New Force Unleashed Content on the Way

LucasArts today announced that it is preparing two rounds of additional content for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed this Fall. This new content will be available for Xbox 360 owners through Xbox Live Marketplace and for PlayStation 3 owners through the PlayStation Network.

The first piece of downloadable content will be comprised of additional costumes and character models that can used while playing through the single-player campaign, including Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ki-Adi-Mundi, and Kit Fisto.

The second round of downloadable content, due later this year, will feature an entirely new single-player mission, set in the Jedi Temple on the planet Coruscant. Darth Vader’s Secret Apprentice turns to the Jedi Temple to learn more about his father, and while searching through the rubble of the destroyed building he must confront his inner demons.

Both sets of content are being created by LucasArts’ internal development team.

Additional themes and picture packs will also be released over time.

Pricing and availability for these downloadable items will be announced at a later date.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed was released on September 16, and since then has become a worldwide hit. The game completely re-imagines the scope and scale of the Force and casts players as Darth Vader’s “Secret Apprentice,” unveiling new revelations about the Star Wars galaxy seen through the eyes of this mysterious new character, who is armed with unprecedented powers.

More information about the game can be found at the official website, www.theforceunleashed.com.

Sources: Lucas Arts, Game Focus (pictures)

Sam Witwer!

io9 just posted this belated video interview with Sam Witwer from Comic Con. Excerpt:

So it seems like you always play dark roles, like Crashdown, the Secret Apprentice... and now Doomsday. Are you like the Lord of Darkness?

I'm trying to figure that out. Well, you know, yeah. What's funny about that is the Doomsday character, or Darth Vader's apprentice, or a lot of these characters... they're not straight dark characters. They have other dimensions to them. And I think maybe that's why they offer [those roles] to me, I'm not really sure. In The Mist, I was a nice guy. That didn't work out too well for me.

Dang. Now I'll have to watch Smallville.

Force Unleashed demo out today!

At the time of this posting, The Force Unleashed demo is up on Xbox Live for Gold members only (Gah! What a rip!), and it is not yet up on the Playstation Network, but I'm hoping it will be very shortly. I've heard some mumbles that PSN doesn''t update until somewhere between mid afternoon up to 9pm Pacific Time. *cries*

Tomorrow!!!!!!

From Lucasarts.com:
"

Demo for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed coming on August 21 on Xbox Live Marketplace and PlayStation Network

On August 21st, PLAYSTATION®3 and Xbox®360 owners will be able to unleash the Force in the comfort of their own homes by downloading the demo of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed from Xbox Live or the PlayStation Network. The demo gives players a taste of one of the early levels in the game: the TIE Fighter Construction Facility, under siege by a Jedi General named Rahm Kota. The Secret Apprentice has been sent by Darth Vader to hunt down and destroy the General, but is also told that, in order to remain a secret, he is to leave no witnesses.

"

Click the above link for the rest of the article. Yay!

TFU previews start rolling in

Wired blogger Chris Kohler visited Lucasarts HQ last week and got what would be the experience of a lifetime for Star Wars fan-gamers; a hands-on sampling of The Force Unleashed on almost all the platforms. He is admittedly not a Star Wars fan which would explain the mediocre level of excitement present in the article. The "clear winner" seems to be the next-gen platform versions (if you couldn't have guessed that already) and the Wii version sounds less than impressive. Maybe they'll make up for it in The Clone Wars. Some game story spoilers present, if you haven't heard them already. Click here to read.

If you want a secret apprentice name spoiler and more, check out the Xbox 360 run through of the first few TRU levels over at Game Daily.

Force Unleashed demo: Soon please?

This just blipped on my radar... Have you been getting itchy fingers with the eternal wait for The Force Unleashed release on September 16? Well, I have, and there will be some relief as we can expect a demo for the game sometime within the four month period before the release. Well, there are less than three months to go now! videogamer.com reports, and don't forget to check their interview with Cameron Suey, producer of the next-gen TFU versions (PS3 and Xbox 360).

And while we're at it, why not make the "Secret Apprentice" (not much of a secret anymore, eh?) part of the Lego universe? Done! Well, since it was done by legostarwarsblog.com, they have come out with Lego TFU, but I like the original homemade version much better!

Gratuitous posting of concept art below

The Force Unleashed spoilers!

Dang. I almost wish I didn't watch this but really, I'm glad I did (since it's taken so frakking long for TFU to get even close to a release date!). The newest Lucasarts TFU documentary gives away the very beginning of the story's plot, along with some other awesome clips from the game story. You could go to the official TFU site, but unless your broadband is working better than ever, the video will be more watchable at Gameriot's blog here. Found at i09

The Force Unleashed graphic novel!

We now have the cover art (which, um, looks like the game cover ads thus far) and a date for The Force Unleashed TPB. Looks like we'll be seeing it just about a month before the game release date of September 16.

Thanks TFU for the point to Dark Horse's page:

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed TPB Writer: Haden Blackman Artist: Brian Ching, David Ross Genre: Star Wars, Science-Fiction, Action/Adventure Features: 58 Desktops, 1 Interview, 9 Qtvrs, See all 68 Downloads LucasArts' game The Force Unleashed, is poised to be the Star Wars event of the year. The game-play promises to be stunning, but we think it's the story that will blow you away. Revealed here are the origins of Darth Vader's secret apprentice, the deadly missions on which he was sent to track down and destroy Jedi, and the awesome decision he is forced to make that will, literally, change the way you look at the Star Wars saga! Scripted by the game's author, Haden Blackman, this graphic novel can be enjoyed alone, or as a companion to the amazing new game. * An original graphic novel based on the upcoming game! The Star Wars graphic novel of the year! Publication Date: Aug 18, 2008 Format: Full color, 104 pages, TPB, 7" x 10" Price: $15.95 Age range: 14+ ISBN-10: 1-59307-891-9 ISBN-13: 978-1-59307-891-1

Double Star Wars whammy!

Sure, there's always something going on in Star Wars news, but a few recent news items are of particular interest... at least to me.


Interviews with George Lucas: Clone Wars and Star Wars TV

Posted on TV Guide.com yesterday, September 18, 2007, this interview with George has some Indy IV news tidbits, Fog City Mavericks stuff, and promises a continuing interview with the Maker for Thursday (yeay!):

George Lucas shares an in-depth update on the two upcoming Star Wars TV series and laments the loss of one of his favorite TV programs.

Details from the rest of the interview are already out (see video at end of this post). Due to air by the fall of 2008, The Clone Wars series already has 40 completed episodes, but because of its adult content and action the show still doesn't have a network behind it. Lucas says "Clone Wars has to air after 9pm and it can't be on a kids channel".

Script writing for the live action show will begin next month (still planned to air by fall 2009 supposedly). We'll be seeing stormtroopers but no Jedi, as well as little or no Vader and Sid.

BUT - Word has been scrambling around the web that Disney was picking up the Clone Wars scent: The Mouse Courts George Lucas - Looks like the adult content may not make the Disney cut though. *fans self*

The Force Unleashed

Remember the hype a few months ago about that nagging issue of when we were gonna get a lightsaber game for the Wii? Well, Lucasfilm teased us with word that they were thinking about it, and they themselves have already played it. Hmph! Turns out, it was for Force Unleashed! The PC gamers are a little miffed that there is no word on a release for that platform. Maybe with news of the new rumble PS3 remote, they'll make saber wand remotes just for this game! Pweeze? Either that, or I'll have to break down and try and get a Wii :(

Weird. At the time of writing this entry, I have G4's X-Play on in the background (way to multi-task!) and they just now came on with their special all Star Wars tribute episode featuring Morgan in Jedi robes and Adam as Lando with a battalion of stormies, and a talk with Hayden Blackman - project leader for TFU. Yep... KOTOR is still the best ever. That is, until TFU rears it's ugly head. If I find a video cast of this X-Play episode, I'll be posting it! It's a rerun from march '07, and you can see a lot of the video clips if you go to the site and surf for Star Wars video.

Ah - check out the G4 news from The Feed below for a report on most of the above mentioned news by the lovely Kristin Holt - includes word about the new Mass Effect game too (Star Wars relevance = Drew Karpyshyn of KOTOR and Darth Bane fame is a lead writer for BioWare and the Mass Effect game)



And speaking of Drew K, here's a nice little update from the man himself about progress on the Bane sequel, tentatively titled "Rule of Two", to be released this December... we hope :)

Kicking someone's ass with the Force...

But that's not the Jedi way. Oh, it's the Sith. Now I get it. Wait... is it?

Anyway, part one of the documentary for the making of the next-gen game The Force Unleashed is now available to view at the Lucas Arts website. The full documentary was shown at C4. Hopefully it wont be too long before the additional segments are posted.

Pretty cool stuff, even if I still haven't figured out exactly what the story of the game is yet.

All I know is the concept art they've been churning out in "Secrets of 07" on Hyperspace have been kicking ass... with the Force.