2010 brought some lackluster news for Star Wars gamer fans. Force Unleashed II did not live up to its potential and Kinect Star Wars got pushed back to 2011. But there is a lot of hope in the galaxy that the future will shine like a well lit lightsaber and make up for the past with the release of several great titles we’ve been waiting for. Here we will look at this year’s announced games so far.
Star Wars has always had a relationship with Lego from the physical blocks and models found in their toy sets to games and software where Lego characters live in the virtual world of George Lucas. And now TT Games is working on putting the finishing touches on Lego Star Wars III, their latest adventure. This time, the action will focus on the Clone Wars taking various elements from not only the film Attack of the Clones, but also the animated series that has been running with great success on the Cartoon Network. The game features a new engine with updated graphics, epic battles, strategy, multiplayer co-ops, and other fun elements. There is a lot for kids and adults in this one. We can’t wait to see it March 2011.
For those who own the Kinect for Xbox 360 or just got one for Christmas, one of the biggest titles at the E3 show in 2010 was Kinect Star Wars. Unfortunately, what players found out was that this game was not going to be released now until Christmas … 2011. What we’ve seen of the game play looks pretty impressive, but that being said, there is little out there in the way of information as to missions and such. The demo showed a Jedi who is charged with taking out battalions of storm troopers using his lightsaber or force powers, including pitching things at your opponent like Count Dooku did. Hopefully as the year goes on, we’ll hear more about this title as it gets closer to the release date.
The biggest game though has got to be Star Wars: The Old Republic which we’ve mentioned here before at StarWarsNow.com. The massive multiplayer online game set 3500 years before Darth Vader was born is set to be released in the Spring of 2011. Unlike most of the MMOs that are out now such as World of Warcraft, there will be a very strong storyline that will influence the game’s progression. The title will feature plenty of different classes of players as well 16 different planets, all with their own look and feel giving plenty of area to explore and fight in. Even though there will be a $10 charge much like other MMO’s, the price you will pay for good gaming. Yes? Sorry, Yoda wasn’t born yet in this game.
So it looks so far to be a pretty good year for Star Wars gaming. The good news is that we won’t have to wait too long for Lego Star Wars III or The Old Republic which should tide us over until next Christmas.
