Lucas unleashes Force Unleashed demo to XBLM

by Dustin Burg { Aug 21st 2008 at 10:15AM }

Today is the day our Star Wars: The Force Unleashed demo hopes and dreams finally come true. Because today is the day the 904MB Force Unleashed demo releases to the Xbox Live Marketplace for all to enjoy, that is if you're packing enough HDD space and are connected to Live. If both conditions are true for you then you'll be unleashing the force in the TIE Fighter Construction Facility in no time. Give the demo a download and share with us what your gut gaming reaction is.

Tags: force-unleashed, lucas-arts, star-wars, star-wars-force-unleashed, the-force-unleashed, xblm

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Scot Reutzel @ Aug 21st 2008 10:21AM

I can't wait for the full version now. The demo is a 10/10 in my opinion.

ZEBRA NINER @ Aug 22nd 2008 12:54PM

OXM gives the game a 7.5

ice~ @ Aug 21st 2008 10:23AM

AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I played the demo and had to scream with joy...ITS AWESOMEEEE!!!!!! It may be a tad short, like 10 minutes but it OWNS!!!!

Trunas @ Aug 21st 2008 10:25AM

Can't wait until I get home to download this. Memory space, check....I'm glad i just upgraded my 360 to the elite last week during that dell sell.....System manufacturerd 5/08/08. Can you say new chip, quieter, more memory, hdmi, and that sexy black, yeah! I also sold my launch system for $200.

Radie @ Aug 21st 2008 11:32AM

Wonderful post. It really captures the key elements of the game.

Have another Ritalin and try to stay focused.

offday @ Aug 21st 2008 11:43AM

How could you do that to your launch console? I have a launch console and I could never sell her. You're an animal.

D dogg @ Aug 21st 2008 2:09PM

Honestly Trunas, who gives a f**k. I hope you slam your d**k in a door on the way home and spend the rest of the night NOT being able to play the demo.

There, happier?

Rell @ Aug 21st 2008 10:26AM

I was excited for the game, and now I'm only more excited. The camera could be the only small thing to upset me, but everything else made up for that.

Navindu @ Aug 21st 2008 12:39PM

Hey pls reply me
I have an original xbox 360 NTSC
so can NTSC copies work on my Xbox?

Cal @ Aug 21st 2008 10:27AM

Hopefully the full game is a bit more exciting, the demo was too easy on default difficulty (didn't try the others) and besides playing with grip for a while I didn't have much fun...

Boff @ Aug 21st 2008 10:42AM

Stuck in work for another 1hr 15mins!

I'm excited as fuck and that's just from reading the comments!!

ZenGaijin @ Aug 21st 2008 10:57AM

Not a bad demo, it does exactly what a demo should. Let you get a taste but leave you wanting more.

emirabal @ Aug 21st 2008 11:01AM

Same here, except im stuck at work for another 7 hours, DDAMNITTTTTT

myabsolution @ Aug 21st 2008 11:01AM

Pretty Fun demo, the camera was kinda awkward at times while I was running the corridors of the star destroyer (amirite>)

Only complaint... wow SHORT DEMO!

You literally get to play a teeeny weeeny section of one level and you don't even get to do fancy Jedi vs Jedi lightsaber action :(

But anyhoo... Ill definately get this, im a SW nerd.

mirage @ Aug 21st 2008 12:31PM

Yeah, the camera seemed very wonky sometimes. It would be nice if it would follow whatever is auto targeted or at least have a setting so that those who want that option could choose it. Also, the auto target for grip was pretty bad. In the tutorial, I took out one stormtrooper but had to run over by the barrel to target it again because it kept picking the stormtroopers rather than the barrel. That could get very annoying really quick. Otherwise, it was very fun and had a great Star Wars feel to it. It isn't a must buy, but it is a "will buy if I can afford it after all of the other must buys I have". :)

David(Postal) @ Aug 21st 2008 11:01AM

I just bought the novel of this last night.. I can't wait to try this out!

min @ Aug 21st 2008 11:05AM

Yeah, I played it. One of the best third person games for me. I think the physics are all they were cut out to be, can't wait for the full version. Only problem I had with it, is that they made it seem like everything in the game was able to be destroyed I figured I could bang up the walls and stuff. When I would try and do so there was no damage exept burning from the saber. All in all this game will be amazing.

myabsolution @ Aug 21st 2008 11:09AM

I actually broke a window and then the outer space vacuum almost sucked me out, but this metal blast door closed and sealed off the hole.

Try breaking windows :)

ZEBRA NINER @ Aug 21st 2008 11:20AM

Yeah, the window breaking thing was pretty sweet.

min @ Aug 21st 2008 12:08PM

I know you could brake windows and stuff, but I meant the walls around it.

Canadian Dr Who @ Aug 21st 2008 11:06AM

You all need to buy this game

We all need to buy this game!!!!! Its bloody FANTASTIC!!!

jeff @ Aug 21st 2008 11:07AM

Why does this new star wars game have explosive barrels. And why is my lightsaber not cutting through anything. Its a freking lightsaber.

Jedi Knight had a T rating and it let you cut limbs Dammit.

ZEBRA NINER @ Aug 21st 2008 11:17AM

I got a chance to play it this morning, good thing it was short or I would have been late to work! It's pretty fun, smashing enemies and blowing doors down was sweet. I can't wait for the full game.

Angel @ Aug 21st 2008 11:24AM

I'm really looking forward to the game. Although I know it's release is very soon, LucasArts should think about fixing the camera a bit as it doesn't really flow well enough with the game. I found myself having to constantly adjust the camera in order to see who I was fighting. Also, is it just me, or does the frame rate seem a little out of wack? The force grip targeting system is a little weak. Besides that, I had fund playing the demo. I would give it an 8/10

Darth Gremlin @ Aug 21st 2008 11:29AM

Man am I excited about this game. But I am stuck at work and after work my daughter has gymnastics class so it will later this evening before I get a chance to play it.:(

linuxinfector @ Aug 21st 2008 11:49AM

My god its about time we got a badass star wars game, i fricken loved it, iv played it like 3 times thru already

ZeroCorpse @ Aug 21st 2008 11:44AM

"for all to enjoy"

WRONG. You mean "for all GOLD MEMBERS to enjoy".

Luckily, I had a free Gold account month card laying around, so I'm downloading this, but anyone out there who is Silver isn't going to get it for a while yet.

Not very nice, MS. I can't see how that helps LucasArts sell the game.

HE4VENSENT @ Aug 21st 2008 12:22PM

you could always download the demo from the internetz and burn it to a DVD5

Bobbyn0101 @ Aug 21st 2008 12:59PM

I never understood how people cant get around this. Just make a new Gamertag (they automatically get a month of gold) and delete it when your done. Maybe if Microsoft gets flooded with 10,000 GtagtoplaySWFU XX they'll quit making it so you have to be a gold member to download demos initially. I did it a couple of times when my account was only a silver account

But anyways the game is awesome. I only got to play for 20 minutes or so before work. Its the reason I was late this morning

Teabag @ Aug 21st 2008 1:27PM

^^That isn't always feasible. MS only allows you to make this many accounts on one system. Then what?

I am a silver member myself and have no problem waiting a week to download stuff. At least the hype created by Triple-A title demos will wear off allowing me faster downloads, i believe.

Luckily, i had won a 1 month Gold pass from the GTA Sweepstakes that took place before the game released. So i am getting the demo now. It expires on August 27th!

Rick @ Aug 21st 2008 11:47AM

Pretty fun demo, but yeah, it's short.

Favorite bits: destructible environment (windows, support legs in the assembly area that you can use to snag TIE fighters, etc.) AND tossing Stormtroopers into each other.

Least favorite bit: Target button is mapped to RB, which is pretty awkward. Should be on LB or LT. Hopefully, the buttons can be remapped in the full version.

myxoid65 @ Aug 21st 2008 12:48PM

Favorite part: the entire thing until the last 2 seconds.

Least favorite part: being surprised by a QTE in the last 2 seconds.

Do we really need God of War style garbage like this? Sequenced button pressing is the scourge of gaming, IMO.

Dano @ Aug 21st 2008 11:02PM

I have to agree with myxoid65, this is a glorified button masher. Yes, it's looks pretty sweet, but it like Mortal Kombat with lightsabers (which cannot cut through anything) and the Force. Sounds awesome, but this is yet another upcoming game I'm passing on. Maybe when it goes under $30, I take the plunge.

Chucky Go-Lucky @ Aug 21st 2008 11:55AM

Some valid criticisms here. The biggest is the impotence of his lightsaber. Maybe you get that master-blaster mamma-jamma from SC IV with glowy hands and stuff.

Still, I had a blast playing this, and love the
somewhat GTA +DMC gameplay. I am sure this game is not totally sandboxed, but I think for the money it is better than alot of action RPGs I have seen so far.

Starsmore @ Aug 21st 2008 9:54PM

Seriously. No demo for PS3 yet (even tho demos for both platforms were announced same date, same release date), and the XBOX360 version is Gold members only? WTF.

LyLerK @ Aug 22nd 2008 10:53AM

You cannot use Gelt to pay for Xbox Live Gold. Don't worry though, in December you will have 8 chances at getting a gold subscription.

Magic Whiskey @ Aug 21st 2008 12:17PM

Demo seemed like fun to me, Chad Vader came across as an affable guy, and Starkiller's cloth doesn't clip much that I saw. I hope the fabric physics are up to snuff in this one, considering all of the cloaks and loose robes we'll see in the skins. Tossing crap at passing TIE fighters was fun.

Seems like a sort of God Of War meets Anakin Skywalker game, complete with minigame boss kills.

Star Wars: FU (Because 'The' doesn't deserve recognition in anagrams..and it's funnier that way) seems like a fun game, but I can predict it'd be a better rental for me. Based on the upcoming games' competition, (I have 12 titles I'm planning to buy within 3 month's time!,) I'd probably not come back to this one after I'd beat it once or twice and got my Achievements.

Bryant @ Aug 21st 2008 12:30PM

Would have been better if it was rated M. I miss the good old days of limbs flying off of storm troopers, and dead bodies actually staying visible.

Mr.U2 @ Aug 21st 2008 1:46PM

Umm...... HOLY YES! I'm so excited!!!

ZeroCorpse @ Aug 21st 2008 1:48PM

The Good:
* Amazing physics engine.
* Fun beat-em-up gameplay.
* Lots of fun tossing people and objects around.
Starkiller is a badass.
* Chad Vader does the best Vader in a game ever.
* Throwing droids through windows/ports is fun.

The Bad:
* Sequenced button "Simon Game" segments (I just got done doing that over and over in Mass Effect, dammit!)
* Lightsaber must be low-wattage padawan version (No cutting? No dismembering? No slicing through objects? Is everything in this game made of cortosis or beskar? Are the stormtroopers wearing beskar'gam?)
* Silly power-ups spoil the immersion (Look! A glowing pyramid! Grab it!)
* So fast-paced, it feels like a Devil May Cry or Ninja Gaiden game (yes, that's bad in my book. Those games are utterly mindless beat-em-ups.)
* Doesn't come out for another month!

ZeroCorpse @ Aug 21st 2008 1:49PM

And yes, thank you Bryant:

Con:
* Bodies fade away. Are the stormtroopers taking lessons from Yoda and Kenobi now?

DJcube @ Aug 21st 2008 2:07PM

It's goof fun but not amazing. The QTE for the AT-ST completely sucks, though. At least the second hardest difficulty requires you to damage it a fair bit first.

Phour ZwanZig @ Aug 21st 2008 10:48PM

Ahhh good.. I was almost wondering if they would have an option to turn QTEs off.. But that seems more fitting to use the QTE as a finishing move..

I havent played this yet, but Ive been waiting a long ass time for it.. DLin now..

Stephen @ Aug 21st 2008 2:08PM

well i played for 3 minutes and loved what i saw... But then my 360 got the RRoD!!!
i was so pissed. i have had it for a year and a half now so i thought that it was safe from the red rings, but oh how i was wrong.
Worst. Timing. Ever.

Collin @ Aug 21st 2008 4:35PM

Wow. No one has the balls to say that this was a terribly boring demo of a boring game? It must take blinders of a SW fanboy to not be bored to death by this. Nothing new or special at all. Meh.

Wise Guy @ Aug 21st 2008 4:19PM

Well, I you're the only one that thinks so... so it's either not your type of game... or you're just on here to flame a game and get attention. I'm sure you'll get some feedback by the end of the day.

guidedbyvoip @ Aug 21st 2008 4:20PM

I wasn't terribly impressed, either. Fun, but nothing special. Floating power-ups, combo system, button sequenced boss endings, and nerfed lightsabers/blasters make it very "meh".

While its fun to play in Lucas' SW Universe, I'm going to hold out for it hitting bargain bins.

Collin @ Aug 21st 2008 5:50PM

Wiseguy: I am far from the only one that thinks so. Well on this site maybe. Go take a look at shackNew's thread about the demo. It is the polar opposite of here.

I am not trolling or flaming just expressing that I thought the demo was really lame and I think the only reason people are gaga over it is because it is SW.

Hansel @ Aug 21st 2008 5:45PM

I don't know what game they were playing because I had almost zero problems playing the game. Targeting is simple once you realize it's based on your characters direction, not the camera. Force grip is simple also, and if you're taking as long as people talk about, you're doing it wrong. It should take about 1 second max to pick up an object and fling it at the enemy you want.

Good game, will buy it. Will probably play the demo countless more times before the full version comes out.