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Is LucasArts Facing a Shutdown?

There is gossip around the Internet about LucasArts- the kind of gossip that makes fans a bit uneasy. After the cancellation of The Clone Wars, there have been fears that LucasArts is facing a shutdown. Reports tell us that  there are incoming Layoffs for Lucasfilm Animation and it only makes sense now that Disney is on the scene to get rid of the department that does the very same thing they already do. While fans are really bummed about the cancellation of The Clone Wars, Lucasfilm has promised that the bonus content will still be made available to fans. But this isn’t the only reason people are whispering about LucasArts… A report from GamesIndustry International says that LucasArts told them that everything is going according to plan and that the rumors are just that- rumors. But not everyone is buying that, including ex employees. One ex-LucasArts employee said: “The ‘business’…

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Which Is the Best Star Wars MMO?

Do you love Star Wars? Have you played all the Star Wars MMOs? We say “all” like it is a lot but really it’s only 3 (2, depending on who you ask). Well if you ask Massively writer Jef Reahardm, he’ll tell you there is three. They did a recent poll on their site to see what the readers thought was the best: Star Wars has gotten the MMO treatment not once, not twice, but three times. This is assuming that you count SOE’s Clone Wars Adventures browser title, which I do since it features extensive progression, non-combat activities, and a slew of other MMO-like features in spite of its heavy use of instancing. Then there’s Star Wars Galaxies, of course, followed by Star Wars: The Old Republic. For today’s Leaderboard, help us pick the best Star Wars MMO (or at least, the most popular according to Massively commenters). Vote…

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200% XP Weekends

BioWare have news today were they introduce upcoming double XP Weekends.  You heard that right, 2x XP weekends … and they will stack with all current in game XP buffs. For nowt, there are four sets of Double XP weekends planed: March 15, 2013 at 1:00PM CDT / 6:00PM GMT to March 18, 2013 at 2:00AM CDT / 7:00AM GMT March 22, 2013 at 1:00PM CDT / 6:00PM GMT to March 25, 2013 at 2:00AM CDT / 7:00AM GMT March 29, 2013 at 1:00PM CDT / 6:00PM GMT to April 1, 2013 at 2:00AM CDT / 7:00AM GMT April 5, 2013 at 1:00PM CDT / 6:00PM to April 8, 2013 at 2:00AM CDT / 7:00AM GMT This could mean that we’ll see Rise of the Hutt Cartel  drop for early access the week of April 8th already! Now back to the double XP weekends. Eric Musco posted in the  official forums how double experience  will work with…

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Star Wars: 1313 Development on Hold?

We’ve told you about Star Wars:1313 here in the past and have been following the production of the game to give you updates whenever possible. Well, it now seems like the development has stalled out. Will this be a temporary pause or is the whole game on shutdown? We don’t actually know right now. As Eucantina explains: The very impressive looking and possibly next-generation video game Star Wars: 1313 hasn’t been heard about since its last major showing at Star Wars Celebration VI in August. When Disney acquired Lucasfilm, and thus LucasArts, word started to spread that Disney’s video game focus would be more on casual games than AAA console titles like 1313 was shaping up to be. Some fans started to get nervous. What did this mean for 1313? Would development shift to a different developer as Disney decided how to best use LucasArts? Would the game be cancelled? It wouldn’t be the first time an anticipated Star…

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BioWare Co-founder Ray Muzyka Seeking a Quieter Life

We know that Ray Muzyka, BioWare co-found and one of the “doctors” left BioWare back in September, along with Greg Zeschuk. Both said they were leaving to pursue other passions but we really didn’t have a lot of information at the time about where they were going or what they were doing. Muzyka told the Edmonton Journal that he was seeking a job that would allow him more time at home with his family and less travel. A parent myself, I can fully understand this. It really can take a toll on you and the family when you’re constantly traveling. “I was in the air probably 250 to 280 days the last couple of years,” Muzyka said. “”That was part of the reason why, after five years spent running the division of a public company, I just knew I needed to seek a new beginning and try and do something…

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The Gree Event and Star Wars Canon

If you’ve been enjoying the Relics of the Gree event, you’re not alone. However, this event has sprung some great conversation about the Gree and whether or not they are portrayed correctly within the game and the storyline in SWTOR. Is it accurate and keeping with the story and the timeline of events? Some players have questions about the legitimacy of the story and the rewards that come from these events. For example, we know that the Gree as a people are supposed to be far advanced but many of the galactic weapons and quest rewards don’t’ see all that amazing. It looks nice, yes, but it doesn’t seem to fall under the very rare and powerful that the Gree are best known for. And then there is the issue of the droids. In story, the Gree are known for disliking droids. In fact, it can almost be called a…

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SWTOR VIP Areas Now for More than Hanging Out

So the VIP lounge is where all the cool kids hang out? While BioWare may have had good intentions with creating the VIP areas, there was sadly not much point in going there. Everything that you needed for your character was found in other zones and areas so unless you were RPing or just goofing off, there wasn’t much point in hitting those VIP areas. But the new game update has changed that. Want access to a mailbox without a bunch of commoners hanging around it? Want a new place to get to your cargo hold or to use the GTN without a whole crowd around? Well, if you’re a VIP, you’re in luck. BioWare has now decided to make the VIP areas matter for something other than just hanging out or feeling special. Now the VIP areas also have the Galactic Trade Network terminals, mailboxes and Cargo. This could…

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Obsidian shopping around for a new KOTOR-like title!

It looks like that the hopes and dreams of gamers seeking another iteration of the classic KOTOR series might becoming true…at least partially. Obsidian, the company responsible for developing Knights of The Old Republic 2, is reportedly trying to get another Star Wars game off the ground. Even though the game is set between episodes III and IV, it remains an RPG with elements from the original KOTOR series.

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SWTOR Mirror Skill Translator

We love to find you cool SWTOR tips and tools and we recently stumbled upon a nifty little tool for someone looking to switch factions in SWTOR. As you know, each class has a mirror class and while the abilities do the same thing, they are not called the same thing. So when you’re reading one of the many guides that are available out there, you might find you get thrown off because you’re not sure what the acronyms mean or how that translates to the mirror class that you’re used to playing. Someone with the same problem had made a nifty tool that allows you to copy/paste blocks of text (say, from a guide) and get it translated to its mirror class so you instantly increase your knowledge of the class. It gives you a boost on the learning curve and gets you back in the game on your…

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Rumor: Spin-off Films Focus on Han Solo, Boba Fett

“Yesterday, The Walt Disney Co. unveiled plans to make a number of spin-off movies set a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away — in addition to the post-Return of the Jedi trilogy that had already been announced.” We’ve heard the rumors that there could be some spin-off films in addition to the new Star Wars movie directed by JJ Abrams. These new spin-offs could focus on some Star Wars favorites like Han Solo and Boba Fett. The Boba Fett film would take place either between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, or between Empire and Jedi, and we would see a young Solo, something that Lucas supposedly wanted to do in a previous film but there was no time/room left for it. Rumor Confirmed: According to Slashfilm, the rumors are true: Yesterday Disney CEO Bob Iger confirmed that Disney and Lucasfilm were also developing stand-alone character-centric spin-off Star Wars films in addition to the previously announced…

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John Riccitiello CEO of EA, Speaks Out About Video Game Violence

Do video games create sociopaths? Do shooter games make people kill people? Do violent games increase violence? These are questions that have been around nearly as long as the games themselves. This is a hot topic of political debate today and there are many who strongly believe that video games do contribute to shootings and other violence seen in the world today. BBC news tells us: The boss of Electronic Arts (EA) has denied there is any link between video game content and “actual violence””. Some politicians have very strong views about these video games and how they affect our culture: Republican congresswoman Diane Franklin subsequently proposed a sales tax on violent titles, saying the money should be used to “finance mental health programs and law enforcement measures to prevent mass shootings. Former Green Party presidential candidate Ralph Nader went further, accusing games publishers of being “electronic child molesters” and…

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EA Financial Call

Electronic Arts had a  financial call yesterday.  Unfortunately there weren’t much news about how SWTOR are doing, other then  early indications for SWTOR F2P transition were  positive. In other news coming out of the financial call, Electronic Arts said its loss for the third quarter narrowed from a year ago, mostly on lower expenses. Adjusted profit, which excludes special items, beat estimates by a penny, although revenues fell short of expectations. Moving ahead, the company detailed its outlook for the fourth quarter and revised its full year guidance. Electronic Arts third-quarter loss narrowed to $45 million or $0.15 per share from $205 million or $0.62 per share last year. Excluding items, earnings dropped to $0.57 per share from $0.99 per share last year. On average, 26 analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected earnings of $0.56 per share for the quarter. Analysts’ estimates typically exclude special items. Revenues for the third quarter dropped to $922 million from…

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5 Reasons You Should Be a SWTOR Subscriber

If you’re still holding back on the decision to become a SWTOR subscriber, it might be a good time to go ahead and take the plunge. When you look at all the benefits that come with a sub, you just might ask yourself why you didn’t do it earlier. Honestly, if you’re really into the game and play on a regular basis, it just makes sense to subscribe. Here are five reasons you should be a SWTOR subscriber: Subscriber Benefits in the Cartel Market: Another reason you should be a subscriber is for the Cartel Market benefits. You get access to all 6 quick bars, a minimum of 500 Cartel Coins per month to spend, 10 additional character slots per server, unlimited access to all warzones, flashpoints, space combat and operations, earlier access to sprint and speeder piloting, ability to queue your crafting items and much more. You Get 50%…

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JJ Abrams to Direct Star Wars Episode 7?

UPDATE: This has since been confirmed true by Disney and Lucasfilm. Yay! Rumors have been buzzing the internet since Thursday evening when the news broke that JJ Abrams would direct Star Wars Episode 7, despite his earlier comments that he was not interested in directing the film. However, we’ve been unable to find confirmation from Abrams’ representatives, Disney or Lucasfilm that the rumor is actually true. The news was spread by multiple trade reports, including The Wrap, which has now pulled its Abrams story. The Hollywood Reporter still has their Abrams story up  which says “Sources confirm to The Hollywood Reporter that the Star Trekdirector is negotiating to direct Episode VII, the next installment in the fabled sci-fi franchise.” But this doesn’t tell us who their sources are and with no official confirmation, we cannot be 100% certain it’s not a rumor. All of the stories we find by official news sites like ABC…

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1.6.3 Patch Notes 1/23/2013

Servers are back up after today’s server maintenance. BioWare took the chance to deploy a new patch and updated the game to version 1.6.3. This update also added 3 new outfits and  a pod racer mount to the cartel market.  Below is a screenshot of the pod racer and armor sets: Below are the new armor sets: 1.6.3 Patch Notes 1/23/2013 Cartel Market New Items The Czerka CR-17 Incendia, is now available. The protection provided from being knocked off this vehicle is greater than Speeder Piloting III. Cost: 1,800 Cartel Coins. Three new armor sets, the Sand People Pillager Set, The Sanctified Caretaker Set, and the Malevolent Interrogator Set can now be purchased. These sets of adaptive armor can be worn by any Class at level 1. Cost: 1,440 Cartel Coins each. The Preferred Access Bundle is now available! This bundle offers the player a selection of popular unlocks and customization options. Cost: 972 Cartel…

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Giant Crazy Wishlist for SWTOR- What Would You Wish For?

If you could have any features you wanted in SWTOR, what would they be? What features would you be willing to pay for if they added them to the game? Some SWTOR Reddit users have a nice thread going on about their SWTOR wishes. Everything from the practical to the ridiculous is coming out in this thread and Here are some things being mentioned in the conversation: A legacy-wide companion menu for crew skill maintenance. A legacy-wide bank. Twice as many missions available inside the crew skill selection. A way to have one companion designated for conversations while another companion is physically summoned. I’d like to be able to watch huttball while I’m queued for warzones. Legacy companion summoning. Generate a companion with the same class, items, and name as another character in your legacy with a default set of abilities associated to that class. LEGACY IGNORE. If I put…

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Satele Shan Cosplay from Abby Dark-Star

We have a great find for you today from Abby Dark-Star. She has a new ablum up on her Facebook page showing her Satele Shan cosplay/costume set and it has amazing detail. I’m personally a fan of Abby; she’s just a really cool, nerdy girl and her modeling is a lot of fun. She’s done some of my favorite comic and video game characters. I’m not surprised at all that pulled off a great Satele. The model is Abby Dark-Star and this is the full album on Facebook. Abby is Moderator at The Replica Prop Forum, FANgirl Blog Contributor and HXO for the Avengers Initiative.  And if you really love them, you can order prints from her store here. You can request to have them signed or addressed and her prices on prints are great! Credits: Leathers from Twisted World 3D Printing for belt buckle/arm band/beads: Ed Wamser Lightsaber, soft pieces, sculpting by Zen & I….

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Darth Malgus Versus Count Dooku DEATHMATCH

by FrelsAreN, DeviantART   by lelmer77, DeviantART  Jensaarai1 aka the Nerd-Rage Ranter, a video blogger on YouTube, is probably one of the greatest experts on Star Wars I have seen in some time. He appears to be well versed in all the movies, both of the Clone Wars series and the comic book series (Dark Horse). I have not heard him mention the novels in his analyses, but I wouldn’t put it passed him. Rest assured he is an expert on the Expanded Universe of Star Wars, which pretty much trumps those who only know about the movies when it comes to general Star Wars knowledge. What really impresses me is his unique knowledge on everything that is the lightsaber, which is impeccable. He made a 10 episode series throughout 2012, called the “Versus Series” where he pits Jedi against Jedi, Sith against Sith and Jedi against Sith in “what…

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Flashpoint Guide: The Black Talon

Flashpoint Guide: The Black Talon

Don’t forget to check out constantly growing list of guides for Star Wars: The old republic The Black Talon is the first Empire flashpoint you’ll encounter and it has the longest dialogue chain of any instance in the game. Since this is your first flashpoint, you’ll find it to be very easy but after your character reaches level 50, you can return and run this instance again in Hard Mode for a real challenge. For the first run, you’ll need to find a partner that you can work well with because it requires at least two people. Shortly after entering this flashpoint, you’ll have to make a decision of whether to allow the captain and the general of the ship live or to kill them. If you kill them, you’ll receive 200 Dark Alignment points and if you let the live, you’ll receive 200 Light Alignment points. Black Talon has a…

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Flashpoint Guide: The Foundry

Flashpoint Guide: The Foundry

The Foundry is the Imperial equivalent to the Maelstrom Prison Flashpoint and you can access it after completing the Dorin’s Sky/Boarding Party Flashpoint. The Foundry is an ancient weapon with the ability to create mass destruction. After a high level Republic master Jedi prisoner escaped and made his way to the Foundry, it’s your job to track him down, defeat him and claim the Foundry for the Empire. It’s recommended that everyone in your group be at least a level 35 or above before tackling this flashpoint. You’ll encounter 3 bosses and 2 mini-bosses throughout this instance. First Boss: The Foundry Guardian The first boss fight happens right at the beginning of this instance when you encounter The Foundry Guardian. He is a large droid with 71K HP but don’t be intimidated by his size. This is the standard tank and spank battle. However, he does have a channeled ability…

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Cartel Market Poll Results

Last week, DarthHater asked players to provide feedback about their experiences with the Cartel Market and now they have the results in for all of us to see. Some are not very surprising- for example, nearly 90% of those who answered the survey are subscribers but it still provided some interesting info. It’s safe to say that many who are fans that visit fansites on a regular basis are subscribers. So we didn’t learn a lot about the free to play market but there are some great stats from this. You can see the full Survey Results for yourself here from DarthHater but let’s take a brief look at some of the categories and facts. 89% of those who answered were subscribers. 8% held preferred states and 3% were free to play When asked if they had bought any Cartel Coins with real money, the answers were 50/50 yes and no. 87%…

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Flashpoint Guide: Hammer Station

Flashpoint Guide: Hammer Station

The second Flashpoint to open up in Star Wars: The Old Republic is Hammer Station. You only have to be a level 15 to go through this Flashpoint and for the most part, it’s rather easy. You’ll encounter 3 bosses with the last one being the most challenging. The main thing that you need to know before getting started is that you will face lots of droids. For this reason, you must have someone on your team that can CC droids are you’ll run into a lot of problems. When you first begin your mission, you have the option of going into the room at the end of the first long hallway you come to, if a member of your team has Bioanalysis. Otherwise, it would be pointless to go here because you’ll need to use Bioanalysis on the barrels to acquire the Detoxifying Fiber. If you do acquire this…

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Star Wars Comics License Returning To Marvel?

The guys over at Blue Sky Disney reports that it’s all but  that Disney won’t be renewing Dark Horse’s contract to publish Star Wars comics, and that the Star Wars comics will return to their original home: Fellow Disney brand Marvel. “”The Suits in the know have determined that no new contracts will be given to Dark Horse after the current ones expire. So all new projects after 2013 will be handled internally by Marvel.” The report continues: “”It’s not known yet if titles will be worked into the regular line up, or will Marvel create a special branch of the company that deals with Star Wars. It’ll take a couple of years for the old deals to work there course, but the stories that Dark Horse have coming down the pipeline will be the last. And you can expect anything new from Marvel dealing with Star Wars to arrive around 2015.”” When you think of…

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