The demo for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed hit the XBox Marketplace this week, and it just might be the most fun demo ever released for the platform. In The Force Unleashed, you play as Darth Vader’s secret Sith apprentice between episodes 3 and 4 of the Star Wars saga. As a Sith, you’ll have free reign to wreak havoc on Rebels and Imperials alike as you carry out clandestine missions for Vader. The demo drops you into an abbreviated level where you have to fight your way through a lot of Stormtroopers and other Imperial baddies in hallways and a hangar bay. Available to you in the demo are several abilities, including a Force push, Sith lightning, super speed, super jumping, the ability to lift and throw pretty much anything (or anybody), and of course your trusty lightsaber. All of those powers and abilities sound daunting, but it’s all very manageable after a few minutes of play to get you coordinated.
I’d seen a lot of gameplay videos and even videos of people playing the game, but nothing had prepared me for the feel of actually ripping through a level myself. If you haven’t checked out the demo yet, I strongly urge you to do so. I was sold after the first time I hurled a screaming Stormtrooper against the ceiling, then the floor, then the wall, ala Mr. Eko versus the smoke monster.
My only complaint from the demo is that the soundalike they got for Darth Vader rather decidedly does not sound like James Earl Jones. That aside, the overall presentation, gameplay, graphics, and sound are fantastic and have me itching to play the full version. It’s one of those demos that ends at a high point with you having just done something super cool.
The game will be released on September 16 for the XBox 360, Playstation 3, Wii, PS2, PSP, and Nintendo DS. (but the PS3, 360, and possibly Wii versions are the ones with the real magic).
Back in 2001, after the Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV series had wrapped, a Buffy animated series was slated to appear on Fox Kids, starring the voice talents of the entire original cast, minus Sarah Michelle Gellar (who apparently was busy trying to break her Scooby Gang type casting by starring in… Scooby Doo and Scooby Doo 2). The series was to be set during season 1 of the original series, in an adjusted reality where Buffy’s sister Dawn existed prior to her mystical creation in season 5. Here’s a look at the awesome series we missed out on when the project fell through:
Daredevil has been on a roll for the past few years of delivering consistently strong and compelling stories that dig deeper than simple superheroics. The latest story arc concludes next week, and here’s an advance review of the issue, with spoilers.
Welcome to a new series on Fandomania, where we introduce The Cinema Doctor, our cinema specialist, who takes in ailing patients… patients who happen to be some of the most lackluster films in cinema! Marvel as The Cinema Doctor examines, diagnoses, and prescribes to the ailing patients of celluloid.
Have you ever wondered to yourself, “What would it be like to be a member of the opposite gender?” Well that’s not what Johann Smith was thinking when he sent out an advertisement rewarding one million dollars for a brain dead patient with his rare blood type. Why? Well Mr. Smith had grown quite old, and in keeping with the human condition wanted to find a way to extend his rapidly closing life. When money is nothing, attempting a very risky and very controversial brain transplant is nothing. What Johann hadn’t counted on was his new body being that of his young, attractive and female secretary, Eunice.
Eddie Izzard said it best: “Guns don’t kill people; people kill people, but I think the gun helps.” In cinema, particularly action and sci-fi, the one thing that’s just as memorable as the heroes and the villains, is the kind of heat they’re packin’. When you think about it, James Bond would never haven gotten as far as he did without his wicked arsenal. Sometimes the arsenal itself is more outrageous than the person who carries it. Presented here are ten examples of some of the weirdest, wildest, and most importantly, ass-kicking-est weaponry to ever be wielded by fictitious characters.
For movies there are trailers, for TV shows and video games there are commercials, but what about books? You might actually want to know what new books are coming out, and there is no one to tell you… until now! Sure, you could go digging through Amazon or Barnes and Noble or go into the store and see what they are offering as new releases, but there are so many more you don’t get to see. I’ve done the digging for you and discovered even more than I imagined, so I’ll be splitting up September into three posts. All of these books (with few exceptions) are BRAND SPANKIN’ NEW! The list below should be the first time any of these books have been released, and any blurbs are from the publisher or someone else. Unfortunately none of the blurbs are reviews, because I, like you, have to wait for the books to come out. (Boo!) So check them out and enjoy!
Congratulations to the winner of last week’s comic book contest, MrBrando! He has twenty comics on the way to him, and that opens the way for a new contest this week. Here’s how it works:
Reply to this post and tell me which upcoming video game you’re most looking forward to, and you’ll be entered in a drawing to win a random stack of 20 of these comics. Be sure to use your real e-mail address when you reply, or I won’t be able to contact you if you win.
Keep in mind that these are not minty-mint collector grade comics. They’re the actual copies we read here when we write up reviews, so they ain’t perfect. They’re great for reading, though, so why not give it a shot and get these things off my hands?
The contest will run until next Monday, August 25, at 12:00am Eastern time. At that time I’ll draw a winner, and then I’ll start up another one of these later in the day. You can expect comic giveaways like this each week until I get rid of this mountain of issues.
