Star Wars lightsaber coming to Wii spring 2008
Tuesday, September 18th, 2007 at 6:56pm by Staff
(Press release) - LucasArts today revealed that Star Wars: The Force Unleashed will come to the Wii home videogame system from Nintendo next spring, offering owners the unique chance to live out their Jedi fantasies by wielding the Wii Remote as a lightsaber while using the Nunchuk controller to torment foes with their Force powers.
The Force Unleashed casts players as Darth Vader’s “Secret Apprentice” and promises to unveil new revelations about the Star Wars galaxy. The game’s expansive story is set during the largely unexplored era between Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope. In it, players will assist the iconic villain in his quest to rid the universe of Jedi - and face decisions that could change the course of their destiny.
The Wii version, in development by Krome Studios, will also add an exclusive duel mode in which players can compete head-to-head with their friends to determine the ultimate Jedi Master.
“The Wii is a great platform for The Force Unleashed, because the console’s motion-oriented controllers really bring the game to life,” said Jim Ward, President of LucasArts. “We’ve worked hard to make the Wii version of the game unique in order to truly let you unleash the Force.”
September 18th, 2007 at 6:57 pm
Please no waggle…please no waggle….*Crosses fingers*…
September 18th, 2007 at 7:01 pm
Impressive….
Most Impressive
September 18th, 2007 at 7:46 pm
This is gonna be so freakin’ awesome!
September 18th, 2007 at 7:58 pm
“I’ve got a bad feeling about this.” - Han Solo
My fears have just been confirmed. The addition of a two player “duel mode” means that there will be no 1:1 swordfighting. The battles would be two fast and unbalanced because you could just flail around wildly. In order to make the duel mode work, they would need to basically make it Red Steel in space.
That’s going to be GREAT *sarcasm*.
September 18th, 2007 at 8:19 pm
The story sounds cool, the idea is attractive, and the expectation for such a game is enormous. hopefully they pull it off with decent controls, because so far as this game goes, the controls will be the most important feature.
September 18th, 2007 at 8:30 pm
actually, it could work well.
trying to be pessimistic based on a launch game as if nothing can improve is a failure on the part of anybody thinking such a thing.
1:1 doesnt have to be done to make a worthwhile sword game.
but yeah, look at wii sports boxing to see how people flail about even thought the game is better played by not flailing about.
its sad that so many immature gamers can be the ones ruining 1:1 controls for us all.
September 18th, 2007 at 8:56 pm
I’m just hoping these lightsaber duels will make it into some kind of online mode. Not that online is everything, but just for the sake of not smacking each other with Wii remotes in the same room.
September 18th, 2007 at 8:58 pm
I want the lightsaber to be controlled with the same precision as the baseball bat in Wii Sports. Can you imagine fighting with a lightsaber that is mapped 1:1 with your remote? And you’re a bad guy? *faints*
September 18th, 2007 at 9:14 pm
Why is everyone so keen for 1:1 controls. I know it’s a stereotype but do you really think most gamers are co-ordinated enough?
What we really should be hoping for is that there is enough variety of options for swords swipes and that the motion controls closely resemble the move being performed. If this is done well it could be fantstic.
September 18th, 2007 at 9:16 pm
edit.
fantastic*
Bad hands, bad!!
September 18th, 2007 at 9:27 pm
1:1? How will the lightsabers stop eachother when they collide? Dream on, idiots.
September 18th, 2007 at 9:28 pm
Darth Vader’s secret apprentice? FSM help us.
September 18th, 2007 at 9:34 pm
Waltermh:
I’m not saying that Red Steel can’t be improved upon, just that this game probably won’t be the one to do it.
And how would you know if 1:1 isn’t required to make a good swordfighting game? No one has made a “good” swordfighting game yet, with or without accurate controls! And don’t bring up Boxing. That game isn’t even close to being 1:1.
September 18th, 2007 at 9:57 pm
As long as Han doesn’t shoot first… ooops nevermind! I hope the developers do a nice job with this one. More Star Wars is (almost) always a good thing. (sometimes)
I’m looking forward to it and will reserve judgment until then.
September 18th, 2007 at 10:23 pm
I’m excited!
Ahh the hum of the lightsabers should sound spot on from the wiimotes crackly speaker.
It doesn’t have to have 1:1, think maybe 0.75:1 .. ie general movements so that you attack general areas (head, arm, torso etc), with corresponding defensive and offensive attacks.
Flailing can be avoided. In real life as in the game, there are consequences to opening yourself up. If the game is balanced and coded correctly, erratic movements could cause a player to spaz out opening him up to attack, thus encouraging players to attack slower and more precise.
An old lady doing a tennis swing attack would be somewhat effective while a kid going apeshit would mean his death.
Split screen would be confusing plus you’re asking for a wiimote to the face, dualing should be online.
Here’s hoping for an A-Class Lucasarts title as opposed to an F.
September 18th, 2007 at 10:26 pm
The reason I want 1:1 saber control is the same reason I appreciate it in Wii Sports Baseball .. it feels real! And in Baseball, you can still swing and easily hit the ball .. I assume the same can be done with sword fights.
September 18th, 2007 at 10:36 pm
Yes. One of my first thoughts when I saw the wii and wiimote was that would make an awesome Star Wars games. Hopefully they can pull of the controls. With the lightsaber I can’t help but think it will be something like star wars arcade. This is the game at arcades where you have a joystick and get to fly a xwing against the death star. But anyways there was a vader duel level and the viewpoint seemed like a FPS and you moved the joystick where arrows pointed to block vaders attacks. Is it going to be something like that or is it going to be alot better??? Also does anybody know what game I’m talking about.
September 18th, 2007 at 11:34 pm
Almost all the comments are arguing about saber controls. Lame. As long as they make a good, fluid control scheme I really don’t care whether it’s 1:1 or not. Just as long as it’s somehow better than Red Steel, I need not complain.
What I’m more excited about are Euphoria, Digital Molecular Matter, and the different force abilities. The preview in Game Informer’s march issue had some great examples of how these would work. I really can’t wait now that I know it’s coming to Wii.
September 19th, 2007 at 2:55 am
@DAVID I agree if 1:1 was done on a game as simple as Wii Sports Baseball ….noticed before the pitcher throws a ball you can swing the bat and do whatever movement and that same movement is translated onto the game and the same way the bat and the ball collide the same can be done with the lightsabers …
my only worry is that is a mutiplatform game PS3/360 but rumors are theres a seperate dev team making the Wii version and hope the Wii version gets the special treatment..
I want it to take advantage of Wii hardware and controllers, I had enough with ports with slapped on controllers
September 19th, 2007 at 7:52 am
Color me skeptical, because what I’ve read is the PS3/Xbox 360 versions are being made by one team, and the PS2/PSP/Wii versions are being made by another. Which means expect what we’ve been getting….a PS2 game with Wii controls. I hope that’s not the case but the track record isn’t good. It would make the MOST sense to have a seperate team work on the Wii version, but I’ll hold my breath.
If it does turn out to be the PS2 version with Wii controls, I’ll buy the PS3 or Xbox 360 version.
September 19th, 2007 at 1:33 pm
I’m fed up with Starwars games altogether, and using my Wii controller as a lightsaber won’t change my mind about it. Is it really too much to ask of LucasArts to make one lousy point and click adventure game for the Wii, or at least something different that doesn’t have the word Starwars stamped all over it’s forehead?
September 19th, 2007 at 4:32 pm
“1:1? How will the lightsabers stop each other when they collide? Dream on, idiots.”
Exactly what I thought about months ago. Which is why it could never be as good as people’s hopes, I am not smashing this game because of it, I’m just glad I get to play it (when I heard about it I wanted to play it but thought that there wasn’t going to be a Wii version).
But you think you hear complaining now, wait until all the fanboys complain about this game when it comes out if it isn’t total perfection (which it cant be if the colliding thing doesn’t work)