star-wars-the-force-unleashed posts

Star Wars The Force Unleashed II is released next week and unlike the first game in LucasArts' action game series the sequel will be released for the PC the same day as the console versions. The game's official Facebook page has now revealed the PC system requirements for the sequel.

The game is being ported to the PC by Aspyr Media and continues the story of Starkiller who was once Darth Vader's apprentice who has now rebelled against his former master. As with the first game, The Force Unleashed II is a single player only title. You can check out the PC system specs after the jump:

[Via Shacknews]

We know, we know. It's something that a ton of us have wondered about over the years, too: When will we see Monkey Island's main hero Guybrush Threepwood in a Star Wars game? Well, your deepest, darkest fantasies have been granted ... and Guybrush is being put in a Star Wars game, too.

The official Facebook page for Star Wars The Force Unleashed II has revealed that the upcoming LucasArts action sequel will have a Guybrush character skin. There's no word yet if you have to unlock something in the game to gain access to Guybrush using a light saber and wielding Force powers. He's certainly more interesting to look at than the bland main hero of the game. Now if Max shows up in a Dark Forces sequel we will be all set.

[Via Kotaku]

Steam sometimes devotes an entire week to sales for one publisher and this week the PC game download site is doing just that for its library of titles from publisher LucasArts. From now until September 19, all 13 Star Wars-themed games on Steam will be bundled and sold together for the low price of $49.99. That's compared to a price of $145.38 if you purchased each game separately.

Also one LucasArts game will gets a big price cut every day. From now until 1 pm Eastern time on Tuesday you can get Star Wars The Force Unleashed Ultimate Sith Edition for just $7.50, a 75 percent price cut. Of course the game's upcoming sequel, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II, is due to be released in late October.

If you are taking it easy on this Labor Day here in the US (or Labour Day if you are in Canada) watching the classic Star Wars trilogy on Spike you might want to check out the daily PC game deal on Direct2Drive as part of its Summer Ends sales event. One of the games happens to be a Star Wars-based game.

From now until Tuesday you can purchase the PC port of LucasArts' Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. for just $7.50, a 75 percent savings. Also on sale is the recent turn-based strategy game Disciples III Renaissance which can be purchased for $27.95, a 30 percent savings from its normal price.

IGN is reporting that Haden Blackman, a long time LucasArts team member, has decided to depart the developer after 13 years at LucasArts. Blackman's latest job was the executive producer and writer behind Star Wars: The Force Unleashed and its upcoming sequel. LucasArts has stated Blackman's departure won't affect Star Wars The Force Unleashed II's development which is still set for a late October release.

Besides working at LucasArts on games like Star Wars Force Commander and Star Wars Galaxies Blackman has also written a fair share of Star Wars-themed non-fiction books and a ton of Star Wars comic books for Dark Horse Comics. Recently Blackman was named as the co-writer of the upcoming Batwoman comic book for DC Comics.

Less than four days now until StarCraft II is released. Will it live up to the hype? Fingers crossed:

• Nexon has relaunched the official Vindictus web site.
• Kalypso Media also launched the official Patrician IV web site today
• More rumors about the next Hitman game are showing up on the web.
• Want to play Alien Swarm in first person mode? Here's how you do it (there is no ceiling or sky, naturally).
• A new update for Counter-Strike Source adds Steam Clan Tag support along with the new achievement Clan Warfare
• Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II will have Boba Fett in it.
• The novel Star Wars The Old Republic Fatal Alliance is now in book stores. Here's a sample of the first chapter.

Even though LucasArts has yet to confirm a PC port for Star Wars The Force Unleashed II, we are going to assume that it will happen someday, if history is any indication. Now Dark Horse Comics has announced plans to do a graphic novel adaptation of the action game sequel.

The 88 page trade paperback collection is currently scheduled for an early October release, a few weeks before the game itself is set to ship to stores on October 26. Haden Blackman, who wrote both the original game and its graphic novel adaptation, will be doing the same thing for the sequel. Artist Omar Francia, who just finished drawing Mass Effect: Redemption for Dark Horse, is handling the art chores for this new project.

More and more we are seeing publisher use things like Twitter or Facebook accounts to reveal important bits of info. Today LucasArts used its Facebook page for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II to reveal that the action game sequel is scheduled for release on October 26.

Unfortunately that's pretty much all the info we have on the game at this point. Aside from a CGI trailer that was first shown released last December there's been nothing on the game's progress until today. Indeed there's still no word on what platforms the sequel will appear on. The PC port of the original Force Unleashed game was released in 2009, over a year after the console versions were released.

Big Download has learned through several unnamed but reliable sources that Austin, Texas based game publisher Aspyr Media has laid off a large amount of its team members a couple of weeks ago. One of our sources estimated that over 50 percent of the workers were let go with only a handful of team members now remaining in the offices.

Aspyr Media began in 1996 as a major Mac game developer and publisher but has expanded over the years to include PC and console titles. This year it released several PC games including a number of titles from Russia-based 1C Company. Last month the publisher released Star Wars The Force Unleashed Ultimate Edition for the PC to retail stores and Dreamkiller as a Steam download exclusive. Most recently the company was responsible for the Xbox Live Arcade and Playstation Network port of the original Call of Duty game. Big Download has both emailed and called Aspyr Media to get any official comments on their current situation.

It's Wednesday so that means its time for another game reveal teaser for the 2009 Spike TV Video Game Awards. As teaser trailers goes (and again this one is hosted by GameTrailers.com) this one is kind of . . . eh. It announces that there will be a new Star Wars game announcement at the show which takes place on December 12.

So what could it be? Maybe a sequel to The Force Unleashed which sold very well for publisher LucasArts? How about the long awaited Star Wars Battlefront 3? If we PC gamers cross our fingers maybe we will get a Jedi Knight sequel or possible a new Empire at War title. Or could it be something totally new? In the meantime you can check out the teaser after the jump: