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Nintendo Direct | Star Wars The Force Unleashed for Switch (Wii version by Krome)

CamHostage

Member


(This didn't get an OT yesterday, seemed like it has some quirky points to discuss)

Only on Nintendo Switch, and based on the Wii version (which also came to PSP/PS2, albeit all had differences,) updated for Switch by Aspyr and original developer Krome Studios. Will release on April 20, 2022.

Visuals are cleaned up over the SD original (though they're not calling it a "remastered" release), and the Joycon controllers will replicate the Wiimote controls. Includes the 2-player Duel Mode for local multiplayer (though this seems to be split-screen/same-screen, not Switch-vs-Switch link play like the PSP game had.) Does not seem to be an "Ultimate" compilation of all the versions of SW:TFU 6th-gen versions, as there's no mention of the cool PSP bonus material (3 mini-mission modes: Order 66, Force Duel, Historic Missions; and 3 multiplayer modes: Force Frenzy, Rule the Galaxy, Force Out) and no new content added to this Nintendo Switch release.

Official Info said:

Unleash the power of the Force!​

You are Starkiller, Darth Vader’s secret apprentice, who has been trained to hunt down and destroy the Jedi. Take advantage of devastating Force powers and lightsaber combos to do Darth Vader’s bidding. Similar to the 2008 release on the Nintendo Wii™, use the Nintendo Joy-Con motion controls to truly feel the destructive power of the Force or challenge a friend to a 1v1 in the local multiplayer Duel mode!

**Play as Darth Vader’s "Secret Apprentice"**
Destroy all who stand in your way in your ultimate quest to serve Lord Vader. Discover the untold story of the Secret Apprentice set between STAR WARS: Revenge of the Sith and STAR WARS: A New Hope.

**Unleash Epic Force Powers!**
Just like it’s original release on the Nintendo Wii, players can unleash devastating Force powers and lightsaber combos using the Nintendo Joy-Con’s optional motion controls.

**Local Multiplayer Duel Mode.**
Choose from 27 characters to battle a friend in a local multiplayer mode to determine the galaxy’s most powerful Jedi!

**Travel the Star Wars galaxy.**
Defeat Jedi Masters on familiar worlds, including Cloud City and the Wookiee homeworld Kashyyyk, or at other unique locations like the floral planet Felucia and the junk planet Raxus Prime.

https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/star-wars-the-force-unleashed-switch/
 

CamHostage

Member
(Ripping my post from a different thread... greedy.)

I played [Star Wars Force Unleashed on Wii] and it was very mediocre. the selling point of the game, the crazy force abilities, were just not really there on Wii/PS2/PSP because they were mainly driven by the Euphoria engine which of course couldn't run on those systems due to them being severely underpowered.

basically this version was just a very forgettable Star Wars game IMO.
it wasn't bad, but there are better ones with similar gameplay

Disagree about the gameplay, as I can just never find a way to enjoy the LucasArts Force Unleashed. Gorgeous, but play control is a mess. Jumping is terribly angular and imprecise (and it's full of bottomless pits to fall into if you jump wrong,) and the combat mechanics feel kind of like how a game sometimes plays when it uses a first-person shooter engine for swordfighting (sort of like how the Battlefront games are squirrelly and lack a sense of hit-feel,) with the physics system feeling disconnected from the enemies that objects get thrown into (stuff just bounces and rolls around, and it ends up killing baddies well enough but impact and weight isn't sold.) Krome's game has a much better feel, and the Force abilities are there decently enough (though it's less enjoyable to throw characters around into canned animations of cracked windows and stacks of boxes or whatnot.) It's a better beat-em-up, while the HD version is at its best when it's a physics toybox (but if that's the experience you're looking for, I'd personally recommend Psi-Ops way more than SW:TFU.) It's not a perfect or even necessarily must-play game, but the Krome game is the only version of Star Wars The Force Unleashed I would ever recommend somebody play these days if they actually wanted to experience the story, since the visuals and physics are not as exciting anymore (even though, sadly, few games have that sense of smash-everything gameplay anymore.)

Two comparisons:



...That said, it is weird that they're bringing back the lesser-known one, and it'd be impossible to remaster the Krome one in a way that rivals the LucasArts one. There's also elements of the story and presentation (plus the alt-story missions and coda added to Ultimate Sith Edition) that you won't get in the Krome game even though it also has extra stuff. (Also, Aspry hasn't detailed out this version, but the PSP and PS2 and Wii versions all had different bonus stuff in this, so will all of that be merged together or is this only the Wii version repolished?) My ideal situation would be a master-package release of both games and all the content, or at least a release of both with different subtitles or something denoting the difference.

Calling this release "Star Wars: The Force Unleashed" does feel like a misrepresentation of what gamers would be expecting (...even if, IMO, they should be expecting better.)
 
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Husky

THE Prey 2 fanatic
Fuck yes, the Krome Studios version of this game is the definitive Force Unleashed, and it's the version that most deserves to see a new release. Superior to the LucasArts game in every way except graphically.
I'm very passionate about this.
 

CamHostage

Member
Fuck yes, the Krome Studios version of this game is the definitive Force Unleashed, and it's the version that most deserves to see a new release. Superior to the LucasArts game in every way except graphically.
I'm very passionate about this.

Too bad there is no good version of Star Wars TFU2, as Red Fly (makers of the Star Wars Maul prototype project) took over the sequel in the Wii version and were not able to keep up that same level, much less improve against the HD big brother version.

(I'm actually fine without it, as SW: TFU1 feels like a complete experience in the story if that matters to people, while TFU2 from what I understand goes in frustrating directions.)
 
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I used to prefer the Wii version, but nowadays I kinda prefer the 360 version. It just gets tiring constantly swinging the Wiimote for attacks. Both versions are very solid but with too many QTEs. I will say the fight with Vader was way better on Wii though. It felt like a real duel whereas the 360 version gives him a bunch of invincibility and ranged moves that feel bullshit.

Still one of my favorite Star Wars game though.
 

BlackTron

Member
I forgot there was even a different version of this game and didn't know it had such strong preferential following over the "big brother" version.

Switch could be an opportunity to run the game in its least-bad graphical state. I'd be interested to hear impressions on how it plays on Switch, especially with those Joycons. Seeing them being used at all for motion control isn't even a common sight for me.
 

IbizaPocholo

NeoGAFs Kent Brockman


Whether or not this is worth a purchase depends on how big of a Star Wars fans you are- or perhaps even how big of a The Force Unleashed fan you are. If you have a hankering for a single player hack-and-slash title where you can rip through enemies, there's plenty of fun to be had here, and the base experience, combined with its collectibles and the Duel Mode, make the $20 price tag feel pretty reasonable.

If, however, you're looking for a more ambitious upgrade, or if you're looking for a more fleshed-out game with more thought put into its combat and level design, The Force Unleashed will probably leave you disappointed. Purely on a personal level, it's a solid if unremarkable port of a game I have a lot of nostalgia for.
 
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