Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is a combination action and fighting game featuring characters from The Expanded Universe as well as the classic movies. The game was originally planned for other consoles, but has now been ported to Wii. The game uses assets from the PS2 and PSP versions, but much of the game’s engine was rewritten with the Wii Remote in mind. The game is supposed to include more modes and content than the releases on the other consoles.

The concept of The Force Unleashed is to allow players the full Jedi experience. Though the implementation of a lightsaber mapped to the Wii Remote was an obvious idea wished for by many as soon as the Remote was announced, the game was not originally designed with this type of gameplay in mind. Instead, the game includes many Force-based attacks, not just lightsaber swinging. Force grips and throws play a major part of both single and multiplayer modes. With so much going on, control can get a little complicated: players have to manage themselves, their opponents, and their environment simultaneously. Though the arenas are fully 3-D, players have nowhere to hide thanks to the far-reaching powers of the force.

The two-player arena mode was playable to Summit attendees. The game features nine arenas, with classic locations such as Hoth, Bespin, and Tatooine, and prequel locations such as Geonosis, Coruscant, and Kashyyyk. Both light and dark sides are represented in 27 characters, many of which start off locked.

The lightsaber and other controls work similar to, but deeper than, the swordplay in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. While the swings are partially gesture-based some amount of tilt sensing is present. For instance, players can hold their arm up in a defensive position to block attacks. Walking is performed with the directional stick on the Nunchuk. Objects in the character’s line of sight glow to indicate that they can be controlled by the Force if desired. These objects can be thrown at opponents, who themselves can be grabbed with the Force. The lightsaber itself can be thrown like a boomerang., and this action can be coupled with a Force grab to form a devastating combo attack.

Force attacks cannot be used indiscriminately due to a power meter. This meter recharges quickly to encourage the strategic, but plentiful, use of Force attacks such as Force lightning. There is also an “Unleashed” meter, which is filled by completing attacks successfully. When this meter fills, Unleashed mode activates, making the players attacks much more powerful.

If two players simultaneously attempt to attack each other with the same attack, like Force lightning or during a lightsaber duel, prompts appear telling players to match their controllers with the on-screen tilt indicator. Whoever can match a series of orientations fastest gains the upper hand and the loser’s posterior meets the ground. The ebb and flow of the multiplayer mode passes between defensive strategy and all-out attacking.

The game packs in several special effects to accompany the various force powers, apparently at the expense of textures and polygon count. The game sadly looks like the PS2 port that it is. However, the game’s environment is highly destructible, and players are encouraged to trash every area they encounter. The Force and lightsaber effects make heavy use of buffer distortion, which can make playing a little disorienting. Environments also include several hazards. For example, the Sarlacc, with its giant mouth, is centered in the middle of the Tatooine stage and guarantees instant death if you get consumed.

The arena mode is somewhat more involved than traditional fighters due to its free-roaming nature and wide array of Jedi powers available for players to use. It can be a little hard to pick up initially, but can also be a lot of fun once controls are mastered.

Single-player adventure mode was not playable by Summit attendees, but I was able to watch the developers play the first level. In the first level, players become Darth Vader’s apprentice, an apprentice kept secret from the Emperor. He is sent on a mission to kill an opponent of Vader as well as all those he comes in contact with, no matter whose side they are on, in order to keep his identity hidden.

Players can collect Holocrons to increase their power and health. Force gems can also be collected and are used as currency to buy special Jedi abilities. Players can also collect crystals for their lightsabers, which can change their color in addition to other characteristics. Players can opt to take their time and collect all of the items found within the game or just blast through quickly. While the game is mostly action, there are some short puzzles and tasks to complete. One such task had the Sith apprentice jumping up levels in a TIE Fighter construction facility. Thankfully, force fields would activate after a few jumps in order to prevent the frustration of missing a jump and falling all the way back to the beginning.

At the end of the level, an AT-ST attacks the Sith apprentice. Using Force powers, players must throw boxes at the mechanical attack vehicle to weaken its defenses. Once weakened, players can approach it and take out its legs by completing a brief mini-game which directs players to make quick motions to chop the legs down.

It’s not very pretty, but The Force Unleashed includes some unique gameplay and with its completely separate single and multiplayer modes, is like two games in one. While Star Wars fans might be disappointed that the game doesn’t attempt to realistically put the lightsaber in their hands, the title does have a lot going for it.