It's hard to pinpoint the exact moment that LucasArts started to fall from grace, but it's easy enough to locate its lowest ebb. 2010's The Force Unleashed II failed to deliver the sequel we'd hoped for, and left the future of LucasArts looking unclear. Major studio layoffs combined with an emphasis on point-and-click re-releases left us wondering whether this would be the last we'd see of the developer's big-budget console games.
After years of relying on the sci-fi brand to bolster games that would have struggled to succeed without it, LucasArts is taking the label seriously again, promising to make a Star Wars game worthy of the name. To do that, it's done away with half-measures and tracked down some of the best creative talent in the world. And luckily, it didn't have to look far to find it.
This brought an entirely accidental advantage to LucasArts' 2010 cutbacks. When the much-reduced games team sat down to work on a game about a human bounty hunter in the world of 1313, it needed help. "We were working on the set-piece to show at E3, and there was an opportunity to brainstorm with ILM visual effects supervisor Kim Libreri and a guy called Scott Benza, who was the animation director on all the Transformers movies," explains creative director Dominic Robilliard. "That was my first contact, but after that I was advised to talk to another guy, then another guy, until this network of people on the team grew."
With a chunk of Hollywood's finest on the case, the team created a spectacular demo that became the talk of a sequel-infested E3. The ILM crew was keen to carry on, and got the nod from the Lucasfilm president to continue working on the game. Suddenly, the situation at LucasArts changed: transforming an on-the-ropes developer into one with the best graphics team in the world. It's a change that's too swift to even justify a montage, and the results are already blowing our minds.
A New Hope
LucasArts could have tried recruiting the ILM team a long time ago, but it would have been a massive waste of its time. Getting Hollywood's top CGI talent to work on an Xbox 360 game is a bit like asking NASA to come and fix your bike. As the next generation looms closer, however, the company has finally found the technology that makes its involvement worthwhile. The team outright refuses to discuss which platforms it will release on, which is as clear a hint as we'll get that it's coming to the next Xbox, not this one.
One of many highlights of the E3 demo, in which two bounty hunters face off against a group of droids boarding their ship in a spectacular mid-air battle, is the breathtaking level of realism seen in the characters. It's an effect created by something more than a simple boost to graphics horsepower. Michael Koperwas has specialised in motion capture for films like Rango and Avengers, and he brought across the necessary skills and technology for Star Wars 1313.
21 comments so far...
bamozzy on 17 Sep '12 said:
When I first heard about the concept of Star Wars 1313, I was a little disappointed. I was hoping for a new Battlefront or Rogue Squadron! Jedi's play an important role in ALL the films and I expect them in games too. With the apparent lack of Jedi's, I thought this would just be a sci-fi game and NOT a true Star Wars game. However the more I see the more interested I have become.
ILM to me are the best special effects team in movies and I am pleased that they are working on this - they helped make Star Wars what it was and their experience and knowledge is only going to benefit the game. You can already see their influence in the demo.
Whether this is next gen or not - I just hope the story lives up to the graphical presentation and this could be the best Star Wars game for many years.
Bezza89 on 17 Sep '12 said:
Yeah, looks are one thing, how does it drive? To me it looks like uncharted in space... but I am a little bitter at the absence of Battlefront. Still, with no jedi aspect the story will have to impress me a lot to warrant a purchase as I'd just see it as a normal game but with a star wars badge on it - if the demo didn't have the branding, would anyone be interested by what was shown?
So let's hope this story is very good, and that the gameplay doesn't just provide linear set-piece traversal. Then we'll all be happy. Except me, until Battlefront.
FishyGinger on 17 Sep '12 said:
The gamecube rogue squadron was really good and looked the part too, reckon a new one would be even better.
As for the original films, there were 5 jedi in the universe basically and it's quite an in depth universe so not bothered about that. Hope it's good though.
CunningSmile on 17 Sep '12 said:
I'm the opposite. Possibly because I also read the books and the comics I've been getting HUGE Jedi fatigue and would have tuned out if this was another Jedi game. In fact if you think about it one Jedi plays an important role in the films, but we've had nothing but wall to wall religious fundamentalists since the prequels. It would be more accurate to say smugglers and scum play an important role (Han and Lando versus just Luke) and they've been neglected for too long.
bamozzy on 17 Sep '12 said:
Maybe 'Jedi' is the wrong terminology - Star Wars is ore about the 'Force' whether it is used for good or evil but it is what the majority of people think of when they think of Star Wars. It was what separated it from all other Sci-Fi's. Every Sci-Fi has laser weapons, space ships, unusual looking aliens, rich and poor areas, etc etc...
I much preferred the Han Solo character to Luke Skywalker but it was the force that separated Star Wars from Star Trek for example - without that this could be just another Sci Fi shooter. I know Rogue Sqwuadron didn't really feature the force but it did have iconic space vehicles. I know Star Wars is a lot more than just the Force too but it does play a major part of the universe. It is almost like having a Tomb Raider game without Lara Croft or an Aliens game without the Acidic Blood!
CunningSmile on 17 Sep '12 said:
Strangely I was once moderator for a Comic Con debate discussing the main difference between Star Trek and Star Wars and the Force never even came up. The main difference was decided as use of technology, and the ILM guy says much the same. Star Wars had space ships and blasters but was basically a film about fighter pilots and loveable rogues, the technology was irrelevant. Star Trek is a show about how that technology works and makes things better.
And the Jedi were only cool when there was just Luke v Vader. Now they're bloody everywhere, every plot revolves around a religious debate and it's just become boring. LucasArts publish a book a month, every month, but in the last 5 years only one has not been about the Jedi/Sith conflict and it's by far the best (the Han Solo Zombie book Death Trooper) thankfully the new CEO has a bit more imagination and some more variety is sneaking in to not just the games but every media tie-in.
Bezza89 on 17 Sep '12 said:
Kind of agree with bamz, I think... nothing suggests it is a star wars game except that it's set on coruscant. Not a bad thing, but it's literally the only thing. Also, nothing even suggests that the game is mature unless a dark colour palette = mature.
In fact all we've seen is the opposite, a wise cracking cliched 'badass', oh watch out for that guy, he's not going to turn out to be a bad guy or have morally reprehensible characteristics which we may have to intervene in, and the main character saying 'why did you do that', he's a clever one isn't he? He's obviously a beam of moral light shining into the abyss even though his job is a bounty hunter, oh, no killing people badass, you'll feel bad about it even though you're grinning, deep inside you've got a heart of gold and I'll find it or end up killing you, sleeping with your attractive and unloved girlfriend who feels threatened and then another more storybook bad guy will appear. In a strip club. MATURE.
lol, of course, I could be wrong, and optimism is a lot better than my acerbic wit, but the facts don't let on much at this time, and what we have isn't something to look forward to... YET.
FishyGinger on 17 Sep '12 said:
I gotta go with cunning on this. There weren't many in the first films which made them seem very powerful, almost god-like. They decided that having something quite cool wasn't enough, so lets add 10 thousand jedi, yeah that must be 10 thousand times cooler.
Lucas came up with a decent universe with some good characters, lots of back story and aliens but it's all taken a back seat to lightsabers and not much else.
Mass effect had something similar to the force but the draw was the story and settings. Dark Forces and republic commando were good games without jedi.
Bezza89 on 17 Sep '12 said:
Hey all I'm saying is there is nothing that makes this game look any good at the moment except the prospect that it is a star wars game. Remove the name and what have you got?
Decent_Jam on 17 Sep '12 said:
This is a decent enough start, but really there's not enough for any of us to go on at the moment to make a judg(e)ment, wouldst thou agree?
bamozzy on 18 Sep '12 said:
I certainly agree with that!
My point about the Force/Jedi is that generally separates Star Wars from ALL other Sci-fi games not just Star Trek. I am not saying this game needs the Force either but apart from it having the Star Wars branding, what will separate this from any other sci-fi shooter? Light Sabres, Force Powers are amongst the top known things that define Star Wars in general - maybe Die Hard fans will have other things but even people that don't know much about Star Wars know this.
If you have the correct vehicles and equipment Light Sabres and force powers) It automatically defines this as a Star Wars game (that doesn't mean it is good but it is immediately recognisable). Without these the Storyline is so much more important. Flying an X-Wing or using a Light Sabre is immediately creating a Star Wars game. This will need a lot more if it doesn't have these things to rely on.
I haven't written this game off because of this and certainly think it looks like it could be a good looking 3rd person cover shooter - can't say it will be a good game or not to play yet though. However there isn't anything I have seen yet that really makes this a Star Wars game rather than just a 3rd Person Sci-Fi shooter.
And I am still disappointed they are not making a new Battlefront or Rogue Squadron!!
FishyGinger on 18 Sep '12 said:
Agree it could turn out good or bad but can't agree on the force thing though. If you forget laser swords and the force there's far more to differentiate star wars and star trek and any other sci fi setting to many other things. Westerns, modern day shooters, zombie based games, you're saying these genres differentiate more?
It's far easier to tell republic commando, halo and elite force apart than say battlefield 3, modern warfare and medal of honour. Or Red Dead....erm......Outlaws....running out of western games there but you get my point, what separates these other games so wildly that sci fi games can't.
To think of a franchise for only 1 aspect is doing the whole thing a bit of a disservice.
If it does just turn out to be a sci fi unchartered though I won't mind at all, unchartered is the only game on ps3 I really wanted to play.
bamozzy on 18 Sep '12 said:
I know there is more to Star Wars than the Force and each Sci-Fi has certain defining characteristics -Star Trek has a Clean look, Phasers, teleporters and the Enterprise for example If a Star Trek game had these things it is instantly recognisable. I also said that a Star Wars game doesn't necessarily have to have the force either but if not then it relies on other things to make it a Star Wars game. If you see a screen shot of a character holding a light sabre you know that it is a Star Wars game without looking at the name. A screen shot of this is not instantly recognisable as Star Wars.
The majority of Zombie Games are quite indistinguishable from each other - even some are very similar in terms of play too. I know certain Sci Fi shooters have a certain look to them and the universes all have distinct characteristics too. What I meant by my comments is that what is going to make this a Star Wars game rather than just another Sci-Fi shooter set in a darker universe (like Star Wars is) I don't know the answer yet and I do have high hopes for this. I will certainly be watching this with interest.
I also like the Uncharted series and think it is possibly the best game on PS3 - it was the main reason I bought one!
Kettch on 18 Sep '12 said:
I'm kinda looking forwards to this. My original Star Wars games were Dark Forces and Rebel Assault that worked via dos and had no Jedi. Most of the games I've played since, apart from the PC version of Rogue Squadron, have, to some extent, had playable Jedi. Much as I love all the games, it is a little overkill. Fortunately, whenever I play Battlefront 2 on my 360, I can always skip being the Jedi and rule the world as a) a stormtrooper or (occasionally) a rebel trooper b) a sniper (either side), or c) a pilot (again, either side). I also seem tobe one of the few people who enjoyed FU2(though I do think the ending was naff). Having read many of the novels, some of my favourite ones are ones that do not feature Jedi and instead focus on fighter pilots (I count Corran Horn as a pilot above being a Jedi), and so would dearly love a Rogue Squadron-like flight sime, taking in the Empire vs Rebellion, the Yuuzhan Vong war, and maybe even the civil war that followed. That would make me soooooo happy. A Battlefront 3 that encompassed the same area would be fantastic. Just so long as any games avoid anything based on the prequel trilogy, I'll be happy.
This does, however, need something, start tofinish, that is going to cry out "I'm a Star Wars game!" Jedi and the Force are irrelevant. We just need a small thing that makes it obvious. The dark undercity of Corusant will make this difficult, as it eliminates any big views of skylines dotted with landspeeders and other flying ships. Maybe if they are heavy on the real-world guns that were the orignal models for the films.....you know, the Sterlings seen everywhere, Han's Mauser pistol, the MG34 and Lewis gun you see once or twice.....what? I'm not a nerd.Really.....
FishyGinger on 19 Sep '12 said:
You need to get a force grip on some of your commas there.
CunningSmile on 19 Sep '12 said:
For me one of the defining characteristics of Star Wars, even more than the jedi and lightsabers, is the Cantina scene. Unlike Star Trek or Battle Star Galactica SW actually had the budget to have entire crowd scenes made up of aliens rather than just humans or humans painted green. It made the whole universe more cosmopolitan and interesting and I think that is one thing 1313 can really have in it's favour. In the time frame it's set the non-humans had been pushed to the fringes of society by the Empire's racism and the under belly of Coruscant is the perfect place to see them.
bamozzy on 19 Sep '12 said:
I agree about the Cantina scene - another example could be Jabba the Huts palace too. There are a number of iconic alien species in Star Wars that could make this game feel part of the universe and certainly wouldn't look out of place in the seedy underbelly of Coruscant. I know and have said Star Wars is more than the force and Light Sabres but these also identify the universe to anyone - fan or otherwise. As I said if you saw a screenshot of someone holding a light sabre you know it is Star Wars. It is instantly recognisable. so far there doesn't seem anything particular familiar with this game and the screen shots could be from a non-specific Sci-Fi. To me, when I see screenshots and even the video clips, I couldn't tell if they were Star Wars or not if it didn't have the name. That doesn't mean that the finished game will be un-identifiable in the same way as it is much too early to say that. So far we have only really seen humans and droids really and nothing particularly iconic from the universe. It is early days and we have not seen much from this yet so plenty of opportunity and scope for this
Drainwater on 20 Sep '12 said:
Personally I'd like to see some hybrid gameplay in this one. Maybe ground and space objectives? Maybe like...Shadows of the Empire? I might actually pre-order it if it had something like that. If not, it'll just wind up being yet another sci fi shooter bitter filling with a Star Wars chocolate coating for me.
Tommytoomuch on 1 Oct '12 said:
Star wars 1313 looks bloody good can't wait any release date bounding about any where..?
Decent_Jam on 1 Oct '12 said:
No platforms announced (to my knowledge) so I doubt we will see this yet. Plus the footage they've shown has 'placeholder' characters, which may change before the final game. Expect the end of next year at the earliest I'd say. To be honest I'd much rather they took their time and made a game the brand can be proud of.
CunningSmile on 2 Oct '12 said:
The complete silence on the platforms is one of the main reasons so many people are thinking it's a Gertrude launch title. After all they've released a good chunk of pictures, footage and interviews but haven't said yet if it's coming to 360 even when speaking to OXM?