If you love Star Wars but are reluctant to dive into the works of Shakespeare, Ian Doescher has just the book to ease you in to the verses of the Bard. Dolscher’s takes Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope back in time to the 1600s. Apparently, the project is George Lucas sanctioned, according to Get The Big Picture. The Star Wars creator has reportedly told Doescher he should take the project as far as possible. Perhaps this means we will see the other five episodes given the Hamlettreatment. Along with references to the Elithabethan author, the book also features period style images, including one with Luke holding a storm trooper’s helmet like a skull. “The allusions to Shakespeare’s works are references I carry around in my head, so most often the allusions to plays flowed naturally with a particular character’s dialogue. Other times, the references were more carefully planned,” Doescher told Quirk. “”For instance, I knew…
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George Lucas Marries Longtime Girlfriend Mellody Hobson In Skywalker Ranch Ceremony
George Lucas married his longtime girlfriend Mellody Hobson in an intimate ceremony attended by close friends and relatives at the Skywalker Ranch in San Francisco, Calif., on Saturday, June 22. This is 69-year-old Lucas’ second marriage and a first for Hobson, 44, who is a contributor to ABC’s “Good Morning America,” and the president of Ariel Investments. Earlier, Lucas was married to film editor Marcia Lou Griffin, with whom he has one adopted daughter. Lucas adopted two others soon after his divorce, and all his three children were in attendance at the wedding. The Huffington Post reported that Lucas’ son served as the best man, and his daughters were the bridesmaids. Hobson was given away by New Jersey senator Bill Bradley, and journalist Bill Moyers officiated the wedding. “It was a gathering of people who have known George and Mellody for a very long time. It was an extraordinary day…
MTSBWY: Star Wars Elevator Prank
In a place far, far away in London, two guys played a prank on unsuspecting elevator passengers. The trick? Using “the force” to keep the doors from closing. With a wave of a hand, the closing elevator doors opened back up. It was easier prank than you think. Check it out below:
J.J. Abrams: ‘Star Wars Episode VII’ will start shooting in early 2014
“Star Wars: Episode VII” is really happening, and director J.J. Abrams has revealed when fans can start scouring the Internet for on-set photos. During the PGA-sponsored “Produced By” conference at the 20th Century Fox lot, Abrams said that production is set to begin in January of 2014. “”Most likely we are going to be moving to London at the end of the year for the ‘Star Wars’ movie,” he said, according to Deadline. Abrams noted that he would have preferred to shoot “Episode VII” closer to home in LA., but Disney had planned a U.K. shoot even before he signed on to direct. Michael Arndt (“Toy Story 3”) is writing the film, which is expected to be in theaters summer of 2015. “”Django Unchained” producer Reginald Hudlin moderated the Q&A and tried to get the typically tight-lipped Abrams to reveal more about “Episode VII.”” “I think that the thing is…
Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic now on iPad
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic can now be acquired now from Apple’s App Store for a penny shy of seven pounds. That’s expensive for an app, but gets you the entire game, and many hours of gameplay. If you haven’t already played it, you should definitely get it now. You can also get the game for the low price of $9.99 for the Steam version. The game itself is a turn-based role-playing game that drops you into the Old Republic Because the iPad has no physical controls, developer Aspyr has bolted on some touch controls, that see you dragging your finger around the screen to make your character run around. Gaming site IGN has reviewed the game already and says that the movement controls are a little clunky, though because combat involves tapping on-screen buttons to key up attacks, the action sequences work well with the touchscreen. The bad news is that Apple’s site says you’ll need…
Full-Size LEGO X-Wing Is the Largest Lego Model Ever Built
The impressive life-size model was unveiled in New York City’s Times Square and contains an astonishing 5,335,200 bricks, making it the largest Lego model ever made. The model, which was made to promote new animation series The Yoda Chronicles, towers above at a lofty 11ft (3.35m) and is 43ft (13.1m) in length. It is 42 times the size of the original Lego toy it was based on and took 32 people four months to build. Unsurprisingly fans of the hit movie have been impressed by the creation It was assembled by a team of 32 people over the course of 17,000 man-hours in Kladno, Czech Republic, on what one assumes was the world’s largest living-room floor. The X-Wing comprises 5.3 million Lego bricks, some 2 million more than the previous title-holder, a robot at Minnesota’s Mall of America. At 43 feet from front to back, it’s actually two feet longer than…
1981 Prequel Meeting to the Prequels
Huffington post in honor of the coming 30th anniversary of Return of the Jedi on May 25th, published an excerpt from the soon to be released (October), “The Making of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi” by J.W. Rinzler. It was from a meeting held in the summer of 1981 which describes the prequels from the mind of George Lucas. It’s interesting to see how ideas changed and evolved between 1981 and 2005, in particular the birth and first two years of the twins including Yoda’s lightsaber skills. Also notice the keen eye on writer Lawrence Kasdan whose imagination helped Lucas evolve the vision right here in this meeting. He is also confirmed as a consultant for the upcoming 2015 Star Wars films. The preview of the book is direct from Huffington Post, the film images are added by me to coincide with the 1981 meeting. REVENGE OF THE JEDI…
Star Wars Rebels, the animated series
Rebel Intel Officer by The First Angel, DeviantArt The animators of Star Wars: Clone Wars are back with a brand new project, Star Wars Rebels, to air Fall of 2014!!! Like most of us, I was pretty upset about the Disney cancellation of the final 6th season of Star Wars Clones Wars especially since I knew it was already in production wondering how many episodes were ready to be released but will never see the light of day. After all, it is the true ending of that story, which will now never be told. At the end of season 5, an anti-war element was being introduced into the story which excited me immensely being that I was a real life anti-war activist myself, not just a Star Wars fan and a fan of Joseph Campbell. From the moment Bush Jr dropped his first bombs, I was at the very first…
MTSBWY: “just dip it in carbonite!”
“Is your neighbor’s domesticated canine keeping you up at night? Well, just dip it in carbonite!” “”A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…there were infomercials!” Check out this funny video by The Gamer Chick that shares some great infomercials from the Star Wars universe. I know if I came across the “Home Carbonite Kit” while flipping the channels one night that I’d definitely buy one! It features a geek-filled cast: Bonnie Burton, Adrianne Curry, Grant Imahara and more. Enjoy!
Star Wars: Episode VII to be filmed in the UK, confirms LucasFilm
Every development in the production of Star Wars: Episode VII is big news around Hollywood and the latest announcement from Disney and Lucasfilm is that the production will be based in the U.K. In an announcement on the official Star Wars site, Licasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy confirmed that all future feature films will be made at Elstree, Shepperton, Leavesden, Ealing and Pinewood Studios in the U.K. These are the same studios that George Lucas and crew used for the previous six Star Wars films. “We’ve devoted serious time and attention to revisiting the origins of Star Wars as inspiration for our process on the new movie, and I’m thrilled that returning to the UK for production and utilizing the incredible talent there can be a part of that,” Kennedy said in a statement. “Speaking from my own longstanding connection to the UK with films like Raiders of the Lost Ark,…
Star Wars collection – steam sale ends May 6th!
Steam I having a sale on all Star Wars games this weekend. The sale ends on May 6th. Each game is also on sale for 66% off. Sale prices in US as follows: Star Wars: Battlefront 2 – $3.39 Star Wars Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast – $3.39 Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Force 2 – $1.69 Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy – $3.39 Star Wars Jedi Knight: Mysteries of the Sith – $1.01 Star Wars Republic Commando – $3.39 Star Wars Starfighter – $1.69 Star Wars The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes – $6.79 Star Wars The Force Unleashed: Ultimate Sith Edition – $6.79 Star Wars: The Force Unleased 2 – $6.79 Star Wars: Dark Forces – $1.69 Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic – $3.39 Star Wars Empire at War: Gold Pack – $6.79 Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2 – $3.39 So just over three bucks is a pretty safe gamble for almost any kind of game. I’m a little…
Writing Star Wars w/ Michael Arndt
Michael Arndt was announced as the screenwriter for “Star Wars: Episode VII” back in November 2012, so what has he been doing since then? According to a hilarious new Funny or Die video of his alleged first day writing the upcoming movie’s screenplay, he’s been having a whole lot of writer’s block. Of course, this is all a joke, but Arndt does have some priceless terrible lines to show off here. From “Sir, we’ve identified the nerf herder. He has a herd of nerfs” to “‘Yoda’s alive! How?’ Explain later, I will,” Arndt’s fake lack of inspiration is a pleasure to watch. The video has become increasingly popular since it was released, and hopefully it will lead to more Funny or Die “Star Wars” videos going forward. It is the first time Arndt has commented in a big way on his involvement in “Episode VII,” even if the clip does…
James Ohlen at Game Developers Conference 2013: TOR is one of the largest micro-transaction money-makers for EA
Following our recent post about Bioware’s Creative Director James Ohlen and his speech on the Game Developer’s Conference (GDC), additional details have emerged over at Massively. Bioware’s Creative Director James Ohlen The site has posted a detailed account of Ohlen’s presentation at the event where the latter covered the challenges Bioware faced during launch, its conversion to Free to Play (F2P) and the concerns the Austin-based developer had about Guild Wars 2 and Mists of Panderia. He also went into details about what the studio went through when the game started losing subscribers and how they managed to turn it around with F2P.
How non-paying players can positively impact a game’s success
Since Star Wars The Old Republic (SWToR) changed its subscription model to Free-to-Play (F2P), a lot of opinions were raised about whether it was the right thing to do or not. Some quickly labeled SWToR as a failure that didn’t live up to the hype , while others saw this as a necesary change that helps the game’s long-term growth. Whether this change was successful or not remains to be seen, however first indications as reported by James Ohlen and the recent EA investor’s call are positive. Free-to-play might not be such a bad thing after all! A new article over at Gamasutra.com, argues that non-paying players, actually help the growth of such games. The author of the article cites three major reasons for opening up a game to freeloaders. Among other things F2P players help bring in other new players that eventually will turn into subscribers, they show their appreciation…
Game Developers Conference 2013: James Ohlen talks about SWToR’s woes during launch
Bioware’s creative director James Ohlen recently spoke at the Game Developer’s Convention about SWToR’s launch and provided a plethora of details about the game’s launch. Among other things, he mentioned that Bioware significantly underestimated how quickly players can burn through content and found itself in a difficult spot. The development team originally expected that story lines would keep gamers engaged for at least five months – an expectation that as we all know didn’t prove to be true. Bioware’s creative director James Ohlen During launch, subscribers spent an average of 40 hours per week playing SWToR, while in some cases they would reach 80-120 hours on average per week. These extended gaming sessions lead to having close to half a million players at endgame content within a month’s period since launch.
Making of Rise of the Hutt Cartel: Part 2
With the big announcement today that Rise of The Hutt Cartel digital expansion will be available on April 14, Bioware also released an interesting video providing more details on the expansion. Among other things, Bioware developers gave out additional information on the continuation of your personal story line as it relates to Karraga the Hutt and the new planet on the expansion called Makeb. The video also provides hints on villains we will face on the new planet and their impact on our game play.
Was the Death Star an Inside Job?
Video creator Graham Putnam describes the video as “an examination of some questionable events and circumstances leading up to the destruction of the Death Star, through the eyes of an amateur investigative journalist within the Star Wars galaxy. The focus is mainly on the connections between the people who created and operated the Death Star and those responsible for destroying it.” The seven-minute video documents “that fateful day” when “the terrorist organization known as the Rebel Alliance blew up the Death Star with a squad of single manned fighters … destroying the prominent political target. “But could the destruction of the Death Star have been an inside job perpetrated by top-ranking Imperial officials and royalty?” Comments on the video’s YouTube site were getting rambunctious and critical Tuesday morning: “Why does the narrator keep calling the destroyed planet ‘Alderbraun’?” … “Aldebran!? Have you even seen the movies!?” Another comment recalled President…
So you hit level 50….now what? Gearing up at level 50 (Part 2)
Guide was written by Fantine of the Alpha Strike Force SWToR Guild – Part One can be found here Rolling into Rakata The step above Columi is known as Rakata and when the game was released was the highest level of gear. This level of gear requires a player earn the appropriate tokens. It’s nearly identical to the Columi system above, however, you must take on a higher level of challenge to earn them. Rakata tokens are mostly earned from Operations. The one exception to this rule of the chest token which is dropped from the final boss of the only Tier 2 hard mode flashpoint, Lost Island. The link at the bottom shows the specific drops by boss, but in general you’ll need to complete hard mode tier one operations (Eternity Vault and Kagara’s Palace) and / or story mode tier two operations (Explosive Content and Terror from Beyond). Rakata’s gear has a…
Electronic Arts launches new cross-game pet promotion!
In an effort to draw more attention to other Free-to-play (F2P) titles, Electronic Arts (EA) recently started a new cross-game pet promotion for Star Wars The Old Republic (SWToR). EA’s catalogue of free games is quite extensive and using a popular game like SWToR certainly makes sense. To get these pets, all you need to do is register with the games listed below by April 1st and you will receive an in-game pet. The mini-droid pet you get for Battlefield It’s worth noting that this listing is incomplete since only the following games have been confirmed. This doesn’t mean that other EA F2P titles aren’t eligible. (In parenthesis is the name of the pet) Command & Conquer Tiberium Alliances (2C-TA Commander) Battlefield Heroes (J9-BH Mercenary) Battlefield Play4Free (BF-4F Warrior) Need for Speed World (N4-SW Runner) Lord of Ultima (LU-20 Builder) Does this mean that SWToR’s conversion to F2P is yielding the expected for EA results? If…
TOR TV: Tribute to the relaxed Jumpsuit!
Another SWToR-based fan video has surfaced recently that specifically highlights one the newly-released Cartel Market items – the relaxed jumpsuit. The 2 1/2 minute video was made by Youtube user ResidentPenguin and showcases some of the latest cartel market items in addition to the before-mentioned item. The whole recording ties in perfectly with the selected soundtrack and really puts the relaxed jumpsuit in a new spotlight!
Bioware releases The Old Republic Insider Episode 5
Bioware released today the latest episode of The Old Republic Insider that covers the latest news about their game. The brief 3 minute video covers some of the new Cartel Market items including the Luxury Skiff Speeder and the Contraband Shipment, a set of five Cartel Packs! It also offers a glimpse on upcoming updates as well as the new operation coming with Game Update 2.0: Scum and Villainy.
SWTOR Cosplay Comicbook
It’s time for another feature of SWTOR Cosplay swagger! This one is a special treat that has been out there for a while but most of us never even knew about it. It’s short, so take your time appreciating all the work that went into it, from costume design, backdrop, photography, post-production effects, etc, etc. In my opinion this is total genius and something to learn from for all Cosplayers. With that being said … We present you Issue One of Star Wars: The Old Republic – Arandani Comic: First Encounter, by Arandani Studios. But before all that, we flashback to Captain Kadd Aradan doing a drop on Ord Mantell moments right before the ambush. That’s all for now. A very enticing introduction, with blasters, double bladed lightsabers , Cathers, Sith Inquisitors and Scoundrels. What more can you ask for? More issues? Hell yeah! I really hope they make more,…
LucasFilm Cancels Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Delays Star Wars: Detours
Somewhere, the ghostly hologram projection of Obi-Wan Kenobi just stopped in his tracks and started sobbing. After five seasons, LucasFilm has decided to stop production on Cartoon Network’s animated series set in George Lucas’s imagination. The news was announced onStarWars.com today. “”After five highly successful and critically acclaimed seasons of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, we feel the time has come to wind down the series. While the studio is no longer producing new episodes for Cartoon Network, we’re continuing production on new Clone Wars story arcs that promise to be some of the most thrilling adventures ever seen. Stay tuned for more information on where fans can soon find this bonus content.””” Yeesh. The StarWars.com site has a video from The Clone Wars‘ supervising director Dave Filoni explaining the situation, and while he’s bummed about wrapping up the series, he’s excited for the future of the Star Wars franchise and LucasFilm Animation’s involvement in it, whatever that may…
Additional Patch 1.7.2 details revealed!
Bioware’s newly appointed community manager Eric Musco, stopped by the official SWToR forums to provide additional details about tomorrow’s patch. As we mentioned in a previous post, Patch 1.7.2 will see the return of the Gree event that proved to be so successful among the SWToR community. It will also remove the Golden Scalene armor from the cartel market. Musco was kind enough to provide details on the new items that will be incorporated in tomorrow’s update as well as pointing out that the Gree vendors will have new items for purchase. In specific, the new items added are: Dire Taskmaster’s Robe Dire Overlord’s Vestments Dire Warmaster’s Body Armor Dire Eliminator’s Chestguard Guard Captain’s Chestplate CZ-27k Stealth Ops Suit CZ-18x Avalanche Chestplate Honored Master’s Vestments Honored Champion’s Robe Honored Sabarist’s Harness Honored Adept’s Shroud MA-52 Med-tech Chestplate Emergency Responder’s Overcoat MA-53 Overwatch Chestplate Jawagram “I Love You” Jawagram “It’s A…