Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II
Encyclopedia
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II is LucasArts
' sequel to 2008's Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
video game. A trailer announcing the game was shown December 12, 2009, at the Spike Video Game Awards. The game was released across multiple platforms in October 2010, along with a collectors edition of the game. The game received mixed reviews, praising the game's aesthetics but criticizing the story and gameplay. LucasArts released a bonus mission as a downloadable content
for the PlayStation 3
and Xbox 360
game December 14, 2010. A version for the PlayStation Portable
was cancelled for unknown reasons.
s, which can dismember or decapitate enemies. The game also adds more Force powers, such as "mind trick" and "Force fury". and force rage.
". Executive producer Julio Torres said that while the story is consistent across platforms, gameplay decreases in style across platforms to reflect each platform's uniqueness and strengths.
The Wii
's control scheme is focused on being able to precisely control Starkiller's Force powers and saber combos. The Wii exclusive "Force rage" power puts the game's protagonist, Starkiller, into a bullet time
mode exclusive to that platform; the Wii version also has a Force sight power not included on other platforms. The Wii version also has a multiplayer mode, inspired by The Outfoxies
, in which four players can challenge each other in a fighting-style combat game.
The PC
, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 versions feature new Force powers, new skins for Force powers that appear in The Force Unleashed, an improved rendering system providing richer colors, and a new audio system. The gameplay also highlights the potential to "destroy" the game environment. Neither the PlayStation 3 nor Xbox 360 versions of the game include multiplayer.
The Nintendo DS version features the same Force powers as the console versions. The Nintendo handheld is designed around allowing players to quickly get into or out of the game.
. The Force Unleashed II is the "dark entry" in the series, and a more personal story for the game's protagonist than the first game.
Players will control Starkiller
's renegade clone, a failure of Darth Vader
's attempt to create a perfect secret apprentice. After a vision that Darth Vader will kill him due to his inability to kill a test droid (in the form of Juno from the first game), the clone escapes from captivity on Kamino
. After eliminating his stormtrooper
captors, Starkiller embarks on a quest to understand his identity and to find his template's love interest from the first game, Juno Eclipse. Meanwhile, Darth Vader has hired Boba Fett
to track down Juno Eclipse to lure Starkiller out of hiding. Starkiller rescues Jedi Master Rahm Kota from a gladiator
al arena, and encounters Yoda
on Dagobah
.
After encountering strange visions on Dagobah, Starkiller rushes to Juno's ship, only to arrive just as Boba captures her.
With help from Kota, the Rebels launch an all-out assault on Kamino. Starkiller crashes a ship into the planet's shield, allowing Kota to stage a ground assault, while he goes after Juno.
In a confrontation with Vader, Juno is thrown out of a window, crashing to the ground. Starkiller, thinking Juno is dead, attacks Vader viciously, cutting off his hand and defeating him. Kota arrives with his men, and tells Starkiller not to kill Vader: he wants to interrogate the Sith lord for the Empires secrets, then put him on trial, then later execute him
. As in the first game, this allows the player to choose either the light path or the dark path:
's licensing office to ensure Boba Fett and Yoda were appropriately integrated into the story.
, Euphoria
, and Digital Molecular Matter
for motion and physics. Blackman feels the second game takes better advantage of the powerful engine than does the first game. LucasArts acknowledged players' frustration with the first game's targeting system, and worked to revise it in the sequel; Blackman said fixing the Force grip feature was the developers' top priority. The game also includes fewer enemy types, instead focusing on making enemies more "'special and unique'"; the game was also designed to offer "epic" boss battles. Other adjustments include allowing players to dismember enemy characters and improving menu speeds.
said The Force Unleashed II is visually appealing, with an impressive sense of scale. Game Informer
said the game's mechanics are more fluid than the first game's, and praised the textures and animations as "among this generation's best". GamePro
and GamesRadar
highlighted the game's variety of lightsaber crystals and their ability to boost Starkiller's powers. GamesRadar observed that LucasArts seemed to take player feedback from the first game seriously, and made numerous subtle improvements for the sequel. GamesRadar also praised "substantial" improvements to the Force grip power, although Eurogamer
did not detect any improvements. The Writers Guild of America
nominated the game for its Outstanding Achievement in Video Game Writing recognition.
Eurogamer said the game overall "feels like it was created out of obligation rather than inspiration", and points toward Blackman's departure from LucasArts before the game's release as a potential sign of trouble. IGN criticized the game's repetitive level design and underdeveloped story. Game Informer criticized the story and the dissatisfying appearances by Boba Fett and Yoda. IGN's reviewer said that because Starkiller begins the game as a powerful character, leveling up does not feel as satisfying as in the first game; while the game does offer increased variety in enemy types that "occasionally present a challenge", defeating them eventually becomes formulaic. GameSpot
called the final battle repetitive, and that the game's end sequence erases the story's dramatic tension. The Force Unleashed II was later one of GameSpot's nominees for "Least Improved Sequel of 2010". GamePro faulted several performance issues and the game's brief, unfocused story. The downloadable content was poorly received by Kotaku
, which criticized the expansion's murder of Han Solo
and Chewbacca
.
and IGN praised the Wii version's multiplayer mode, although GameSpot called the multiplayer mode "unspectacular". However, GameSpot did praise the game's art, combat, and control scheme.
LucasArts
LucasArts Entertainment Company, LLC is an American video game developer and publisher. The company was once famous for its innovative line of graphic adventure games, the critical and commercial success of which peaked in the mid 1990s...
' sequel to 2008's Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is a multimedia project developed by LucasArts along with Dark Horse Comics, Lego, Hasbro, and Del Rey Books...
video game. A trailer announcing the game was shown December 12, 2009, at the Spike Video Game Awards. The game was released across multiple platforms in October 2010, along with a collectors edition of the game. The game received mixed reviews, praising the game's aesthetics but criticizing the story and gameplay. LucasArts released a bonus mission as a downloadable content
Downloadable content
Downloadable content is official additional content for a video game distributed through the Internet. Downloadable content can be of several types, ranging from a single in-game outfit to an entirely new, extensive storyline, similarly to an expansion pack. As such, DLC may add new game modes,...
for the PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
and Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
game December 14, 2010. A version for the PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
was cancelled for unknown reasons.
Gameplay
The Force Unleashed II refines gameplay elements from the first Force Unleashed, and adds more variety with such features as puzzle solving. Combat was modified to include the ability to wield dual lightsaberLightsaber
A lightsaber is a fictional weapon in the Star Wars universe, a "laser sword." It consists of a polished metal hilt which projects a blade of light about 1.33 metres long. The lightsaber is the signature weapon of the Jedi order and their Sith counterparts, both of whom can use them for close...
s, which can dismember or decapitate enemies. The game also adds more Force powers, such as "mind trick" and "Force fury". and force rage.
Platform-specific elements
According to lead producer Vinde Kudirka, the goal of the game across all platforms is to make the player feel like "a super-powerful JediJedi
The Jedi are characters in the Star Wars universe and the series's main protagonists. The Jedi use a power called the Force and weapons called lightsabers, which emit a controlled energy flow in the shape of a sword, in order to serve and protect the Republic and the galaxy at large from conflict...
". Executive producer Julio Torres said that while the story is consistent across platforms, gameplay decreases in style across platforms to reflect each platform's uniqueness and strengths.
The Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
's control scheme is focused on being able to precisely control Starkiller's Force powers and saber combos. The Wii exclusive "Force rage" power puts the game's protagonist, Starkiller, into a bullet time
Bullet time
Bullet time is a special and visual effect that refers to a digitally enhanced simulation of variable-speed photography used in films, broadcast advertisements, and video games...
mode exclusive to that platform; the Wii version also has a Force sight power not included on other platforms. The Wii version also has a multiplayer mode, inspired by The Outfoxies
The Outfoxies
The Outfoxies is a 1994 arcade game by Namco that depicted several professional hitmen secretly set against each other by a held-in-common client "Mr. Acme"...
, in which four players can challenge each other in a fighting-style combat game.
The PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 versions feature new Force powers, new skins for Force powers that appear in The Force Unleashed, an improved rendering system providing richer colors, and a new audio system. The gameplay also highlights the potential to "destroy" the game environment. Neither the PlayStation 3 nor Xbox 360 versions of the game include multiplayer.
The Nintendo DS version features the same Force powers as the console versions. The Nintendo handheld is designed around allowing players to quickly get into or out of the game.
Plot
The game takes place about six months after the events of the first game, and a year before Star Wars Episode IV: A New HopeStar Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, originally released as Star Wars, is a 1977 American epic space opera film, written and directed by George Lucas. It is the first of six films released in the Star Wars saga: two subsequent films complete the original trilogy, while a prequel trilogy completes the...
. The Force Unleashed II is the "dark entry" in the series, and a more personal story for the game's protagonist than the first game.
Players will control Starkiller
Starkiller
Starkiller, also known as Galen Marek and the Apprentice, is the main character of the Star Wars: The Force Unleashed project , who first appeared in the game Soulcalibur IV. He is voiced by Sam Witwer, who also gave his likeness to the character...
's renegade clone, a failure of Darth Vader
Darth Vader
Darth Vader is a central character in the Star Wars saga, appearing as one of the main antagonists in the original trilogy and as the main protagonist in the prequel trilogy....
's attempt to create a perfect secret apprentice. After a vision that Darth Vader will kill him due to his inability to kill a test droid (in the form of Juno from the first game), the clone escapes from captivity on Kamino
Kamino
Kamino is an ocean planet, in the fictional Star Wars universe, similar to Mon Calamari and Manaan. It was here that the Army of the Republic was generated. It is inhabited by a race of tall, elegant, long-necked creatures, called Kaminoans, who keep to themselves and are known for their cloning...
. After eliminating his stormtrooper
Imperial stormtrooper
The Imperial Stormtroopers are fictional soldiers from George Lucas' Star Wars universe. Stormtroopers are the soldiers of the imperial army under the leadership of the evil Sith Lord and Emperor Palpatine and his commanders, most notably Darth Vader and Grand Moff Tarkin.They are shown in...
captors, Starkiller embarks on a quest to understand his identity and to find his template's love interest from the first game, Juno Eclipse. Meanwhile, Darth Vader has hired Boba Fett
Boba Fett
Boba Fett is a character in Star Wars. A bounty hunter hired by Darth Vader to find the Millennium Falcon, he is a minor villain in both Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi....
to track down Juno Eclipse to lure Starkiller out of hiding. Starkiller rescues Jedi Master Rahm Kota from a gladiator
Gladiator
A gladiator was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gladiators were volunteers who risked their legal and social standing and their lives by appearing in the...
al arena, and encounters Yoda
Yoda
Yoda is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe, appearing in the second and third original films, as well as all three prequel trilogy films. A renowned Jedi master, Yoda made his first on-screen appearance in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back where he is responsible for...
on Dagobah
Dagobah
Dagobah is a fictional planet in the Star Wars films, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. It also makes an appearance in a deleted scene from Revenge of the Sith....
.
After encountering strange visions on Dagobah, Starkiller rushes to Juno's ship, only to arrive just as Boba captures her.
With help from Kota, the Rebels launch an all-out assault on Kamino. Starkiller crashes a ship into the planet's shield, allowing Kota to stage a ground assault, while he goes after Juno.
In a confrontation with Vader, Juno is thrown out of a window, crashing to the ground. Starkiller, thinking Juno is dead, attacks Vader viciously, cutting off his hand and defeating him. Kota arrives with his men, and tells Starkiller not to kill Vader: he wants to interrogate the Sith lord for the Empires secrets, then put him on trial, then later execute him
. As in the first game, this allows the player to choose either the light path or the dark path:
- If the player chooses the dark side, Starkiller raises his saber to kill Vader, only to be struck down by a shrouded figure who uncloaks behind him. Kota attacks the figure, but is killed. As the figure removes his cowl, Vader tells the dying Starkiller he lied when he said the cloning process hadn't been perfected, revealing the figure to be a dark, perfect clone. Starkiller takes one last look at Juno's corpse and dies. Vader instructs the kneeling clone to take Starkiller's ship and kill the remaining leaders of the Rebel AllianceRebel AllianceThe Alliance to Restore the Republic is an interstellar faction of the fictional universe of Star Wars....
. Downloadable content released in December 2010 expands on this ending, with Starkiller's clone participating in the Battle of Endor in which the remnants of the Rebel Alliance desperately attack Endor in the hopes of destroying the Death Star II. The dark Starkiller is sent to eliminate the threat and kills Ewoks and Rebels (including Han Solo and Chewbacca) in the process. Eventually he finds Leia Skywalker waiting for him and duels her. Starkiller succeeds in killing her. Meanwhile, the Emperor scolds Vader for creating the dark copy of his failed apprentice and subdues him with Force Lightning (calling him Skywalker). The Emperor then orders Captain Sarkli to kill the dark Starkiller.
- If the player chooses the light side, Starkiller lowers his blade and allows Kota's men to capture Vader. Starkiller discovers Juno survived the fall, they kiss, and the two travel into hyperspaceHyperspaceHyperspace may refer to:*in mathematics and general science** A Euclidean space of dimension greater than three, see fourth dimension and higher dimensions ** Space of any dimension, whether lower, higher, or...
together aboard the Rogue Shadow, taking Vader prisoner. Starkiller confronts Vader again saying that because he made the conscious choice, of his own free will, to spare Vader's life, he is finally free of the Dark Lord's control. Vader's response is that as long as Juno lives, Vader will always have control over him. Unknown to Starkiller and Juno, Boba Fett in Slave I is following them.
Development
Haden Blackman, who served as executive producer for the first Force Unleashed game, was the executive producer and writer for the sequel until his July 2010 resignation from LucasArts. Julio Torres replaced Blackman. LucasArts considered but decided against using a different protagonist for the sequel. The developers hope the story "stands on its own" and will be enjoyable even by people who have not played the first game. LucasArts worked closely with LucasfilmLucasfilm
Lucasfilm Limited is an American film production company founded by George Lucas in 1971, based in San Francisco, California. Lucas is the company's current chairman and CEO, and Micheline Chau is the president and COO....
's licensing office to ensure Boba Fett and Yoda were appropriately integrated into the story.
Technology
Like its predecessor, The Force Unleashed IIs engine uses HavokHavok (software)
Havok Physics is a physics engine developed by Irish company Havok. It is designed primarily for video games, and allows for real-time collision and dynamics of rigid bodies in three dimensions. It provides multiple types of dynamic constraints between rigid bodies , and has a highly optimized...
, Euphoria
Euphoria (software)
Euphoria is a game animation engine created by NaturalMotion based on Dynamic Motion Synthesis, NaturalMotion's proprietary technology for animating 3D characters on-the-fly "based on a full simulation of the 3D character, including body, muscles and motor nervous system"...
, and Digital Molecular Matter
Digital Molecular Matter
Digital Molecular Matter, better known as simply DMM, is a proprietary middleware physics engine developed by Pixelux. It is designed for computer, video games, and other simulation needs by attempting to simulate physical real-world systems...
for motion and physics. Blackman feels the second game takes better advantage of the powerful engine than does the first game. LucasArts acknowledged players' frustration with the first game's targeting system, and worked to revise it in the sequel; Blackman said fixing the Force grip feature was the developers' top priority. The game also includes fewer enemy types, instead focusing on making enemies more "'special and unique'"; the game was also designed to offer "epic" boss battles. Other adjustments include allowing players to dismember enemy characters and improving menu speeds.
Reception
PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC
The Force Unleashed II received mixed reviews, with praise for its visuals and sound design but criticism for several gameplay elements. IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
said The Force Unleashed II is visually appealing, with an impressive sense of scale. Game Informer
Game Informer
Game Informer is an American-based monthly magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of popular video games and associated consoles. It was formed in August 1991, when FuncoLand started publishing a six-page magazine, free in all its retail locations...
said the game's mechanics are more fluid than the first game's, and praised the textures and animations as "among this generation's best". GamePro
GamePro
GamePro Media was a United States gaming media company publishing online and print content on the video game industry, video game hardware, and video game software developed for a video game console , a computer, and/or a mobile device . GamePro Media properties include GamePro magazine and...
and GamesRadar
GamesRadar
GamesRadar is a multi-format video game website featuring regular news, previews, reviews, videos, and guides. It is owned and operated simultaneously in the UK and US by worldwide publisher Future Publishing...
highlighted the game's variety of lightsaber crystals and their ability to boost Starkiller's powers. GamesRadar observed that LucasArts seemed to take player feedback from the first game seriously, and made numerous subtle improvements for the sequel. GamesRadar also praised "substantial" improvements to the Force grip power, although Eurogamer
Eurogamer
Eurogamer is a Brighton-based website focused on video games news, reviews, previews and interviews. It is operated by Eurogamer Network Ltd., which was formed in 1999 by brothers Rupert and Nick Loman. Eurogamer has grown to become one of the most important European-based websites focused on...
did not detect any improvements. The Writers Guild of America
Writers Guild of America
The Writers Guild of America is a generic term referring to the joint efforts of two different US labor unions:* The Writers Guild of America, East , representing TV and film writers East of the Mississippi....
nominated the game for its Outstanding Achievement in Video Game Writing recognition.
Eurogamer said the game overall "feels like it was created out of obligation rather than inspiration", and points toward Blackman's departure from LucasArts before the game's release as a potential sign of trouble. IGN criticized the game's repetitive level design and underdeveloped story. Game Informer criticized the story and the dissatisfying appearances by Boba Fett and Yoda. IGN's reviewer said that because Starkiller begins the game as a powerful character, leveling up does not feel as satisfying as in the first game; while the game does offer increased variety in enemy types that "occasionally present a challenge", defeating them eventually becomes formulaic. GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
called the final battle repetitive, and that the game's end sequence erases the story's dramatic tension. The Force Unleashed II was later one of GameSpot's nominees for "Least Improved Sequel of 2010". GamePro faulted several performance issues and the game's brief, unfocused story. The downloadable content was poorly received by Kotaku
Kotaku
Kotaku is a video games-focused blog. It is part of Gawker Media's "Gawker" network of sites, which also includes Gizmodo, Deadspin, Lifehacker, io9 and Jezebel. Named to CNET News' Blog 100, Kotaku is consistently listed in the top 40 of Technorati's Top 100...
, which criticized the expansion's murder of Han Solo
Han Solo
Han Solo is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise played by Harrison Ford. Introduced in the film Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope , Solo and his Wookiee co-pilot, Chewbacca , become involved in the Rebel Alliance against the Galactic Empire...
and Chewbacca
Chewbacca
Chewbacca, also known as Chewie, is a character in the Star Wars franchise, portrayed by Peter Mayhew. In the series' narrative chronology, he appears in Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, Episode IV: A New Hope, Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and Episode VI: Return of the Jedi...
.
Wii
Nintendo PowerNintendo Power
Nintendo Power magazine is a monthly news and strategy magazine formerly published in-house by Nintendo of America, but now run independently. As of issue #222 , Nintendo contracted publishing duties to Future US, the U.S. subsidiary of British publisher Future.The first issue published was...
and IGN praised the Wii version's multiplayer mode, although GameSpot called the multiplayer mode "unspectacular". However, GameSpot did praise the game's art, combat, and control scheme.