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'Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic' Coming to the iPad

Thu May 30, 2013 at 10:30 AM ET
Tags: Star Wars (all tags)

IGN gives the iPad version high marks with one caveat.

Close to ten years since its debut on the original Xbox 1 and the BioWare classic RPG 'Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic' is coming to the iPad. Unlike its much woefully maligned sequel and the current want-to-be 'World of Warcraft' like 'Star Wars: the Old Republic' MMO, 'KotOR' is one the best games of the past ten years.

Gameplay is presented from a third person perspective, and the player controls a four character party. Combat is built on a modified version of d20 dice rules of 'Dungeons and Dragons' origins which allows for pausing combat to issue commands, and the game introduces a previously unexplored era of 'Star Wars.'

The game was originally released on the old Xbox 1, the PC and the Mac. IGN is describing the game's transition to the touch as mostly positive. Inventory navigation gets high marks, while battle and conversation options can be a bit tougher. Moving around, an important part of a game that involves as much walking around as more modern BioWare titles such as 'Mass Effect' and 'Dragon Age: Origins,' is the lone issue, with the screen often being obstructed by the user's hand.

In-game visuals are said to pop, while pre-rendered cutscenes suffer from lower resolutions. IGN suggests that the games auto-brightness setting be toggled off in favor of a manually setting.

A specific date and price for this new iPad version has not yet surfaced, but the game is expected soon.

Source: IGN

Author: Brian Hoss

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Electronic Arts Promises Its Top Developers For New Star Wars Licensing Deal

Tue May 07, 2013 at 12:30 PM ET
Tags: Star Wars, Electronic Arts (all tags)

Life after LucasArts starts with DICE and Visceral.

After closing LucasArts, Disney has entered into a multi-year exclusive licensing agreement with Electronics Arts for 'Star Wars' games. Specifically, the agreement covers games intended for 'the core gaming audience,' which typically for EA means traditional multi-platform $60 games and their derivatives. Disney retains the ability to make and license out 'Star Wars' titles within the mobile, social, tablet, and online game categories.

From John Pleasants, Co-President of Disney Interactive, "This agreement demonstrates our commitment to creating quality game experiences that drive the popularity of the Star Wars franchise for years to come. Collaborating with one of the world’s premier game developers will allow us to bring an amazing portfolio of new Star Wars titles to our fans around the world."

Considering Disney's focus on the next 'Star Wars' trilogy as a jumping off point for an hitherto unseen amount of concurrent 'Star Wars' media, it follows that EA will be developing games that involve the new trilogy, however, the announcement was quick to mention "all new stories." Also of significance is the nature of EA's commitment to utilizing the license by placing 'Star Wars' in the hands of the publisher's top studios. Bioware's ongoing support of the 'Star Wars: The Old Republic' MMO is currently the closest thing to a AAA 'Star Wars' title in the marketplace.

From Frank Gibeau, EA Labels President, "Every developer dreams of creating games for the Star Wars universe. Three of our top studios will fulfill that dream, crafting epic adventures for Star Wars fans. DICE and Visceral will produce new games, joining the BioWare team which continues to develop for the Star Wars franchise. The new experiences we create may borrow from films, but the games will be entirely original with all new stories and gameplay."

Past 'Star Wars' projects that have captivated fans, but failed to be released include 'Star Wars 1313' and 'Battlefront 3.' With 'Battlefield' developer DICE and 'Dead Space' developer Visceral leading development of new 'Star Wars' titles, the games are not expected to come to the Wii U as EA has expressed a disinterest in bringing its proprietary engines to the Wii U without bringing its Origin client. Announcements of specific titles planned by EA may come at E3, and new 'Star Wars' titles can be expected to come to the PS4, PC, and Microsoft's new console.

Source: Star Wars

Author: Brian Hoss

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J.J. Abrams Signed to Direct 'Star Wars: Episode VII'

Mon Jan 28, 2013 at 02:07 PM ET
Tags: J.J. Abrams, Star Wars: Episode VII, Star Wars (all tags)

At long last, a suitable director willing to take on the mantle has been found.

When the folks at Disney started shopping around for someone to direct their new Star Wars film, a lot of the folks they reached out to said something unexpected. J.J. Abrams, among the many other candidates, declined the film. It's easy to see why – all the pressure from fans to make up for the prequels, the impossible task of living up to the original trilogy and, of course, the desire to sit back and enjoy the new films instead of being involved.

At long last, J.J. Abrams has been swayed, and has signed on to direct the first of the trilogy. His experience with films like 'Super 8' and 'Star Trek' show that he can handle a big budget and a storied franchise. 'Super 8' in particular shows a nostalgia for the era of blockbuster films like 'Star Wars' and 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind.'

"I've consistently been impressed with J.J. as a filmmaker and storyteller," says George Lucas. "He's an ideal choice to direct the new Star Wars film and the legacy couldn't be in better hands."

Source: StarWars.com

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J.J. Abrams Signed to Direct 'Star Wars: Episode VII'

Mon Jan 28, 2013 at 02:07 PM ET
Tags: J.J. Abrams, Star Wars: Episode VII, Star Wars (all tags)

At long last, a suitable director willing to take on the mantle has been found.

When the folks at Disney started shopping around for someone to direct their new Star Wars film, a lot of the folks they reached out to said something unexpected. J.J. Abrams, among the many other candidates, declined the film. It's easy to see why – all the pressure from fans to make up for the prequels, the impossible task of living up to the original trilogy and, of course, the desire to sit back and enjoy the new films instead of being involved.

At long last, J.J. Abrams has been swayed, and has signed on to direct the first of the trilogy. His experience with films like 'Super 8' and 'Star Trek' show that he can handle a big budget and a storied franchise. 'Super 8' in particular shows a nostalgia for the era of blockbuster films like 'Star Wars' and 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind.'

"I've consistently been impressed with J.J. as a filmmaker and storyteller," says George Lucas. "He's an ideal choice to direct the new Star Wars film and the legacy couldn't be in better hands."

Source: StarWars.com

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This Generation: 'Star Wars 1313' Appears on PlayStation Germany's Facebook

Thu Jan 17, 2013 at 09:30 AM ET
Tags: Star Wars, LucasArts, PS3 (all tags)

Teases a 2013 release date for the PS3 version.

A post consisting of a gallery of 'Star Wars 1313' images was discovered on PlayStation Germany's Facebook by a NeoGAF user. This post contains the header "Star Wars 1313 erscheint 2013," thereby teasing a 2013 release date.

The game's demo at E3 had the internet declaring it a game destined for the 360 and PS3's respective successors, but LucasArts has remained mum to this point.

With any luck, this Facebook post will lead to a press release, until then full skepticism is recommended.

Source: NeoGAF via Joystiq

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Disney and Netflix Announce a Huge Multi-Year Deal Starting in 2016

Fri Dec 07, 2012 at 12:00 PM ET
Tags: Netflix, Disney, Lucasfilm, Pixar, Star Wars (all tags)

Disney has made Netflix the exclusive pay-TV service for first run feature films. That also includes Pixar, Marvel and, of course, Lucasfilm.

Streaming services have been gaining a lot of traction as alternatives to traditional pay TV channels like HBO and Showtime, so much so that Disney has just signed a massive deal with the folks at Netflix. Starting in 2016, Netflix will be the place to go to watch new Disney films in the pay-TV window. That's the bit that happens a bit after DVDs and Blu-rays come out, but before the movie makes it to normal TV and other services.

Adding a few great catalog titles like 'Alice in Wonderland' is nice and getting Disney films early is certainly a big deal, the real victory here is none other than 'Star Wars.' The deal starts in 2016, and we're expecting that the first big movie to make it to Netflix as part of this arrangement is the newest 'Star Wars' film – due out in 2015.

Source: Home Media Magazine

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Disney and Netflix Announce a Huge Multi-Year Deal Starting in 2016

Fri Dec 07, 2012 at 12:00 PM ET
Tags: Netflix, Disney, Lucasfilm, Pixar, Star Wars (all tags)

Disney has made Netflix the exclusive pay-TV service for first run feature films. That also includes Pixar, Marvel and, of course, Lucasfilm.

Streaming services have been gaining a lot of traction as alternatives to traditional pay TV channels like HBO and Showtime, so much so that Disney has just signed a massive deal with the folks at Netflix. Starting in 2016, Netflix will be the place to go to watch new Disney films in the pay-TV window. That's the bit that happens a bit after DVDs and Blu-rays come out, but before the movie makes it to normal TV and other services.

Adding a few great catalog titles like 'Alice in Wonderland' is nice and getting Disney films early is certainly a big deal, the real victory here is none other than 'Star Wars.' The deal starts in 2016, and we're expecting that the first big movie to make it to Netflix as part of this arrangement is the newest 'Star Wars' film – due out in 2015.

Source: Home Media Magazine

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Disney Buys Lucasfilm – Star Wars Episode VII Coming in 2015

Wed Oct 31, 2012 at 12:00 PM ET
Tags: Lucasfilm, Disney, Star Wars (all tags)

With Lucas out of the picture, we may be in for some good movies – crazy right?

Star Wars just got bought. Let that sink in a minute. Lucasfilm, along with the whole Star Wars franchise, is now the property of Disney. As a part of this announcement, Disney made it public that they plan on creating the seventh, eighth and ninth films in the trilogy of trilogies and expects to have the first one in theaters by 2015.

There are no details yet as far as who will be working on the film, but we do know who won't be – George Lucas. He's retired and passed the torch on to others. The film is in preproduction now which means the producers are talking to writers who will be taking Lucas's roadmap for the last three films and turning it into full scripts. A director has not been named yet, but the possibilities are endless. Well, not endless. Lucas is out.

Disney has been snatching up properties pretty quickly as of late. The company now has Pixar, The Muppets, Marvel and Lucasfilm under its belt.

Source: Star Wars

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Disney Buys Lucasfilm – Star Wars Episode VII Coming in 2015

Wed Oct 31, 2012 at 12:00 PM ET
Tags: Lucasfilm, Disney, Star Wars (all tags)

With Lucas out of the picture, we may be in for some good movies – crazy right?

Star Wars just got bought. Let that sink in a minute. Lucasfilm, along with the whole Star Wars franchise, is now the property of Disney. As a part of this announcement, Disney made it public that they plan on creating the seventh, eighth and ninth films in the trilogy of trilogies and expects to have the first one in theaters by 2015.

There are no details yet as far as who will be working on the film, but we do know who won't be – George Lucas. He's retired and passed the torch on to others. The film is in preproduction now which means the producers are talking to writers who will be taking Lucas's roadmap for the last three films and turning it into full scripts. A director has not been named yet, but the possibilities are endless. Well, not endless. Lucas is out.

Disney has been snatching up properties pretty quickly as of late. The company now has Pixar, The Muppets, Marvel and Lucasfilm under its belt.

Source: Star Wars

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Star Wars Episode II and III Come to Theaters in 3D September and October 2013

Mon Aug 27, 2012 at 10:00 AM ET
Tags: Star Wars, 3D (all tags)

And of course, there’s nothing yet regarding the original three movies.

The 3D theatrical release of ‘Attack of the Clones’ and ‘Revenge of the Sith’ has finally been announced. We’ll be getting both movies in 2013 – September 20th and October 11th respectively. The original plan was one film a year, and it’s definitely nice to see things speed up.

Unfortunately, there’s not yet an announcement about when we’ll see the original trilogy in 3D, but we expect the Lucas camp is waiting to see how II and III do before starting on ‘A New Hope.’

There’s also no word yet on when we’ll see 3D Blu-ray releases.

Source: Engadget

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