STAR WARS The Force Unleashed ... for the iPhone??

So I’ve begun playing STAR WARS The Force Unleashed on the Xbox 360 and will review it soon, hopefully. But I noticed the other day that there was a version of the game for the iPhone and, since I’m an idiot STAR WARS fan, I thought, what the heck. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting much. (The Xbox 360 game, so far, seems average. But it nicely advances the STAR WARS storyline in excellent fashion.)

Well, go figure, but this game is pretty amazing. The graphics are excellent. It actually supports the accelerometer fully, so you can play it in either portrait or landscape mode, your choice, and you can switch on the fly at any time. Obviously, the game can’t duplicate the full game play of the console versions. But I like what they’ve done. Essentially, you use certain finger swipes across the screen to control various Force powers. It’s decent, and it’s a neat example of fitting an existing title into the form factor and processing restrictions of a very different platform. In some ways, it’s quite a bit more impressive than the console version.

Here are a few shots.

 

 

 

OK, I realize these are just introductory screens. But seriously. I’d love to see someone try that on a Windows Mobile device. It’s pretty impressive.

Discuss this Article 52

bettieblu
on Sep 24, 2008
Looks great on the PSP, and the iPhone is supposed to be more powerful from a GPU stand point, so why not.
mikegalos@msn.com
on Sep 24, 2008
Paul Let's be honest here. The intro screens of a game are essentially playing a short video. Any device with equal or better resolution and color depth would look the same. Seeing how there are Windows Mobile devices with higher res screens than the iPhone, it's hardly a challenge to try that one a Windows Mobile device. Open a movie on a VGA screen WM device in Media Player Select Full Screen Press Play Challenge met. Now, the game itself may be great, but gushing about the opening screens?
bettieblu
on Sep 24, 2008
"the game itself" looks great on a PSP I was surprised. This thing was released on PSP, PS2, PS3, 360, Wii, iPhone. MS should have never ditched the Xbox 1, this game could have easily ran on it.
brandon.pope
on Sep 24, 2008
I have played through the Xbox 360 version once and I am about half of the way through the second time on the next hardest difficulty and I plan to get to the alternate ending. When I saw this game for the iPhone I was excited for about 10 seconds until I saw how the game actually looks. I know I can't compare the graphics and game play of a full console version to what we can get on the iPhone, but if I have a console version why would I ever want to play this thing any other way? I think iPhone games are great (I am currently addicted to a space invasion strategy game called Galcon Lite), but there is a limit to the scope that these games can meet and sometimes I hate to try and punish myself by thinking I am going to get more than the phone itself can handle. A game like this is an example of a kind of game that belongs on the console and that is where it should stay, unless the only version you will ever play is the iPhone version (which is completely plausible). As far as the 360 version goes. I hope Paul isn't too hard on it, but I know all of the bugs and stale dialouge may get to some people. For me, SWTFU is the star wars game I have always wanted. Now if they can just bring these amazing technologies like DMM, Havok and so fourth to a new Knights of the Old Republic installment I will be in heaven.
adamb1000
on Sep 24, 2008
It's pretty amazing what the iPhone can do. It's definately a viable gaming platform. The graphics dont look half bad either.
runner7775
on Sep 24, 2008
I really want to get this game since its been kinda hyped over the last six months or so. I has been eliciting lackluster reviews(from Gamespot anyway). I'll probably have to get it anyway because its STAR WARS. I've been stuck deciding between PS2 or DS but ill probably go with PS2 because of the graphics. How many of you guys have played it and how is it?
Nickelgreen
on Sep 24, 2008
I think that in 10 years we'll have games like pc version of Call of Duty 4, even on mobiles. It's just a matter of time. Do you remember those places in the eighties were we can play cool videogames that are now obsolete even on a low-end pc? (in '88 I was 20 yrs old... sigh!)
bettieblu
on Sep 24, 2008
I have played it on the PSP, and the demo on the 360/PS3 good stuff IMHO. The PS2 should be fine. DS probably would be just OK.
volwrath
on Sep 24, 2008
Its pretty bad that you are constantly downgrading windows mobile when you are supposed to be a MSFT fan. Congrats on that 3G IPhone Paul..I mean I've only had my 3G phone for 2+ years. I'm glad that the iphone could catch up.. Even though I am sure my 3G is more pervasive than yours, no need to have tit for tat. I mean that beautiful iphone is impressive with its 480x320 resolution..Ahh but my new Touch Pro will be 640x480, multitask, have a hardware keyboard, have push email that actually works, have the ability to tether giving my Asus EEE broadband speeds anywhere, have the ability to turn into a wifi access point not to mentions all the thousands of windows mobile apps that I can run. I don't think Microsoft is going to censor me. Whats impressive about WM to me is its versatility. At lunch today I was playing Lord of the Rings Online on my EEE through my phone. Talk about a gaming machine! Remember Microsoft is life without walls!!
Anna_T
on Sep 24, 2008
I would like to see screenies from the game. Captures from the video intro are useless to know how good the graphics are.
lotsamystuff
on Sep 24, 2008
"Its pretty bad that you are constantly downgrading windows mobile when you are supposed to be a MSFT fan." Whaaa? Where is that written? Paul has admitted to being a "Microsoft Enthusiast", but this is a Windows site...and the last I checked, the iPhone worked with...say it with me...WINDOWS. I'm not fond of Mr. Thurrott's WinJihadist tendencies, but I also realize that on this site, at least, that's his job. For as much flack as he takes from the Apple fans on this site when he takes his digs at them, he also seems to take a lot of sharp arrows from the WinJihadists ("mikegalos" and "waethorn", anyone?) whenever he says something kind about a product Not Invented By Microsoft™. Paul has stated that he's hard on Apple because they're constantly praised elsewhere, and he feels that his "fair and balanced" comments provide some sort of antidote. He also has indicated that he's a fan of Apple's products, and I think he has a sincere desire (as a technology enthusiast) to see them succeed, along with Microsoft, Sony, and others. That, IMHO, is why he's so hard on Windows Mobile. He wants it to improve. Remember, he was equally hard on the Zune, and has even been rough on the xBox, despite sometimes serving as an apologist for the money-losing and bug-riddled console (see how I did that? That's the Paulistic style, right there!). Putting him into a "you are supposed to be a MSFT fan" box isn't fair. Good grief, you're giving him s**t because he praised a GAME, forcryingoutloud. As much as it pains me to say it, he doesn't deserve your scorn.
tayme
on Sep 24, 2008
Whoa...lotsa, is that really you? ;-) --tayme
boolean22
on Sep 24, 2008
Have you seen this? http://www.clickgamer.com/screenshots.htm?pid=8528&section=PPC Or, maybe... this? http://www.clickgamer.com/screenshots.htm?pid=14007&section=PPC If that's not proof of what WinMo can do for the gaming community, then I don't know what could it be! Saludos! From Argentina! PS.: Love My DIAMOND!!!
DRWAM
on Sep 24, 2008
Yeh, the game isn't made by Apple. The devloper could even make for Android sometime. I'd like to see a comparison of the upper phones, including Android in the future. But I don't want to break Paul's piggy bank for three phones with three different carriers. If we all send him 10 bucks, maybe he can do it..[pssst, Paul, I want 20% from these suckers!!!]
mikegalos@msn.com
on Sep 24, 2008
DRWAM Or they could do it for Windows Mobile. It's not like the iPhone's relevant hardware is that special and the Windows Mobile SDK is both more sophisticated and less restricted than the iPhone SDK. (Although, I don't think there are as many commercial flashlight and tip calculator apps for WinMo) :-)
WazNeeni
on Sep 24, 2008
I downloaded the game on my LG VX8550 (Chocolate 2). Looks exactly the same. So, it's not an iPhone thing. The game's designers just did a great job. Spore, on the other hand, is a better example of what you're trying to say here. Spore for my Chocolate is significantly inferior to the iPhone version. Though, the gameplay itself is basically the same.
DRWAM
on Sep 24, 2008
runner7775
on Sep 24, 2008
eh looks like ps2 for me, but ill probably wait for Paul's review
panache1023
on Sep 24, 2008
WAAAAAAH! Mike Galos at it again.... LOL.. "The intro screens of a game are essentially playing a short video." WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!! Hey Mike Galos....intro scense to a game are essentially playing a short video? Really? What about games that use the in game engine for the cutscenes...the games where the hardware is processing and rendering the graphics in real time, not a precanned CGI cutscene? WAAAAAAAAAAAH! Paul had something good to say about Apple! Better prove why he's wrong Mike Galos! Hysterical.....nah, the "relevant hardware is not that special" LOL! You're a funny guy Mike Galos...a little pathetic that you feel the need to criticize ANYONE complementing ANYTHING Apple related, even though the game wasn't produced by Apple.... so lame.
mdsharpe
on Sep 24, 2008
would smoke rise from a chimney the same way in space as it would on the surface of a planet?
arosania
on Sep 24, 2008
mikegalos@msn.com
on Sep 24, 2008
painintheache Most games use a separate video play of a prerendered scene for their cut scenes (the fact that you knew that phrase means you knew that). The whole point of a cut scene is to keep the user occupied while you initialize and load the next level. Kind of defeats the purpose to tie up your processing rerendering a cut scene that never changes when your goal is to use the idle time to load. (btw: you may as well go back to your real name since it's pretty obvious who you are from the writing style alone)
tayme
on Sep 24, 2008
OT - But Doc mentioned Android before I did, so this is his fault! The T-Mobile intro to Android looks cool at first glance...but it appears that HTC made the same mistake that Apple made wit hthe Gen 1 iPhone...no 3.5mm headphone jack on a device that is supposed to double as a media player. Weird...you'd have thought that they would have learned. I am anxious to see some of the other Android models... --tayme
DRWAM
on Sep 24, 2008
Yep, I mentioned it first. Besides, Mike is correcdt. I got fooled by terrific graphics of a movie clip played DURING a game that I was observing, thing wow what great graphics. Then saw that the graphics was considerably less spectacular when watching game play. Movies do play great on the iPhone, except o can't show my wife the one I 'tested' ;)
shark47
on Sep 24, 2008
"tayme said: Whoa...lotsa, is that really you? ;-)" No kidding!
Waethorn
on Sep 24, 2008
"he also seems to take a lot of sharp arrows from the WinJihadists ("mikegalos" and "waethorn", anyone?)" I'm a PC. And also an iPundit(TM). Get used to it. Seen the mobile version on YouTube vids. Not impressed. Considering that I've played every Star Wars FPS available on PC, I can say that calling a mobile version by the same name as a typical FPS is just appalling. Compared to the PSP version, well, it's just no comparison. The PSP and PS2 version look half decent, but the thing that always bugs me about those platforms is that they don't do lighting correctly, and then over-compensate by using high-gamma textures, making it look washed out. That was the way the original Dark Forces looked on PC, and that was 13 years ago! The expansion pack for Dark Forces 2: Jedi Knight, called Mysteries of the Sith (which had better gameplay and a much better story) had better graphics, but the cutscenes were prerendered with what looked like the in-game engine running on software-rendering. It was horribly shocking to see the cutscenes look worse than the in-game graphics.
tayme
on Sep 24, 2008
This thread sounds like an episode of Big Bang Theory. I love that show! --tayme
Waethorn
on Sep 24, 2008
"HTC made the same mistake that Apple made wit hthe Gen 1 iPhone...no 3.5mm headphone jack on a device that is supposed to double as a media player. Weird...you'd have thought that they would have learned." They did - it has functioning Bluetooth. BTW: This is the same USB connector that is used on the HTC Touch Diamond EV-DO, and as I also suspect, the other current-gen HTC Touch devices. Standard headphones can be plugged in via an adapter which has 3.5mm, 2.5mm, and USB passthru connectors. Although it doesn't look right, you CAN use a standard 5-pin miniUSB connector in the port. The outside rim is shaped for the multiport adapter though, but miniUSB still fits perfectly, even if there's a slight gap in one corner.
shark47
on Sep 24, 2008
"Besides, Mike is correcdt. I got fooled by terrific graphics of a movie clip played DURING a game that I was observing, thing wow what great graphics. " Yeah. I had the same experience on the Wii. I think it was NFS or Wii Sports or something like that.
Waethorn
on Sep 24, 2008
"This thread sounds like an episode of Big Bang Theory." Is that related to The Gong Show? ....or America's Got "Talent", perhaps? ;)
mikegalos@msn.com
on Sep 24, 2008
Waethorn "They did - it has functioning Bluetooth." Do they support A2DP? (Bluetooth stereo audio playback. Nice to have for a device that's part audio/video player) I haven't seen it in the specs and so far it looks like: Windows Mobile - Yes Symbian - Yes Blackberry - Yes iPhone - No Android - No
pthurrott
on Sep 24, 2008
um. :) So this got way off topic. Don't miss the point. The screenshots are from the opening scenes, yes. But the game itself is good. I was too busy playing it to take pictures. I'm pretty impressed by the whole thing, and again, given the limitations of the form factor, it's a decent port.
vinski-
on Sep 24, 2008
volwrath said: "Ahh but my new Touch Pro will be 640x480, multitask, have a hardware keyboard, have push email that actually works, have the ability to tether giving my Asus EEE broadband speeds anywhere, have the ability to turn into a wifi access point not to mentions all the thousands of windows mobile apps that I can run.. " Wow that sounds pretty impressive device, indeed. But..wait.. my one year old Nokia E90 already does all that. But i agree with u, always makes me slap my head when i hear ppl dubbing iPhone as a smartphone. Oh come on! First rule to be smartphone is to have multitasking! Somebody should sue Apple for that... Another rule is to be able to install native apps, but Apple finally fixed this one with 2.0 fw, thought I already had Installer and Cydia in my Touch. I really like the iPhone (though i only have Touch right now), but some of these basic restrictions like lack of multitasking just drives me nut! But the build quality, performance, and sleekness makes me always wanna forgive those flaws. I really wish Nokia could make something built like this.
tayme
on Sep 24, 2008
@Waethorn - "Is that related to The Gong Show?" No, its a sitcome about 4 uber geeks and their very hot female friend from across the hall. They talk about Star Wars a lot!!! I think Doc could be on that show and squeeze all 4 of them like pimples!!! --tayme
Waethorn
on Sep 24, 2008
"Do they support A2DP?" No official specs say one way or another. Most sites saying "HTC Dream offers what the iPhone doesn't" quote A2DP as being a feature. HTC has always been good about Bluetooth profile support though. My Touch Diamond does though, and that's all I care about.
Waethorn
on Sep 24, 2008
"Ahh but my new Touch Pro will be 640x480, multitask, have a hardware keyboard, have push email that actually works, have the ability to tether giving my Asus EEE broadband speeds anywhere, have the ability to turn into a wifi access point not to mentions all the thousands of windows mobile apps that I can run.. " "Wow that sounds pretty impressive device, indeed. But..wait.. my one year old Nokia E90 already does all that." There are Pocket PC 2003 devices that did that too. The HTC Touch HD has an 800x480 screen though. Not to mention that the Windows Mobile SDK is easier to use than the one for Symbian.
Waethorn
on Sep 24, 2008
"its a sitcome about 4 uber geeks and their very hot female friend from across the hall." er....so it's a fake version (moreso) of Beauty and the Geek?? I think I'll stick to Corner Gas, Air Farce....and Flashpoint.
shark47
on Sep 24, 2008
BTW, this game should work on the iTouch too, right?
DRWAM
on Sep 24, 2008
Dang. Last case of the day a 75 yo doc [shrink] with painless jaundice wants to know the result of his CT scan. I just met the guy and had to tell him he had pancreatic CA with mets. His wife [ a doctor too] was there. Some moments are awkward, but sometimes really suck. More badness since Wae will never check his PM. Wae, the second HD that I've done this and want to confirm. I have big hands and tried shoving a new HD into my computer, touching the bottom of the old drive. Within a few days to two weeks, the old drive died. Was it me touching the bottom of the drive with the new one? I D/C my static before installing. You can PM me so people don't get mad. Sorry folks, but I'm having a bad day.
RunTimeError
on Sep 24, 2008
@ Paul: "So this got way off topic." On your blog? Say it ain't so!
shark47
on Sep 24, 2008
"RunTimeError said: @ Paul: "So this got way off topic." On your blog? Say it ain't so!" What's your point there, RTE? I thought this was Paul's blog. He decides the topic.
DRWAM
on Sep 24, 2008
That dang DrWAM, it's all his fault. Oops, I thought I was using my panache1023 user name! :)
panache1023
on Sep 24, 2008
Congrats Mike Galos, you were able to make a reasonable post (most of your are) without having to criticize Apple (which most of your posts do), and without praising MS (again, which most of your posts do)... amazing, Keep up the good work. And yes, I am well aware of the point of cutscenes...but you are underestimating them as well..in today's gaming world, a lot of people don't like seeing high quality pre rendered cutscenes and then go back to a game that looks nothing like what they had just seen. A lot of games today (look at the GTA series), used in game engine to convey story line, not just as a diversion from the loading process. BTW, this is the only name I post under...the only name I ever will post under...I have better things to do than to make up multiple handles to post on Paul's blog just to jump down your throat (when you post ridiculous comments)...and also.."painintheache"...very clever! LOL I like it! Well done! :)
shark47
on Sep 24, 2008
Doc, What's this Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde thing that you have going on here? :-)
shark47
on Sep 24, 2008
BTW, doc, I've PM'd my MRI results to you. Can you take a look at them and let me know what's wrong with my back? :-)
DRWAM
on Sep 24, 2008
OK, I'm back to DRWAM again so the office is open. It's tough having split personality traits. One day, I'm a PC, but then the next day, I'm a Mac! I guess it could be worse as I could have been Linux:)
mikegalos@msn.com
on Sep 24, 2008
DRWAM Could be worse. One day every few months I'm a Digital Group Series 3 runing OASIS off a quad phi-deck. I try to nap that day.
Anna_T
on Sep 24, 2008
arosania Ty, it looks great!
subzerohitman721
on Sep 24, 2008
Yes, I bought the xbox 360 version and its pretty darn good. Not great, but its entertaining and good challenge. The fact that we get to play as Vader and check out this story pretty much sells itself. Granted its no Knights of the Old Republic 1 or 2, it however its entertaining enough to keep me interested. I am impressed by the iPhone's version of the game. That gives me the impression that perhaps Apple should make its own video game console. They are awesome with hardware and I'd like to see how they'd shake things up against Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft. I've supported 3 consoles in the past, a good 4th with the games would be something. I just hope they come up with a good name.
gorath
on Sep 25, 2008
@subzero iGame? lol

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