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In an in-depth article published by Vanity Fair, it looks as though Darth Vader will be a playable character in Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. The author of the article, Frank DiGiacomo, saw the ins and outs of the game’s creation. One of the major revelations of the tour was a battle sequence that pitted the Sith Lord against a group of Wookiees on a crude bridge in Kashyyyk. Vader made quick work of Wookiees by utilizing a force push move and skewering an opponent by hurling his light saber into his chest. DiGiacomo succinctly sums up the sheer awesomeness of the spectacle. “ Darth Vader’s red-bladed lightsaber powers up with a familiar hum, and he hurls it hilt over blade at a Wookiee. The weapon embeds itself in the chest of the ill-fated creature and then returns to Vader’s hand as his victim crumples .” The realism of the title and the attention to detail will be like nothing we’ve ever seen. The technologies going into the development include Euphoria and D.M.M. Euphoria allows virtual characters to react to their environment without animating their movements; that means dropping StormTroopers on their heads or casting Wookiees off a bridge will be unique each and every time, not scripted and stilted. D.M.M. takes the level of realism even further; it actually imparts material characteristics to objects. In other words, wood will splinter, steel will bend, and plastic will crumple and tear. Finally, DiGiacomo points out that, “ In addition to groundbreaking software, the game will employ Industrial Light & Magic’s facial-likeness technology and motion-capture expertise, which will give the digitally animated characters remarkably lifelike expressions and movements .” Combine all of this technical knowhow with a story that bridges the gap between episodes III and IV and you’ve got a masterpiece that should release sometime this summer!
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