#FF00AA

Okay, scratch what I wrote about how the Apprentice didn’t deflect pistol shots in the video — that was just a case of the player not using the block button (which is understandable, as blocking prevents you from moving, and the animation is a little silly anyway, with the character just twisting his saber like a cheerleader’s baton).

Still, I’m not impressed by the demo. I’m sure I’d get used to the controls if I played more, but I feel that Psi-Ops had the telekinesis controls down pat, and Force Unleashed is a step back (it uses the two sticks in a way that isn’t intuitive, and prevents you from moving while using your power), and it looks nearly impossible to accurately pick your target. As a bonus, the final AT-ST quick-time event is broken: you’re busy lightsabering the boss away, and suddenly you get a red cross in the middle of the screen instructing you that the QTE sequence had begun and you didn’t press the right button. Plus a final, more subjective gripe: I don’t like the idea of a jedi with such a rapidly depleting (and refilling) Force gauge. I know why the developers felt they needed it, but I don’t feel like that’s how it should work for jedis.

Bottomline is, it didn’t feel particularly fun, and the cutscenes look and sound too wrong for me to play the game for the story.