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…
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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…
Star Wars at Comic Con: Stormtroopers on a Mission
Star Wars was featured at Dallas Comic Con this weekend and local members of the 501st Legion—“The world’s definitive imperial costuming organization,”—set up with a very surprising mission: to do good. Star Wars was featured at Dallas Comic Con this weekend and local members of the 501st Legion—“The world’s definitive imperial costuming organization,”—set up with a very surprising mission: to do good. As shocking as it might be considering they’re … well… Stormtroopers, the 501st are actually some pretty cool guys and gals. We had the pleasure of meeting some of them last year and my son has a collectible trading card as a souvenir. But they had a very specific mission at Dallas Comic Con Saturday. Led by the Star Garrison, which covers three states, and the North Texas Squad, they sponsored “Blast-a-Stormtrooper for Charity.” It was all in honor of Kari Giles, in treatment for stage four Hodgkin’s Lymphoma,…
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,…
Game Update 2.1: Customization Preview
Yesterday via the official Star Wars: The old Republic website, and via a mail Emails sent out by BioWare to all players, we learned about a new web page that gives a few bits of information regarding the customization options coming out in Game Update 2.1. Summary of the new page are as following: Cathars are happening in 2.1. Appearance customization kiosks are happening on fleet, capitol worlds, and cartel market in 2.1. Subscribers get an unspecified discount on appearance stuff in 2.1. Stay tuned for more 2.1 info. Nothing new, really, but we do get a few new screenshots. Check them out below:
SWTOR Free to Play Experiment: Is F2P Worth It?
Have you ever wondered whether SWTOR is any good on free to play versus a subscription? Do you currently play f2p? There are a lot of people out there who say Bioware has made the game where free to play is just not any fun and that if you truly want to experience what the game has to offer, then you have to pay for it. Then again, there are some who say there is plenty to enjoy about the game even as a free player. I guess it depends on what you want from the game and how you choose to play it. There are some limitations to free players but there are also workarounds. We’ve done some basic comparisons here but one man is about to take on the experiment in its entirety. Larry Everett takes on this challenge and sets out to prove which side is right,…
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…
EA Didn’t Ruin BioWare Games, Says Dr. Zeschuk
We have all heard the rumors: EA ruined SWTOR, EA ruined BioWare, EA destroyed BioWare games. But one of the Doctors is speaking out against these rumors. BioWare co-founder Dr. Greg Zeschuk says he had a hand and a voice in how things operated at EA/Bioware. In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, the doctor says: Zeschuk also rejects any notion of Electronic Arts being a negative influence on BioWare. “They don’t second-guess you, they don’t say you shouldn’t do that,” he explains. “We had complete creative control over a lot of it; some fans didn’t like some of it and some of it was experimental, quite frankly.” Well, it’s a sign of honor to own up to your own mistakes, right? It’d be easy for BioWare to blame EA for their lackluster year(or two) but instead he admits that they had too much money and possible too much free reign and they made…
EA’s Survival Has Been “A Rare Feat”
We’ve talked before here about the ups and downs of EA. They’ve had a rough couple of years and those shareholders who are still holding on saw stock drop from around $25 back in the winter of 2011 to just about $11 last August. Now they’re back up to around $18 a share. So those who have stayed in it for the long haul are seeing their efforts pay off. At last week’s Game Developer’s Conference, GamesIndustry International talked to EA president Frank Gibeau (a possible replacement for Riccitiello) about the state of EA: “It’s a dynamic industry. At one moment social is the hottest thing in the history of man, and the next minute it’s not. One minute console is dead, the next minute console is incredible. There’s no market in Russia, Brazil, China, and now we’re seeing some of the largest markets in the world in the emerging market. The…
SWTOR Last Double XP Weekend
Are you ready for Makeb? It’s the last double XP weekend and the last weekend before the release of Game Update 2.0 and Rise of the Hutt Cartel for those who are eligible for ‘early access’ so this is your chance to get the most from this experience while you still can. Friday through Monday, April 8th at 12AM PST, those who still don’t have a level 50 character can take advantage of the event this weekend just before the Makeb content releases on the 9th. You can get up to 310% experience points using the double XP, XP boost and legacy perks. This is your chance to take full advantage of this experience boost and get your character to max or level up a new character as far as you can while it is still available. Then, we will see Makeb and the Rise of the Hutt Cartel so…
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’…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Watch this! Vice Lover – A SWToR machinima
There are many SWToR machinima videos out there but very few are as nicely done as this one made by Youtube user “HabanaSWToR”. In this video you will get to explore the “other side” of Nar Shadaa through the eyes of Habana – a young gunslingler.
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.
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…
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…
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…
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…