[whateverman24791]

The Force Unleashed on the iPhone (...iPhone Lego Star Wars would of course be the Holy Grail, but we only speak of the possibility in hushed voices). After a brief hands-on, we're left even more excited about the capabilities of the iPhone gaming platform, though a bit skeptical of the game's unique control scheme.



Force Unleashed really is a pretty game. Crystal clear 2D backdrops give the levels a lot of pizzazz despite that they are, you know, 2D. And lightsabers glow properly on the screen.

But where we'd hoped to run around and slice our foes with laser swords, the mechanics never gave us a chance. Much like the classic PC series Rebel Assault, you don't actually move your character through rooms. Instead, you reflect your foes' laser shots with properly timed/angled swipes of the finger and activating force powers (like throwing baddies or electrocuting them) by drawing out symbols on the screen.

As lame as this may sound on paper, the battles can grow enjoyably hectic as you block fire and toss your enemies aside. And it's all promised to be backed by the same soundtrack we'll hear in the Xbox/PS3 versions of the Force Unleashed (we just heard placeholder music during our hands-on).

Oh, and something really cool. You can rotate the game between portrait and landscape mode. Neither gave the characters the stretched look.

In addition to all of that, THQ promised us an uncharacteristically rich storyline for a mobile game and 2 1/2 to 3 hours of gameplay. For a cellphone game, it looks extremely good. But compared to something on the PSP/DS, it's going to be a tad disappointing. So depending on your expectations of the iPhone, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed may be worth checking out when it hits this September.

Gizmodo's site--> iPhone, Meet Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

[Rosbaughcr]

Looks pretty cool, and as long as it is priced like any other handheld title I'll pick it up.

[whateverman24791]

yeah im hoping it'll just be 9.99 but 14.99 might slide

[loocfa]

looks awesome cant wait
big fan of all the star war games.
thanks for the info

[whateverman24791]

no problem, i use gizmodo to get most of the top news

[chordmasta]

my mouth is watering.

[BreakTheChains]

Gotta love Gizmodo. I hope this game turns out to be a good one.

[whateverman24791]

well it;d be weird to control a jedi using an accelorometer and a "tap" button and a "double tap" button but we'll see

[Colorado Steve]

[whateverman24791]

it just seems like too much for the typical iphone user to do. the controls seem similar to the palm pilot when it first came out (different language) but i guess we'll see

[b3nny]

Originally Posted by whateverman24791

So depending on your expectations of the iPhone, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed may be worth checking out when it hits this September.

i think that regardless of anyones expectations, THIS is a little dissapointing.

please see horrific grammar screenie below.

[b3nny]

seriously its been five months, and i'm STILL lol'ing over this. am i the only one?

"the Emperor wants me dead. He thinks me dead."

really? lol. thats what they get for having 1st graders rewrite the script.