Category: gaming

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Comic-Con: The Clone Wars Season 4 and more

Thursday’s lineup at Comic-Con in San Diego included panels for The Clone Wars Season 4, The Old Republic MMO.

The Clone Wars panel started off with a general trailer for season four, which will be subtitled ‘Battle Lines’ – the preview showed off many cool things, primarily focusing on an underwater battle between Republic forces and Mon Calamari fighting against Separatist forces, Quarren, and more. Also shown were clone soldiers getting their type two armor & helmets (moving closer to the Revenge of the Sith look). Moderator Pablo Hidalgo tossed questions to director Dave Filoni and producer Cary Silver and showed several more video clips and art slide shows, which hinted at:

  • “Battle Lines” will focus a lot on “Things going boom!” – more action and battles.
  • Initial story arc focusing on the underwater battles between the Mon Calamari (and a young Captain Ackbar) and the Quarren, with Kit Fisto and scuba clones assisting the Mon Calamari, while the Quarren have separatist droids and a new shark-man villain who can slash through a pack of Calamari, like…well, a shark through calamari.
  • Another arc will take us to the always-dark world of Umbara for a clone-centric story as the Republic forces take on the native Umbarans (a first instead of simply attacking battle droids), who have a very different look to their technology. Look for massive ground and space battles (and the introduction of Z-95 Headhunters!
  • A new Jedi general, with a different look on things, of the species of the four-armed Dexter Jettster.
  • Comic episodes with C-3PO and R2-D2 experiencing the war in their own way (and hijacking a Y-Wing) as Grievous duels Adi Gallia. Threepio also ends up with some clonetroopers on a planet mission and hilarity ensues.
  • The Mortis arc from season three is just the beginning into an exploration of the mysticism of the Force, and those Force-wielders.
  • Asajj Ventress and the Nightsisters fighting against a droid army. Dave previewed this rough uncolored clip after he brought up a group of Nightsister costumers from Team Unicorn on stage.
  • As released on Wednesday online, Death Watch is back, and Katee Sackoff voices Pre Vizsla’s lieutenant, who rounds up Lux Bonteri and Ahsoka Tano on a snowy world with her squad of Death Watch Mandalorians.
  • The return of characters such as Bossk, Boba Fett, Cad Bane, Pre Vizsla and Savage Oppress – and the introduction of Dengar!

During the Q&A, Filoni mentioned that he has put a lot of though into Ahsoka’s eventual fate in the show – and that he keeps changing it (at least 8 times) & discussing it with George Lucas as the show and her character continue to develop. Also from the Q&A:

  • No Han! Dave Filoni isn’t interested in introducing a young Han Solo, despite Chewbacca’s appearance at the end of the third season.
  • During the planning of the Holocron Heist story arc, they thought about bringing Durge in as the main villain before George Lucas came up with Cad Bane.
  • Clone commandos may yet return, though it won’t be Delta Squad.
  • Clone commander Wolffe has changing armor designs because Dave Filoni accidentally realized that white on gray for his wolf logo was more visible than the other way around, and apologized to costumers who then had to change paint jobs — then only to change the shape of Wolffe’s helmet entirely. Filoni does now expect clone scuba troopers costumes, possibly functional, at Celebration VI.

Seth Green was invited up in the Q&A, and he helped field a few audience questions, but nothing specific to his upcoming comedy animated Star Wars series.

Overall, I am very excited about season four – it looks like they are going to where the show is the strongest: good Star Wars stories: lots of action and battles, and bringing in new heroes and villains, and some more fun with the droids. And no, Captain Ackbar won’t learn from Anakin Skywalker about the possibility of getting snared by enemy forces, so that he can later recognize his situation at Endor.

As for The Old Republic MMO: Pre-orders have officially begun, with a release date of “Holidays 2011” but with major beta test weekends in September. All panel attendees were given tickets to redeem for guaranteed pre-order reservations. I’m not an MMO player, but given what I saw and heard about TOR, and Bioware’s track record with KOTOR and other single-player role-playing games (Mass Effect, Dragon Age), I’m a bit excited for The Old Republic.

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Video: New The Old Republic trailer

Also emerging from E3 is the latest trailer for The Old Republic MMO. And no, it still doesn’t have a release date.

Update from James: Even if you have no interest in the game, you should watch this trailer for sheer Star Wars awesome. They distilled some of the things fans love most about the saga and blended them into this sequence. A cocky gun-slinging smuggler, lightsaber battles with Jedi and Sith, narrow escapes and new alliances.

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Move it, move it: First look at Kinect Star Wars

Microsoft and LucasArts will be formally announcing the game Kinect Star Wars today at E3 in Los Angeles. Entertainment Weekly has a preview, as well as some details on setting:

Kinect Star Wars will include a variety of modes set in various corners of the vast Star Wars universe established by the two trilogies. In the “Jedi Destiny” mode — which will be showcased at E3 — you play one of several new characters in a story that begins shortly after the events of Star Wars: Episode One — The Phantom Menace and concludes against the backdrop of Chancellor Palpatine’s rise to power on Star Wars: Episode Three — Revenge of the Sith. However, the story will take players into environments glimpsed or referenced in the original trilogy (episodes four through six), including Bespin, the giant gas planet that’s home to Cloud City (see: The Empire Strikes Back). Judging from a video posted by Microsoft-affiliated developer Terminal Reality, the game will also allow you to square off against Darth Vader himself. Good luck with that.

I remain, as always, So Not A Gamer.

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William’s The Force Unleashed II up for tie-in award

The Force Unleashed II novelization by Sean Williams is a nominee for Best Speculative Original in the International Association of Media Tie-in Writers’ Fifth Annual Scribe Awards. (Shouldn’t it be in the adapted category?)

In his blog entry on the nomination, Williams also says that he’s working on a Star Wars short story – for the Insider, perhaps?

The Scribe Awards have previously nominated one Star Wars novel, Karen Miller’s The Clone Wars: Wild Space for Best Speculative Fiction Adapted (…it wasn’t adapted) in 2009, though the prize ultimately went to the novelization of Hellboy: The Golden Army. They also named Alan Dean Foster, who ghostwrote the original Star Wars novelization, a Grandmaster in 2008. Foster also wrote two Star Wars novels under his own name, 1978’s Splinter of the Mind’s Eye and 2002’s The Approaching Storm.

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Vader to make CES announcement Thursday

Darth Vader will be on hand at the Consumer Electronics Show later this week to make a “most impressive announcement.” While my immediate thought was the Blu-Rays or Phantom Menace 3-D, the location – Panasonic’s booth – makes me think it could have something to do with this little tidbit.

UPDATE 01/05: And it’s the Blu-Ray. Oh well!

UPDATE 01/06: The Digital Bits says that the announcement will be an October release date for Star Wars: The Complete Saga – 35th Anniversary Collection. We’ll find out for sure in a few hours. (via)

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Out this week: Clone Wars S2, TFUII, Invasion

It’s a good week for releases – or a very bad week for your wallet, depending on your foci.

With plenty of folks being bored with what we’ve seen of S3 so far, it’s a good time to pick up The Clone Wars Season 2 on DVD and Blu-Ray. (StarWars.com has a bonus feature and virtual trading cards.) If you’re looking for a less passive experience, there’s also The Force Unleashed II – the actual game – sailing into stores today.

As for books, Death Troopers is now out in paperback.

Comic fans won’t go home empty-handed on Wednesday, either. Both Blood Ties #3 and Invasion: Rescues #5 – as well as the latest Star Wars Insider – should be in comic shops.

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The Clone Wars: What’s coming in season 3?

Lots of good information has come out at Celebration V on what Season 3 has in store for Star Wars: The Clone Wars. We’ve already touched on a few things previously, but here’s a little more in-depth view, opening up some questions for speculation.

  • Delta Squad. Who didn’t get chills when the Republic Commando helmets popped up in the Thursday sneak peek clip showcasing rain effects (and also for a split second in the extended trailer shown on Saturday)? Dave Filoni has confirmed that it’s the Delts, and that there shouldn’t be any major continuity issues with their appearance on the show (avoiding Mandalorian-level changes.)
  • Ahsoka Tano’s character development: Anakin’s padawan is going to start getting visions (similar to Anakin’s visions in Episode III) and this is going to make her life a bit more complicated. Ashley Eckstein has hinted that Season 3 will really bring a lot more to Ahsoka’s character.
  • Kamino: In the Season 3 panel, Dave Filoni talked up the new technology in animation that will allow them to use Kamino – water and reflections and such. And from the clips, we learn that Kamino is a big deal: the clones will be fighting for the closest thing to a home they have… and for all their younger brothers. Expect some giant robo-tentacular action as Asajj Ventress and the Separatists launch an underwater assault.
  • Baron Papanoida and family: In the Main Event, George Lucas previewed a clip showcasing a cantina firefight between some thugs and Baron Papanoida (as played by George Lucas in Episode III) and his fellow Pantoran family members. George remarked that his son, Jett, was jealous that Jett’s character only gets one blaster to George’s two. This episode and a few others were penned by Katie Lucas, who also wrote the season 1 episode ‘Jedi Crash.’ Does George return to voice his character?
  • Aurra Sing: Someone asked if Aurra’s established background as a Jedi washout with mad lightsaber skills would eventually be shown in the show, but Dave Filoni explained that Aurra in the show would simply just be a butt-kicking bounty hunter – besides there’s already a bald pasty lightsaber-wielding villainess. Which bring us to:
  • Asajj Ventress: She’s going to be getting some major storyline action as she somehow finally loses Dooku’s (and Sidious’) favor and is forced on the run. In clips, we’ve seen her arrive wounded on Dathomir, where she is challenged by Nightsisters, until Mother Talzin vouches that Ventress is no stranger. Filoni also pointed out that one of the Nightsister weapons, a kind of energy bow, is an homage to Hank’s bow from the 80’s Dungeons & Dragons cartoon. Expect Asajj’s story to go from bad to worse to ???, while someone else might take her place…
  • Savage Opress: According to George, he’s Darth Maul’s brother – but that might just be from a certain point of view. He’s certainly fear-inspiring. While Maul had the lethal look of a martial artist, Savage Opress (who’s clearly trying to have a name even sillier than Kit Fisto) has the hulking horror of an Oakland Raiders fan – except that he’s in Steelers’ colors, thanks to Filoni’s hometown love. The Nightsisters of Dathomir are making a play by bringing Dooku this Zabrak version of Brock Samson as a new apprentice. But then again, they also turn invisible and attack Dooku in his pajamas, and the Count is no slouch when fighting in his Sitharoos.
  • C-3PO: He’s getting droid-napped… and tortured (a la EV-9D9’s chamber in Jabba’s palace.) After Artoo getting some dangerous adventures in Season 2, it’s time for Goldenrod to get some action. Will Padme or Jar Jar be the one to rescue him?
  • The future of the show: They’re already scripting season five, and with the advances in animation technology, the show’s look now to what the future holds was compared to an Atari video game with XBox 360.
  • And in short: Shaak Ti. Saesee Tiin. more Cad Bane. and some sense made out of “There are heroes on both sides.”

Can’t wait for Season 3? Clone Wars Adventures online experience is now in beta, filled with lots of fun mini-games for the whole family. (Although if you want to play as a female character, you can only be a human or Twi’lek Jedi, while male characters also include clonetroopers.)

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Clone Wars goes kid-MMO with Clone Wars Adventures

StarWars.com posted that Sony Online Entertainment announced the development of Clone Wars Adventures, a free-to-play online experience based on Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and geared primarily towards TCW’s fan base of children. Remember, get permission from your parents! Similar to SOE’s game Free Realms, Clone Wars Adventures is not your typical MMORPG (which is usually combat focused), but instead has different mini-games, exploration of the SW universe, and customizing your own SW gear.

Check out the announcement video, which calls it a destination, not a game. From the announcement, it looks like gameplay is limited to being a Jedi or a clonetrooper, but there’s also speeder and starfighter piloting games, as well as a puzzle and card games. While the game will be playable with free accounts, a monthly paid subscription will provide greater access and exclusive virtual goodies. Chat with friends, show off your achievements, or circumvent the parental controls for the ultimate Clone Wars adventure.

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First look at Paul Kemp’s Old Republic novel

StarWars.com has the cover and title for the second Old Republic MMO tie-in novel, Paul S. Kemp’s The Old Republic: Deceived. It will focus on Darth Malgus, the lead Sith from last year’s game trailer. Here’s a bit of the blurb:

Deceived tells the story of Darth Malgus and gives fascinating insight into his rise to fame and glory as the Sith Lord who destroyed the Jedi Temple. This stunning narrative finds the dark hero battling a veteran Jedi Master, setting the stage for the affairs and betrayals surrounding the last battle of the Great War before the signing of the Treaty of Coruscant.

Deceived is set for release on December 28. Fans following Kemp’s blog will note that he just posted about finishing the first draft yesterday.