Q&A we had at Yak with the developers -
Q #1: Are there anymore major surprises in store or has most of it been revealed through Hasbro, Lucasarts etc.?
-Submitted By Paul Skywalker
A: Definitely! We’ve revealed a lot, but that’s just the beginning of the story of The Force Unleashed.
Q #2: Are there unlockable characters that we can play as once the game has been "beaten", like the Emperor etc.?
-Submitted By Jayson
A: There are unlockable characters in the game, but the only one we’ve officially announced is PROXY the holodroid. Astute searchers will be able to find cheat codes for other characters if they look around, though.
Q #3: Did you lobby Hasbro for specific characters to be made into action figures, or did they just choose which ones to make on their own?
-Submitted By Darth Kikinou
A: It worked both ways. We presented the story and characters to Hasbro, with suggestions about what we felt would make the coolest action figures. They took many of these suggestions, and then also looked at all the concept art and picked a few additional characters.
Q #4: Many people of my generation grew up playing games with only 2-D perspectives and have a very low attention span for anything 3-D. How do you feel this game will appeal to players like this who had a difficult time ever getting into the more recent titles like Battlefront I & II? Moreover, it seems that game aesthetics have become more of a priority than the "fun factor" for games of this sort these days, do you have any comment on any efforts that were made for TFU on this front?
-Submitted By Darth Kikinou
A: First and foremost this game is about kicking ass with the Force. From day one, everyone on the team – including Art Director Matt Omernick – agreed that gameplay would be king, and would dictate everything. We certainly don’t feel like we skimped on the art at all, but whenever we had to make a decision between aesthetics and gameplay, we chose gameplay. Accessibility was also very important to us. We focus tested the game numerous times to ensure that the controls are as easy to understand as possible, and that players can jump in and feel powerful from the first button press. You can grab the demo right now for Xbox 360 and PS3 to try out the game.
Q #5: Are there any OT characters that will be shown in the game that we haven't already been made aw are of ? Such as General Dodonna, Riekken, or others?
-Submitted By Chewie
A: We can’t reveal everything! Princess Leia, Bail Organa, Darth Vader, and the Emperor are definitely in there, but we do have a few other surprises in store…
Q #6: Are there any Stormtroopers from the game that aren't being made by Hasbro? If so, can you share a pic of one of them?
-Submitted By Chewie
A: I believe so – we have about a dozen stormtrooper variants in the game, including a fearsome new version of the dark trooper.
Q #7: Can you say whether there is any validity to the rumor that the secret apprentice is Quinlan Vos's son? He was found on Kashyyyk, where we last saw Vos in the Republic comic series, he was grabbed by Vader as a child and raised by vader, so the timeline seems to work......
-Submitted By Jedistyle
A: All along, we’ve tried to keep the Apprentice somewhat mysterious and actually not reveal very much about him – even in the game. In fact, the team really wanted to avoid naming him, preferring to just use his codename of “Starkiller” instead. This was based on some direction from George Lucas, who stressed that a bit of mystery is part of Star Wars and we should avoid revealing everything. We don’t ever name him in the game, though he is named in the novel.
Q #8: I have read that there are 3 ending for this game, 1 canon, and 1 each of dark and light side. Does this game sport the light and darkside point system like the KOTOR RPG, allowing players to choose to attempt to remain in the dark or light side of the force?
-Submitted By Jedistyle
A: While we’re all big fans of KOTOR, The Force Unleashed is definitely a very different type of game. The Force Unleashed is very action-oriented with some light RPG elements. You’ll face a decision in the game that will result in different endings, but it isn’t a meter that runs while you play.
Q #9: Will the Secret Apprentice be able to wield a blaster at any point, or will he be relying solely on this lightsaber and Force abilities?
-Submitted By: Chewie
A: We really focused on the notion of the Force unleashed, so your primary offensive weapons are Force powers. We consider the lightsaber another Force power and put just as much thought (probably more) into making it as versatile as possible.
Q #10: Though it may be too early to ask, Are there any plans for a sequel to the game? If so, can you share any details at all? Any target release dates in mind?
-Submitted By: Epsilon Jedi & Darth Stringield (Question Combined)
A: It’s definitely too early to say what’s next after The Force Unleashed.
Q #11: Is there anything special you can tell us that nobody else knows about the game yet? Any secrets that you can finally reveal to the public or something surprising you'd love to share with the Star Wars collecting public? We're all ears!
-Submitted By The Yakface.com Staff
A: We definitely don’t want to give away any other major spoilers. I will say this – through the story of the Force Unleashed you will learn exactly how the Rebellion is started…
Special Thanks To Developers Adam Kahn and Haden Blackmann for arranging this Q & A! We look forward to bringing you more YAKExclusive Q & A's from LucasArts in the future!
REMEMBER: The Force Unleashed debuts on all major gaming consoles on September 16th, 2008!
May The Force Be With You!