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Earlier today, several gaming sites — ours included — reported that LucasArts had announced they were pulling out of E3 this year. The news certainly made sense, considering there have been rumors about it for some time now. But it looks like that all stemmed from a misinterpretation of a VentureBeat article. LucasArts has now re-confirmed their attendance at E3; they just won’t be revealing any new games there. I’m cool with that, so long as I get to see some Force Unleashed when I’m there.

Via Joystiq

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Star Wars: The Force Unleashed will be released on September 16th so be sure to mark it on your calenders - in case you haven’t already. Between the cool screens and the trailers this looks like it is going to be a fun romp through the galaxy. Plus, if the screens are correct, it looks like it will be loads of fun tossing Storm Troopers around should they “disappoint you”.

Enjoy the new screens.

Some people may disagree, but I loved Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy (cheesy name, aside). I even wrote an article awhile back outlining how awesome a sequel to it could be. Well now, anyone can experience Midway’s psychic shooter for the low, low price of absolutely nothing. Filefront now has the full game ready for anyone to download from their website.

The game has you playing as a psychically-enhanced soldier trying to take down a terrorist organization. Yeah, the story is pretty negligible, but the action is solid. The game grants you several psychic abilities — telekinesis, pyrokinesis, mind control, etc. — which are more useful than your guns in dispatching enemies. This game actually does “Force powers” better than any Star Wars game to date, unless The Force Unleashed delivers on its promises. Plus, this is made by the same team who worked on John Woo’s Stranglehold.

To snag the full Psi-Ops game for yourself, just click the links below to download the four parts of the game.

Psi Ops The Mindgate Conspiracy Client (Part 1)
Psi Ops The Mindgate Conspiracy Client (Part 2)
Psi Ops The Mindgate Conspiracy Client (Part 3)
Psi Ops The Mindgate Conspiracy Client (Part 4)

LucasArts has released a new trailer for the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, which has the development team discussing the story behind the game in great detail. This trailer even has something I really wish more trailers had: a spoiler alert. Really, they aren’t kidding. This video explains exactly how Darth Vader acquires his “secret apprentice” and some of the lengths Vader goes to in order to keep him a secret. You’ve been warned.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed will be hitting the PS3 and Xbox 360 around September 16th and gamers who own a PSP, PS2, DS, and Wii will not be left out of the mix either.We got these screens in today, and they really do not show us anything more than what we already knew. Yes, Darth Vader is a badass, but the rest of the game looks pretty cool too. But being able to play as Darth Vader’s “Secret Apprentice” set during the largely unexplored era between “Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith” and “Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope” is a dream game for a Star Wars geek like me and, well, the rest of the globe.

In it, players will assist the iconic villain in his quest to rid the universe of Jedi - WOO HOO - and face decisions that could change the course of their destiny. I can’t wait!

You know what they say about payback, and the now-official LucasArts layoffs has led to Kotaku getting all sorts of email from  former LucasArts staff revealing all kinda of details on future games — including Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 3.

The information claims that, with the layoffs, the company will be left shorthanded with all of the games they have in the works, which include KOTOR 3, which is apparently an MMO being worked on by BioWare, Star Wars Battlefront 3, “The Official Indiana Jones” game, “another LEGO game based on the Indy universe,” and “a lightsaber game for the wii (sorry, no lighsaber peripherals).”

Talk about juicy rumors.

The person also said that the layoffs shouldn’t impact The Force Unleashed or Fracture. The Force Unleashed has “passed approval with SCEA and is ready to ship,” while Fracture, on the other hand, is “an absolute piece of garbage.” Of course, I’d probably hate anything being made by the company that just fired me, so his or her word might not be the best to go on in that regard.

The rumored news that LucasArts had laid off as many as 100 employees — including the Peter Hirschmann, VP of product development — have been confirmed by the company today, Kotaku reports. Spokesperson Margaret Grohne said the decision to let Hirschmann go was a “mutual decision” and claimed that things are still in good shape.

“I can confirm we had layoffs yesterday they were in the studio,” said Grohne. “They had to do with where we are in our product life cycles.”

LucasArts underwent a change at president recently when former prez Jim Ward resigned. He was replaced by former Electronic Arts COO Darrell Rodriguez shortly thereafter. It’s unclear if those moves led to the layoffs, but it’s certainly a fact worth keeping in mind.

“We are healthy,” Grohne continued. “LEGO Indie was launched on seven platforms to positive reviews, The Force Unleashed and Fracture are on track for this fall. We have a good slate of games and we have some good stuff going on in production.

“We are definitely committed to the internal studio.”

But with so much of the company’s staff getting the boot, is the company really in a position to continue internal development? We’ll have more on the story as it develops.

You may have heard by now that the upcoming Soul Calibur IV will be getting one more Star Wars character thrown into the action with “Starkiller,” the protagonist of the also-upcoming Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. Of course, that means Namco Bandai has to unveil a new trailer for the game, complete with a brief, teasing segment about the new character. Luckily, Starkiller will be available in both the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions; unlike Yoda and Vader, who are exclusive to different consoles. More importantly though, this means you’ll be able to actually have two Star Wars character fighting it out. I just hope this isn’t some indication that there’s a “Masters of Teras Kasi 2″ in the works. You can also check out some screens of this secret apprentice here.

You’ve probably heard of the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Unleashed and how it will feature the story of Darth Vader’s secret apprentice, Starkiller. But it looks like that’s not the only place we’ll be seeing his disgruntled mug this year. Apparently, in addition to Yoda and Vader, Starkiller will be joining the cast of Soul Calibur IV. Unlike the other two Star Wars character though, Starkiller will thankfully be available in both versions. Somewhere, there’s a guy in an Ewok shirt working this new development into his fan fiction.

Via Joystiq

Most of us here at Gaming Today are pretty excited about Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. So imagine my delight when I opened an email from a gamer buddy of mine who had enough brotherly love for me to send in some awesome Vader pics. Not all of these are screenshots, some are artwork, but they are still pretty cool, and two of them are indeed actual screens from the game.

You can view all there is to know about the upcoming game from LucasArts by clicking here, and there are more screens via that link as well.The game is expected to hit shelves on September 16 for multiple platforms.

Enjoy.

Force Unleashed producer Cameron Suey claims that the game will leave PS3 and Xbox 360 fanboys nothing to argue about. Players should see no difference between the PS3 and 360 versions of the game.

“Between the Xbox 360 and the PS3, if we’ve done our job right, they’ll be indistinguishable,” Suey told Eurogamer during a recent press event to showcase progress on the next-generation versions.

“We really wanted to make the same sort of polished, high-end next-gen experience on both those versions.”

Suey also attempted to explain why gamers won’t have multiplayer as an option on the PS3 or the Xbox 360 for the latest Star Wars title.

We knew that to really make the fully polished story experience that we wanted to make, we had to focus on that single-player experience. It definitely was a good choice, I think. It’s easy to have a game that’s just okay, with a multiplayer that’s just okay - but we really preferred to have that powerful single-player experience,” he said.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is due out on PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, PS2 , DS, PSP and the N-Gage in North America on September 16, 2008; in Australia on September 17, 2008; and in Europe on September 19, 2008.

via Eurogamer

A representative from LucasArts has confirmed that there will be a demo for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, which will be released through Xbox Live and the Playstation Network (sorry, Wii owners). The company wants more people to see the game first-hand, which will hopefully convince them to buy it. According to Cameron Suey, the producer for the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions:

“I’m not certain about the specifics, but we definitely want to get this game out into people’s hands,” Suey told us. “There are people who are excited about it, who are going to play it right away, whether they play it (the demo) or not. But I think something that is wonderful is that the gameplay itself is so engaging, people who aren’t Star Wars fans or who aren’t even hardcore gamers, once they get their hands on some of the gameplay and how it works, are really going to be won over by it.”

When asked directly if LucasArts planned to release a demo, Suey replied: “Yeah. We definitely want to get it out there.”

Unfortunately, no word yet on when exactly a demo might be coming. Rest assured though that whenever it does, I’ll be playing the hell out of that thing.

Via VideoGamer.com

NaturalMotion has just unveiled this tech video for their Euphoria software, which is set to debut in GTA IV. As you can see, Euphoria adds a more lifelike structure to characters, so that even just their bodies react in a more realistic manner. Most impressive though is the AI which has characters reacting to different stimulus such as being pushed or shot (fairly common activities in Liberty City). This technology is also set to be used in Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, hence those trailers showing enemies holding onto each other as they go spinning into the abyss.

GoNintendo has revealed a list on upcoming Nintendo games for 2008. Some of these have already been released, but if you look past those you will see many a title that has not. Granted, the majority of them have vague release dates and are for Europe, but at least you get an idea of what to expectThe good news though is that WiiWare and Super Smash Bros. Brawl have been dated for Europe. WiiWare - May 20th and SSBB June 27th.

You can get the full list of Nintendo titles headed our way (and ones that are already available) after the jump.

Thanks: Videogaming247

Read the full article

1UP just happened to attend the Nintendo Media Summit, being the lucky bunch that they are, and they got to get their hands on a variety of games coming to the Wii.

• Boom Blox
• FFCC: My Life as a King
• Guitar Hero: On Tour
• LostWinds
• Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
• Samba de Amigo

Personally, I am most jealous of them getting to come within 6 feet of The Force Unleashed let alone getting to get their hands on a demo of the game. Too bad it made them feel a bit lukewarm instead of impressed, but hopefully the rest of the game will make up for the only bit that was shown to them.

Via: 1UP

LucasArts has unveiled a brand new behind-the-scenes documentary for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. In this video, the developers talk about how they tried to make the game unique for each platform it was developed for. As such, you’ll of course be swinging the remote and nunchuk for the Wii version, which the developers say will make you feel more like you’re actually in control of the lightsaber (though I’m betting you’ll still just be flailing your arms wildly at times). The DS version will have you tapping different lightsaber moves to string together combos, plus a few multiplayer modes. Also, the PS2 version will have a bonus level, while the PSP version will have a “Historic Mode,” where you can recreate major battles from the films. Hopefully they won’t forget to throw in some cool stuff for the many, many Xbox 360 and PS3 owners out there.

The force will be unleashed on September 16 folks, because today LucasArts has finally given long suffering fans an exact release date via a wonderful press release. Europe will see their version of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed launch on September 19, and our Asian and Australian brethren will get in on the action come September 17.

How awesome it is going to be playing as Darth Vader’s “Secret Apprentice” in an story set during the largely unexplored era between “Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith” and “Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope”? Finally we will get to try and rid the universe of Jedi…. mwha ha ha ha ha!!! Yes, I am rubbing my hands together maniacally as I say that.

To top off this awesome news, LucasArts and Spike TV are teaming up together to unveil new details and exclusive footage from Star Wars: The Force Unleashed in celebration of Spike TV’s airing of all six Star Wars movies. Spike TV’s two-weekend event includes the broadcast premiere of “Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith” and the basic cable premieres of “Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace” and “Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones”. This marks the first time that all six movies will be presented together on a basic cable network and while they have been advertising this event for the past week or so, nothing regarding The Force Unleashed has been mentioned until now.

Viewers will see special Star Wars:The Force Unleashed segments, each with an exclusive announcement or new game play footage, at the following times on Spike TV:

• April 6 at 7:58 p.m. ET/PT – between the premiere of Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones and Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith
• April 11 at 10:52 p.m. ET/PT – At the end of Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope
• April 12 at 12:00 a.m. ET/PT – throughout an episode of GameTrailers TV with Geoff Keighley filmed at LucasArts’ headquarters in San Francisco
• April 12 at 5:06 p.m. ET/PT – before Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope
• April 13 at 5:06 p.m. ET/PT – before Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back

LucasArts and developer Krome Studios are also creating a version of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed on the PS2, PSP and Wii while n-Space, Inc., is developing a version for Nintendo DS. All will feature the same storyline, so that no one misses out on the awesomeness.

In preparation, LucasArts around the launch of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, expect to see a full line of toys and game-based action figures from Hasbro, as well as a full publishing program from Dark Horse, Del Rey, Prima Games, and Palace Press.

For more information on Star Wars: The Force Unleashed check out our previous posts.

Via: Press Release

First we heard this morning that Star Wars: The Force Unleashed had its release date moved to August instead of early summer. If this news was not grim enough for fans who originally thought it was coming out in April and were waiting impatiently for the game, later we heard that this news was not entirely accurate. Once again, hopes started to soar… only later to be shot down in flames.

Activision put the August rumors out to pasture and instead officially confirmed that it will be making its way to North American retailers in September. Gaming Today, along with numerous other gaming sites were well aware that it would be here sometime this summer, yet the news that it was being moved to September (which is late summer) has been the case for a few months now without any exact date given to us. But it is now official, The Force Unleashed will be here sometime around September 9th.

Keep your ears open and eyes peeled though, because when a release date changes this much, you never know when it might change again, but hopefully it won’t.

Via: Videogaming247 with date confirmation from the 1Up site

Star Wars Galaxies is offering players a preview of the upcoming Chapter 9, which centers around Yavin 4.

“That place… is strong with the dark side of the Force. A domain of evil it is. In you must go.” - Yoda

Players will be pitted against the spirit and twisted minions of a fallen Sith Lord, Exar Kun. This fallen jedi is the very power that started the Sith War. Kun absorbed the lifeforce of the entire Massassi people in his last stand. Although his body and the Brotherhood of the Sith were destroyed, his spirit lingers on, far from powerless. Players will explore unearthed Sith temples and take on the abominations that haunt Yavin 4 as they hunt for Sith artifacts.

Somehow I can’t help but think of the dark lord Sauron from the Lord of the Rings. Still Sith history has been of great interest to Star Wars fans, and is very much the cool thing right now. Just look at the anticipation of the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Unleashed where the main charcter is by default Vader’s secret apprentice.

Who can really blame people for being fascinated by the bad guy. Awful good characters can become tiresome in their insistence that everybody be good or else. It’s often easier to identify with the villain who is rarely perfect. Besides a character needs a challenge to make them heroic.

via Station

There’s a new video out featuring gameplay from Star Wars: The Force Unleashed fresh from GDC. The trailer shows off the “Digital Molecular Matter” system which creates a virtual world populated with dynamically destructible objects. What I can’t wait to see is a demonstration of the new euphoria bio-mechanical AI.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is due out summer 2008.