CHUD.com Community › Forums › VIDEO GAMES & RPG › Video Games › Star Wars game to expand continuum for 30th Anniversary
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Star Wars game to expand continuum for 30th Anniversary

post #1 of 34
8/22/06 at 4:40pm
Thread Starter 
http://online.wsj.com/public/article...html?mod=blogs

It took "Star Wars" creator George Lucas six feature films to tell the big-screen story of Darth Vader and his kin. But since the franchise began in 1977, Mr. Lucas has never told moviegoers what happened in the period between the films' trilogies.

Fans will get answers next year when Lucasfilm Ltd. releases a videogame based on that unexploited time in the "Star Wars" continuum. With razzle-dazzle effects, the game will be the main platform for an accompanying line of action figures and vehicles from longtime "Star Wars" partner Hasbro Inc. to be released next year. A print and television advertising campaign will precede the game launch, piggybacking on the 30th anniversary of the franchise.

It's the kind of push usually reserved for a new "Star Wars" film. Mr. Lucas, of course, has said he won't make any more of those. He does, however, plan to keep the movie's merchandising empire rolling -- a strategy that is dependent on generating new stories and fresh approaches to the iconic characters and their world.

So the new videogame is set in the period between "Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith" and "Star Wars: Episode IV -- A New Hope," during the rise of the rebellion against Darth Vader and the Empire. Jim Ward, president of LucasArts, the videogame unit of Lucasfilm, says players will discover new pieces of the "Star Wars" story that help fill in the blanks.
Reply
post #2 of 34
8/22/06 at 4:43pm
*remembers Shadows of the Empire*

*shivers*
Reply
post #3 of 34
8/22/06 at 4:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan Whitehead
*remembers Shadows of the Empire*

*shivers*
Ugh. Yeah, that was bad. Who was that new villain they introduced as a foil to Vader? You know, nevermind, I don't care.

I'd rather see another entry in the "Jedi Knight" series. I always enjoyed those.
Reply
post #4 of 34
8/22/06 at 4:52pm
I love how they pitched the word "interquel" back then.
Reply
post #5 of 34
8/22/06 at 5:03pm
I still don't believe he won't make any more. I am sure McCallum will find a way for him to get off his ass and make another trilogy of some sort.

Remember when Kevin Smith swore off going back to the Askewniverse after Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back?
Reply
post #6 of 34
8/22/06 at 5:08pm
I love me some "razzle-dazzle effects"!
Reply
post #7 of 34
8/22/06 at 5:09pm
Yes, I'm sure we'll be citing these video games as canon. Who gives a shit?

And when posting news like this, you don't have to post the press release. Makes you sound like a shill.

In fact, the phrase "razzle-dazzle" should never again appear on the CHUD message boards.
Reply
post #8 of 34
8/22/06 at 5:17pm
FWIW, the new physics stuff that LucasArts (and their 3rd parties) has come up with for this game and the upcoming INDY game looks pretty damn cool.

SW Pre-Viz video here, by the way: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48P7Z-AL8Ks

INDY trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fACZMsKN7fk
Reply
post #9 of 34
8/22/06 at 5:20pm
This isn't much of a secret to anyone who was paying attention @ E3 time. Quite a few outlets covered the intereting tech Carl just linked, for one. I know when we asked about the time frame of the game, the producer said he couldn't say anything, but suggested we look at the walls, which were covered with a couple giant paintings of New Hope-looking Vader and Star Destroyers. Those details got covered quite thoroughly as well. Or so I thought...
Reply
post #10 of 34
8/22/06 at 5:27pm
Actually, Russ, for the most part LucasArts has been keeping much of the game under wraps so far. They've been releasing the same production design paints you're referring to one a week on StarWars.com as part of their "Hyperspace" premium content. Yawn. I have no idea why they're holding everything so close to vest still (they can because both games are being developed internally by LucasArts). So far the marketing and PR for this game has been a Jim Ward Special.

I do have pretty high expectations for both of these games, though, if only for the promising breakthroughs in gameplay physics and AI.
Reply
post #11 of 34
8/22/06 at 5:35pm
I just hope the physics really make a difference in the gameplay and not just endless amounts of Sandpeople and Coruscant thugs falling accurately.
Reply
post #12 of 34
8/22/06 at 5:38pm
The article only states the game will be between the trilogies and feature new technology. (I translated 'razzle-dazzle effects'.) That's all I was responding to. Anyone who saw the E3 presentation or read about it knew that. Nothing more.

I'm psyched to see the games, personally, because of the tech. The Indy demo looked like he was falling into the Uncanny Valley, but I'm hoping they'll irong some of the kinks out before next year.
Reply
post #13 of 34
8/22/06 at 5:38pm
Those force blasts in that video happen so quickly that it's hard to tell what the fuck is going on in terms of physics.
Reply
post #14 of 34
8/22/06 at 5:50pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jason P. Thompson
Those force blasts in that video happen so quickly that it's hard to tell what the fuck is going on in terms of physics.
I just watched the YouTube video, and it represents a small portion of what they demoed behind closed doors this year. Basically, there are a set of technologies that allow for scalable mesh objects, with scalable deformation and accurate physical properties that go way beyond the splintery wood from HL2.

They ran that pre-vis, then demoed a live version of the engine, which had really impressively modeled rubber, metal, wood, etc. When shot or struck, the stuff behaved pretty well.

Then there's the procedural AI, which allows NPS to move totally unscripted, by reacting to their environment. In the same live engine demo, they dropped stormtroopers onto a lattice framework of scaffolding; they'd throw out arms to catch themselves, and if one guy was hanging on, another might grab him, then cause them both to fall as he tried to climb up. It was impressive, if not always lifelike stuff.

So that previs represents both of those things, with the stone and other objects illustrating how they want materials to behave, and the Stormtroopers moving on their own, reacting to threats and danger.

(Part of the scaling mesh is also that they can use the same objects and textures for all camera lengths, and scale in more detail as the player approaches, which should be a more streamlined data pipe when rendering detailed environments.)
Reply
post #15 of 34
8/22/06 at 6:37pm
Seeing the brief clip of Fate of Atlantis in that Indy trailer really made me miss how much fun that game was.
Reply
post #16 of 34
8/22/06 at 6:42pm
Fate of Atlantis was a great game indeed. I also enjoyed Emperor's Tomb a lot as well.

And reading Dan's post earlier reminded me of a Shadows of the Empire thread I started last year: http://chud.com/forums/showthread.php?t=81771
Reply
post #17 of 34
8/22/06 at 6:49pm
The problems with recent Star Wars games haven't been caused by primitive physics engines though.
Reply
post #18 of 34
8/22/06 at 7:23pm
I was really hoping for a proper sequel to the greatness of KOTOR, since KOTOR II was a let-down in so many ways...

Has there even been a more "hit or miss" game franchise (....film franchise, too, I suppose....) than Star Wars? Fully one third of the games are classics, one third are abominations deserving only of landfill status, and one third are generic, bland, and forgettable. This phenenomen is amplified by the fact that there must be fifty Star Wars games spread across the platforms!

I wish we had any details about the game....I'm guessing holidays 2007, but will it be first person, third person, an RPG, a shooter, something else?

**Fate of Atlantis was great. Considering that I have to jump through Dos-Box hoops to get any old adventure games to run, I'll have to hold out hope for X:Box live editions....someday.
Reply
post #19 of 34
8/22/06 at 8:17pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ravi
And reading Dan's post earlier reminded me of a Shadows of the Empire thread I started last year: http://chud.com/forums/showthread.php?t=81771
Ah yes, I killed that thread!
Reply
post #20 of 34
8/22/06 at 9:25pm
Screw this, fellas.
I'm just waiting for the sure-to-be-wretched tv shows.

(stop saying that Lucas will make more movies. He won't).
Reply
post #21 of 34
8/23/06 at 8:02am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Andrew Collins
Screw this, fellas.
I'm just waiting for the sure-to-be-wretched tv shows.

(stop saying that Lucas will make more movies. He won't).
I'm just waiting for the sure-to-be-wretched Next-Gen X-Wing/Tie-Fighter games.

...and waiting

...and waiting

...and (you get the picture)...
Reply
post #22 of 34
8/23/06 at 8:15am
The tech demos of force powers feel like 'Jedi Xtreme!' - amping up the powers for the awsumness of it. And, if we are going to take this shit seriously, they looked like dark side powers but they were being used by, presumably, goodies.

Not taking it seriously, it would be nice to have this tech used to give us stormtrooper juggling contests, or Jedi arkanoid, played with curled up jawas. I'd play that.
Reply
post #23 of 34
8/23/06 at 10:00am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan Whitehead
*remembers Shadows of the Empire*

*shivers*
Yeah, we really need another Star Wars property with serial rapists and wookie makeovers.
Reply
post #24 of 34
8/23/06 at 10:21am
Who was the serial rapist?
Reply
post #25 of 34
8/23/06 at 10:51am
Prince Xizor. His special power was secreting date rape pheromones.
Reply
post #26 of 34
8/23/06 at 10:56am
I thought that was Yarael Poof's power.
Reply
post #27 of 34
8/23/06 at 10:59am
No. He was the one who had recurring nightmares of a giant ear chasing him.
Reply
post #28 of 34
8/23/06 at 10:00pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mastronikolas
Prince Xizor. His special power was secreting date rape pheromones.
Hahahaha! I'd totally forgotten about that. Horrible.
Reply
post #29 of 34
8/23/06 at 10:11pm
Hey, at least it gave us that great N64 game.
Reply
post #30 of 34
8/24/06 at 7:25am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Overlord
I was really hoping for a proper sequel to the greatness of KOTOR, since KOTOR II was a let-down in so many ways...
I've been waiting for a KOTOR III announcement for the 360, but I've heard nothing. Obviously, Bioware has their hands full with Mass Effect, and will for some time. But I loved the hell out of KOTOR, and I'd really like to see it revisited without the fumbles that made the sequel so tiresome. The first game was probably lightning, though, and won't happen again.
Reply
post #31 of 34
8/24/06 at 7:38am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mastronikolas
Prince Xizor. His special power was secreting date rape pheromones.
And that's why he can now be found as the impressario behind netporn phenomena Ugnaughts Gone Wild.
Reply
post #32 of 34
8/24/06 at 12:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Greg David
I've been waiting for a KOTOR III announcement for the 360, but I've heard nothing. Obviously, Bioware has their hands full with Mass Effect, and will for some time. But I loved the hell out of KOTOR, and I'd really like to see it revisited without the fumbles that made the sequel so tiresome. The first game was probably lightning, though, and won't happen again.
I think Obsidian permanently took over from Bioware...not sure what Obsidian is doing that is keeping them so busy.

It's clear KOTOR II might have been a worthy follow-up with another six months of work to flesh out the abandoned plot threads, fix the ending, and play-test the broken play aspects (endless levelling in the "Force Cave", Darth Facemask is a pitiful clown, the LOAD TIMES ARE INSANE, Peragus is dull as ?@#$@, etc.).

Since II ended on a cliff-hanger (sort of), I demand a third edition to wrap things up.
Reply
post #33 of 34
8/24/06 at 2:55pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Overlord
I think Obsidian permanently took over from Bioware...not sure what Obsidian is doing that is keeping them so busy.
Neverwinter Nights II. I don't think there's been any official word on KOTOR 3 one way or the other.
Reply
post #34 of 34
8/24/06 at 5:35pm
So the jedi will actually get to be the badasses we all knew they could be in this new video game? Cool.

Kind of like Luke crashing the AT-AT in "Dark Empire".
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Video Games
CHUD.com Community › Forums › VIDEO GAMES & RPG › Video Games › Star Wars game to expand continuum for 30th Anniversary