New Star Wars Game for Wii Features Wiimote Lightsabre

Authored by Scott Goldberg on September 19, 2007 - 7:08am.

The Lightsabre, an iconic weapon, will finally make it to fans’ hands as it was announced today the new game Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, developed by LucasArts, will sport the device via Nintendo’s Wiimote controller. The game will also be released early next year on Microsoft’s Xbox 360, Sony’s PS3 and PS2, and Nintendo’s handheld DS and the PlayStation Portable (PSP).

Naturally, however, the game seems most appropriate for the Wii, as it is the Wiimote that will make yielding the Lightsabre more fun and engaging than other systems. Wii fans are already familiar with controller’s benefits games like Zelda, and with the introduction of such a well-known name as the Star Wars series, sales of the Wii should benefit.

"The Wii is a great platform for The Force Unleashed, because the console's motion-oriented controllers really bring the game to life,” said Jim Ward, President of LucasArts. “We've worked hard to make the Wii version of the game unique in order to truly let you unleash the Force."

According to the publisher’s description of the game, The Force Unleased “casts players as Darth Vader's ‘Secret Apprentice’ and promises to unveil new revelations about the Star Wars galaxy.”

The game will focus on the time between Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, the first movie of the series released in 1977. Players will assist Vader in ridding the galaxy of Jedi.

Nintendo announced earlier this year that first-quarter net profits rose over fivefold and revenue rose 160%. The Wii has sold over 9 million units since last fall’s release. Nintendo said it plans to ship 16.5 million more Wii consoles by the end of March 2008, as opposed to the 14 million it had previously announced.