It took me a while, but I was finally able to pry Star Wars: The Force Unleashed away from Kill-Tacular-Tron earlier this year and convinced him to let me borrow it. I can’t actually ever recall a Star Wars game that I enjoyed a LOT, Shadows on N64 was pretty good, but Knights of the Old Republic – while fun for a while – was a bit daunting for me. While not without problems, The Force Unleashed was the most fun I’ve had playing a Star Wars video game and I was thrilled to hear a second one was in development. Well, flash forward to this month and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II is set to hit game shelves on the 26 of this month – and LucasArts has just released a new trailer for the game that includes game play footage.
I think the thing I loved most about this is the time the game is set in. It’s just years before the events of A New Hope and sheds light on how the rebellion came to be. Whether this is “authorized” continuity or not, I don’t really care, I consider it to be awesome.I don’t want to bore you with my explanation of the details, this game will feature roles from Yoda and Boba Fett, as well as the possibility of other familiar faces that LucasArts is keeping under wraps. I want to point you over you guardian.co.uk, where Keith Stuart has done a terrific write up of the game from his experience meeting with LucasArts and playing a demo of the game. It’s lengthy, but if you are excited about this game, it’s a great read. Here’s a snippet:
Set soon after its predecessor and just a few years before A New Hope, this is a more melancholy take on the story of Starkiller, the Sith apprentice who turned against Darth Vader and [spoiler, if you haven’t played the first one] seemingly sacrificed his life to ignite the rebellion [spoiler ends]. The development team has taken in criticisms of the first title, listened to fans and, encouraged by a Writers Guild award for the Force Unleashed story, developed the darkness of the narrative considerably. As executive producer Julio Torres explains, “We want to figure out how to tell an incredible core story, where we bring in some icons you’re all familiar with, as well as introduce new characters who have their own development and who matter. We want a story that’s new and refreshing but still anchored in Star Wars lore.”
Force Unleashed 2 begins on the stormy planet of Kamino, where Vader has been using an accelerated cloning process to generate a new version of Starkiller, once his favourite Jedi-hunting machine. Meanwhile, rebellion leader General Rahm Kota has been captured by imperial forces and is being forced to fight for his life in a gladiatorial arena on the rich leisure planet of Cato Neimoidia. Vader’s plan is for Starkiller to murder the general, simultaneously ridding the empire of a major rebel leader and destroying Starkiller’s legendary status as the godfather of the galactic uprising.
In any case, I am extremely excited for this game, and frankly the trailer looks goddamned epic, so check it out for yourself: