Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II due Oct. 26

In September 2008, the original Star Wars: The Force Unleashed launched to lukewarm reviews. However, the game's so-so critical reception did not impact its commercial success, as the game went on to sell more than 7 million units worldwide.

In December, LucasArts revealed that The Force Unleashed II would ship in 2010. Today via Facebook, the publisher locked down the game's launch date of October 26. Though no platforms have been officially announced, online retailers list the internally developed title as coming to the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PSP, DS, and Wii.

[WARNING! SPOILERS AHEAD!]

Few plot details are known about the game other than those gleaned from its teaser trailer, which features the voices of both the malevolent Sith Lord Darth Vader and the benevolent Jedi Master Yoda. (The game's official Web site also shows Yoda's hut on the swamp world of Dagobah.)

The trailer also confirms that The Force Unleashed II will have players once again don the cowl of Vader's secret apprentice, Galen "Starkiller" Marek. The canon ending of the original Force Unleashed, listed on the official Star Wars site, has Marek turning sides and sacrificing himself to save the Rebel Alliance leadership.

However, it appears that Marek is very much alive, as he appears front and center in the sequel's teaser trailer. In it, the former Sith appears to have become a Jedi, as he wields their distinctive blue lightsabers to slay a towering, Rancor-eating monster. However, Marek also uses Force Lightning--a power favored by the Galactic Emperor, a Sith lord--to help fell the massive beast.