Star Wars: The Clone Wars & Force Unleashed
Star Wars, TV, movies May 19th, 2008It’s a big year for the continuing saga of Star Wars. This year will see the new “The Clone Wars” cartoon and the new multimedia event “The Force Unleashed”. Even though I know better, I’m finding myself interested in these items.
Click here to view for the new “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” trailer. I’m not entirely sure how I feel about this new animation style, but I’m more impressed than I expected to be. I really expected to hate this look after falling in love with the original Cartoon Network version of Clone Wars. Lucas says the new style was inspired by the look of the old Thunderbirds TV series. That interview can be found here.
This new Clone Wars premiers first as a theatrical movie on August 15, 2008. Then it will be followed up with a television series starting in the fall on Cartoon Network. This series takes place between Episodes II and III. Looks like Anakin has a padawan of his own this time, Ahsoka Tano. On the down side, that’s not Frank Oz doing the voice of Yoda.
Interestingly enough, Star Wars has another major project this year also. It’s called “Star Wars: The Force Unleashed“. It was original supposed to launch in Spring 2008, but now it’s been postponed until September. I gotta think the postponement has something to do with the new Clone Wars cartoon.
This multimedia event will have numerous products that tie-in. The centerpiece is a new video game, but there will also be a tie-in novel, a graphic novel, action figures, a reference book, and a role-playing supplement. This event is being marketed somewhat like “Shadows of the Empire” was back in the 1990’s. I personally find myself more excited about “The Force Unleashed” than the new “Clone Wars”.
This story takes place during the large gap between Episodes III and IV. It follows Darth Vader’s Secret Apprentice as he hunts down the few remaining Jedi. Apparently the story will also explain key plot points that directly lead into the events of Star Wars Episode IV.
You can watch the amazing trailer for the video game below. It takes a little while to load, so I would load the whole file first, just so it plays smoothly. It’s worth the wait.
Even though I’ve been let down by Star Wars over the past several years, I’m looking forward to seeing some new adventures. I’ve got my fingers crossed that they will be enjoyable.
May 19th, 2008 at 8:40 am
alright, let me say first and foremost, that i have been Very disinterested in the Clone Wars cartoon movie. I admit i did not know about the game, The Force Unleashed. Now that i have viewed both trailers i am somewhat more interested, but i am by no means excited. I will see Clone Wars in the theater now, while before i was likely 50-50. The thought that came through my head as i have been typing this is why does Lucas have to always recycle characters? Does it really have to be Jabba the Hutt’s son? I think i am just further disappointed in the lack of creativity shown by Lucas. Once again we are going back to Tatooine. For a planet described as ‘if there is a bright center to the galaxy, then you are on the planet that it is farthest from’a whole lot of shit goes on there.
May 19th, 2008 at 9:03 am
I can tell you that my 8-year-old son about fainted with joy when he saw the trailer. While George Lucas has broken my heart several times over since 1983, the excellent Cartoon Network series gave me hope that he’ll employ some people who a) know what they’re doing and b) are allowed to do some creative things. And please, God, no Jar-Jar Binks.
May 19th, 2008 at 9:24 am
Lucas, via episodes I-III and his insistence they’re just as good as the original trilogy, has finally broken my will, to where i no longer give a crap about new Star Wars projects.
i’m hoping he doesn’t do this to Indy for me.
May 19th, 2008 at 11:11 pm
Thanks for the comments! I can see what you all mean from the prequels. I’ve personally found myself enjoying other people’s work in the Star Wars sandbox. That’s what made Clone Wars so good the first time, it wasn’t really Lucas’s work.
That’s why I’m hopeful for this Clone Wars and even more hopeful for The Force Unleashed. Even though I don’t play video games, I’m looking forward to all the ancilliary items for Force Unleashed.
May 20th, 2008 at 3:24 am
I saw a preview of Forced Unleashed earlier this year and it really is as drool worthy as you think it’ll be. It’s very much like Knights of the Old Republic - only a lot better.
I don’t know if I’m going to get an actual preview to play before release, but if I do, the XBOX party’s at my place!
Roll on September, I say.
May 20th, 2008 at 6:42 am
Yeah, I’ve been waiting on this for months also. At first, I thought it was kind of lame to create a Force character that could bring down a Star Destroyer but I realize that has got to be just an element as a “wow” factor in the trailer to initiate the Star Wars drool factor. I plan on renting the game first to make the judgment on if it’s buy worthy.
The Clone Wars stuff: I could honestly care less. We’ve already seen this stuff. I would have rather seen something new, something closer to a post-Return of the Jedi era stuff.
May 21st, 2008 at 12:46 am
Stuart - If you didn’t live across the pond, we might actually consider crashing your house for the aforementioned XBOX party. Damn brits living so far away. You know, it would be much more convenient for Americans that are British culture fans if you all just moved over here. Can you make that happen?
May 21st, 2008 at 2:02 pm
You know, anyone is welcome to a bash on the new games I’ve got.
I’ve got Crisis Core at the moment, and, owing to a lovely screw up with my spore preview, I get the world’s first playable day with the game next month.
It’s a shame you guys don’t live down the street or every night would be game night!
August 9th, 2008 at 10:24 pm
i dont get it why does he kill the troopers? is’nt he evil? or what? but yes im looking foward to this awsome game.