Star Wars: Episode I Obi-Wan - Hands-On

We got a chance to look at Star Wars: Episode I: Obi-Wan in action at the LucasArts booth. Though the game is not due out until this fall, LucasArts already had a working build of the game to show. In the game, you play as the young Obi-Wan from the Episode I movie. The development team had hired a professional martial artist for motion-capture work; Obi-Wan himself has a variety of acrobatic maneuvers, such as cartwheels, handsprings, and forward and backward flips. Though the game has both a first- and third-person perspective, all the acrobatics - and the game's detailed lightsaber swordplay - seem best suited for a third-person behind-the-back perspective.

The demo on display shows one of the earlier levels in the game - the town of Theed. The level itself supposedly takes place between the time when the jedis arrive on Naboo and when they visit the palace of the Queen in the film. Apparently, Qui-Gonn is off at the races, and while he's gone, Queen Amidala is captured by droids, and it's up to Obi-Wan to rescue her - hopefully before Qui-Gonn can find out. The demo level takes place on the walkways, bridges, and in the corridors of Theed. In the demo, we saw that Obi-Wan won't just be equipped with a lightsaber and several acrobatic maneuvers, he'll also be able to use the Force to exert control over time, space, and crates - thanks to jedi abilities such as force-push, force-pull, lightsaber-throw, and more. In addition, Obi-Wan can deflect blaster shots with force-block or with his lightsaber. And he'll learn more abilities, lightsaber attacks, and more as he progresses through the 13 levels (which will take place in authentic Episode I locations such as Coruscant, the swamps of Theed, and even a village of Tusken raiders) of the single-player game.

The demo still seemed a bit rough around the edges. Though there were a few interesting visual effects, such as the glow of Obi-Wan's lightsaber as a lightsource, the game's characters didn't really cast shadows. In addition, there seemed to be a few clipping issues with stationary objects in the level. However, the full version of the game should have interactive environments, so if large potted plants get in Obi-Wan's way, he'll likely be able to smash them to bits with his lightsaber.

LucasArts hopes that Obi-Wan players will play through the single-player game and use the skills they learn in competitive multiplayer. Multiplayer options will include standard deathmatch, as well as last-man-standing lightsaber-duels. You'll be able to choose from a variety of different characters for multiplayer play, including Obi-Wan, Qui-Gonn, Darth Maul, Captain Panaka, and possibly even Jar-Jar.