Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 outfitted with Boba Fett

Who was there: LucasArts executive producer Haden Blackman took the podium, while a fellow Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II development team member took the controls of the demo.

What they talked about: Blackman discussed the game mechanics at length during an extended version of the demo they showed during GameSpot's live E3 stage show. Highlights included cinematic grapple moves that saw Starkiller jamming a lightsaber through a stormtrooper's gut and flinging him off into oblivion, as well as the Force Fury mode that amps up Starkiller's Jedi powers, including the crowd-favorite decapitating lightsaber throw. Blackman also confirmed that holochrons, lightsaber crystals, and new costumes for Starkiller will all be available in the game.

One of the biggest reveals was a brief teaser that confirmed that the legendary Mandalorian bounty hunter, Boba Fett, will be featured in the game. The scene takes place just after Starkiller's escape from the cloning facilities on the planet Kamino. Fett is negotiating the terms of his contract with Darth Vader, who has hired him to chase down Starkiller. The bounty hunter demands a squad of expendable storm troopers, and Vader does him one better as two nimble warriors and a giant arachnid mech creep in from just offscreen, much to the hired gun's satisfaction.

Blackman also spent a good deal of time outlining plot points from the early part of the game [SPOILERS BEGIN]. After the escape from Kamino featured in the stage demo, Starkiller flees to Cato Neimoidia in search of the captive Jedi General Rahm Kota. In order to reach the arena where Kota has been forcibly engaged in gladiatorial combat for the past seven straight days, Starkiller must smash his way through an opulent casino. As one can imagine, this environment will provide no shortage of shiny, breakable objects for players to flex their Force powers on. Arriving in the arena, Starkiller so angers the local baron that the baron unleashes a massive gorog on the two Jedi. The gorog was the big ugly beast from the TFU2 debut trailer.

[SPOILERS CONTINUE] After what will no doubt be a serious boss fight, Starkiller and the gorog topple off the arena platform and enter a free fall. Our fearless Jedi uses his skills to punch a hole through the beast and put it down for the count. In swoops the Rogue Shadow to rescue Starkiller from his fall, and he rushes to the bridge, hoping to find Juno Eclipse at the helm, his love interest from The Force Unleashed. Finding only Kota on board, Starkiller resists the general's desire to turn him loose on the Empire and turns his attention to tracking down Juno. In the course of conversation, Kota mentions the planet Dagoba, and Starkiller, sensing the power in that name, heads to the swampy planet straightaway. We are told Dagoba will be the site of a very revealing vision, and though Blackman was coy about whether or not Yoda would be involved, the fact that The Force Unleashed 2 takes place only one year before the events of Star Wars: A New Hope (putting it about four years before The Empire Strikes Back) points strongly to the diminutive green Jedi's involvement. [END SPOILERS]

Quote(s): "I'll need a squad of stormtroopers. They won't be coming back." --Boba Fett in the teaser reveal.

The takeaway: Not only is LucasArts focused on continuing the strong story from The Force Unleashed, but it is dedicated to addressing fans' concerns (no repeated knockdown attacks, no Star Destroyer bugs) and ramping up the action to make being a badass Jedi even more fun and destructive than before.

Random fact/who knew?: Gamers will be able to customize lightsabers individually, mixing and matching crystals to maximize powers and/or create stylish color combinations.