Boy, was I shocked when I looked at the shipping list: Three comics and a trade! It’s like Christmas! Assuming you read the comics, anyway. Headlining on Wednesday will be Legacy #49, the penultimate issue. Bringing up the rear are Invasion: Rescues #2 and Dark Times #17 and the ninth Legacy collection, ‘Monster’.
Author: Soeren Kamper
Preview the Audio Version for Fatal Alliance
Fans wondering what they can expect in Star Wars: The Old Republic: Fatal Alliance, the first tie-in novel to the upcoming game, can get a sense of the novel by listening to an audio excerpt here. The novel is written by now veteran Star Wars scribe Sean Williams and will help to set up the galaxy as fans will see it during The Old Republic game. Star Wars: The Old Republic: Fatal Alliance hits stores as a hardcover in July 22 and can be pre-ordered on Amazon.com. ABOUT THIS BOOK BioWare and LucasArts—creators of the hugely popular Star Wars:® Knights of the Old Republic® video game—have combined their storytelling talents and cutting-edge technology for an innovative new massively multiplayer online role-playing game that allows players to create their own personal Star Wars adventure 3,500 years before the rise of Darth Vader. Now #1 New York Times bestselling author Sean Williams brings…
BioWare team totally rebuilt conversation system after seeing Mass Effect
In an interview with CVG lead designer and storywriter Daniel Erickson revealed that BioWare had to re-think the Conversation System in Star Wars: The old republic after seeing Mass Effect. Originally the game was built far more like Dragon Age as far as Conversation System went,” he said. “”Our player characters were not going to be voiced because it’s a massively insane expenditure and hugely complicated to do. You have to cast 16 of the best actors ever and then hold them for eternity. He goes on to illustrate how the original Mass Effect caused the TOR team to adjust their thinking, as it debuted very early in the latter’s development cycle. You can read the full article at CVG.
May the schwartz be with you: AT-AT DAY AFTERNOON
Patrick Boivin posted this great new animated film on YouTube.com recently titled “AT-AT Day Afternoon” which is a blast to watch, here’s a quick blurb about the film. “When I was a kid, there are two things I wanted badly and never got… A real dog and a Kenner AT-AT Walker.” – Patrick Boivin
Blood of the Empire: Act 2 Issue 3
The guys over at SWTOR-Station came across a great find today. They found the next version of Blood of the Empire, published in german at mycomics.de. Since SWTOR-Station is a German site, they also took the liberty to translate the story into english for us. If you can’t wait to read more of Blood of the Empire, you don’t have time. This time we did not have to wait our usual two weeks for a new update, but the new issue appeared a lot faster. Still, the seventh issue of the webcomic appeared on a German comic page named mycomic.de and not on the official website. We’ve transferred the text into English for you, so simply click the source down below and read the translation here. Check out the comic at mycomics.de, and read the translation at SWTOR-Strategies
Friday Update: Blood of the Empire Act 2 Issue 2
BioWare was a little late getting out this Friday’s update for Star Wars: The Old Republic. With rampant speculation that one of the game’s testing phases would begin this weekend, this only helped fuel the fire. I hate to deliver bad news, but the update was recently posted and revealed the latest issue of Blood of the Empire. Although the webcomic is supposed to be released twice a month, this is the second installment in just as many weeks! On a positive note, we can all find out if Teneb Kel can escape alive. In the sixth issue of Blood of the Empire™, Teneb Kel fights for his life as Lenico Colony Blue collapses around him. The Emperor’s apprentice has proven vastly more powerful than anyone realized–it will take all Teneb’s skills and resources to survive, let alone complete his mission. But can he rely on his closest ally in his…
May the schwartz be with you: Mon Dieu! Star Wars Made in France
The influence of “Star Wars” on global popular culture is undeniable. George Lucas’s space opera has left its mark on films, television, literature, and even politics. But what happens when this iconic American saga crosses the Atlantic and finds itself reimagined in the heart of Europe? Let’s delve into the fascinating phenomenon of “Star Wars” as seen through a French lens, exploring how the saga has been adapted, received, and reinterpreted in France. Introduction In 1977, “Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope” premiered in the United States, instantly becoming a cultural touchstone. Its success quickly spread worldwide, including to France, a country known for its rich cinematic history and distinct cultural identity. The French have their unique way of interpreting and integrating “Star Wars” into their own cultural framework, blending the original’s universal themes with their local flavor. This article explores the multifaceted relationship between “Star Wars” and…
Blur Studio to Create Cinematic Scenes in Star Wars: The old republic
Alessandro Baldasseroni, character modeler and texture/shader artist for Blur Studio, revealed some interesting information regarding Star Wars: The Old Republic, during an interview with EUCast. While Baldasseroni could not confirm if the previous cinematic trailers would be included in the game, he did say “but for sure we are going to do more like, in game cinematics of this kind, with this kind of style for the game itself.” Scenes in The Old Republic that are similar to the cinematic trailers are definitely something to look forward to. Baldasseroni worked on designs for characters like Darth Malgus, the Sith Lord that appears in both trailers. Baldasseroni also hinted at more trailers or other work by Blur Studios for TOR, but could not go into further detail. The entire interview will be released in Monday’s episode of EUCast.
Star Wars: The old republic – closed beta happening this weekend
There is a thread on the official Star Wars: The Old Republic forums started by community member Awran that talks about rumors of a “beta” session this weeken. Apparently reports are that 100-200 people received such an invite. Then when Sean Dahlberg responded he didn’t confirm, but he didn’t deny or lock the thread either. Here’s his post: Hey everyone, Thanks for the information and it’s definitely interesting that people are posting about our Game Testing Program. We don’t have anything official to say at this moment but if you have any questions, please check out the Game Testing Program FAQ. And a little later he posted again to reiterate what people are allowed to disclose and what not: The Game Testing Agreement that was agreed upon (when signing up for game testing) states: PERMITTED DISCLOSURES 1. The fact that there is a Game Program. 2. The fact that you are…
An Excerpt from The Old Republic: Deceived!
Author Paul S. Kemp gave fans a bit of food to tide their hunger over for his upcoming The Old Republic<span< a=””> class=”Apple-style-span” style=”color: #cccccc;”> novel today. Entitled Deceived, Kemp’s tie-in novel to the upcoming game will focus on the characters, and even some of the events, seen in the cinematic “Deceived” trailer for The </span<>Old Republic<span< a=””> class=”Apple-style-span” style=”color: #cccccc;”> from last year.</span<> Here’s an excerpt from his excerpt: Ahead, he saw the four towers surrounding the stacked tiers of the Jedi Temple, its ancient stone as orange as fire in the light of the setting sun. The civilians seemed to give it a wide berth, as if it were a holy place, rather than a place of sacrilege. He would reduce it to rubble. He walked toward it and fate walked beside him. Statues of long-dead Jedi Masters lined the…
Brian Arndt Video Interview
The guys over at Torocast, have released yet another video interview from E3 2010. This time it’s the interview is with Media Designer for SWTOR – Brian Arndt. Much like our last interview, we focused on asking questions that were outside of the box to get to know the people behind Bioware and what their job is like. So we didn’t ask those juicy questions that only get a “We can’t talk about that now” answer and focused on the behind the scenes peek at what is going on with the game and how things are done. As a result we have our interview with Brian Arndt about his role as a Media Designer for SWTOR.
May the schwartz be with you: Never Cross Jedi Cat!
Beware mouse droids and feline-hating Sith — there’s a new Jedi master in town and he’s not interested in joining the dark side. Here’s a Force-tastic fan-made video of a cat who has some rather impressive lightsaber skills. We’re especially delighted with the adorkable roll over lightsaber throw at the end.
Angry Joe nterviews Creative Director James Ohlen
Angry Joe invades the TOR Booth @ E3 2010 and interviews Creative Director James Ohlen Sith Lord Angry Joe fights his way through Jedi Warriors to get a behind closed doors demo & Interview with James Ohlen, the Studio’s Creative Director – Who then puts a STOP to Joe’s Rampage!
Friday’s Update: Fan Friday and Blood of the Empire Issue #5
swtor.com updated with the next chapter in their Blood of the Empire webcomic: Act 2: The Broken World Chapter 1: Act 2: The Broken World – Teneb Kel has received his mission from the Dark Council: Find and slay the Emperor’s traitorous apprentice, Exal Kressh. But can one young Sith defeat a master of the dark side? And what are Exal Kressh’s true plans for the Emperor and the Empire? Jedi, slaves and Sith alike clash in act 2 of Blood of the Empire. In the fifth issue of Blood of the Empire, Teneb Kel comes face to face with Exal Kressh, the Emperor’s apprentice! But what power does she possess, and what secrets will she reveal to the man sent to kill her? Meanwhile, Maggot’s night off continues, and new faces observe from the shadows. It’s the beginning of a night full of revelations… Check out 7 new pages…
“Hope” Video Dissection
The guys over at Torocast made a video Dissection of the new cinematic trailer for Bioware’s MMORPG, Star Wars: The Old Republic. “Hope” Eaven though it lacks quite a bit of things, it’s still a great watch. Having buffering issues or just don’t like Vimeo? Watch on Youtube.com as well!
Clone Wars Adventures E3 2010 Coverage
You may have forgotten about the recent announcement of Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures due to the frenzy of TFU II and TOR coverage coming out of E3 2010. I know I have, so let’s bring it back to the forefront for a bit as VGChartz provides a preview of the game with screenshots. Here is a snip: The demo starts off in a waiting room area. Here you can wander around, hang out with your friends, and interact with iconic Star Wars characters, and change your personal avatar in the Clone Wars world. One of the most fun features in this section were the droids. Like pets in other MMO-style games, Clone Wars Adventures allows you to have droids follow you around and you can do fun custom things with them. The developer chose C-3PO and made him walk like he was high-stepping. Then he chose an astro droid…
35 Minute Video Interview with Sean Dahlberg (E3 2010)
The fine people over at Torocast.com had the chance to speak with the The Community Manager for Star Wars: The Old Republic, Sean Dahlberg. This turned out to become a pretty interesting 35 min. long interview were “the big boys” discuss E3 and all the news about the game that has been released during the last few days.
Video Interview with Daniel Erickson
DarthHater.com had the opportunity to make a pretty interesting video interview with Daniel Erickson – the lead writer for Star Wars: The old Republic. The interview touches subjects such as: player ships, warzones, companions and party dynamics. See the interview right here:
G4 The Old Republic Exclusive Three-Part Demo
Last night G4tv broadcasted live interview with Dallas Dickinson from e3. This gave some great new insights into Star Wars: The Old Republic. Here is a snip from their blog, and some kick ass video footage. I could go on and on about what BioWare’s Star Wars: The Old Republic looks and plays like, but that wouldn’t be nearly as exciting or visually stimulating as seeing it in action for yourselves. Well, thanks to the kind folks at BioWare, you can now feast your Empire-hating eyes on this exclusive three-part video demo of the game in action. Force-push play now!
E3 – Day 1 Roundup: Ships, Groups and more
Looks like we are getting treated to at least some more eye candy today… If you’ve seen the latest update to BioWare’s “The Old Republic @ E3 2010” post then you’ll have noticed the following: The Old Republic Live on G4! Make sure to check out G4’s half-hour blowout on Star Wars: The Old Republic starting at 2pm PT! Adam Sessler, X-Play host and G4’s Editor-In-Chief of Games, plans to deliver a 30-minute all-access coverage of The Old Republic including live game-play. “Never before have we granted so much time to one game at E3,” said Adam Sessler. “Star Wars: Old Republic is a game of such breadth that the excitement around it and the time we are dedicating to it will have a huge pay-off for the viewers.” Want to see what the press are seeing? Then don’t miss a minute of it! Below are embeds of the Bounty…
EA’s E3 2010 Press Conference Roundup
EA’s press conference for this year’s E3 just finished… and as expected it finished with a smashing The Old Republic cinematic trailer. I Just wanted to put together a quick post that details the things we’ve discovered today, the day BEFORE E3 officially begins! Player Ships! IGN UK revealed through their play with the Smuggler that each class will get their own ship, and it will be highly customizeable. Though they didn’t go into more detail than that I suspect (as I have for a long time) that ships will function much the same as your ship did in the first two KotOR games… a place where your companions hang out, from where you can travel to other planets, and perhaps for things like crafting. Now, they don’t say anything about space combat but if the ships are highlyg customiseable, that’s likely to mean other people will be able to…
LucasArts Developing New Game For Xbox 360
Ahead of tomorrow’s Microsoft press conference at the E3 video game expo, the USA Today has a story with some interesting new details. Microsoft’s “Project Natal” motion control system, which was announced in early June at E3 2009, will be called Kinect, according to the USA Today story. The new name, which was leaked in advance of its intended unveiling at a pre-show party tonight, is probably less interesting to readers of this site than another interesting tidbit that has just come out. From the USA Today: Star Wars characters and iconic Disney favorites will be featured in separate new games being developed at Microsoft in conjunction with LucasArts and Disney. Giving that Microsoft Kinect is supposed to be a groundbreaking way for gamers to control their consoles with just their body movement, it’s likely that this new Star Wars game will take game-play in the Galaxy Far, Far Away…
G4TV To Debut TOR Trailer Tomorrow?
G4 TV officially starts their live E3 broadcast coverage at 3pm Pacific time tomorrow, Monday June 15th. Interestingly, this just so happens to coincide with the end of the countdown timer on the home page of the official Star Wars: The Old Republic site. While we already know that G4 won’t be doing their promised 30-minute coverage of The Old Republic until Tuesday, this does make it likely that the new cinematic trailer will be revealed between the hours of 3:30pm and 6:00pm, which is after the EA press conference.
Star Wars: The Old Republic Exclusive Hands-On – Bounty Hunter, Trooper, Imperial Agent, Smuggler, Sith Inquisitor, and Sith Warrior
It’s starting! Today Gamespot published a long article, which does not only talkt about gameplay impressions, but also announces two playable species: Twi’lek and Chiss. In addition to 4 brand new screenshots, they reveal lots of combat – here is a snippet The Republic trooper and the smuggler professions begin their lives in the same area under different circumstances. As a trooper, we started our career as the newest member of the elite Republic commando unit known as Havoc squad–a handsome human soldier riding on the inside of a giant walker into a war zone on the planet of Ord Mantell. The planet is a Republic world torn apart by a civil war waged by separatist rebels. As a smuggler, we played as a Twi’lek, which is the humanoid Star Wars race that has long tentacles down either side of their heads, similar to the Bib Fortuna character in Return…