Yeah, I'd always thought that Force powers weren't universal. As in, one of the manifestations of the Force's power in Vader was his ability to choke people - this doesn't mean that no other Force user can have this ability, just that it's not very likely. The manifestation of the Emperor's power is powerful energy bolts, etc.

It appears that no one (except perhaps you, Bingowings) shares this view, and certainly not George, as he's got Dooku using energy bolts and Luke using choking, etc.