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Force Unleashed grips Writers Guild video game award
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed has been awarded the second annual video game writing award by The Writers Guild of America. The title bested Fallout 3, Tomb Raider: Underworld, Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3 and Dangerous High School Girls in Trouble! Before complaining about your favorite game not even being nominated, it's worth noting that the award is only open to WGA members.Congratulations to Haden Blackman, Shawn Pitman, John Stafford and Cameron Suey on the award. They crafted a fine story that fit into the Star Wars universe and arguably bested any of the "prequels."
Force Unleashed producer lands at casual MMO dev
No matter your opinion of the game, there was no doubting that some very talented and passionate people worked on Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. Unfortunately, a large number of them were let go by LucasArts before it even shipped, including producer Isa Anne Stamos. While we don't know where everyone landed (and we hope they did safely), Stamos has been found at MMO dev Mindfuse. There she will oversee design and production of the studio's "advanced-casual" MMO, Gathryn, along with "all future MindFuse titles." Good luck, Isa ... and may the (ahem) ... ForceTM be with you.
Cue the groaning: Writers Guild announces video game nominations
The Writers Guild of America has announced five nominees for best video game writing in 2008. This will be the Guild's second year giving out the award, with last year's nod going to Dead Head Fred. Hmm, well, this year's nominees are certainly an interesting group and are sure to generate some conversation about what constitutes good writing in a game ... provided said game was written by an eligible WGA member, that is. Fallout 3 Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Tomb Raider: Underworld Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3 Dangerous High School Girls in Trouble! Although most of those titles are instantly recognizable, Dangerous High School Girls is an indie title that's (clearly) gaining some recognition. Are you betting on the dark horse? The winner will be announced Feb. 7.[Via Big Download]
GTA IV, LBP and Home amongst TIME's top picks of the year
Time, the renowned weekly newsmagazine, has named its picks for top 10 games of year. Grand Theft Auto IV takes the top spot, while the only PS3 exclusive to make the list is LittleBigPlanet, which sits at third place. Other PS3 multiplatform titles on the list include Rock Band 2, Dead Space and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (really?). Want to know where those games are ranked and what else made the list? Check them out after the jump.On a related note, the PS3's community-based service Home is number 10 on Time's list of top 10 gadgets of the year. That's this year, 2008. Do the guys at Time know something we don't? Is this an indication that Home will definitely be released this year?Source -- Time's top 10 games of the yearSource -- Time's top 10 gadgets of the year
Gold Box deals plus lots more Wii discounts at Amazon [update 7]
As promised, Amazon kicked off their all-Wii Gold Box deals last night, with $25.98 copies of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. The Gold Box deals so far include: $10 Namco Museum Remix (gone, but that's probably okay!) $40 Disney Sing It bundle with mic (expired, but that's probably okay!) $10 Trauma Center: New Blood (out of stock!) $20 We Ski (gone!) $35 Wario Land Shake It! (already claimed!) $50 DDR Hottest Party 2 bundle (expired) $30 High School Musical 3: Senior Year Dance The announced Gold Box deals aren't the only discounted Wii offerings at Amazon today. As part of their "15 Days, 15 Deals" promotion, they've marked down all kinds of Wii games and accessories to ridiculous prices. We've wanted to buy a Balance Board cover for a while, but held off out of an interest in not feeling stupid for paying twenty dollars for one. $2.98 sounds about right! The promotion also includes $40 Active Life: Outdoor Challenge, $20 We Love Golf, and discounts on the Wii Fit Energy Pack (see our impressions!), replacement Wii AC adapters, and maraca shells.And hey, while you're at Amazon, why not pick up today's MP3 Daily Deal, The Muppets' Green and Red Christmas, for 99 cents?
New DLC Roundup: Force Unleashed, V8 and GRID
Brand spanking new downloadable content for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, GRID and Vigilante 8: Arcade is now available via the Xbox Live Marketplace and is patiently awaiting your purchasing download. That is, if DLC was actually capable of patiently waiting ... The new DLC includes seven additional characters for The Force Unleashed as well as a new single player mission, eight additional cars for GRID and a few extra rides / maps for Vigilante 8. Click the links below to get today's DLC deets. The Force Unleashed Character Pack 2 - 400 The Force Unleashed Jedi Temple Mission Pack - 800 GRID 8-Ball Pack - 800 Vigilante 8: Arcade High Octane Pack - 320
Madden tramples Wii Fit in Q3 global sales
The Top Global Markets sales data from NPD, Chart-Track and Enterbrain (via GameDaily) reveals that Madden NFL 09 blitzed the global charts to become the best selling game in the third quarter of '08 (that's July to September). Trailing Madden were Wii Fit and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. Also, showing that the franchise still has some Pikachu-charged power behind it, Pokémon Platinum battled in fourth place with 1.4 million units sold, despite being only available in Japan. Mario Kart Wii rounded out the top five.Certainly the most interesting question about the sales figures is: Where would Wii Fit be if it was actually meeting demand? Madden's sales were (obviously) US heavy, while Wii Fit had a regional sales spread based on Wii's install base. Find the full sales figures after the break.
10 things parents should know about The Force Unleashed
Recently Star Wars fans were treated to The Force Unleashed and while the game has faced mudslinging for certain technical issues, fans of the franchise have been touting it as a better story experience than the prequel films. In a nutshell, The Force Unleashed puts players in control of a "bad guy," at least in the beginning, and because of this distinction the line it straddles as a T-rated title can become blurry. The team at What They Play have compiled a list of 10 points gamer parents - which some of you are - should know about the title before allowing your children to play or at least be in the same room as it is played. Not surprisingly most of the list is compiled of points that reference the story specifically. For instance, players take on the role of a Sith and are often tasked with killing innocent characters. A point that is now widely known is that Star Wars: The Force Unleashed has two endings: one for those who end the game as a good guy and one for those who continue through the path of the Dark Side. However, another point in the list is that players are unable to make their allegiance selection from the beginning of the game and must progress through the story as a villain before the choice is presented. Looking for a helpful guide to aide in your Force related parenting? Check out What They Play today.
Force Unleashed getting Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan skins, new missions
Star Wars is popular for the multitude of memorable characters yet every decent Star Wars game is based on completely different people within the universe. Sure, The Force Unleashed main character Starkiller is cool but wouldn't it be fun to go all "Force crazy" as Luke Skywalker or Obi-Wan? LucasArts agrees and has announced plans via news release to add new character skins for the main character which will allow gamers to play as Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan, Ki-Adi-Mundi and Kit Fisto. LucasArts also announced plans to release a new mission in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, where the Apprentice will learn more about his father and battle his inner demons while navigating through the rubble of a destroyed building. No amount of Jedi Mind Tricks were able to extract the pricing or release details from our contacts at LucasArts. The Force is strong with them. For another image of the re-skinned Apprentice do as the Xbox ads say, jump in.
WAR battles Spore, The Force Unleashed for top of EU sales charts
Warhammer Online pulled off some impressive sales figures in the European market this past week. The Swedish sales chart shows WAR at the #1 and #4 (for the Collector's Edition) spots in that country, beating out the highly anticipated Will Wright project Spore. WAR also topped the charts in Spain. In Germany it came in second behind the heavily marketed console game Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.Of course an MMO dominating sales charts is nothing new. World of Warcraft has done so on and off since its launch four years ago, and Age of Conan debuted at #1 in many regions, even defeating the critically acclaimed BioWare tactical RPG Mass Effect which launched in the same month. It's also worth noting that the Warhammer IP is very popular in Europe, perhaps more so than in North America.This news jives well with the report that half a million users have registered for the game. On the other hand, similar numbers were thrown out around AoC shortly after its launch. It's doing okay, but it didn't turn out to be a landscape-altering success that some folks projected, and that some are expecting from WAR as well
Shipping this week: Rock Band 2 Unleashed edition
The big releases are starting to drip out as the industry steadily ramps up for yet another packed holiday season. This week, the Xbox 360 plays host to some decent titles including the likes of Rock Band 2, Pure, and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. On top of those, we've also got Armored Core: For Answer and ... um ... Battle Fantasia. To our disappointment, we have learned that Battle Fantasia is not a fighting game about the Disney movie Fantasia. It's a shame, really, because we were ready to throw down with some tutu-wearing hippos.[Via Joystiq]
Worldwide PS3 releases for the week of September 14th
This week the Force unleashes worldwide whilst Americans get their hands on off-road racer, Pure. Europeans can enjoy recording TV onto their PS3 hard discs (while playing games, no less) and the Japanese finally get their hands on Eternal Sonata (though they choose to call if Trusty Bell, and why not?) Here's the full release list:US Games Star Wars: The Force Unleashed[Get a free $20 gift card at Toys R Us stores; Get a free $5 gift card at Circuit City] Armored Core: For Answer Pure EU Games Star Wars: The Force Unleashed PlayTV Asian Games Star Wars: The Force Unleashed GI Jockey 4 2008 Trusty Bell: Chopin no Yume Unreal Tournament 3 Don't forget, release dates are constantly subject to change, so check with your local retailer if you need any of the above information confirmed. We're now only a month away from one of our most anticipated titles of the year -- Dead Space starts the holiday season off on October 14th and after that it's a terrifyingly expensive avalanche of titles until years end.
Force Unleashed demo breaks Marketplace record
Harnessing its force-like powers, Lucas Arts is gloating that the Star Wars: The Force Unleashed demo that released to the XBLM last month, broke a prestigious Marketplace record. Specifically, Lucas Arts claims that the Force Unleashed demo was downloaded 1 million times off the Marketplace in an eight day period, which would be a day quicker than the previous demo record holder Too Human. With demo downloads like that, The Force Unleashed should easily eclipse 5 million copies at retail ... HA!
The Force Unleashed tops the charts ... in hardcover fiction
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is already a hit in the world of rectangular objects filled with paper and words. The New York Times' bestseller list shows that The Force Unleashed novel by Sean Williams has Jedi mind-tricked its way atop the hardcover fiction pile.A demo for The Force Unleashed is currently available on both XBLM and PSN. The full game releases globally in two weeks. [Via Game Daily]%Gallery-1662%
Joyswag: The Art and Making of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed book
click to unleash excerpts from the book To celebrate the release of The Art and Making of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, LucasArts has sent over two copies of the book, which are currently getting midichlorians all over our lovely coffee table. So, to prevent our furniture from having the ability to Force Choke every person who spills a drink, we're giving them away to decorate your living rooms and grant your furniture the midichlorian count to Force Choke you.To enter this giveaway: Leave a comment telling us what force power, or combination of force powers, you'd use in your everyday life! Would you fly to work, strangle a boss, or simply heat your coffee? You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec and fully operational battle stations). Limit 1 entry per person per calendar day (comment more than once and you'll be encased in Carbonite). This entry period ends at 7:00pm ET on Saturday, August 30th. We'll randomly select two winners at that time, who will each receive an art book valued at $30. Please check your e-mail! For a list of complete rules that you can peruse or crush with your mind, click here. %Gallery-29963%
Hands-on: Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
Click for high-resolution image. You'll be able to get your hands on a demo of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed this Thursday on PSN. However, we had a chance to get an early look at the upcoming release. As with most every Star Wars game, there's a lot of excitement and anticipation over this upcoming LucasArts project -- in spite of the franchise's notorious legacy of mediocrity. However, fans have rallied for The Force Unleashed, due to its unique interpretation of Force powers, and the dark character that stars in it. Darth Vader's apprentice is, essentially, the Kratos of the Star Wars universe. Dark, brooding, conflicted ... and yet oh-so-powerful. Certainly, the premise has a lot going for it.However, it becomes immediately apparent that The Force Unleashed isn't going to be the definitive Star Wars game that some are hoping it would be. The visuals are rather lackluster, with none of the environments, character models, or special effects looking beyond "par." Of course, it may be because of the demo: restricted to a rather clean, barren Imperial spaceship, there isn't much to see. Perhaps the game's later planetary levels will offer a bit more eye candy. Even the framerate didn't feel smooth -- and the camera seemed annoying, requiring manual adjustment throughout.%Gallery-12716%
See excerpts from The Art and Making of The Force Unleashed
click to Unleash the gallery var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/See_excerpts_from_The_Art_and_Making_of_The_Force_Unleashed'; LucasArts has sent us a rather hefty excerpt from The Art and Making of The Force Unleashed book (itself a whopping 224 pages) that came out this week. We're guessing it doesn't end with a note on the dev team being cut.Click above to peruse the gallery (Protip: Click on the Hi-res button on each gallery page to view a high-resolution version of the image). A demo for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed drops this Thursday, with the full game arriving mid-September.%Gallery-29963%
Force Unleashed demo attacks the XBLM this week
Just as Lucas Arts promised us back in July, a new Star Wars: The Force Unleashed demo will be released to the Xbox Live Marketplace this week. More specifically, on the morning of Thursday, August 21st. Also as promised, the Force Unleashed demo will include a tutorial mode to master the Force Grip power and a complete level of gameplay set in a TIE Fighter Construction Facility where we're guessing a bunch of objects explode real good. May the force be with you (and also with you).[Thanks, to everyone who sent this in]
The Force Unleashed video dump may 'blow your mind'
We can only imagine how dejected you must feel right now, sitting at home with a tummy full of popcorn and a heart brimming with disappointment. Your friends and family inquire about the reason for your sorrows, until they notice the tear-soaked ticket stub for Star Wars: The Clone Wars lying on your dresser. No amount of playing with your highly collectible Mego Han Solo seems to help -- your infatuation with George Lucas' epic space opera is dwindling, flickering like a candle in the unforgiving wind.Allow us to offer you this minor consolation -- a sextuplet of videos from Lucasarts' upcoming dark side frolic, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, via GameTrailers. The trailer above is one of the best pieces of media we've seen from the title, showing some familiar faces from the series and ... what's this? A romantic sub-plot? After the break, we've got five videos which apparently highlight one of the first levels from the game. Before pawning your collection of X-wings in protest, we highly suggest checking them out -- they might just rekindle your once unflappable Lucas-love.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed for iPhone
CrunchGear has a cool video of the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Unleashed running on an iPhone. The first half is just dialog and cinematics from the game, so feel free to jump ahead a bit.You'll see how the game makes use of the iPhone's touch screen. For instance, different gestures produce different effects (Force power, lightsaber deflect, etc.). I'd like to see how other aspects of the game work as well, like piloting a ship and other battles.It definitely looks like fun, though constantly having your finger on the screen could get distracting. In any case, the iPhone is certainly becoming quite the little gaming platform.[Via Twitter]
