Wii Gets Lightsaber Action With The Force Unleashed

LucasArts has announced its first next-gen title with Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, an Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, PS2, PSP and DS action title due in Spring 2008, featuring a Wii exclusive duel mode that will let players take part in a light saber battle using the Wii Remote. Apart from the lightsaber functionality, LucasArts says the Wii version of the game, in development by Krome Studios (Ty the Tasmanian Tiger, The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning), will also use the console's Nunchuk to control Force powers. According to the developer, the game takes place in the "largely unexplored era between Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope." Players will take on the role of a secret apprentice to Darth Vader, as they "assist the iconic villain in his quest to rid the universe of Jedi." The Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions are the first internally developed next-gen games, with Krome taking control of the Wii, PlayStation 2, and PSP versions, and n-Space helming the Nintendo DS port. Said LucasArts president Jim Ward of the Wii exclusive duel mode, “The Wii is a great platform for The Force Unleashed, because the console’s motion-oriented controllers really bring the game to life. We’ve worked hard to make the Wii version of the game unique in order to truly let you unleash the Force.”