The International House of Mojo

TheForce.net has obtained a scan of this article from Animation Magazine. The article discusses voice acting in video games and focuses on some of the upcoming LucasArts titles (mostly Bounty Hunter). Here's a quote from Darragh O'Farrell, voice department manager at LEC:

"Every project throws us some kind of curveball. We're always looking for Star Wars movie soundalikes, or in the case of Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb we needed to find actors who could speak Cantonese and Mandarin. So we're kept pretty busy."

They also have to find someone who can replicate the performance of the late Roy Conrad in Full Throttle. Be sure to read the full article for a bit of a glimpse into the game voice acting process.

Yesterday, the now infamous international Talk-like-a-pirate day, Starwars.com announced the release of a 1/32 scale model of Skywalker Ranch's own Fire Trucks!

The Star Wars saga tells the story of larger-than-life heroes, but among the everyday heroes are firefighting and emergency rescue personnel who risk their lives to keep us safe. For the past five years, Code 3 Collectibles has been recognizing the efforts of fire and rescue workers through their high quality, realistically detailed, limited edition collectible models.

Apparently the model boasts over 500 different parts in it's construction, is priced at $209.96, and comes complete with a unique patch inspired by the Skywalker Ranch Fire Department. Buy it here.... should you wish.... (nutters..all mad I tell you.)

Source: Simon (Dave)

Arr! I just be returnin' from an official Star Wars: Knights o' the Old Republic chat! The chat be among such scurvy sea dogs as the game's first mates and jolly minstrel Jeremy Soule (www.jeremysoule.com). Questions from the chat monkeys mostly be regardin' the original music fer the game. Here be some highlights from composer Jeremy Soule, matey!

I've been an avid gamer for almost 20 years now. I've enjoyed past LucasArts and Bioware games greatly. Anybody remember Ballblazer? ... I've enjoyed many game scores over the years. I certainly loved the music in The Dig. It had such an epic quality to it. I've also enjoyed the music for Baldur's Gate. Great stuff.

Arrr! *hic*

IGN be runnin' a preview for Jedi Knight II fer Gamecube. If ye ask me it not be lookin much different at all from the PC version, but they have videos and some new screenshots! Arrrr!

This Thursday, September 19th at 5 pm PST, there will be a chat event with BioWare and LucasArts producers concerning the upcoming PC and Xbox RPG, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Composer Jeremy Soule, who is writing original music for the game, will also be online to answer your questions. Check back with LucasArts.com on Thursday to join the chat and ask... things.

For those of you who don't already know (shame on you), Lucasfilm announced last monday that Episode II will be released onto IMAX screens across North America. Here's what Jim Ward, Vice President of Marketing for Lucasfilm had to say:

"Star Wars: Episode II The IMAX Experience will provide an entirely new way to experience the Star Wars universe, for the first time, fans of Star Wars will be able to see all their favorite characters, environments, vehicles and droids in a setting that is up to eight stories high and over a hundred feet wide."

You can read the entire article here.

Well, not exactly. But close! Kevin O'Hara, Community Relations Manager on the official Star Wars Galaxies message board, has posted a new message asking for gamer opinions. The design team is concentrating some of the finer points in the upcoming online RPG and are looking for some fan feedback to influence their decisions. If you like Star Wars games and have wanted to make a difference in a LucasArts product, now is your chance. Don't say I didn't try to get you involved!

Cinefex has reported that George Lucas' Industrial Light and Magic has been tapped to do the visual effects for the upcoming Pirates of the Caribbean movie. If you didn't keep ignoring us when we talked about this, you'd already know that the Disney theme park ride was a major inspiration for Ron Gilbert and his creation of Monkey Island. They share such similarities as island governors, the undead, sinister curses, loads o' booty, and of course, loveable pirates. John Knoll, responsible for some of the effects in Episode I and II, will supervise the visual effects for this movie.

Source: Corona Coming Attractions

In its usual Friday evening updates, LucasArts.com has posted quite a few new screenshots. First, you can view screenshots for the Gamecube port of Jedi Outcast on its official website. But wait, it gets better. The Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic site has posted some very impressive new shots from this upcoming RPG. And in this screenshot from Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb, it looks like Indy is about to pull the ol' casually-shoot-the-impressive-swordsman gag.

Oh, the main page also contains a new poll asking, "If you had to choose, which character from Sam & Max would you be?" Let the good times commence.

Hungry for some intergalactic shenanigans? Then check out the official box art for the upcoming Star Wars Bounty Hunter on its official website. Looks like fun, eh? Pick up Bounty Hunter for your PS2 or Gamecube in stores this November... if you feel like it, that is.

As we reported earlier in our Editor's Day feature, Skywalker Sound was working together with LucasArts to create effects for the upcoming game Bounty Hunter. LEC just announced in a press release that the sound design for the game has been completed. Check out below:

Marin County, Calif. -- September 4, 2002 -- Seeking another outlet for its Academy Award(-winning sound library, Skywalker Sound, a division of Lucas Digital Ltd. LLC, recently completed the sound design for Star Wars Bounty Hunter, a Sony PlayStation 2 game developed by sister company LucasArts Entertainment Company LLC. This is the most recent endeavor into games for the legendary facility, which has been at the forefront of the audio post industry for more than 25 years.

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"The gaming industry has made great technological leaps in recent years with regards to imagery, and it is only natural that sound design follow that curve," said Glenn Kiser, VP and General Manager of Skywalker Sound. "This project was a lot of fun for us, and we plan on pursuing other ventures in this market." The Skywalker Sound Effects Library currently contains more than 70,000 originally recorded sound effects, including master sound designer Ben Burtt's Star Wars catalogue, which supplied the raw materials for the Star Wars Bounty Hunter soundtrack. Recent feature production credits include sound design and audio post-production for Minority Report, Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones, Monsters Inc., Pearl Harbor, A.I. Artificial Intelligence, From Hell, Tomb Raider, Final Fantasy, Fight Club, Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace, Jurassic Park III and Titanic. Inspired by events between Star Wars: Episode I and II, Star Wars Bounty Hunter presents an original, compelling third-person action game which establishes the bounty hunter Jango Fett's place in the Star Wars galaxy. Gameplay emphasizes intense combat and physical action in the relentless pursuit of prey across six fantastic worlds and 18 levels of play. "It's a privilege for LucasArts to work with Skywalker Sound, who are world renowned for their sound design work," says Liz Allen, director of marketing for LucasArts. "Skywalker Sound's expertise enriches the overall game play experience in Star Wars Bounty Hunter, and results in a greater and more realistic level of immersion into the Star Wars universe."

About Skywalker Sound

Skywalker Sound has been associated with a total of seventeen Academy Awards for Best Achievement in Sound and Best Achievement in Sound Effects Editing. Located in Marin County, California, just north of San Francisco, Skywalker Sound is a division of Lucas Digital Ltd. LLC, which also includes Industrial Light & Magic (ILM). Formed in 1993, Lucas Digital Ltd. LLC is dedicated to serving the digital needs of the entertainment industry for visual effects and audio post-production.

Funtimes are now!

The latest GameSpy Bizbuzz had an interesting story about what happens when two gaming companies give their products similar titles. The players? Our very own LucasArts Entertainment Company, and newcomer Crave Entertainment. The games in question? LEC's Star Wars Bounty Hunter, and Crave's Mace Griffin Bounty Hunter. Go read it and see how this situation was resolved.

Source: Marek

On Friday, LucasArts.com published a new official site for the upcoming Star Wars: The Clone Wars, featuring all kinds of new stuff. You can now find wallpaper, an FAQ, vehicle information, and more.

However, if Star Wars games aren't your thing, you can also check out this new screenshot from Hal Barwood's upcoming RTX Red Rock action/adventure game. It shows E.Z. Wheeler exploring the Mars surface, perhaps looking for the legendary race of broom aliens, eh?

In an article entitled Young Artists On The Verge in the San Francisco Chronicle, a new LucasArts artist has been profiled. 25 year old Amy Christenson discusses her experiences of moving from Kansas to California, starting out in our favorite game company, and working on the upcoming Bounty Hunter. It's a heartwarming tale of "small town girl makes good"... or something. Go here and scroll down a bit to read the article.

Source: TheForce.net

LucasArts.com updated their site on Friday as usual. Now you can find some new screenshots in the Clone Wars product spotlight as well as one new screenshot from Bounty Hunter. I particularly like this one screenshot because it shows the amount of detail in the Jango Fett model. Or maybe I'm just a guy who loves setting stuff on fire.

TheForce.net has posted a rumor about the upcoming release date for the PS2 and Gamecube action title, Star Wars Bounty Hunter. According to their spy, Bounty Hunter will be turned over to Sony for approval on October 18th and should be in stores on November 12th, the same day of the Episode II DVD release. This confirms what producer Rachel Hardwick told us at Editor's Day '02, although she mentioned that the Gamecube version may come out two weeks later.

Haden Blackman, LucasArts producer on Star Wars Galaxies, has posted a message on the official Galaxies posting board. The post, which is a journal entry of sorts, chronicals his experience with the beta version of the game. Here's a small quote:

Another highlight was having one of the testers stand right in front of me and roll his eyes. We have an emote ? right now, it?s ?/roll? ? that allows your character to roll his or her eyes in a slightly exasperated manner. I?m constantly amazed at the little details that permeate this game.

Be sure to read the entire message for quite a few bits of interesting info.

TheForce.net has printed a list of The Top 600 Game Sales in North America for consoles. LucasArts has eleven Star Wars games in the list with Rogue Leader selling the most. Unfortunately, Escape From Monkey Island was no where to be found. Check out the Star Wars rankings or the full list.

LucasArts has just issues a press release announcing a new bundle package for Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds. Can't you feel the excitement in the air? Here's the press release in full:

SAN RAFAEL, Calif. -- August 14, 2002 - LucasArts Entertainment Company LLC today announced Star Wars Galactic Battlegrounds Saga, which gathers the popular real-time strategy Windows PC game Star Wars Galactic Battlegrounds and its dynamic Star Wars Episode II mission expansion Star Wars Galactic Battlegrounds: Clone Campaigns in a single package.

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The value oriented Star Wars Galactic Battlegrounds Saga , expected to release this October, will challenge players with more than 50 battle campaigns representing the classic and prequel Star Wars universe. As an added bonus to Star Wars Galactic Battlegrounds Saga, LucasArts has teamed with Wizards of the Coast, the worldwide market leader in the trading card and tabletop roleplaying game categories, to include the Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, booster packs for the highly successful Star Wars trading card game. The booster packs, available in limited quantities in the U.S. version of Star Wars Galactic Battlegrounds Saga, have an estimated retail value of $10.00."

Star Wars Galactic Battlegrounds Saga presents two of this past years' mostpopular real-time strategy games in one low priced package," says Mary Bihr, vice president, worldwide sales and marketing for LucasArts. "Together with the Star Wars trading card game booster packs, Star Wars fans will have countless hours of gaming fun." Powered by the Age of Empires: Age of Kings technology, Star Wars Galactic Battlegrounds Saga allows players to deploy vast armies, manage resources and create custom single or multiplayer campaigns on Tatooine, Naboo, Endor, Hoth, Geonosis and more.

About LucasArts

LucasArts Entertainment Company LLC is a leading developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software worldwide. Based in San Rafael, Calif., as well as on the Internet at www.lucasarts.com, LucasArts is one of five companies in the Lucas group which include Lucasfilm Ltd., Lucas Digital Ltd. LLC, Lucas Licensing Ltd., and Lucas Online. Lucasfilm is one of the leading film and entertainment companies in the world. Lucasfilm's businesses include George Lucas' film and television production and distribution activities. Lucas Digital, which consists of Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) and Skywalker Sound, provides visual effects and audio post-production services to the entertainment industry. Lucas Licensing is responsible for the merchandising of all Lucasfilm's film and television properties. Lucas Online is a digital destination for entertainment, education, reference and e-commerce for Lucasfilm's intellectual properties and business units.
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In additional to the recent announcement concerning Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, it's possible that other upcoming titles may be delayed as well. HomeLAN is reporting that Indiana Jones and the Emporer's Tomb may have had its release date moved from Fall 2002 back into January 2003. The site also mentions that Galaxies may appear in February 2003, which we recently reported here. LucasArts hasn't commented on this yet, so we'll just have to wait and see. Thanks to Marek for the tip!