The Force Unleashed DEMO dropped on PSN this week and I finally had time to play it. From the preview footage I had seen I was already drastically annoyed by the useless advent of "health orbs" in the game, surprised that they would use a stale and useless convention from games like Onimusha and Devil May Cry.

However, I still had high hopes for the game since I was excited about the use of the Euphoria engine and LIGHTSABERS!!! VRROOOOOOM VRRRRRMMMMM VROOOOMMM!!!!

Force hucking Storm Troopers also seemed like a solid concept.

Then I played the damned thing... it seems that health orbs aren't the only thing they ripped off from God of War. Bye bye awkward but fun light saber duels of old, instead the fighting system utilizes randomly aimed canned combo animations.

Oh, and that light saber must be a training saber or something because it can't cut through shit. It hits everybody like it was a rubber baton never soldering off a single limb, the only cool thing it did was that if you rub it against the wall it spreads a temporary redish neon paint on the wall... fun.

At least the force throw delivered the goods, though throwing a Tie Fighter at a rebel soldiers eyes isn't as fun as I thought it would be since Tie Fighters are made of some sort of combustable magnesium that ignites and explodes on contact with ANYTHING.

Oh well, there goes my hopes for that game. I'm not too bummed though, it's not like Lucasarts isn't going to make another Star Wars game anyways.

What were your thoughts on the DEMO? Am I just coming at this game from the wrong perspective?

This is a dupe, though the current thread is called S TFU demo so I don't blame you for missing it.

Keep in mind that the game isn't exactly targeted at the "mature" audience. The lack of dismemberment is disappointing but I hardly expected it. Really it's the same as the old Jedi Academy game which really didn't have much in the way of dismemberment. I'm hoping for a code to enable dismemberment though. What randomly aimed canned combo animations I sure as hell don't remember Jedi Academy not having canned animations?

shadow skill:
What randomly aimed canned combo animations I sure as hell don't remember Jedi Academy not having canned animations?

there isn't a 1 to 1 ratio of button press to hits, you just button mash and the game auto chains your combo until the animation sequence is done. there is no complex block and timing aspect to the fighting like Jedi Academy.

BallPtPenTheif:

shadow skill:
What randomly aimed canned combo animations I sure as hell don't remember Jedi Academy not having canned animations?

there isn't a 1 to 1 ratio of button press to hits, you just button mash and the game auto chains your combo until the animation sequence is done. there is no complex block and timing aspect to the fighting like Jedi Academy.

What they did intentionally or unintentionally was place a delay in the animation, it actually makes it easier to cancel combos and pull out of a bad spot with people setting up to shoot you in the face. It's also kind of hard to say there is no complex block and timing aspect when they did not showcase a Jedi duel in the demo. It wasn't as if the Imperials required much in the way of thought in Jedi Academy, that game really shone when you dueled people or got to the parts with the Dark Jedi. The Temple towards the end of JA as to be my favorite portion of the game.

I really enjoyed the demo, mostly because I used my lightsaber as little as possible. The main attractin of this game is using the force as your main weapon so thats how I went into it. I've played it several times through just to experiment with the force powers and found myself having alot of fun. And I have to agree, the lightsaber duels will probably be alot more complex.

CalamusGary:
I really enjoyed the demo, mostly because I used my lightsaber as little as possible. The main attractin of this game is using the force as your main weapon so thats how I went into it. I've played it several times through just to experiment with the force powers and found myself having alot of fun. And I have to agree, the lightsaber duels will probably be alot more complex.

considering the way the demo went i wouldn't be surprised if the boss duels were more about Quick Timing Event sequences used to stun the opponent so you can perform a combo (a la God of War).

yes, the jedi powers were the funnest aspect of the game and the only reason why i replayed it. i had fun chucking storm troopers into the head of the AT-ST walker.

I personally found it very fun to use both the lightsaber and the force powers in tandem with each other. It still seem like a good game to play for about 12 hours to complete.

I have played it 5 times now. My 4th time I went all force throw and it was rather satisfying although not to challenging. The last time I went all saber and although it was harder (especially the boss) it wasn't near as fun.

Also this demo is obviously representative of the early stages of the games. The demo hints at customisation options, not just of your force powers but also of the lightsaber which could lead to more complex combos. I also expect that the enemies will be tougher at the late stages of the game.

I have to agree though, the quick time event was a very dissapointing way to end the demo and I sorely hope that isnt the way saber duels work.

CalamusGary:
Also this demo is obviously representative of the early stages of the games. The demo hints at customisation options, not just of your force powers but also of the lightsaber which could lead to more complex combos. I also expect that the enemies will be tougher at the late stages of the game.

I have to agree though, the quick time event was a very dissapointing way to end the demo and I sorely hope that isnt the way saber duels work.

If the higher difficulty in the demo is any indication the later levels will be evil.

shadow skill:
If the higher difficulty in the demo is any indication the later levels will be evil.

Yeah, and there was the locked difficulty setting as well. If thats anything to go by the game could last a lot longer and seriously test your abilities, before the demo I was worried that TFU was just going to be a prolonged tech demo but I've been confinced an interesting and different game experience will be had.

Let's just hope that their isnt a Hoth level. Every star wars game does hoth, this one dosnt need to.

Ahem...

"Hoth"

- J

squid5580:
I have played it 5 times now. My 4th time I went all force throw and it was rather satisfying although not to challenging. The last time I went all saber and although it was harder (especially the boss) it wasn't near as fun.

i found the light saber system in the Lego version to be more fun. but maybe that's just due to the demo not containing most of the combos?

either way, i didn't really like the button masher gameplay of games like Devil May Cry and i also don't like games that sandbag skill trees to the point that the fighting isn't fun until halfway through the game.

I thought that they were going to make all the materials in this game behave realistically. I picked up a TIE fighter and threw it at some people, and instead of something realistic, like it cracking apart, lighting on fire and then exploding, it just disappeared in a big orange ball of smoke and flame. Disappointing if you ask me.

Just seemed like a cash in to me. Sort of like they sort of tried, but in the end couldnt be bothered.
Physics were cool, but since all you got were random boxes, stormies and a bit of glass you cant really tell
Graphics were crap,
Force use was cool,
Story would inevitably be crap,
the fact the cutscene at the begining had nearly nothing to do with the level was crap ("Search for a jedi msater", "ok, ill just go to this imperial star ship on our side thats being attacked and about to explode, with tie fighters shooting the inside of their own starship, despite the fact theres only 3 guys on the platform anyway" I mean, what the hell) Most of it was bland corridors was crap,
Lightsaber combat was crap (I know its about the force, but its a game about being a badass sith, and if that shouldnt have at least decent combat then i dont know what should)
End boss fight was crap
Quicktime events are crap
Apprentice moves too slowly, making him feel much less than an agile sith assasin

I wonder how lightsaber duels are going to work. I can see them making them QTEs. :(

anNIALLator:
I wonder how lightsaber duels are going to work. I can see them making them QTEs. :(

I would hope it would be like the demo boss where you gotta beat them down to a certain point beforehand. And hopefully there will be a way to ignore them if a player chooses.

I have to say I enjoyed the demo, and I'm not usually that big of a Star Wars fan especially with games, but I thought it was fun, easy to pick up and looked very cool. The story also intrigues me as it could be good if done right. I will probably be buying this if I have any cash spare by the UK release date.

I also liked that this game is mainly focussing on the force powers by making the lightsaber useless by itself and allowing you to experiment with them, which I think is a good direction to go in, rather than just having it like a generic, boring hack and slash as some of the other Star Wars games I have played have been.

IIIIIIIIIIIIII would rent it.

Fun, but don't see the lasting appeal.

I played the hell out of the demo. I remember hearing that it was supposed to be 25-30 minutes long, but I breezed through it in maybe 10-15 minutes. I had doubts about it when I saw gameplay footage, but I had a blast using the force powers. And the physics really added a lot of enjoyment. Although it definitely won't be a buy. There probably won't be much lasting appeal.

urgh, general self indulgent piddle. endless easy peasy nameless henchman slashing with a out of the characteristic easiness boss fight every 3rd of a level which leaves you jumping and slashing repetitively until a button mash sequence happens. you won't get a decent saber battle ether because one button to control a lightsabre simply does not cut it(pun really not intended sorry) [sigh] I'm just really disappointed when I heard about it I thought it was going to be another KOTOR type rpg had my hopes smashed.

also what on earth is with the whole charging a barrel of fuel with force lightning not making it explode but it hitting the ground making it do so?

My bone of contention is how bloody easy the demo was... sure it's the early stage of the game but I don't see how they're going to make it more difficult: mored dudes to effortlessly mow down? Bigger meaner dudes(rancor)? Take on the entire Imperial Invasion force from Empire Strikes Back and single handedly defeat them? I don't think so. Although the force powers were fun, and I was charmed by the ability to smash windows to suck objects out(although for some magical reason the player is unaffected) into space. So a skeptical meh is all I have to say, and I WAS looking forward to it. I think that the story has recieved the 'touch of Lucas' as well. IE: It's shit.

My strongest reaction was to the apprentice's space ship - that thing's engine should not be placed there. Other than that, I had a go until the end of the first battle, then put the controller down to go watch my friends play DnD even though my character had died. In other words: meh.

I felt a variation on what you listed - it was Destroy All Hhumans with a sword.

Typecast:
My bone of contention is how bloody easy the demo was... sure it's the early stage of the game but I don't see how they're going to make it more difficult: mored dudes to effortlessly mow down? Bigger meaner dudes(rancor)? Take on the entire Imperial Invasion force from Empire Strikes Back and single handedly defeat them? I don't think so. Although the force powers were fun, and I was charmed by the ability to smash windows to suck objects out(although for some magical reason the player is unaffected) into space. So a skeptical meh is all I have to say, and I WAS looking forward to it. I think that the story has recieved the 'touch of Lucas' as well. IE: It's shit.

Did you try the higher difficulty?

Nothing revolutionary... I wasn't too excited anyway. I guess I'll just rent it some time. Maybe. Or I may just go out and get teabagged by a barn owl. IDK.

Hack and Slash. Dont really care for it.

I truely enjoyed it, I really like how they beefed up the Force powers. Force Push if more like shooting a cannonball at someone.

To me it felt like a really dumbed down version of Jedi Knight 2 with prettier graphics and the Force grip thing tacked on. The saber combat was just weak, force lightning felt particularly bland, and while some things show visible damage (bending things with your force grip, shattering windows, etc) other things just exploded in a what seemed to be a callback to two console generations ago.

From the videos to the demo, I'm kind of disappointed. They played up these realistic environments, damage physics, and enemies but the demo offered nothing we haven't seen done before (and done better). I was under the impression that enemies picked up by Force grip would grab a hold of anything they could to stay grounded (as shown in quite a few videos and trailers) but no matter how many times I tried it, Stormtroopers didn't react any differently than boxes and things I picked up. Environmental damage effect are a let down too. Sure, a door will bend when you use Force push on it, but only certain doors and they always bend the exact same way. It's as if the door has two states, bent and unbent and Force push just triggers the transition between the two.

I think I would have been more impressed if the developers hadn't hyped it as what it wasn't.

They hyped it WAAAAAAAY too much!

The saber can't cut anything so they should've just left the saber out of it entirely, it's not as if they couldn't have done realistic saber cuts with the DMM engine...

The force powers were satisfactory enough but the DMM engine is apparently WAY overrated, wtf is up with those TIE fighters!? also the only thing that actually bends is doors, and while they do bend relatively realistically it's not enough to have just doors with DMM

AND WHY THE FUCK CAN'T THE LIGHSABER CUT THINGS?!

You lazy ass developers, you could've done it if you wanted to!
I'm no saying i require dismemberment (although I DO want it!)
but that R2 unit in the beginning of the demo is the only thing that looks even remotely like it has been cut by a lightsaber, but it gets cut the same way every time i cut it even if i jut it vertically it gets cut horizontally.

Now that's just lazy, they could've made much, much, MUCH(!) more stuff slice-able and realistically too with the DMM-engine, but they're too lazy, they just want the cash from the hardcore starwars fans who'll buy it anyway...

BIG DISAPPOINTMENT!!!!
That being said...

I've played the game well over 10 times and I'll still buy it, because I'm such a sucker for star wars... *sobs*

EDIT: I'm pretty convinced the lightsaber duels will be quicktime events, How else could the apprentice do all those moves he does in the movies unless it's quicktime events?
I don't mind quicktime events as long as they're REALLY slow on the response time, i don't wanna be so focused on pressing the right buttons that I'll miss what's happening on the screen...

I really liked the demo, I had loads of fun mized up lightning and push with my saber combos. The physics are okay, but I dislike the Euphoria engine. It tries to hard to do everything perfect, but you still end up with it messing up. The DMM engine was interesting, but that was it. I had some fun breaking the huge steel doors with random debris. The force powers are incredibly fun though, by far the highlight of the demo. I had alot of fun killing of a squad of stormtroopers/rebels and 'toying' with the last one. For example, I would leave one rebel with the shock staff alone and everytime he swung for me I would grasp him with the force and move him away. I also had fun hanging rebels over the edges of platforms and listening to their pleas for help. I'm looking forward to this game, if the demo is anything to go off I will really enjoy it.

I watched my brother play it a few nights ago, and as far as I can tell it's just God of War in space with lightsabres. I'm probably not going to get it based on the demo alone, but positive reviews might change my mind.