There has always been a certain and overriding sense of security in the Star Wars mythology, born from the knowledge that, no matter in whose favour battles are decided, or how bad things appear, good will eventually triumph. In videogames, however, this feeling of safety can breed over-familiarity and simply regurgitating the same universe time and again, just switching between different characters and locations that were mere asides in the original story, can lead to a loss of appetite without an original KotOR style RPG or LEGO brick construction mechanic. After volleying around various ideas for their much-anticipated new Star Wars title, LucasArts have decided upon a solution they hope will kill two Nuna with one stone. The story of one individual whose personal conflict not only sits alongside the canon of the movies, but also allows the player to experience the awesome abilities possible when you possess force powers.

Set in the pregnant pause between Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and Episode IV: A New Hope, the developers of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed have settled on a convenient plot device to give their new Episode Three and a Half its place in the official universe. Originally named Galen Marek, your character is now known as Starkiller after being taken on as Darth Vader's apprentice - and the Dark Lord certainly isn't one for having you mooch about doing some photocopying and making cups of tea. Instead he's assigned you the task of tracking down and wiping out the disparate remnants of the Jedi that have survived the Clone Wars (it all makes you wonder what on earth the careers guidance councillor at Galen's school was doing to earn his pay cheque). Being a secret apprentice, however, you can't just show up with a bunch of Stormtroopers and leave them to do all your work whilst you crack open a can of Phantom Menace endorsed Pepsi and put your starkilling sandals up. You're going to have to carry out your mission virtually single-handedly, and while you're definitely on the red side of the Lightsaber fraternity, LucasArts has strived to create a game where almost everyone, good and evil, is a threat. Not only this, but there's a focus on your relationships with those around you; your android, PROXY, pilot Juno Eclipse and, of course, Vader himself, provide a story with emotional depth and a conclusion that isn't predetermined.

Probably the most memorable of all the trailers for the game is a short, early one in which Starkiller uses the force to pull a Star Destroyer down from out of the sky. It's a clever trick, but one you won't be able to pull off at the start of your quest. Mastering your abilities will take time, and experience points, which can be assigned to upgrade health, combo or force powers, awarded for every one of the many enemies you dispatch. As you grow into your role as Vader's protégée, the visual fireworks will really start to fly. Your force powers will enable you to push enemies away from you using an invisible blast of energy, grip objects to pick them off the ground, move them around and then throw them, send lightning bolts of electricity shooting from your hands, or a repulse shockwave out in all directions. You'll also, of course, have your trusty lightsaber, which can be swiped or slashed at enemies near to hand, or tossed into the distance, boomerang style, to take out adversaries further away. Some of the most impressive action comes from linking your different moves into combos. It may be hard for many fans to explain how cool it is to for them to be able to lift a stormtrooper off the ground, throw your lightsaber at him to take him out in mid air and then smash him into a TIE Fighter above you, blowing it up before nonchalantly catching your weapon as it wings its way back to you.

As you might imagine, the forces behind the force are a complex marriage of physics systems. While the Havok engine will be taking the general strain, DMM (Digital Molecular Matter) will help to provide realistic destructible environments, where you can use your powers to shatter glass, splinter wood and warp metal. Coupled with this, the Euphoria engine will enable enemy A.I. to exhibit realistic, self-preservation reactions, grabbing hold of objects and each other when you try to lift them off the ground, for example. There's no confusion over the fact that the visceral nature of the force will be the big sell but, as always, it will be the mechanics and story behind this that decide whether LucasArts will be unleashing the best Star Wars game for some years.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is scheduled for release in the UK on Xbox 360, PS3 on 19 September and in the U.S. on 16 September 2008. The Wii, PSP, DS and PS2 will also all be getting their own, exclusive versions.

Previewed by James Hamblin for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).