Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Catch-All

KillerTomato wrote:
rabbit wrote:

Sign me up for the 'QTEs are the work of the devil' petition.

From a gameplay video I saw, it looks like they're required to finish boss battles, God of War-style. If that's true, count me out.

That's what I'm waiting on the demo to find out about. I was really turned off of Marvel: Ultimate Alliance because of the excessive amount of QTEs and if TFU does the same, also count me out.

Rat Boy wrote:
KillerTomato wrote:
rabbit wrote:

Sign me up for the 'QTEs are the work of the devil' petition.

From a gameplay video I saw, it looks like they're required to finish boss battles, God of War-style. If that's true, count me out.

That's what I'm waiting on the demo to find out about. I was really turned off of Marvel: Ultimate Alliance because of the excessive amount of QTEs and if TFU does the same, also count me out.

I will buy FTU either way. I don't hate the GOW style, I'm ok with it (its not the best, but whatever). I will be buying primarily to play around with the new technologies present in the game and I hope it's ALSO a fun game.

I got about 15 minutes in just now with the 360 demo. It feels really good. The game makes the slightest pauses when you're railing a guy directly with your saber. The effect is it highlights each of your swings and gives them more impact than the knife-through-butter effect you might expect from action swordplay. You get Force grip, push, and lightning. Haven't used much lightning, but that's okay because they're having you focus on Grip and Push from the start.

It is not the simplest thing to aim the things you pick up with Force Grip before you throw them into the enemy fodder. At least the stormtroopers don't seem to lock hands (or lips) with each other when you pick one up and float him by another. But it is as satisfying as ever to pick guys up and throw them off into the deep, deep abyss.

I got up to the AT-ST and I'm not sure what to do from here; I keep dying.

Downloading now. Thanks for the reminder.

Yoyoson wrote:

I got up to the AT-ST and I'm not sure what to do from here; I keep dying.

Get your wookie friend to help?

Sith of War appears to be a fun game. I enjoyed the demo.

Yoyoson wrote:

I got up to the AT-ST and I'm not sure what to do from here; I keep dying.

Construct a trap out of logs and vines.

I force threw all the bits around at him and he went down. Using lightning to stall him enough to let me run around to different pieces and take out the troopers.

When he reached a certain point there was a battle sequence like you'd find in the Gods of War games that would finish him off.

End Demo

ranalin wrote:

I force threw all the bits around at him and he went down. Using lightning to stall him enough to let me run around to different pieces and take out the troopers.

When he reached a certain point there was a battle sequence like you'd find in the Gods of War games that would finish him off.

End Demo :(

You can also force jump up to its head and mash X to hang in midair slashing it with your saber. I was disappointed that you couldn't jump on top of it though, since that seems like it would be the easiest way to take one down.

My one gripe with the demo is that it didn't show off the new technologies enough, especially DMM. Yes, you could smash windows and break open doors, but we've been smashing glass and busting open doors in games for years - maybe they broke more realistically this time, but in the end the effect on gameplay was exactly the same. I was hoping you'd be able to do some of the cooler things they showed in the tech demos, like denting and bending metal, but the walls and overhead walkways were all indestructible, and the TIE Fighters just exploded when you threw them. I'm not expecting fully destructible levels here, but c'mon, let us break something other than doors and windows.

That said, I'm a sucker for any game with Jedi and the demo was still pretty fun so I'll definitely be picking this one up.

I played once through the demo and it was really a lot of fun. One of my favorite moves is to pick someone up with the force and them slam them to the deck. I was having so much fun throwing objects and people that I forgot all about the force lightning. I can't say that this will be a day one purchase, but that's only because my birthday is the following week.

It is definitely fair to say that the demo has whet my appetite for the full game.

muttonchop wrote:

My one gripe with the demo is that it didn't show off the new technologies enough, especially DMM. Yes, you could smash windows and break open doors, but we've been smashing glass and busting open doors in games for years - maybe they broke more realistically this time, but in the end the effect on gameplay was exactly the same. I was hoping you'd be able to do some of the cooler things they showed in the tech demos, like denting and bending metal, but the walls and overhead walkways were all indestructible, and the TIE Fighters just exploded when you threw them. I'm not expecting fully destructible levels here, but c'mon, let us break something other than doors and windows.

There's a hangar section just after the female disembodied voice announces that they're launching a squad of TIEs to your location. In this hangar there are some metal support pillars that you can target and bend with Force Grip. Apparently the TIE pilots are so hellbent on your destruction that they just fly right into them, ending themselves.

I had no idea what DMM was until you mentioned it just now, but I have a feeling that this is supposed to show that off to some small extent at least.

Is there such a thing as TOO powerful? I feel a little too god-like at times, not feeling much danger or need for defense. Just flip out and spam the hell out of your powers.

It's FUN, don't get me wrong. Just feels like I don't need much finesse to get by.

Yoyoson wrote:

There's a hangar section just after the female disembodied voice announces that they're launching a squad of TIEs to your location. In this hangar there are some metal support pillars that you can target and bend with Force Grip. Apparently the TIE pilots are so hellbent on your destruction that they just fly right into them, ending themselves.

Hmm, I just ignored the Tie Fighters in that room so I guess I missed that. I'll have to try it out. If you really can bend stuff then I retract my gripe.

Just played the demo. Had fun, but wasn't all that impressed. It feels to me like if they ever did ramp up the difficulty, it would get frustrating because of the imprecise targeting controls. Granted the demo is short, but it never felt like I was in control of whether I was going to grab an enemy or an object. Especially annoying given that you have to grab something in order to throw the saber at it.

I also disliked having to stand still during the telekinesis. It felt like they over-did the controls for it, and forcing you to stand still is the result.

The AT-ST really bugged me. It seems like poor design to put it's life bar in a place where it can't be seen unless you double jump. Also, the QTE to finish it was lame and anti-climactic.

All that being said, just hacking dudes up is still pretty awesome feeling, so I'll consider giving the full game a shot.

Certis wrote:

Is there such a thing as TOO powerful? I feel a little too god-like at times, not feeling much danger or need for defense. Just flip out and spam the hell out of your powers.

It's FUN, don't get me wrong. Just feels like I don't need much finesse to get by.

That's probably because they jacked up his force powers just for the demo, which takes place in an early level. It'll probably feel more balanced in the full release.

Do they explain why Darth Vader's apprentice is fighting stormtroopers and tie fighters?

I didn't really see anything that justifies the technology, even if the technology by itself is pretty nifty. I'll echo 4d, Certis, and Rabbit's points about poor targetting, cardboard enemies, and quick time events. The result is well-executed boredom.

Certis wrote:

Is there such a thing as TOO powerful? I feel a little too god-like at times, not feeling much danger or need for defense. Just flip out and spam the hell out of your powers.

Thus my "Sith of War" comment. It felt very hack and slash. I'm the Kratos of Sith and I run and doing combos and kicking a**. I can die, but it isn't likely.

Certis wrote:

It's FUN, don't get me wrong. Just feels like I don't need much finesse to get by.

Indeed. This is disappointing. It plays too much like God of War and God of War was cool because of all the greek mythology.

Button mashing combos and using mythological powers to kill Cyclops > Buttons mashing combos and using the force to kill Stormtroopers

ChrisGwinn wrote:

Do they explain why Darth Vader's apprentice is fighting stormtroopers and tie fighters?

Darth Vader, it turns out, is a pretty poor employee of the Empire overall. He may be a great Sith, but the Empire keeps having to do "rebuilding" projects on a frequent basis thanks to his not too subtle form of "delegating responsibility".

No wonder the Empire lost. Half the ties/Stormtroopers they lost were at the hand of this rogue apprentice.

I did get a chuckle out of two things, though.

#1 - Calling the rebel forces militia. That's an interesting way of putting it. i.e. That from the perspective of the Empire they're a rogue militia.

#2 - The militia forces fighting the Stormtroopers while you tear up everyone. At some point maybe they'd look at each other and say "hey, let's stop shooting at each other for a minute, he's the problem." Or maybe the Stormtroopers might let out a "what are you doing?" once in a while. Funny.

I enjoyed the hell out of the demo, it hits all my buttons. The quicktime event at the end was sort of annoying, simply because I don't have enough gaming hours behind me to know instinctively where the X or the B button is, but at least it was the same buttons each time, no switcheroo like they did in, what was it, Resident Evil 4?

Throwing dudes into the yawning abyss just never. Gets. Old.

DSGamer wrote:

#1 - Calling the rebel forces militia. That's an interesting way of putting it. i.e. That from the perspective of the Empire they're a rogue militia.

Spoilers wrote:

[color=white]The Rebel Alliance has yet to be formed at this point and later in the game, the treaty unifying various militias into one force will be signed.

[/color]

I'm greatly disappointed by the QTEs. While the rest of the combat was fun, that fun flew out the window when you needed to perform a QTE combo to take down the AT-ST. Besides just being there, which is bad enough, the button indicators come at you pretty fast and out of nowhere while also being very unforgiving. This just slipped a bit down my watch list for this year.

Brennil wrote:

Throwing dudes into the yawning abyss just never. Gets. Old.

I will agree on this. I can see the game overall getting repetitive and being too much like God of War, but minus the beautiful set pieces. On the flip side, the combat is fun and there's always something fun about running around in the Star Wars universe. Be it KOTOR or a game like this. I won't buy it day 1, but I'm still interested.

My impressions.

Certis wrote:

Is there such a thing as TOO powerful? I feel a little too god-like at times, not feeling much danger or need for defense. Just flip out and spam the hell out of your powers.

It's FUN, don't get me wrong. Just feels like I don't need much finesse to get by.

I don't think you're too powerful. I also don't think your powers are tuned up for the demo, I think that's just the beginning of your powers. If you've been following this game then you'd of noticed that the demo force push throws a few guys around - clips show you completely devestating areas and platoons of troopers. This is the force unleashed, you're supposed to be ungodly powerful. The guy pulls a Star Destroyer out of the air for pete's sake!

ChrisGwinn wrote:

Do they explain why Darth Vader's apprentice is fighting stormtroopers and tie fighters?

A: Vader didn't want you to leave any witnesses (so the Emperor doesn't find out - secret apprentice).

Targeting - I didn't find it odd or difficult. Sure, I wasn't perfect, but you force grab what you look at. You also slash what you look at and lightening what you look at. I think what throws people off is since you have camera control with the R thumb stick you might be aiming the camera a different direction then the apprentice is looking. I was able to get throwing down by the end of the demo and nail the AT-ST and all the stormies he came with from afar before moving in and slashing/QTEing the AT-ST down.

I like the QTEs. I like(d) them in God of War too. I wasn't in these forums during the GoW era - was their a lot of QTE hate? I don't like all QTEs, but I like the way their implemented in GoW. I also liked how GoW didn't force you to use QTEs, it just ended the fight quicker in most cases. We'll have to see how comon they are in TFU. Too many and it will be a drag, just enough and it will break up the fights nicely.

Some cool combos, like the "slash slash - charge saber with lightening - big slash"

Everything was flying around when I was using ample amounts of the force in fights - nice.

Technology - It was kinda hard to observe the emotion stuff, but I got some stormies to hold hands, I choked out another, and I picked up many a militia to throw them around. I even squished a few with a crate (slowly... hehe). I broke out lots of what appear to have been glass ceilings and they looked like shards. I don't know how much I'm going to care all the shards are different each time, but, whatever.

Someone mentioned bending steel bars and having the TIEs run into them. I noticed this as well, but I was also impressed with bending the doors open. I could also throw objects through the door if I wanted.

I liked it. It will likely be a day 1 buy, but that also depends on how much I get into WAR.

EDIT

Also, compare this to Jedi Knight - a very bad ass star wars game. This makes the force powers and combat in the JK series look silly.

Was I the only one who was slightly distracted by the fact that the guy doing the voice for Darth Vader is the same guy who voices Chad Vader?

"Go, my apprentice."

"Uh, don't you have to clean up a spill on Aisle Six, my master?"

Love the Star Wars story so I had a big game boner running through this one. Then I got to the end and couldn't finish without a QTE. So... yea. I couldn't even really see what cool stuff he was doing because I needed to hot the right buttons. Other than that I was really happy. Though If every boss is a QTE that will really sap the love out of it for me.

I wouldn't be bothered by QTEs if they were against Jedi bosses, where you had to deflect lightning or counter a force push like in the movies. With the walker I kept thinking, "Wouldn't it be simpler just to cut the legs or open up the cockpit like a soup can?"

I'm really noticing the lack of limbs flying off and having to hit someone multiple times with a lightsaber to kill them. Take the safety off, secret apprentice! It seems a little like they couldn't/didn't want to get too far from the HIT-HIT-OTHER BUTTON combo structure most action games carry. It's hardly needed if you're slicing dudes in half with one killing stroke.

Best way to get around that would probably be to make it harder to get a good strike on someone desperate to avoid it, but that's likely asking a lot.

Certis wrote:

I'm really noticing the lack of limbs flying off and having to hit someone multiple times with a lightsaber to kill them. Take the safety off, secret apprentice! It seems a little like they couldn't/didn't want to get too far from the HIT-HIT-OTHER BUTTON combo structure most action games carry. It's hardly needed if you're slicing dudes in half with one killing stroke.

Best way to get around that would probably be to make it harder to get a good strike on someone desperate to avoid it, but that's likely asking a lot.

I think they're trying to keep it down to Teen level. You won't see beheadings like in Dragon Age. The JK series had only minor dismemberment (hands), but you could turn them up with a console command.

Rat Boy wrote:

I wouldn't be bothered by QTEs if they were against Jedi bosses, where you had to deflect lightning or counter a force push like in the movies. With the walker I kept thinking, "Wouldn't it be simpler just to cut the legs or open up the cockpit like a soup can?"

See I thought that too but remember how long it took for Quigon to burn through the blast doors in that failure of a movie? Maybe it's some thing like that. Also a game with sabers is hard to balance in terms of badassery vs too easy. I still think the game will be a definite fun experience. Also I hope we get to fight some awesome jedi.

The voice actor who does Darth Vader sounds like my dad doing a Darth Vader impersonation.