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'Fortnite' will let you play as a stormtrooper
Jedi: Fallen Order has received pretty decent reviews, but it's arrival is actually good news for Fortnite fans, too. Why, do you ask? Because it comes with a slick new Star Wars stormtrooper cosmetic skin available in Fortnite's store or for free if you buy Fallen Order on the Epic Games store. If you'd rather not bump your head while battling, you'll still get some Star Wars perks in the form of a (barely visible) Imperial Destroyer currently floating around the Chapter 2 map.
Cupertino has always been a hive of Rebel scum
Aren't you a little short for a Stormtrooper? [Image credit: bfishadow]
Hard Candy Street Skin for iPad 2 covers all corners
Hard Candy cases, known for their sex-sells approach (just take a look at their site), has brought their Street Skin line to the iPad 2. Designed as thin yet rugged cases for Apple's iDevices, the Street Skin cases are made of TPU and feature a tire-like design with a raised grip pattern across the surface. The Street Skin for the iPad 2 is no exception, covering the iPad in a semi-flexible rubber that's about 3 mm thick. The case wraps tightly around the back and sides of the iPad with a lip covering the front edge of the screen making sure that all the corners and edges are covered nicely. There are good-sized cutouts for the buttons, mic, ports, speaker and camera meaning you're not losing any functionality with the case on. What makes the Street Skin standout is the hinged front cover design. The front flap fits into the front lip of the case on the screen, ensuring the entire glass front of the iPad 2 is covered save for two small holes where the front lip of the case is shaped to allow access to the Home buttons and the ambient light sensor. When not in use the front flap is secured by two clasps at the top and bottom right corners of the cover. Once you need access to that gorgeous screen you unhook the clasps and fold the cover back around the rear of the iPad, moving the hinge all the way to the rear of the iPad and allowing the flap to be secured across the back using the same corner clasps. Once in place the flap is properly secured out the way, allowing you to get on with your business without having to worry about it. It's a simple yet very effective design. I have doubts as to how long the clasps will last as the corner straps on the front flap are pretty thin, but after a decent period of rigorous testing there doesn't seem to be any wear and tear to them. %Gallery-127557% Verdict The Street Skin for the iPad 2 is a solid case offering. It covers the important parts, leaves access where needed and covers the screen well with it's front flap that gets out of your way when the iPad is in use. The tire-like styling may not be to everyone's taste however, and I doubt the case will do much if you dropped the iPad 2 from any great height save for preventing scratches. I've also noticed that the reverse of the front flap, the bit that touches your screen, is prone to picking up dirt, dust and fingerprints and helpfully transferring them to your screen when you close the case. If kept clean with a cloth, everything is well however. If you want fairly decent protection without adding too much bulk, then the Street Skin for iPad 2 delivers for around $39.95 plus shipping. It's available in black, white and pink, with the white one we had in for testing looking a lot like the classic Storm Trooper armor.
Star Wars Stormtroopers use Mac System 6
The evil Galactic Empire is well-known for cutting corners in its engineering, with gaping chasms scattered seemingly at random throughout the Death Star without a single guardrail in sight. It turns out the Empire's computer systems are also woefully out of date; as designer Matt Chase demonstrates, it seems Imperial Stormtroopers, like TK-421, are still using System 6 on their Macs. From the contents of TK-421's email inbox, it appears a Stormtrooper's work is never done. Not only is there some mandatory target practice scheduled, Darth Vader keeps sending increasingly frantic messages concerning a pair of missing droids. The final email, pictured above, is a rather ominous message from rebels@rebelalliance.org threatening to blow up the Death Star. Not to worry, TK-421; any attack against the station would be a useless gesture, no matter what technical data they've obtained. Check out the full graphic of this decidedly old-school Mac desktop here. Note that one or two items in the graphic may be NSFW depending on your locale, especially if your boss is anything like Darth Vader. [via Neatorama]
Hyperspace Beacon: Loyal to their cause
As some of you may know, I love roleplaying in MMOs. Most of the MMOs I've played have had RPG tagged at the end. Even though it's not required to roleplay to enjoy an MMORPG, immersion is compounded when you do, therefore fun is compounded, too. In the Star Wars universe, I could not help but wrap myself in lore when I played a soldier or agent of the Galactic Empire. From line and formation to order and procedure -- all of this was in service to His Majesty, the Emperor. Of all the characters I made over my seven years of Star Wars Galaxies, my Imperial characters were the most purpose-driven. When Bioware announced the trooper class for Star Wars: The Old Republic, many players asked who would want to play a clone. There's no personality there, no motivation or character development, right? I disagree very strongly. In fact, I will go so far as to say I believe there is only one binding factor between soldier types: loyalty. Even then there are different types of loyalties and different motivations behind an individual character's loyalties. Step past the break and watch as I contrast the loyalty of famous factions of existing Star Wars soldiers and compare them to the trooper and agent classes of SWTOR.
The Game Archaeologist and the Star of the Galaxies: The players (part 1)
I think we can put to bed the rumor that Star Wars Galaxies is dead on its feet, considering the avalanche of emails sent my way asking to be interviewed. Last week's history retrospective sparked a desire in many players to share their experiences and personal epics, and it was not uncommon to read emails longer than this column from players excited to reminisce. There's a lot of love for SWG, both out among MMO players and here in the Massively office (we have at least three confirmed SWG addicts on the team). When I began this series, I thought that it would be dominated by NGE and nothing else, yet the responses I've read tend to focus on the positives of the title instead of that one ugly month. It might not have been the Star Wars experience everyone wanted, but if one looks hard enough, apparently there's something for everyone in SWG. Sam Schneider encapsulated many opinions perfectly with this: "Despite its problems, and what I believe people mostly remember it for (and I certainly do), the game did allow you do truly create your own Star Wars experience. You weren't Han Solo, you weren't Luke Skywalker, you weren't Leia -- you were YOU." Unfortunately, I could only interview a small fraction of the people who wrote in, so I randomly chose a handful of players to represent the (mostly) pre-NGE crowd for this week, and a handful of (mostly) post-NGE gamers for next week's column. This week we're talking with Adam "Vayde" Mostel, Jaume "Tsotha Lanti" Sabater, Kate "Syena Runningrider" and Paris "Iweos" Wright.
A Spartan and a Stormtrooper find love
Here's the thing about being trapped inside of a suit all day: you crave connections. The tender embrace of another carbon-based life-form becomes a precious commodity -- a feeling we're far too familiar with, being the encased blogging machines that we are. But we digress. This video (available past the break) from Austin-based Adam Grumbo shows us that both Spartans and Stormtroopers should periodically take a pause from their respective Covenant and Jedi murderin' to enjoy the finer things in life -- like fist-bumping and repping the cul de sac on a bitching BMX bike or a pair of sweet rollerblades. It's one of those things that just brings a tear to your eye, you know? [Via The Escapist]
Star Wars & Indiana Jones items hit Home
If you click this image, it shall become more embiggened than you could possibly imagine LucasArts has invaded PlayStation Home today with a bunch of new virtual goods and a space to hang out in. Without all of the crime and sudden de-limbing that goes on in the Mos Eisley Cantina, the LucasArts storefront will offer patrons a safe environment to purchase virtual goods -- sorry, no power converters available. Here's the list of goodies: Yoda shirt (for male avatars) Obi-Wan Kenobi shirt (for male and female avatars) Jedi Order shirt (for male and female avatars) Indiana Jones costume – torso, pants, shoes Indiana Jones costume – hat, hair Stormtrooper costume (for male and female avatars) Imperial Officer costume (for male and female avatars) Blue Lightsaber (for male and female avatars) Jedi banner (for avatar personal space) Sith banner (for avatar personal space) Star Wars The Force Unleashed poster (for avatar personal space) LucasArts promises more updates to come. In the meanwhile, feel free to peruse select avatar items in our gallery below, but there may be a slight chance these aren't the images you're looking for. %Gallery-85933%
New SWTOR video explores Trooper class development
BioWare offers us a look into the development and philosophy behind the Trooper class for Star Wars: The Old Republic in their latest Developer Dispatch video. They explore the different looks a Trooper can sport, which is everything from Hoth stormtrooper inspired snow gear to the Rebel forces' reds, oranges and whites. Of course, there's plenty of fresh looks as well, for players desiring a less traditional look.The video also goes into the animation of the Trooper and reveals a little of the motion capture sessions complete with prop miniguns. It's quite easily one of the most interesting videos to come out of the Star Wars: The Old Republic project, so we hope that BioWare sees fit to do the same for each of their classes in the coming months. You can find the full video after the break.
The OverAchiever: Master of Eye of the Storm
It's time to head back into the Nether. This Eye of the Storm Call to Arms weekend, why don't you make your forays into that floating space rock a little more meaningful by completing the Achievements required for Master of Eye of the Storm? Out of all the Battleground masteries, this is considerably the easiest of them all, with only eight Achievements to finish. It should take a modest effort to complete, and is a good step towards the Battlemaster meta-Achievement.Eye of the Storm VeteranWin 100 times. You know the drill. This is easier than accumulating other victories because Eye of the Storm matches never last for very long because points tick for every second. The more towers a team controls, the more points per tick and the more each flag capture is worth. Even if you lose a game, it's never such an excruciating wait.Difficulty: EasyThe Perfect StormWin 2000-0. Anybody who has played Eye of the Storm enough times will know that this happens rather often, more so than Arathi Basin, at least. This is because unlike Arathi Basin, towers are controlled through numbers and proximity, so overloading a tower will lead to its conversion. As long as a team starts strong or in greater numbers, it will usually result in control of the towers nearest the opponents, which sometimes results in a 4-0 game. It's easier from there. Play enough games to reach 100 wins, and you'll pick this up along the way.Difficulty: Easy
The Force is insignificant next to the power of the DS
How do Stormtroopers kick it? Well, even if they work for an evil empire, they're still people. They do things like taking a bike ride on a beautiful summer day and booting up their DS for some town maintenance. Stormtroopers, as well as other fans of all things Star Wars, should take notice that a new Star Wars title is set to grace the DS and Wii soon.Titled Star Wars: The Clone Wars, it's set in the same universe as the beloved cartoon series and movies of the same name. The new game has been confirmed via the backside of the instruction manual for upcoming title LEGO Indiana Jones.Who's anxious to play a Clone Wars game?
Terrifying bike helmet filters bad air, increases fear
If you've been worrying that small children weren't frightened enough when you pedaled your bike down the street, 22-year-old Luke Pannell, a Brunel University industrial design student, is here to help. The young inventor has created a biking helmet that he's dubbed "Breathe Air," which in addition to looking like a cross between Michael Myers, a Storm Trooper and The Predator, also features a filtering "shield" over the mouth and nose, which cuts particles and dust, then expels them through a plastic tube when the user exhales. The helmet isn't currently in production, but the designer hopes to find a manufacturer, then market the device for around £100. Now all it needs is an attached Bluetooth headset so you can communicate back to the Death Star without taking your eyes off the road.[Via Boing Boing]
Mii Spotlight: The Force edition
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, (or, last week in the Mii Spotlight) some pretenders rolled in here and tried to get everyone psyched about Star Trek. Please. We know what's better. We know that Star Wars is really where it's at -- especially when it comes to Miis. Does everyone have Spock on their Wii, ready to get his tennis on? We think not ... but there sure do seem to be a lot of Admiral Ackbars out there, ready to warn us of impending traps.
