We had the pleasure of testing the Wii version at E3!

Few games plan simultaneous releases across every console and not the PC, yet include the PS2 while not being a sports game. That means that this one is the first. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed will be different on all but the next-gen consoles, and I had the pleasure of testing it out on the Wii.

As the only version with online multiplayer (which still makes no sense unless Lucasarts wants people to buy two versions of the same game…sneaky!), TFU for the Wii is essentially the same as it is on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, except for the controls and graphics processing. Obviously the physics engines (DMM and Havok) aren’t going to be as potent, but you’ll be able to use the lightsaber like never before. Seems like a fair trade.

I played TFU for 30 minutes, completing the first level as Darth Vader easily, which may have been on purpose. As Vader, all the force powers and strength are at your disposal, so making a mess of the Wookie homeworld Kashyyyk is rather easy. Vader has a hard time ever getting hurt, doesn’t run because everything waits for his darkness to spread, and isn’t nearly as badass as it seems he should be. Maybe it’s just the low polygon count and somewhat higher-pitched voice than I remember from the original series.

Taking place during Episode III at the battle of Kashyyyk, Vader made his way down to eliminate a Jedi who’s presence he felt. After his brisk walk to end the life of that Jedi, Vader felt the presence of a greater force nearby only to find it was the Jedi’s son (a cool animation shows the boy use the force to take his father’s dropped lightsaber, fearfully gripping it while his father’s neck is tightened to the breaking point). The Sith Lord makes an instant decision to train the boy and kills the few Stormtroopers in the room and the Jedi.

Years later, he is now Vader’s apprentice and we know he’s already been doing missions under Vader’s direct command. This is his first mission alone, without any guidance. He’s rather weak, can’t kill anything with one shot using the lightsaber and he looks like a punk. Aside from that, Vader’s apprentice shares all the qualities of a growing Sith: lack of subtle evil, slightly hunched over back without back problems, that ‘I so don’t care’ look in his eyes, the works.

On the Wii, there are plenty of powers to use with motion controls, though the only one available for testing was force push, done by thrusting the nunchuk forward. Force grip, electrocute and the lightsaber throw are all done by pressing buttons. And, of course, there’s using the lightsaber with the Wiimote.

It works, and it works well. With the exception of the lightsaber duel between Vader and the Jedi, using the lightsaber for attacks didn’t get tiring and worked properly. Using force push over and over again got annoying though. Against the Jedi Vader couldn’t land a single blow except when using force powers, no matter how I swung, and there was a lack of realism when fighting him because the lightsaber didn’t go where the Wiimote did.

What I didn’t see but was told by the developers was that there are eight force powers and 20 different combinations of them that can be used simultaneously, such as force grip and force electrocute. For bosses, there will be button mashing, or in the case of the Wii controller moving.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is set for release across all consoles on September 16th.