Hands on with Star Wars: The Force Unleashed for PSP

Anakin Skywalker may bring balance to the Force, but it's up to you to unleash it. George Lucas has made clear his space opera won't continue in film, opting instead to expand the Star Wars canon in other media. The Force Unleashed leads this effort by putting you in the middle of the tragic saga as no other game in the franchise has done before. "This is Star Wars in your face," asserts project lead Haden Blackman. Following our first-ever look at the PSP version, we're inclined to agree.

Set in the period between Episodes III and IV, this latest game elaborates on the nebulous span of time glossed over in the films. You don the cloak of Darth Vader's apprentice as he works to expand the corrupt empire of Darth Sidious. Extermination of the Jedi stands as your top order, taking you across the galaxy in search of the last vestiges of the Jedi order.

Your dastardly work begins in a TIE Fighter construction facility that has been seized by a Jedi master. Darth Vader has instructed you to leave no witnesses, which means eliminating not just Jedi but also Imperial troopers. Once your mission has wrapped up in the facility, you travel to a range of planets, from the forested Wookie homeworld of Kashyyyk to the junkyard of Raxus Prime.

As we reported last autumn, The Force Unleashed also brings an exclusive batch of levels to PSP, including a hidden area in Bespin's Cloud City, special training scenarios at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, and a not-so-happy-hour at a dilapidated bar on Nar Shaddaa.

After running through a few action-packed levels, it's easy to understand why we've been looking forward to this game. The energetic nature of combat gives it a visceral feel achieved by few titles on the portable. Breaks in the action are virtually non-existent and it serves to draw you into this brutal universe. Indeed, wielding the power of the Force enables destruction with an intensity never before seen in a Star Wars game. You're free to hurl storm troopers through the air, impale them with a Force-lifted lightsaber, or even destroy the surrounding environment by repulsing enemies into objects and walls.

Powerful enemies can challenge your abilities in Force or lightsaber locks where you must quickly tap a button to overcome the stalemate. Succeed and you can pull off finishing moves similar to the quick-time style button-pressing sections found in games such as the God of War series.

What has us more excited than a Hutt at an all-you-can-eat buffet is a smorgasbord of multiplayer modes (with one specific to PSP): Force Frenzy, Rule the Galaxy, Force Out, and Order 66. All will support a maximum of four players in ad-hoc mode; disappointingly, infrastructure play isn't being considered.

Anyway, Force Frenzy addresses the need for classic deathmatch, while the others offer unique variations – Rule the Galaxy, for instance, remixes multiplayer favourite King of the Hill in which you fight to control capture areas across a large map, while the two remaining modes promise something slightly different. Force Out places players together in small arenas with the goal of throwing the competition out of bounds – naturally, using your Force powers is most effective here when trying to blast an opponent out of the arena. The PSP-exclusive mode Order 66, meanwhile, should ring a bell for true Star Wars fans: the command to execute all Jedi as issued by the Emperor near the end of Episode III translates into a survival multiplayer mode. Staying alive against endless waves of enemies is the directive here.

For all the excitement we have for a new chapter in the Star Wars saga, there's still a soft spot in our hearts for the original trilogy. Not to worry, though, because the PSP version of The Force Unleashed promises a slew of historic scenarios that depict notable moments in the franchise. Fancy a little paternal conflict? You can control dear old dad Darth Vader in his dramatic dual with son Luke in Cloud City. Four other scenarios are also available, including a showdown with Boba Fett on Jabba the Hutt's palace barge. With so many iconic battles ripe for the picking, we're eager to see what makes it into the final game.

But we'll have to wait a little longer than originally planned. The Force Unleashed has been moved from its intended spring release to a summer debut, which should allow for more polishing to what already seems nearly complete. We'd liked to have seen the inclusion of online play in some form, but at least LucasArts is packing in a good chunk of exclusive content as a worthy consolation prize. One thing is for certain: this is looking like a new hope for Star Wars games indeed.