When it comes to video games based on Star Wars, most people want to do those badass Jedi back flips, swing a lightsaber, and basically be one with the Force. And those that don't want to be a Jedi usually want to climb into some surplus Mandalorian "super commando" armor and play bounty hunter.
Star Wars 1313, which LucasArts demonstrated at this week's Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), allows players to opt for the latter and play as a bounty hunter on the Republic/Imperial capital planetary metropolis of Coruscant. The title actually refers to the fact that the game takes place on level 1313, a dodgy place that is one of the thousands of subterranean levels on the massive city planet.
Exactly why this underground level is the center of the intergalactic underworld isn't made clear, nor is how much of the game will be set there. The level demonstrated at E3 focused on a pair of bounty hunters as they start their journey down a massive hole into the depths of the planet. Details surrounding the nefarious pair, or even what their motives might be, were left unclear. But one thing is clear: these are pros. Maybe not to the level of Jango Fett or clone son Boba Fett, but then again, we must consider their cinematic fates.
Star Wars games have had a notoriously mixed track record when it comes to video games (perhaps to the point that only Star Trek has a worse track record). However, this time LucasArts called in Industrial Light & Magic, Skywalker Sound and Lucasfilm Animation to help develop the game. The collaboration included motion capture of the character's motion along with facial movements. The result is an impressive looking game with very lifelike characters, yet it doesn't ever fall into the so-called "uncanny valley."
Rumors have circulated that the game could be related somehow with the long-rumored live-action TV show, but time will tell. The third-person gameplay promises to combine lots of duck-and-cover action, with an emphasis on gadgets and high-tech gear -- no doubt because the game moves away from force powers.
Additional mysteries that beg answers are when Star Wars 1313 will arrive and for what system. Chances are, though, it will be a long, long time before gamers will head to the galaxy far, far away.
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