|
This year’s E3 was set alight with rumours and talk
surrounding the Star Wars titles due out later this year, and
while most of us may think that
Soul Calibur IV’s sneaky addition
 and Star Wars: The
Force Unleashed would be taking all the credit, most of the buzz
was actually concerning a very different Wii prospect; Star Wars:
The Clone Wars: Lightsaber Duels.
The title takes the form of a one-on-one Beat-‘Em-Up,
akin to the likes of
Mortal Kombat or
Soul Calibur.
Based on the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series and
forthcoming film adaptation, the title mimics the visual style with
ease and every detail on the Character Models is animated incredibly
smoothly. The idea of the game is to virtually wield your on-screen
Lightsaber via a Wii Remote, playing as one of a selection of
characters from the Star Wars: The Clone Wars Television
series. Unfortunately, the game wasn’t playable, and so quite how
the system works in practice remains a mystery. However there was an
opportunity for hands-off demonstration which relayed some of the
game’s basic mechanics.
Anakin Skywalker, General Grievous, Obi-Wan Kenobi and
Ahsoka Tano were on display, each with unique Lightsaber-wielding
abilities. The combat is controlled by flicks of the wrist, with
horizontal movement resulting in a light yet fast attack, vertical
being medium and thrusts being heavy. The Loading Screens detail
character-specific controls for Special Moves, yet known were
demonstrated. Seemingly demanding more complex movements – akin to
that of a D-Pad execution of Special Moves in titles such as
Street Fighter - Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Lightsaber Duels
will certainly require some practice, although, as demonstrated,
a little knowledge on your chosen character’s attacks can go a long
way.
The stages on which the players battle currently appear
rather limited in size, but look fantastic and feature interactive
objects. Players can use Force Powers against one another, but also
to create havoc with falling towers or thrown rocks.
Little else is known about the title currently, although
link features with the NintendoDS’s
Star Wars: Clone Wars: Jedi Alliance are expected. The title is due for release at the
end of the year, and we expect to see much more of it in the run-up
to the launch of the accompanying motion picture. |
