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Lightsaber Unleashed returns to the App Store, with ads and dialogue
Yes, in case you haven't grabbed it yet, Lightsaber Unleashed has been rereleased into the App Store. Originally it was called Phonesaber (and it was one of our favorite freebies), but of course Lucasfilm wasn't going to let an unofficial app fly, and now they've passed it off to THQ and rereleased it as a tie-in with The Force Unleashed, a console game that came out last week. The first rumors we've heard about it say the app isn't quite as awesomely spare as the old one -- there's a splash screen ad for the new game, as well as fewer saber choices and even some dialogue and music sounds (part of the charm of the old one was that all it did was make lightsaber sounds, in our humble opinion).But fortunately it looks like creators Alex & Duncan are still aboard, so the core of the app is still there, even if Lucasfilm has dictated a few changes. Better to have an officially licensed lightsaber than no lightsaber at all, right? What kind of uncivilized fighters would we be if we just carried around those inelegant blasters all the time?
The Force Unleashed sells 1.5 million copies in its first week
It looks like we should've taken those book sales as an indication of how hungry Star Wars fans were for something new. The latest game to bear the Star Wars name, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, has managed to sell a whopping 1.5 million copies in its first 5 days on shelves. The Force is strong with ... uh, yeah. Sorry.Darrell Rodriguez, president of LucasArts, didn't expect such high numbers, apparently. "We're blown away by the response to the game." So, how many of you picked up the game? Did it blow you away or have you found it to be sub-par? Gallery: Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (Wii)
Force Unleashed sells 1.5 million units in a week
Sure, many Bothans developers lost their lives jobs, but The Force Unleashed has gone on to sell 1.5 million units worldwide in less than a week, making it the fastest-selling Star Wars game of all time. The figures are based on the first five days of sales across all platforms the game is available on. LucasArts states it shipped more than 4.3 million copies of the game globally, but the demand now requires more units to be manufactured.Although reviews of the game have been fairly mixed, strong initial sales seem to have been foretold by the game's record-setting demo downloads and, uh, book sales.
FutureShop: Force Unleashed, Gears free with Xbox 360
Canadian retailer FutureShop has bundled a pair of titles, valued at $99, with every purchase of an Arcade or 60GB Xbox 360 console. For a limited time Gears of War and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed will be included with each console purchase. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is the key title included in this bundle as it has just been released and is receiving mostly positive buzz.Buyers note that the version of Gears of War included in the bundle appears to be the original version and not the recently released special edition which includes new multiplayer maps among other treats.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed hits the App Store
Back in July, we got our first glimpse of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed for the iPhone. In the demo, the game seemed to make clever (although possibly somewhat distracting) use of the touch screen. In the end, we were eager to try it out.Today, we finally can. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is now available in the App Store [link]. As of this writing there are only four user reviews written, but each gives the game a four-star rating. It sells for $9.99US.We're going to begin playing with this immediately, so check back soon for our full review. Star Wars in your pocket? What more could you want?
DS releases for the week of September 15th
This week, a pile of games are overwhelming DS shelves, but the real star is Jackass: The Game. Oh yes, Europe. It's your turn. Don't even try and say that we never gave you anything, because after this week, it's patently untrue. Animal Paradise Bratz Ponyz 2 Di-Gata Defenders Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen Drawn to Life: SpongeBob SquarePants Edition Igor Line Rider 2 Unbound My Secret World by Imagine Red Bull BC One Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Unsolved Crimes
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!
Game Crazy's Force Unleashed midnight launch cosplay parties
Game Crazy stores will be holding Star Wars costume parties next Monday between 8PM-1AM to celebrate the midnight launch of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. Those in attendance voted to have the best costumes by a jury of their peers will be able to play the game starting at 10PM at the store, before it officially goes on sale at midnight. The person voted to have the best costume will win "one of 750 limited edition" Force Unleashed dolls action figures.Those who don't want to get dressed up now know where to buy the game at midnight if they're so inclined.
The Force Unleashed demo breaks XBLM download record
It's not just stormtroopers and trees that have been splintered by Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, but download records as well. LucasArts announced that the game's Xbox Live demo has force choked download records for the service, surpassing a million downloads in just eight days following its August debut -- a feat one day better than the previous record according to the company. Boasting further, LucasArts adds that together with the game's PSN demo, The Force Unleashed appetizer has been downloaded more than 2.3 million times worldwide. Most impressive, though we wonder how many people gave up their place in line camped out waiting for the game's September 16 release in order to actually try it out.[Via press release]
Book sales are strong with The Force Unleashed
People are kind of stoked for this The Force Unleashed thing, enough so that the book for the game has managed to score a spot on the NY Times bestseller list. Written by Sean Williams, the piece of fiction managed to top the hardcover list over the weekend, showing that this whole Star Wars thing is pretty popular. Could this be indicative of strong sales for the game that's planned to release on September 18th in North America? We'd tell you, but the Dark Side the future has clouded.[Via Joystiq]
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%
Rumor: A third Wii lightsaber game, with MotionPlus this time
We were a little puzzled when LucasArts introduced Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Lightsaber Duels before the release of The Force Unleashed on Wii, whose major selling point was ... an exclusive lightsaber duel mode. It seemed as if we were being told to disregard that first game that wasn't out yet, because the real thing was on the way. Well, if this rumor is true, get ready to disregard the second game as well.According to EGM's "Quartermann" gossip column, a grumbling LucasArts is returning to the drawing board for another Wii lightsaber game, this time designed for MotionPlus. This potential game is rumored to be out sometime next year. If this is real, LucasArts would be smart not to talk about it until they've sold at least one copy of the two existing lightsaber games.%Gallery-27972%
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%
Readers pick best webcomic: A life of service
Maybe it's the upcoming expo, or that we made the focus of this week's wrapup on the comic series, or maybe (just maybe) it was the favored gaming comic. Whatever the reasons, Penny Arcade's "A Life of Service" took top honors in the webcomic wrapup. Second place was taken by 2P Start's Level Up!, while Hijinks Ensue's Scared Straight claimed a distant third. A special mention goes to Robot Martini's two great tastes, which came in last place, even though we actually quite enjoyed it. Thanks to everyone who voted, and be sure to let us know of any game-related webcomics you stumble upon this week!
GC 2008: The mystery of the Force Unleashed
There are few things more fun than watching people try to figure out how to handle a new Wii game. With traditional controllers, unless you were staring directly at peoples' hands, it was hard to see their bibbles and bobbles as they worked out how to make things go, but with the Wii, you can see all the flails and foibles in full and fantastic motion. That's the real secret of Wii's success -- why do you think multiplayer is so popular with Wii owners? -- and even people at the Games Convention aren't immune, as this footage of some dude attempting to play Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, unequivocally proves. Luckily, it's a pretty long video, so he's got lots of time to get used to Vadering around.
Lucas unleashes Force Unleashed demo to XBLM
Today is the day our Star Wars: The Force Unleashed demo hopes and dreams finally come true. Because today is the day the 904MB Force Unleashed demo releases to the Xbox Live Marketplace for all to enjoy, that is if you're packing enough HDD space and are connected to Live. If both conditions are true for you then you'll be unleashing the force in the TIE Fighter Construction Facility in no time. Give the demo a download and share with us what your gut gaming reaction is.
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%
The Force Unleashed demo coming Thursday to XBLM and PSN
If the recent cavalcade of video previews for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed was enough to whet your appetite for some midichlorian-infused carnage, then we've got great news: LucasArts recently confirmed that they will be following through with their promise to bring a demo for the title to the XBLM and PSN this month -- a playable preview will be downloadable via the two services starting Thursday, August 21.The demo takes place during one of the first levels in the game, known as the "TIE Fighter Construction Facility" -- we assume it's the same area featured in the recent batch of previews for the title. It will also contain a training mode which will allow the player to get a firm grasp on the Force Grip power. However, we know the question that's on everyone's mind -- will any of those adorable Ewoks be present? We can only hope.
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]
