The Force Unleashed is out

[Lt. Dan]

I just picked it up and have watched the opening sequence and now I see what seems to be a never ending blank screen with Vader just breathing. What the fuck?

Anyone else getting it? Anyone else getting the same blank screen?

[Admiral Valdemar]

now I see what seems to be a never ending blank screen with Vader just breathing.

Hilarious. It's like a "fuck you" in virtual form.

[Lt. Dan]

Pretty much. And if I don't get to play before work, I'm gunna be pissed. $60 is too much for very little....

[Lt. Dan]

Ok, after a reset, it worked. Now to go and kill as the dark Lord Vader.

I'm so excited. Will post later.

[Death from the Sea]

Ike kinda postponed when I will be getting this. I don't even think that the game stores are even close to opening yet

[Erik von Nein]

My friend bought it on launched last night and played it for a bit. So far I'm thoroughly unimpressed. The graphics aren't ho-shit amazing and the whole "break shit in realistic ways!" went down the tubes the second I saw the tree bark on a tree explode from my friend hitting one side of it with a lightsaber, then watching the debris fade away. Ho, man.

I mean, otherwise it's a fairly fun game. It's one big hack-em-up with shit platforming. Can't comment on the story, aside from them desperately wanting the droid to be the next HK-47.

[CaptHawkeye]

Generally I think the problem with this game is that Jedi Knight already beat it to the punch. Don't get me wrong, JK was a game stuck in a world of perpetual equality in quantity with good and bad design decisions. (lol, I know force PUSH, but not PULL for some reason.) Still, JK already let me do plenty of what this game does with the exception of the physics engine. Too bad the promises made by the engine while in development have largely gone unkept.

[chitoryu12]

Generally I think the problem with this game is that Jedi Knight already beat it to the punch. Don't get me wrong, JK was a game stuck in a world of perpetual equality in quantity with good and bad design decisions. (lol, I know force PUSH, but not PULL for some reason.) Still, JK already let me do plenty of what this game does with the exception of the physics engine. Too bad the promises made by the engine while in development have largely gone unkept.

In an old test video of DMM early in the game's development, it took a lot of power to run and they had to work hard to keep the game from getting laggy. I'm guessing they just restricted your powers to little larger than bending a door so they could work on getting the DMM physics to work on larger scale. That's also why DMM is being used in the new Indiana Jones game as well: It keeps things simple enough for the processing power of modern consoles.

[CaptHawkeye]

That's a problem a lot of developers have encountered. It's sad really. Most developers simply go the low-cost, minimum effort route to yield maximum profit with little actual heed as to the quality of the game. Occasionally, you get a developer with a real dream to make a genuinly progressive game. What happens?

He finally digs his way through the mountain of politics, financial debt, and publisher confidence, only to find that the dream game he designed can't even be played on most people's computers.

I mean, Operation Flashpoint was basically a watered down version of VBS1 because VBS1 was an industrial strength program that needed a huge computer dedicated to running it. Now, I would never actually want to play VBS1, because it isn't a game, it's a dedicated simulator built for professional armies looking to train squads in small unit tactics. Even though VBS1 had bigger playing areas, and far more attention to detail than Flashpoint did. Which is pretty hard to imagine.

[Stark]

The very idea that the bodgey, 2006-standard physics in TFU taxes modern computers boggles the mind. What's the point of wasting all that grunt on something so irrelevant to the actual game? Is that -really- an excuse why the combat is so one-dimensional, a flaw shared with Too Human?

Trust me, no game wants to share ANYTHING with Too Human. It even has the shiny-glad-wrap approach to environment mapping.

[CaptHawkeye]

Well, I wasn't really talking about TFU specifically. Since TFU's advertised "physics" are little more than Half Life style scripted sequences using the same exact morphers over and over again. I was more thinking of games like Silent Hunter or Flashpoint.

Stark, I warned you about Too Human. Don't come crying to me that you invested any more than 5 minutes in it. You really need to get that time back.

[Stark]

Oh I went into it with both eyes open, I just didn't expect Mass Effect-level pretentious writing, Diablo 0.5-style 'not very' character customisation and Gauntlet style room spawner gameplay. Oh and 8-bit bosses right out of Mega Man.

Can anyone with TFU confirm the combat becomes more interesting later? I've only played the demo, and it really didn't seem like there was much to 'do' outside of 'play with physics gun'. and 'engage in tiresome boss fights'.

[chitoryu12]

The very idea that the bodgey, 2006-standard physics in TFU taxes modern computers boggles the mind. What's the point of wasting all that grunt on something so irrelevant to the actual game? Is that -really- an excuse why the combat is so one-dimensional, a flaw shared with Too Human?

The game's use of the DMM physics is a lot different from how DMM was portrayed. In the demo video for DMM you had wooden boards splintering, realistically-bending metal, wooden beams sagging and splintering under the weight of stormtroopers, etc. TFU uses more static environment pieces and set pieces (Like TIE fighters) that can't be manipulated, so all the CPU power is put into small-scale stuff that generally looks the same no matter how many times you do it.

[CaptHawkeye]

Can anyone with TFU confirm the combat becomes more interesting later? I've only played the demo, and it really didn't seem like there was much to 'do' outside of 'play with physics gun'. and 'engage in tiresome boss fights'.

Once you play the demo you've pretty much played the whole game. They brag that the force powers get even more outrageous as the game goes on, but their uses are limited to such scripted events that it largely negates any sense of "power" you could get from them.

[Stark]

Yeah, and SO WHAT? If that's really a huge hit to the processor, what was EVEN THE POINT of trying to include it? I've played the demo; the deformation is totally non-game critical, and is very basic. Where did they plan to have this actually be important and worth the processor load?

Adding kewl feature that adds nothing to the game but crushes systems = poor design decision. It's just sad it apparently took them so long to work out it wasn't going to work they didn't have time to make a good game.

EDIT - this is a reply to Chitoryu, and I have failed to use quote boxes AGAIN.

[Erik von Nein]

Once you play the demo you've pretty much played the whole game. They brag that the force powers get even more outrageous as the game goes on, but their uses are limited to such scripted events that it largely negates any sense of "power" you could get from them.

Yeah, pretty much. The only difference is the change of scenery and the, um, story.

[Ghost Rider]

Saddest part of this game is exactly what Hawkeye said. It's the demo, expanded into a game but instead of just flinging Stormtroopers into space or flinging TIE fighters on their ass, you have to follow a story.

As for story? Spoilers if you haven't been assaulted by the comic, novel, or game.

You're Emo Luke on a wild rampage dealing with numerous enemies with Tits Mcgee and your loyal side kick droid. The Droid sidekick becomes loyal to you, Tits McGee at first is unsure, but her panties get wet for your one dimensional ass soon enough. And Vader is a stupid prick. Along the way, you encounter a variety of other SW notables, and kinda sorta gain something of trust or animosity through your actions. Then like a good Mary Sue...you take on and whup Vader's ass and proceed to duke it out with Emperor only to meet a patented Mary Sue death wherein the Alliance mourns your Mary Sue butt.

Really, I am glad I just borrowed my friend's...though I regret the time wasted when I could've been gold farming in WoW.

[Darth Fanboy]

Any idea as to why they allowed the book and graphic novel to be released before the video game? Is the supposed novelty of the gameplay supposed to make up for the fact that you can learn what happens for about a third of the game's retail price?

[chitoryu12]

Yeah, and SO WHAT? If that's really a huge hit to the processor, what was EVEN THE POINT of trying to include it? I've played the demo; the deformation is totally non-game critical, and is very basic. Where did they plan to have this actually be important and worth the processor load?

Adding kewl feature that adds nothing to the game but crushes systems = poor design decision. It's just sad it apparently took them so long to work out it wasn't going to work they didn't have time to make a good game.

EDIT - this is a reply to Chitoryu, and I have failed to use quote boxes AGAIN.

I don't think they DID plan on making it important. They did the same thing with Euphoria. Look at Grand Theft Auto IV. You ran people over, pushed, fought, and shot, and you could clearly see Euphoria kick in when people were knocked off balance and wounded. In TFU, you bat people with your lightstick (I refuse to call anything a lightsaber until it actually cuts something), pick them up and let them flail, or fling them into walls at speeds high enough to pulverize their bones. Hardly any noticeable Euphoria.

My personal guess would be that they added DMM and Euphoria just for the "wow" factor, as in "Look, we've got an advanced physics engine and a physics-driven animation system! Isn't it awesome!", when in fact they don't plan on really using them. That's why I'm looking forward to the new Indiana Jones game more than TFU. At least I'll get to see Euphoria do SOMETHING>

[Vympel]

Well I think the game's fucking awesome. I'm apparently easily pleased. The opening Vader level is made of win, and all the levels look gorgeous (the second especially, though I haven't seen the follow ons).

[Darksider]

Well I think the game's fucking awesome. I'm apparently easily pleased. The opening Vader level is made of win, and all the levels look gorgeous (the second especially, though I haven't seen the follow ons).

Duly seconded. Tossing wookies around like rag dolls is great fun.

Did you get to rip the star destroyer out of the sky while popping ties like zits with force lightning yet?

[Stark]

Well I think the game's fucking awesome. I'm apparently easily pleased. The opening Vader level is made of win, and all the levels look gorgeous (the second especially, though I haven't seen the follow ons).

You seriously think it looks good?

Can you give me an example of a PS3 game you think looks bad? This datapoint confuses me. Does it look markedly better on PS3? Is the restrictive and repetitive level design a factor?

[Flagg]

Well I think the game's fucking awesome. I'm apparently easily pleased. The opening Vader level is made of win, and all the levels look gorgeous (the second especially, though I haven't seen the follow ons).

You seriously think it looks good?

Can you give me an example of a PS3 game you think looks bad? This datapoint confuses me. Does it look markedly better on PS3? Is the restrictive and repetitive level design a factor?

No, it looks like GTA-4 if it were ported from the PS2. If you liked just dicking around in the demo with throwing things and people at other things and people then you'll have some fun. The Vader level is cool, but followed with immediate disappointment when you have shit skills in the first "real" level.

The fact that Assassins Creed manages to look twice as good while having a free roaming environment is just sad when TFU is for all intents and purposes a corridor stroller.

[Connor MacLeod]

So let me see if I got this straight, because the discussion seems to boil down to two basic points:

Person A: The game is fun!

Person B: Yeah, but the game engine sucks, so the game must suck!

[Stark]

Have you even played the game? It makes Dynasty Warriors and Too Human look like sophisticated combat models. I find it more amusing nobody even tries to defend the play aspects; sure if you're a 'lol physics gun' person, I'm sure it's endlessly amusing as you do the same thing 50,000 times, but for many it's just boring.

I'm honestly not sure where you even got your ridiculous breakdown of opinon.