PS3 Fanboy

You'll be able to get your hands on a demo of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed this Thursday on PSN. However, we had a chance to get an early look at the upcoming release. As with most every Star Wars game, there's a lot of excitement and anticipation over this upcoming LucasArts project -- in spite of the franchise's notorious legacy of mediocrity. However, fans have rallied for The Force Unleashed, due to its unique interpretation of Force powers, and the dark character that stars in it. Darth Vader's apprentice is, essentially, the Kratos of the Star Wars universe. Dark, brooding, conflicted ... and yet oh-so-powerful. Certainly, the premise has a lot going for it.

However, it becomes immediately apparent that The Force Unleashed isn't going to be the definitive Star Wars game that some are hoping it would be. The visuals are rather lackluster, with none of the environments, character models, or special effects looking beyond "par." Of course, it may be because of the demo: restricted to a rather clean, barren Imperial spaceship, there isn't much to see. Perhaps the game's later planetary levels will offer a bit more eye candy. Even the framerate didn't feel smooth -- and the camera seemed annoying, requiring manual adjustment throughout.

If you recall, back in May, we reported that Lucas Arts' was certain about releasing a Star Wars: The Force Unleashed demo. Back then, it was just a matter of knowing when that demo would arrive; however, three months later, we now know exactly when it will come. The pleasure of wielding Sith powers begins this Thursday, August 21.

The demo takes place in one of the early levels in the game known as the "TIE Fighter Construction Facility" -- it's a level you've probably seen many times before in trailers. The mission briefing goes: a Jedi General named Rahm Kota is attacking and it's your job to dispose of him, but to do so in secret (read: kill everyone, no witnesses). That sounds promisingly evil and very much Sith-like. Let the dark side coercion begin.

[Via press release]

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is still set to kick off this September 16. Reiterating this, LucasArts presents this new trailer which gives us slightly more insight into the game's storyline. Can you sense what's going to happen? You don't need the Force to figure this one out. Need a hint? Think "betrayal." Yeah, seems to be a central theme among the haggard Sith. We'll let your imagination go wild; you'll need it too because September seems like a galaxy far far away ...

No, you're not seeing things, and no we haven't made a gargantuan mistake by having a Star Wars: The Force Unleashed pic on a Soulcalibur IV story. It, basically, is the story. For you see, according to Gamespot, not only is Darth Vader making his way into the PS3 version of Soulcalibur IV, but his dark apprentice will be following close behind. However, the apprentice will be the only guest Star Wars character to go multiplatform as both Vader and Yoda will remain console exclusives.

It's quite interesting to see all these cross-genre, cross-developer crossovers. Another prominent one is Assassin's Solid. We wonder which two developers will unite and surprise us next.

As the first "next gen" Star Wars title for home consoles (the LEGO iterations don't count), many gamers and fans alike are keeping close watch on Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. Mixing a dangerous combination of high expectations and lots of hype, eager game addicts everywhere are craving for a demo. So are we getting one? Yes we are, according to a VideoGamer interview with Cameron Suey the producer for Force Unleashed on PS3.

While Suey has revealed that a demo is indeed in the works, it's still anyone's guess as to when we'll see it. Suey's exact words were, "I'm not certain about the specifics, but we definitely want to get this game out into people's hands." The game launches on September 16 in North America, so that means the demo could pop up anytime within the four months until release.

The game that lets players become Darth Vader's personal protégé will be hitting North American retail stores on September 16 of this year. The Southeast Asian and Australian version will see release on store shelves by Sept. 17. Meanwhile, Europeans can pick up their copies on Sept. 19.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed puts players in the shoes of Darth Vader's secret apprentice whose task is to help the dark lord execute Jedi genocide. This all goes down during the time between the films Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.

Also of note, Spike TV will be getting exclusive gameplay footage during their double weekend Star Wars marathon. This will run from this Friday April 4 through Sunday April 6, and next Friday April 11 through April 13. If you're interested in hearing more about that, then read all about it on LucasArts website. We guess that without any PSN updates for the next two weeks, you've just been given a nice alternative activity to keep you busy. Impeccable timing.

At a GDC lecture Haden Blackman, the project lead on The Force Unleashed, stated that Lucasarts has now learned a valuable lesson from its development of the game. All future multiplatform projects will prioritize development on the PS3 before being ported over to the 360. This is a direct result of problems and delays during the development of The Force Unleashed caused by trying to port the 360 version to the PS3. The game is now, thankfully, on track, despite these delays.

A live demo of The Force Unleashed was also shown and, from what we've heard, it looks absolutely stunning. We can't wait for its release this summer.

[Thanks Paul]

We were all in for quite a shock when it was revealed that Darth Vader would be entering the tournament in SoulCalibur IV exclusively on the PS3. Now that the shock has worn away a little and we've had a chance to catch our breath, here comes a nice interview with the game's director Katsutoshi Sasaki, who talks about a myriad of topics ranging from the evolution of the game's ring outs to why the team included Star Wars' most popular character.

To be perfectly honest, we were sold on the game after Ivy was *ahem* revealed, but with the newest addition and everything Sasaki said, we think we're starting to feel like those Star Wars guys who wait in line weeks to watch a new episode.

Yes, this is quite possibly the strangest gaming news we've heard of in a while. Star Wars characters Darth Vader and Yoda have joined Namco Bandai's PS3 fighter, Soulcalibur IV. We could possibly write something funny to describe this situation, but we're confident that you guys will do much better than us.

The franchise has been home to other non-canon characters, such as Link from The Legend of Zelda. What do you think about this Lucas-flavored addition to this fighter?

Check out all the images at 1UP. [Update: Movie is now embedded.]

[Thanks, David C.!]

Don't be afraid to admit it: you want the new PSP-2000. With its slimmer figure, lighter weight, TV-Out functionality, and faster load times, it's a remarkable improvement over the PSP Phat. But, haven't been able to snatch a system for yourself? Don't worry -- we got you covered. Along with our friends at Joystiq and PSP Fanboy, we're giving away one of five brand-new limited-edition Darth Vader PSP-2000 systems each day this week. These Ceramic White systems feature Darth Vader's menacing profile on the back, and are a must-have for the dedicated Star Wars nerdcore. Not only that, the package includes the brand new PSP-exclusive Star Wars Battlefront game.

So, how do you enter? First, find out what the PSP Fanboy team thinks about Star Wars Battlefront (Andrew, Jem, Nick, and Colin) and then write down one thing you learned from their previews and leave it in our comments section, as well as on the corresponding giveaway posts at Joystiq and PSP Fanboy. We'll select one comment from all three sites at random tomorrow morning before we giveaway another PSP-2000

Of course, there are rules. You must be a US resident, 18 years or older. Limit 1 entry per person per site ... or else (that means three entries spread out, no more)! This entry period ends at 11:59am ET tomorrow, so get your entries in before then. For complete rules you can shared with your loved ones, click here. And much thanks to the fine people at LucasArts for the great prizes.