Sony has, in recent years, developed a bad habit of serverly botching everything they touch in the gaming world.  The PS2 was a very buggy machine, just ask anyone who owned one.  The PSP had it’s share of dead pixel problems during it’s launch.  The PS3 is vastly overpriced, and don’t even get me started on how this company managed to turn a no-brainer cash cow like Star Wars Galaxies into something people seem to run screaming from.

Thier latest foray into the Star Wars galaxy is Battlefront: Renegade Squadron, due out in October 2007.  My intial reaction to this game is “meh.”  The graphics are so-so, plus the single player storyline is from the Rebel’s side.  You’re part of Han Solo’s special team…  So, if Drug Smuggling is your thing, have at.

Of note is that this game will not only available for purchase on it’s own, but as part of a “Star Wars Special Edition” pack.  The pack comes with the special edition PSP console decorated with the Man in Black on the back of it, which is pretty cool.

Just proves what I said before.  If you want to sell something, you put the Empire on it, and not the Rebellion.

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Everyone is the SW gaming/fan community is drooling like a Bantha in heat over the upcoming title “Star Wars: The Force Unleashed“.  I can say this much for it.  It’s quite pretty, and the technical advances that have been made in AI and Eviroment Interaction are very, very impressive and worthy of much accolade.   That’s where my level of praise ends.

Here’s what we know.  You play a “Secret Apprentice” of Darth Vader during the time between Episode’s III & IV, and it’s your job to help him hunt down and destroy the Jedi Knights.  I know what you’re thinking.  “WIN, fekkin’ WIN!”.  Yeah, that premise would be absolutely perfect, and FAR past due, but somehow in every single piece of video and artwork I’ve seen thus far you’re killing Stormtroopers.  WAVES of them.

Let me get this straight.  You’re an apprentice to Lord Vader, MY BOSS, and you’re running amok not killing Rebels or Jedi wholesale, but Stormtroopers, TIE Fighters, and pretty much every other Imperial unit that shares screen time with you??  I don’t mean to nitpick, but apparently, someone needs to point out something to these people.  Darth Vader works for the Empire, you ignorant simps.  This bothers me for obivous reasons, sure, but I don’t think I’m going out a limb here to ask why we’re not seeing this pretty boy whacking JEDI.  I mean, that’s the whole point of the story, I thought?

More likely, this is a classic case of bait and switch.  Promise the masses a game where you finally get to do what’s right (whack Jedi) for the right team (the Empire) only to find out after you’ve dumped your hard earned credits on this little gem, that you’ve been duped into actually playing the role of a Jedi. 

I’m going to take a shot in the dark and predict that at the end of this story you’ll have not only have killed googles of troopers, but that you’ll end being just another dupe that joins the Rebellion, “after seeing how big and bad the Empire really is”.  Note the date that I state this, kids, and mark my words.

It’s also just another vien for the Jedi-philes to get off pretending they can lift up or drag down rocks, people, and….wait for it…… Star Destroyers???  I know that “size matters not”, but come ON!  That just sent this entire project from the realm of the silly, to the completely ludicrous and asinine.  You’ll note that the ISD is brought down right in the middle of Coruscant, killing thousands, if not tens of thousands.  Well now we can all just blame it on the Empire!!  That’s who this guy works for, right?  Freakin’ typical.  Look, if you want to be all “Luke Skywalker meets Neo meets GOD” and bring down captial ships without having to get up off your lazy asses, then have the testicular fortitude to do it as a JEDI.  You want to be “evil” and live out your fantasies, but you don’t want to get your hands dirty from whaling on the rebel scum?  Tough crap.

This game only proves that if you want REAL power, as well as hot blondes to drive you around, then you join the Empire.  The Rebellion doesn’t have what it takes to get the job done, apparently.

…and I don’t mean power.  I mean BALLS.

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I mentioned this upcoming little gem earlier, but damnit, I’m going to keep harping about it until it comes out on September 12.  In many ways, it looks like the LEGO team at LucasArts are pulling out the stops in making this game even better then the original.  This could explain why Star Wars Galaxies sucks so bad since the NGE.  Well, if they screw this one up, that’s it.  I’m grabbing my BFGs, and me an’ Stewie are heading to the Presidio to start really slapping people around.

So far though, it looks really, really good.  You can create custom characters (hint: make TD-0013!) build vehicles and use them, and the vehicle portions of the game are no longer restricted to the “on a rail” type of play from the last game.  Honestly, as an *cough* adult, I find this to be a great thing, but at the same time, I can’t help but feel that it’s going to make the game more difficult for the true target audience, Children.  Hopefully, there will be an “easy” mode for the younglings, eh?

Best feature?  A LEGO Stewie with special “Chomping” and “ass-blast attack”!!  Kandosii, Stewie!!

Full story from TF.N

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You know, there’s always been something magical about the ability to take a few blocks of ABS plastic, and assemble them into the some of the Rebellion’s greatest starships…

..and throw them against the bulkhead to watch them explode into a million zillion little pieces.  Very satisfying, trust me. 

LEGO, the Danish building block sensation, has always been about building your imagination, and developing your mental skills with a healthy dose of engineering.  Probably the greatest educational toy ever created.  The Empire, has always been supportive of LEGO, as the top photo proves.

 Anyhow, Star Wars LEGO II, the video game is coming out in Sept. of this year, and it looks to be even more fun then the first game, “Star Wars LEGO”, which surprised pretty much everyone with how good it looked, sounded, and most importantly, played.  While the first concentrated on the prequel proganada pieces, this one will jump into what poeple really want to see.  The parts with the Stormtroopers. Parts….heh…no pun intended.

Anyhow, you can see the trailer for the upcoming video game HERE

When this comes out, bonus points to anyone who builds a TD-0013 minifig in the game.

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