Jedi and Sith alike have reason to celebrate like it’s the end of the Empire today, as LucasArts has announced that a playable demo of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 will be made available through PSN and Xbox Live on October 12th. The timing couldn’t be better, since the recent flood of major releases and sneak peeks have pushed LucasArts’ follow-up to their smash hit from many front pages.

Considering that most of the recent news surrounding the game has been markedly negative, a chance to actually take a look at the game itself is a welcome change. From confessions that development on the original favoured one console over another, to a PSP version of the upcoming title being cancelled altogether, and finally confessing that following the release of TFU 2 the entire development team will be let go, LucasArts could use some positive press. And showcasing a small section of a great game would be a fantastic way to do it.

According to the studio, us regular folks can look forward to a chance to play through what seems to be the same demo that was featured at E3 and PAX, only now from the comfort of our own living rooms:

Personally, The Force Unleashed 2 has been one of my most anticipated titles since the first time I laid eyes on the cinematic trailer. Since then, we’ve been told that Boba Fett is set to make an appearance in the game, and the last trailer featuring Yoda and Dagobah seems to bring the game’s narrative much closer to that of the original trilogy.

“The level focuses on the very beginning of the game, which takes in a secret cloning facility on the planet of Kamino,”

“Starkiller, told by Vader he is no more than a clone, becomes tormented by the memories of his past and escapes into the rain-soaked planet with Vader not far behind. Unleash the power of dual Lightsabers, over-top Force powers including the new Jedi Mind Trick.”

While many Star Wars fans are holding their breath for The Old Republic, I may just be looking forward to Force Unleashed 2 even more. I rarely play through story-based action games more than once, but managed to complete TFU a total of 4 times. The way the story meshed with the ability to interact with the environment was something I haven’t experienced before or since, so I will definitely be spending a healthy amount of time with the demo.

Do you share my excitement, or is your time still occupied with Halo: Reach, Dead Rising 2, or Civilization 5 to be pulled away for a demo? Perhaps the news surrounding LucasArts has soured you completely? Let me know in the comments.

I for one, will be using force powers like nobody’s business as Bendak Starkiller when the demo of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 is released October 12th on PSN and Xbox Live. The game itself is set to be released on October 26th for the Xbox 360, PS3, PC, Wii, and DS.

Source: CVG