If you’re looking for a popular game choice this holiday season, is there really any surprise that SWTOR tops the lists? Entertainment Weekly has named STAR WARS™: The Old Republic™ one of their 15 Must-Have Videogames this holiday season and The New York Times has placed STAR WARS™: The Old Republic™ on their 2011 Holiday Gift Guide! With the timely release of SWTOR slotted for December 20, 2011, it’s the perfect opportunity for family members of Star Wars fans or MMORPG lovers to snag a copy of the anticipated game for Christmas. It’s also a great opportunity to do something with that cash or gift cards you get for the holidays. I think it’s a safe bet to say that we will start seeing SWTOR show up on even more holiday wish lists and “best of” lists as we draw closer to the holiday season. For those who have preordered,…
Stuff
Star Wars: The Old Republic engages buyers
What is all the hype of SWTOR all about anyway? We already know that there are a select group of Star Wars fans who have been waiting forever for this game and there will be some SWG crossovers (those who are not blacklisting it) but still, that leaves a massive interest in the game. Where is it coming from? A story on UK’s Gaming Entertainment explains how SWTOR engages buyers, which is one reason they believe it is so popular. A snippet: We are under no illusion that sales will be that of MW3, but we have been surprised at just how much attention SWTOR is having on gamers. According to this source The Old Republic has now made it to the number one position for pre-orders, which is said to be more than 180,000 more than its closest rival. So what are their reasons for why SWTOR is getting…
How SWTOR’s release date happened.
Came across this little meme over at Reddit. While I’m not sure that this is how the decision on SWTOR release was made, i’m sure that there have been a nerve war going on between BioWare and Blizzard on these two games. But Deathwing Raid for WoW announced to be released on December 13th ITS A TRAP!
Birth and Evolution of the Lightsaber
We previously brought you a story about how lightsabers work but when it comes to filmmaking history, you probably have no idea how far the light saber has really evolved. It’s really interesting to look at the birth of the lightsaber and how it evolved into what we know it as today. In this article by Rianne Hill Soriana, we see an explanation of the lightsaber concept: “According to filmmaker George Lucas, “Star Wars” had influences from early pirate, adventure, and romantic films of the 1940s. With its basic premise centering on a romantic fantasy, it was inspired by the great romantic traditions in the mythology of “King Arthur” and the adventurous spirit of “Robin Hood.”” She goes on to describe the look of the lightsaber itself and how this look was pulled off in film technology, even many years ago, helping to create the legend that is Star Wars…
First Look at Razer SWTOR Peripherals
We wrote yesterday about the announcement from Razer that they will have a full line of Star Wars: The Old Republic accessories to be released when the game is released. Lucky visitors to E3 were given the chance to see these peripherals up close, although they were not allowed to physically handle them at this time. One glaring difference between these and the photos that were released before is that they now look more white in color as opposed to silver when we first saw them. We have no real clarification at this time which color they will come in or if there is a choice. DarthHater released a video of the presentation the product managers gave on the Razer SWTOR items. Here’s an overview of the highlights of each piece: Keyboard- Has LCD buttons that are programmable for certain in-game functions. Can assign each key with an image and…
Razor SWTOR gear!
2011 E3 has another great announcement- Razer will be bringing us Star Wars: The Old Republic accessories! I’m a big Razer fan, currently using Razer accessories so I was pumped to check this out. In preparation for the release of TOR later this year, Razer has announced a TOR-themed LCD keyboard, mouse, gaming surface and a 5.1 headset. The SW:TOR gaming keyboard has neat features such as a touch-sensitive LCD track panel and 10 dynamic keys similar to what you will find in the upcoming Switchblade MMO portable. It has fully programmable gold backlit keys, a 7-foot USB cable and multi-color LED illumination so you can enjoy your game from anywhere. What are you going to have to pay for this puppy? It’s set to retail at $199.99. The mouse will look familiar if you’ve seen Razer’s original MMO gaming mouse with 17 programmable buttons, wired and wireless capabilities and…
Free comic book day is coming
Free Comic Book Day is a single day that happens each year on the first Saturday of May. On this day, participating comic book shops across North America and around the world give away comic books absolutely FREE to anyone who comes into their stores! How cool is that! You should check with your local comic book shop for their participation and rules. Free Comic Book Day in L.A. with have Geoff Johns, Robert Kirkman, Mike Mignola, Steve Niles signings The Core in Cedar Falls is celebrating their 10th year of the event. Owner Mike Blanchard will donate $400 worth of graphic novels to the school best represented at his shop Saturday. The Bay City Times -On free comic day, Cashman’s Comics will have 100 Green Lantern HeroClix game pieces to give away. What is your area comic book store doing? There’s also a Free Comic Book Day app available…
Countdown Begins For Star Wars Blu-ray Details
Proving that there’s somebody out there that can generate worse puns than me, Lucasfilm sent an e-mail message out over the weekend hinting that all the details of the Star Wars saga Blu-ray sets will be revealed on May fourth. The e-mail points to the “May the 4th Be With You – Star Wars Countdown page” on StarWars.com. Underneath the timer is the simple phrase “All Will Be Revealed.” To spare you the math, the exact day and time for the reveal is Wednesday, May 4 at 9am EST/6am PST. Thus far all we know about the Star Wars: The Complete Saga on Blu-ray is all six films will be available in a single box set as well as the prequel and original trilogies in their own box sets. LucasFilm has also confirmed that all-new deleted scenes will be included and previewed one featuring Luke at the beginning of Return…
May The Pork Be With You: Here Comes the Star Wars Porn Parody
The world of the Porn Parody has long held the distinction of featuring some of the greatest, and most creative titles in the entire movie industry landscape. Everyone knows the legend of such tongue-in-cheek (among other body parts) titles as Shaving Ryan’s Privates and Edward Penishands, and now something is even more exciting is happening in the world of filth. A couple of years back, Kevin Smith’s Zack & Miri Make A Porno focused on Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks’ attempt to make a Star Wars based porn flick, and now it seems that reality is about to mimic art with the release of a real XXX parody of George Lucas’ franchise. And it’s in lurid 3D no less! The news comes as star Kylie Ireland posted this photo of the construction of a landspeeder on the set – though to me it looks a lot like someone’s just stuck…
Winner: Robot Chicken Star Wars Episode III
In the pantheon of Star Wars material, my favorite movie is The Empire Strikes Back. My next favorites? The Robot Chicken specials. So I was thrilled to read that over the weekend the writers on Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III just won an Annie Award for Writing In A Television Production. The credited writers are Matthew Beans, Zeb Wells, Hugh Sterbakov, Matthew Senreich, Breckin Meyer, Seth Green, Mike Fasolo, Douglas Goldstein, Tom Root, Dan Milano, Kevin Shinick & Hugh Davidson along with one other guy: DC Comics’ Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns. Congratulation to all the winners! The Brewmasters at Cartoon Brew have all the details on all the winners. Be sure the read through the comments while you’re there!
Star Wars on Blu-ray!
Darth Vader announced the release of the Star Wars Saga on Blu-ray. This announcement was a lavish event held at the Panasonic Booth at CES. Not only did Darth Vader show up with his “friends,” but major representatives from 20th Century Fox and Amazon.com were on hand. Check out the press release below: LAS VEGAS (Jan. 6, 2011) – The most anticipated Blu-ray release ever – the Star Wars Saga – emerges from light speed this September 2011. For the first time, all six of George Lucas’ epic films (Episodes I-VI) are united in one complete set. Fans worldwide are able to pre-order now with online retailers. Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment will release Star Wars in three distinct sets to meet the needs of every Star Wars fan: Star Wars: The Complete Saga on Blu-ray (9-disc Set includes all six films) Star Wars: Prequel Blu-ray Trilogy (3-disc set includes…
Star Wars Revisionism: it was all Jar-Jar’s fault
LEGO® STAR WARS™: BOMBAD BOUNTY answers the question no one was asking: What if Jar Jar Binks had appeared in the original trilogy?
Updated: EA Louse Blog Prompts Response from Industry Insiders
Last week a blogger referred to by the name of EA Louse posted a rather inflammatory blog slamming EA and BioWare Mythic after claiming to have learned that they will be part of a layoff coming to the company next month. The blog went into detail about why the author felt Warhammer Online had failed and why Star Wars: The Old Republic was on the same path. EA Louse went on to state that the company was, “Rewarding the incompetent. Firing the competent.” But EA Louse has sparked a response from a couple of posters. Jeff Preston, a freelance artist in the gaming industry, has posted a response to EA Louse’s blog simply titles, “Anonymity is for cowards” in which he slams EA Louse for being an anonymous poster and defends those targeted by EA Louse’s blog. Short of being shot at, poisoned, stabbed or otherwise given a bad case…
Star Wars Retroperspektive: Rare 1977 Harrison Ford Interview Emerges
Yesterday, the New York Times posted a story about a rare 1977 Harrison Ford video interview conducted by a Dallas-Fort Worth news channel reporter just as Star Wars (A New Hope) was making waves across the country during its initial release: Wearing lapels as wide as the Millennium Falcon itself, Mr. Ford actually seems gracious about the budding fantasy franchise and complimentary to its creator, George Lucas, telling his interviewer that though he doesn’t regard himself as the Buck Rogers or Flash Gordon type, the film works because “it’s finally about people and not finally about science, so the energy of the movie goes towards exploring these human relationships.” The interview, which apparently had first been posted to the original reporter’s website bobbiewygant.com back in July (and contains scores of other filmed interviews), presents a rare peek at the actor on the brink of super-stardom in 1977. Check out the…
The Empire Skates Back
Fans who attended Celebration V this year were not only treated to a Star Wars Tattoo Contest, but also had the chance to check out skateboard decks painted by exceptional tattoo artists. The decks were auctioned off during the Make-A-Wish Auction The Force in the Flesh author Shane Turgeon, who organized the event called “The Empire Skates Back,” contacted some incredible talent to transform the decks into one-of-a-kind works of art for a good cause. Can you describe the gist of the Star Wars Tattoo Art show for fans who didn’t get a chance to see it? The show was called “The Empire Skates Back.” In celebration of the 30th anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back, 30 tattooers were each given a blank skateboard deck to paint, sculpt, or build their homage, rendition or interpretation of this amazing film. Unfortunately, only 22 decks arrived in time for the show, but they were all unbelievable works of art….
George Lucas joins other billonares in “Giving Pledge”
George Lucas is among the billionaires making a public pledge to give away at least half their wealth to charity. In a letter posted on The Giving Pledge website, Lucas writes: My pledge is to the process; as long as I have the resources at my disposal, I will seek to raise the bar for future generations of students of all ages. I am dedicating the majority of my wealth to improving education. It is the key to the survival of the human race. We have to plan for our collective future – and the first step begins with the social, emotional, and intellectual tools we provide to our children. As humans, our greatest tool for survival is our ability to think and to adapt – as educators, storytellers, and communicators our responsibility is to continue to do so. The “Giving Pledge,” spearheaded by Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, is…
The starwars.com Forums Get A Facelift
Who better to tell you about the changes to the SW.com Forums then StarWars.com… “Fans who like to talk about everything Star Wars on our forums might noticed the brand-new redesign and features. If you haven’t been to the new Star Wars Forums, now’s a good time to start. The Forums are broken down into categories of interest such as the Movies, the Expanded Universe, Video Games, Roleplaying Games, Fan Activities and Events, and more. Collectors will enjoy our new extensive section dedicated to everything from vintage and modern toys, as well as other collectibles. Fans can chat to their hearts content about The Clone Wars in the new Star Wars on Television section. Don’t feel like talking about Star Wars? Have fun sharing comments in The Cantina section about everything from your favorite sports team to the TV shows you can’t stop raving about. Customize your forums experience with…
Revenge of the Robot Chicken: Star Wars
Great news for fans of Star Wars parody: Robot Chicken’s third Star Wars episode will premiere December 12, with pretty-boy Zac Efron voicing Anakin. They’re trying something new this time: From the SW.com announcement: Adult Swim’s Robot Chicken returns to that galaxy far, far away for a brand-new Star Wars-themed special premiering December 12 at 11:30 p.m. (ET/PT). This third installment in the Robot Chicken: Star Wars trilogy follows the two previous specials, which resulted in multiple Emmy nominations and numerous Annie Awards for both specials, the writers, Ahmed Best for voice actor and Seth Green for directing. Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III, to be directed by Chris McKay, marries the satirical sensibilities of Green and Matthew Senreich’s (Stoopid Monkey Productions) Emmy-winning Robot Chicken with characters of the Star Wars universe. The specials and the Robot Chicken series, the highest-rated original program on Adult Swim, are created in conjunction…
Soccer Wars!
Welcome back to ”The Guild”! This week I’ll be paying attention to some ideas, well one idea mainly, brought to my attention by Danny Jarzebowski, a reader who contacted me. (Okay I admit it, what you are about to read is something I completely stole from DJ!) Now I know that when you read about the idea, it might seem a bit, well, insane at first, but actually it might be doable and that with success. This is basically what I talked with DJ about. (remarks in () are by the oppressor Peter) “Hey I got an intresting idea! I’d love to play soccer in SWToR, you know like battlegrounds and stuff like that but you get skills like Sprint or Pass and play with your character in game!” “I think a lot of people would enjoy that, I sure would!” At first I thought- Dude, we’re still playing the…
Corellian Run Potcast #1
The girls over at Corellian Run Radio had their first podcast up yesterday. It’s a pretty interesting listen that I recommender you all to check out. Our first podcast is done and submitted for your perusal! It’s been a long haul from the first glorious days of let’s-do-a-show innocence to the in-the-trenches reality of forgetting to push the button when you record. It was great fun putting it together – we hope you enjoy it too. Check it out here
Star Wars: The Old Republic Maquette
Just announced on www.swtor.com, Gentle Giant Studios has created a beautiful 7″ statue of the fearsome Bounty Hunter Shae Vizla! Be sure to use coupon code TORDEAL for 15% off the regular price of $79.99. Click here to order.
adidas Originals – Star Wars Cantina 2010
This made our day! So cool. Daft Punk, Snoop Dogg, Noel Gallagher, Ian Brown, Ciara, DJ Neil Armstrong and others in the world of Star Wars for the “adidas Originals” campaign. Brilliantly done. Enjoy.
Ben Balistreri’s Top 30 Star Wars characters
Ben Balistreri is a storyboard artist and character designer for Dreamworks, where he’s worked on How to Train Your Dragon. He’s also — like everyone — a Star Wars fan. So when he tuned his unique design sensibilities to represent his 30 favorite Star Wars characters, we had to take a look. Here they are: Check out his blog.
R2-D2 Builders at Maker Faire
Every year robot builders, inventors, MythBusters and craftsters gather for a giant celebration of science geekery called Maker Faire. And you can’t have a robot gathering without our friends the Bay Area R2 Builders Group showing up to inspire Star Wars fans of all ages to make their own astromech sidekick. The astromechs were out in full force spinning, whirring and beeping at the crowd that constantly followed the R2 units or came to visit them in the robot area of the fair. Even amongst the other iconic robots from Lost in Space and The Forbidden Planet, and the impressive Tesla Coils, the R2 Builders were the real stars of the fair. Every time I follow around R2 and his makers around Comic-Con, WonderCon, Celebration, and Maker Faire, I love to see kids pose with, hug, kiss, pet and even have full conversations with R2-D2. He might just be the…