What’s better than being a powerful young Jedi? Being an apprentice to Darth Vader himself, on missions where your only option is The Force Unleashed. With controller in hand, we see if the next Star Wars game lives up to its name.

"Whoa! I don’t think anyone’s done that here before,” laughs Haden Blackman, project lead on Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. We’ve just walked into a massive chamber and, without thinking about it, used Force Grip to snag an in-flight TIE Fighter that was whizzing past us. It’s a moment of awe and wonder, as we ponder what to do with our newfound toy; but before we can put it to use, we accidentally let it go, and off it flies. Oh well…we’re just an Apprentice, after all.

In this second mission of LucasArts’ upcoming game, Darth Vader has sent us — his loyal servant and student of the Sith — to an enormous TIE Fighter factory. Our orders are to take down General Kota, a rogue Jedi who’s scheming against the Empire. It’s a mission we’ve seen before (for a preview in our February 2008 issue), but for the first time, we’re actually playing The Force Unleashed in an exclusive hands-on demo. And as the next hour shows us, cutting loose with those Force powers is really what this game is all about.

THE OPPOSITE OF LIGHT

As revealed previously, Force Unleashed follows in the footsteps of the Jedi Knight games, but it takes them to the next level, both technologically and in the scope of your abilities. The developers want you to feel like an all-mighty badass, wielding the Force to a degree we haven’t seen before in a videogame. It’s a focus that’s clear right from the start, where you begin the game as the scariest Sith of all — Darth Vader.

Yup, for Force’s first mission (technically, the prologue), you’re playing as Vader, having just landed on the Wookiee homeworld, Kashyyyk. In this time period between Episodes III and IV, you’re out to exterminate the rest of the Jedi, and one of your targets is hiding on this lush jungle planet. As you and your Imperial cadre march toward his location, a world of Wookiees stands in your way… and the fun begins. Unlike Jedi Knight II and Jedi Academy — where you initially had no Force powers or limited ones — Force Unleashed gives you a taste of full Jedi might in its first mission, so you know what kind of power awaits you as you level up in later levels.

As we strolled down a pathway (Vader’s too cool to run, so he has a slow saunter), we felt sadistic glee as we employed Darth’s signature ability, Force Choke, on various Wookiees. You can use it in combos, of course — Choke an enemy so he’s dangling in mid-air, then slash him with your saber. Force Push is where the real fun is at, though. A quick button-tap flings foes dozens of feet — perfect for blasting them off Kashyyyk’s cliffs — but if you hold the button to charge it up, then release, opponents will soar several times that distance. Thanks to much-touted Digital Molecular Matter (DMM) technology, which gives in-game materials realistic physical properties, you’ll see some awesome effects, too: when we used a charged-up Force Push on some Wookiees standing on a huge rope bridge, the hapless hirsutes went flying while the bridge flowed up and down in giant, beautiful waves.

ENTER THE APPRENTICE

After giving us a few minutes with the prologue, our LucasArts hosts jumped us ahead to the game’s second level, the aforementioned TIE Fighter factory. From this point on, you’re the Apprentice, and for this mission, Vader’s told you to leave no witnesses — which means Kota’s men and all the Imperials roaming this facility are perfect training dummies.

As the Apprentice, you start off with Force Grip, Force Push, and a handful of combo moves. As you build up Force points (by completing missions and secondary objectives, performing combos, and finding randomly placed holocrons), you’ll be able to level up your Force powers and unlock new powers and combos. You’ll also get to choose passive abilities that, say, enlarge your health and Force meters and boost your blasterdeflection skill. During our hour or so with the Apprentice, we unlocked two moves: Dashing Blast — a running Force Push, basically — and Saber Sling. The latter is irresistible: it’s a super-strike where you bat an opponent home run–style, and he sails into the distance! The devs were also kind enough to let us try (with the help of cheat codes) the Force Lightning power, which you can project Emperor-style or use to super-charge your lightsaber.

Even initially, though, the Apprentice can run wild on all the peons that get in his way. Force Grip is a fantastically fun power here — especially if you enjoyed the telekinetic antics in games like Psi-Ops and, more recently, BioShock. After locking onto a random Stormtrooper, you can pick him up and whisk him around using the right analog stick. Hurl him into a wall, a nearby console, or a pack of his comrades, or drop him into a deep chasm…it’s up to you. Controlling Gripped objects can be a bit tricky from a spatial point of view — sometimes it’s hard to tell if the droid you just snagged will actually hit an enemy target when you release it, for example — but mastering this mechanic seems more challenging than frustrating.

The environments give you plenty to play with, too. In a hangar, for instance, we yanked TIE Fighters off racks and launched them at attacking Stormtroopers — a bit slowly, mind you, given that we had yet to level up our Force powers. In other areas, we grabbed laser welders and turned them so they zapped Imperials; threw nemeses into vaporizing energy shields; and even tossed a ’trooper through a window leading into space. (The ensuing vacuum sucked another enemy into the void along with him. Sweet!) You’ll use Force Grip for a few puzzles, too, like moving switches and sliding bars across colossal doors; but typically, it’s all about the action.

FASCINATING FODDER

If you’ve played Grand Theft Auto IV, you’ve seen Euphoria at work — the tech that enhances A.I. behavior so characters’ reactions are on the fly, not scripted. It’s a huge factor in Force Unleashed, and one that adds impressive realism to the game’s fictional universe. If you Force Push an enemy so he lands on the edge of a catwalk, he’ll noticeably try to keep his balance so he doesn’t fall over. When you Force Grip a soldier and start to move him around, you might end up moving a chain of two or even three (!) soldiers, as your target instinctively grabs onto something — anything — nearby, including his buddies. In the space example above, the ’trooper we’d thrown clung for dear life to the edge of the window. It’s funny stuff, and this behavior adds some refreshing unpredictability to combat situations.

Of course, you won’t always have time to notice the niceties. As you wade through the factory, the Stormtroopers, Imperial officers, and Kota’s men keep on comin’, and for good measure, you even battle an AT-ST! When we met him, the devs had just given us Force Lightning, so we cast bolts and flung objects at him, but it was a struggle. When he’s almost down, you’ll be prompted for a good ol’ quick-time event; time it right and you’ll deliver a finishing move where you crumple the scout walker into a ball. (Unfortunately, we missed the prompt, so we had to fell him with regular moves rather than a snazzy coup de grace.)

We finished the level soon after that, and by then, we’d played enough to know — this is gonna be good. As Vader and the early Apprentice, we felt like an epic warrior, ready to unleash the Force on anyone, everyone…anything. Force Unleashed is shaping up to be just what we’d hoped it’d be: an amped-up Jedi Knight game that takes full advantage of new-gen tech and the 360 platform. It’s safe to say, it won’t be an apprentice for long.