” Remember: You’re the Secret Apprentice. And there can’t be any witnesses.)

The next stop on your epic journey is the junkyard planet of Raxus Prime, where the wreckage of Jedi Starfighters, Republic Gunships, and Imperial Walkers can be seen in the amazingly detailed rubble. The fourth and final level I played is set on the overgrown planet of Felucia. It’s a beautifully rendered environment of towering vegetation — but don’t get too distracted, because you’ll have to square off against hulking Rancor monsters and, from the prequel films, a certain Jedi Master that fans might recognize. Like the graphics, the immersive surround sound is impressively dynamic. At the end of each level I played, a bone-crushing battle gave my subwoofer a serious workout. All of the voice acting is first-rate, and John Williams’s stirring film scores blend seamlessly with 90 minutes of original music to help create an aural tour de Force.

Judging from this preview, it’s a safe bet that the complete game of The Force Unleashed will deliver an unforgettable Star Wars experience.