This just in: Apparently, if you hold down the space bar while visiting that new Star Wars Galaxies site, you can shoot stuff. That's right! Unsubstantiated rumors that holding space bar while typing "SAMNMAX" 3 times will cause Max to destroy the city have yet to be substantiated. Of course, I can't vouch for any of this, since my computer is too slow to handle that gargantuan Flash file.
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This just in: Apparently, if you hold down the space bar while visiting that new Star Wars Galaxies site, you can shoot stuff. That's right! Unsubstantiated rumors that holding space bar while typing "SAMNMAX" 3 times will cause Max to destroy the city have yet to be substantiated. Of course, I can't vouch for any of this, since my computer is too slow to handle that gargantuan Flash file.
LFNetwork's got a new network satellite for all you kids who are excited for LucasArts' and Pandemic Studios' upcoming title, Star Wars: Battlefront. It's called, well, SWBattlefront.Net, and...err...you should visit it right now...for news and game info, as well as miscellaneous rumor-mongering on their new discussion forums. SWBattlefront.Net!! (!!!!)
IGN has released its Best of 2003 Awards with LucasArts earning some recognition. (Too bad it's all Star Wars)
Star Wars Galaxies was named "Best Persistent World Game", Rebel Strike won "Best Sound (Gamecube)", and Knights of the Old Republic walked away with "Best RPG", "Best Story", "Best Sound (Xbox)", and yes, "Overall Game of the Year." Congrats.
The official LucasArts website has been graced with a brand new, flash-rich information site for Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided. While the official game site remains hosted by Sony Online Entertainment, The new page has some good information and gives a feel for the look and sound of Galaxies. So check it out, already, And be sure to have the latest version of Flash.
Or so GameSpy would have you believe. In a recent Top 10 article, GameSpy counted down the top 10 greatest videogame sidekicks. No fewer than three LucasArts characters made it into the top five spots in this countdown, and one even took the top spot. First up is Max (of Sam and Max, guy) at number 4, followed by Murray, the talking skull of CMI (and to a lesser extent, EMI) fame in third place. But the top spot went to none other than HK-47, the murderous yet lovable protocol/meatbag-killing droid from Knights of the Old Republic.
I don't know whether Mojo readers would agree to the ordering of the list, but I happen to like HK (maybe not more than Max, however). Check out the article to read about the other sidekicks who made the list, and also a few who totally didn't.
LucasArts has officially announced Star Wars Battlefront for the PS2, Xbox and PC. Described as an "intense open-ended multiplayer action game," the game will take place in both the classic and prequel era of the Star Wars universe. Twelve highly impressive screenshots can be viewed here.
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SAN RAFAEL, Calif. - January 13, 2004 - LucasArts officially announced today the exciting details regarding Star Wars Battlefront, an intense open-ended multiplayer action game set in the Star Wars? universe due out this fall for the PlayStation?2 computer entertainment system, Xbox? video game system from Microsoft and the PC. Star Wars Battlefront will put fans and gamers in the heat of the action as they re-live all of the epic battles from the classic and prequel eras of the Star Wars universe.
Both console and PC players will be able to participate in the most memorable Star Wars battles set in over 15 environments across 10 diverse planets including Hoth, Geonosis, Yavin, Tatooine and Naboo. Players will be able to select one of over 20 different soldier types from four factions: Rebel Alliance, Imperial Army, Clone Army and Droid Army. Each soldier will have specialized abilities and the freedom to use ground-based turrets found on the battlefront as well as over 15 diverse ground and air vehicles including the AT-ST, X-wing and speeder bike.
Star Wars Battlefront will be optimized for PS2 online, Xbox Live and PC online. Console gamers will be able to battle against 16 players over the Internet or 32 players connected via LAN. PC gamers will be able to battle against 32 players over the Internet or 64 via a LAN. The game will also support voice chat through compatible headsets for the PS2 and Xbox console systems as well as PC.
In addition to the single-player and various multiplayer modes offered in Star Wars Battlefront, a unique "Conquest" mode adds an innovative and strategic gameplay element to the action. After each battle is completed and the planet is conquered, the winning team will be rewarded with a special "bonus" ability that can be deployed in future battles in an attempt to take over the Star Wars galaxy planet-by-planet.
Star Wars Battlefront is published by LucasArts and developed by Pandemic Studios. For more information, please visit the official product website at www.starwarsbattlefront.com
As pointed out on our forums (which seem to be down at the moment), both GameSpot and IGN have uploaded some new, early looking screens from Star Wars Battlefront. Battlefront is a Battlefield 1942-like Star Wars multiplayer squad combat game being developed by Pandemic Studios.
For all of you who have been waiting to see some actual screenshots from Star Wars: Republic Commando you now have the chance thanks to Computer and Video Games. Allegedly the game is a "dramatic military-style action experience featuring brutally realistic Star Wars combat". Word. Read and view it all here.
If you've been looking for old LucasArts demos to play, spending your time wishing someone would update the LucasArts classics section of Lucasfiles, and just can't find old demos anywhere, now there are some. Gamers Hell has posted a huge collection of classic LEC demo downloads (both Star Wars and classic adventure games) on their LucasArts Demo Invasion page. Woo.
Though Aspyr hasn't made any official notice, the Mac publisher has put out patches for both Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast (Download. Mirrored here and here), and Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy (Download. Mirrored here and here). The patches, I guess, bring the games up to date with their PC counterparts, and fix some stability issues.
Knights of the Old Republic, the moocher of all game awards, has earned yet another honor. Amazon.com named this Star Wars RPG both "Xbox Game of the Year" and "Overall game of the Year." As a side note, LucasArts also slyly informed us that the game has now received an average review score of 94%, which is the second highest rating for an Xbox title to date.
This concludes our required daily praise of Knights of the Old Republic. Please resume normal activity.
If you happened to tune in to watch Spike TV?s mind-numbing mess that was the Video Game Awards, you would have seen Knights of the Old Republic walk away with the title of ?Best Fantasy Game.? Darth Vader and Boba Fett were on hand to make an appearance following the announcment. A well deserved award, although the noise pollution and flashy images of this TV show almost gave me a damn seizure. Congrats to LucasArts and Bioware.
Just saw on Shacknews that Official Playstation Magazine has a short article about the upcoming Battlefield 1942-inspired Star Wars: Battlefront, which is being developed by Pandemic Studios. Here's a clip:
You can play in the Galactic Civil War or the Clone Wars, meaning you can choose one of four armies to command (Rebels vs. Imperials or Republic vs. Separatists). You can't mix and match sides (e.g., no Republic vs. Empire), but battles can take place on any planet.A bit more information as well as 3 screenshots (and a tiny thumbnail of what may be early box or promo art) can be found here. OPM promises more information about Battlefront in the next issue of the magazine.
As for the vehicles, Battlefront includes pretty much every major ride you've seen in a Star Wars flick. Yes, even AT-ATs. Yes, even X-wings. Hell, you can even mount a tauntaun. Better yet, certain vehicles carry multiple troops: One player drives as the others man guns.
GameSpot has confirrmed the previous reports that an online multiplayer Battlefield 1942-like war game was under development at LucasArts, called "Star Wars: Battlefront." The original rumor said that the game was for PS2 online, but GameSpot's short report seems to imply XBox and PC as well. We'll have more on this as the news shows up.
It's been pointed out in a few places that Star Wars: Battlefront sounds quite a lot like the free, user-created "Galactic Conquest" mod/total-conversion for Battlefield 1942. Should be interesting to see if anything happens with that.
Update: We got word from LucasArts that the game will be developed by Pandemic Studios, makers of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and the much-hyped upcoming Full Spectrum Warrior.
Acccording to this post on theforce.net's forums, the latest EGM claims that next month they'll have a huge blowout feature on "Star Wars: Battlefront." Also, LucasFilm recently registered "starwarsbattlefront.com."
The TFN post continues, mentioning recent rumors posted on IGN and friends (which I admittedly can't find) that a Battlefield 1942-esque online Star Wars game is in development for PS2, and suggests (probably correctly) that Star Wars: Battlefront is what those rumors refer to. Thanks to jp-30 in our forums for the tip.
Gabe of Penny Arcade fame is mad as hell, and it's all because of those dirty, dirty people over at LucasArts. (Okay, so maybe they aren't really all that dirty.) In his news rant at the bottom of Penny-Arcade.com, the online gaming comic artist lashes out at LucasArts for choosing to make recycled Star Wars titles as opposed to creating games based in the Expanded Universe. Here's a quote. It's rant-tastic!
"You want to know the reason I never talked about Rebel Strike? Because I only played the first couple of levels before I was sick of it. I love Star Wars but Jesus Christopher Christ, there are other stories to tell. I have shot down all the tie fighters I want to shoot down. I don?t want to shoot down another one. I don?t care if it?s a tie interceptor, I?m done. Why not take this opportunity to introduce the casual Star Wars fans as you call them to the wonders of the [Expanded Universe]?"Check the link and scroll down to read the rant in full.
Well, we sure have been gone for a while. Sorry about that. And while we were gone, a ton of things have happened in the world o' LucasArts, good and bad. Here are some of the major events in no particular order:<:MORENEWS:>
- Hal Barwood's RTX Red Rock was released, earning mostly negative reviews and poor sales.
- Hal Barwood left LucasArts shortly after.
- The eagerly anticipated Star Wars Galaxies was released. Reviews were mixed and the launch was a little dicey, but the future could be bright for this online thingy.
- Knights of the Old Republic was released to rave reviews and phenomenal sales. Rumors of a sequel have already begun.
- LucasArts PR guy Tom Sarris left the company. So long, Tom.
- Full Throttle 2: Hell on Wheels was cancelled. LucasArts President Simon Jeffery stated that the company didn't want to risk disappointing fans of the original.
- Simon Jeffery surprised us all by turning in his rather sudden resignation. LucasArts PR stated that Simon wishes to return to his friends and family in England, although it's all very fishy...
- Rogue Leader: Rebel Strike was released for Gamecube, getting mostly positive reviews.
- Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy was released for PC and seems to be doing pretty well. Expect the Xbox version in stores next week.
- Gladius came out for the PS2, Xbox, and Gamecube. Reviews have been fairly positive so far.
- Secret Weapons Over Normandy went gold.
- Armed and Dangerous went gold.
- I bought a new plant for my desk at work
We've done what none thought possible: Mixnmojo got a Star Wars gaming fan to write the review of a Star Wars game. Yes, LFNetwork's Boba Rhett has written us up a nice review of Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy. It's a good honest review that deserves your patronage, so you'd best be off, then.
LucasArts.com has announced that Gladius is now out
for PlayStation 2 and Xbox. So go buy it, or something! GameCubers will have to wait until November 3rd (like, a week, man) to enter the arena. Since it wasn't mentioned previously, the nice-looking and entirely GC-exclusive (for the moment) Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike has also been recently released. Hooray!
The old IGN XBox is reporting that not only is a Knights of the Old Republic sequel in production due for early 2005, but they're claiming it's not being done by BioWare (the developers of the first game). Instead, IGN's reporting that startup developer Obsidian Entertainment will be handling the new game. IGN claims they have no confirmation on this, and with good reason. It seems odd of LucasArts to not go with BioWare after their immense success with KOTOR 1. But IGN could be right, as Obsidian's page mentions both a development partnership with BioWare [press release] and open artist positions for an upcoming next-generation RPG title, and after all, IGN did have the guts to print the story in the first place, so they must have been decently sure of themselves.
Also in the increasingly saucy IGN article is mention of a secret project codenamed "Rebel X," which consists of XBox ports of the excellent Rogue Squadron, Rogue Leader, and Rebel Strike. According to IGN, Rebel X is slated to appear in late 2004 to co-incide with the DVD releases of the original Star Wars trilogy.