Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Gaming, Software, Freeware, iPhone, App Store, iPod touch
Lightsaber Unleashed returns to the App Store, with ads and dialogue
Yes, in case you haven't grabbed it yet, Lightsaber Unleashed has been rereleased into the App Store. Originally it was called Phonesaber (and it was one of our favorite freebies), but of course Lucasfilm wasn't going to let an unofficial app fly, and now they've passed it off to THQ and rereleased it as a tie-in with The Force Unleashed, a console game that came out last week. The first rumors we've heard about it say the app isn't quite as awesomely spare as the old one -- there's a splash screen ad for the new game, as well as fewer saber choices and even some dialogue and music sounds (part of the charm of the old one was that all it did was make lightsaber sounds, in our humble opinion).
But fortunately it looks like creators Alex & Duncan are still aboard, so the core of the app is still there, even if Lucasfilm has dictated a few changes. Better to have an officially licensed lightsaber than no lightsaber at all, right? What kind of uncivilized fighters would we be if we just carried around those inelegant blasters all the time?
![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Mark said 10:42AM on 9-27-2008
Is it just my install or are the accelerometer-based saber sounds gone? In others words, mine no longer makes sounds when I move the phone side to side.
Reply
Phillip Black said 10:45AM on 9-27-2008
I tried it out and it's ok......Hopefully once the game is old news they'll give control back to Alex.
Reply
Graham Stevens said 10:47AM on 9-27-2008
I have this and in summary:
+ves:
Now with music for cool duels
Nice white flash when the saber 'strikes' something
-ves:
Rubbish ad and click through required (it does not just load it offers a choice to buy unleashed or play with lightsaber!!)
Rubbish selection of characters
Fewer colours (only three!!!)
I much prefer the previous version, much cooler and simpler. Who really cares about the official sound effects.
Surely someone could make a LASER sword free app... Lots of colours and very similar sound effects (obviously different enough to avoid action).
Reply
Andy Shafer said 10:52AM on 9-27-2008
Which reminds me - is there a way to ignore App store updates? In other words, keep Lightsaber Unleashed from showing up in my updates tab?
Reply
rwross said 11:01AM on 9-27-2008
Andy...
ding...ding...ding
My question exactly.
And for those of you who "upgraded" and emptied your trash w/o thinking, remember, Time Machine will have a copy of the original phonesabre safely ensconced from several days ago.
p.s. This update stinks and I think it was really bad form to release it in such a way that it overwrites the original without any option to keep both.
Reply
dandaman said 11:23AM on 9-27-2008
Where's the dialogue?
Reply
john said 11:42AM on 9-27-2008
i think the new one sucks too, which is why i deleted it before syncing and kept the old one, much better and without the lame ad!
Reply
Jeremy said 11:48AM on 9-27-2008
This app is basically trash now and I as well a few friends I know that had it, deleted it immediately. This prompted me to go through some of my other apps that recently updated and ... lo and behold, quite a few of them are now full of advertisements and offensive splash screens. I deleted SpeedTest and about three others as well.
The thing that gets me is one of the specific prohibitions of the app store, and one of the few things that Apple has got real specific about in terms of rejection is apps that are "nag-ware." It's supposed to be disallowed, but I guess because Lucas Arts is "special" this one is okay? This new sabre app should be banned from the store based on Apple's own printed documentation.
Reply
Ben said 12:02PM on 9-27-2008
Not a big Star Wars fan, but I liked the original app. Sucks when a company decides to interfere and mess up a deliberately lightweight app with ads and other bloatware.
Reply
zac said 12:02PM on 9-27-2008
tap the flashing stars, you'll get the dialog
Reply
Quix said 1:03PM on 9-27-2008
These days, everything Lucas touches turns to poo.
Thanks George. I'm sure you needed the extra ad revenue gained from ruining this app.
Reply
Kevin said 1:13PM on 9-27-2008
It certainly didn't hurt the popularity of the app that Zachary Levi (from NBC's "Chuck") was on Conan O'Brien the other night showing the app on his iPhone. He was emphasizing the fact that he's almost as geeky as his character, Chuck.
Reply
Josh Wardell said 1:47PM on 9-27-2008
I too would like to know how to prevent itunes/iphone app store from nagging you to update a particular app.
I gave up and updated. So now I'd also like to know hot to revert it (and keep away the update nags).
Reply
Darth Ed said 12:42AM on 9-29-2008
Oh, come on. Lucasfilm didn't have anything to do with PhoneSaber getting pulled from the App Store. That was solely THQ's fault. THQ owns the rights to distribute Star Wars-related games on all mobile platforms, including the iPhone. It was THQ who contacted PhoneSaber's developers, not Lucasfilm. Stop blaming Lucasfilm for something another company did. Secondly, THQ had to respond or else they wouldn't be able to protect themselves against the next violation which may not be as innocuous as PhoneSaber.
Reply
Amusicsite said 8:34AM on 9-29-2008
I'm not upgrading, sticking with the original
Reply
Yuusharo said 12:50PM on 9-29-2008
It really bugs me when I hear people complaining about ads. Its like anything ad-supported immediatley becomes lumped with "bloatware," "nag-ware" or "poo" as another commenter suggested.
While I think the missing colors are worth criticizing, there's nothing much different in this app from the last. Its still fun, the graphics look a little sharper, and the music and voice clips are a nice addition that (shockingly), you don't have to use if you don't want to.
Look guys, whether you like it or not, money rules the world. THQ spent a lot of money to hold the exclusive rights of Star Wars material on mobile devices. They have the right to protect that license. If you spent money on something you would want to protect it too.
TheMacBox developers volunteered to take down the app and change it. Thanks to THQ, they can continue to develop the app under official terms, it can remain free, and they now have access to a large database of music and sound effects that will only make this app better over time. In exchange you have one... count them, ONE, advertisement that you tap past and you're back to the fun.
And by the way, I played Force Unleashed for the iphone and its a very fun game. Quit the complaining and have fun with it.
Reply