LucasArts' E3 2004 Lineup @ Gaming Target

Written by John Scalzo on May 05, 2004

News: The LucasArts E3 list: Star Wars, Star Wars and more Star Wars. Including first details on KOTOR II.

LucasArts plans to keep it short and simple at this year's E3. They only have five titles planned for the big show and four of them are Star Wars titles. LucasArts also revealed the first details of Knights of the Old Republic II, now including the subtitle The Sith Lords:

Beginning approximately five years after the events of the first Knights of the Old Republic, The Sith Lords takes players on an entirely new journey as they assume the role of what is believed to be the last Jedi in the galaxy. The game features a cast of memorable returning characters and sinister new villains. Using more than 30 new Force powers, players can turn weak-minded enemies against one another in combat with "Force confusion" or see through doors and view character alignment with "Force sight." Assigned to protect the Old Republic and the Jedi Order from the terrifying Dark Lords of the Sith, players must explore and battle through seven diverse worlds while being challenged whether to choose the light side of the Force or surrender to the lure of the dark side.

The Sith Lords is published by LucasArts and developed by Obsidian Entertainment Inc. For more information, please visit the official product website at www.swkotor.com.

LucasArts also revealed information on three other titles they plan to showcase, and one of them isn't even Star Wars related.

Star Wars Battlefront
Star Wars Battlefront is an action/shooter game that gives fans and gamers the opportunity to re-live and participate in all of the classic Star Wars battles like never before. Players can select one of a number of different soldier types, jump into any vehicle, man any turret on the battlefront and conquer the galaxy planet by planet online with their friends or offline in a variety of single player modes. Battles are set up in more than 15 environments across 10 diverse planets, such as Hoth, Endor and Tatooine, in addition to memorable Clone Wars locations like Kamino and Geonosis. Star Wars Battlefront will be released for the PlayStation2, Xbox and PC on Sept. 21, 2004, day and date with the release of the Star Wars Trilogy DVD set.

Star Wars Republic Commando
Star Wars Republic Commando is a squad-based first-person shooter that lets players explore the elite world of the Star Wars military. Leading a three-man squad of Republic commandos, players embark on a variety of missions that go deep behind enemy lines in more than 14 intense and challenging levels, spanning three unique campaigns. As a Republic commando, you will have more than a dozen deadly weapons at your disposal, including the game's ultimate weapon - your squad itself. The innovative "One-Touch Squad Control" system lets players command orders to their squad with the touch of just one button. Star Wars Republic Commando will be released in Fall 2004 for the Xbox and PC.

Mercenaries
Mercenaries is a revolutionary third-person combat-action game that delivers the next level of free-form gameplay in massive interactive environments. The game gives players the opportunity to take on the role of a soldier for hire in an open-ended world, letting players choose to be one of three mercenaries: an American ex-soldier, a British secret agent or a Swedish bounty hunter. Each playable character has unique strengths and weaknesses that affect gameplay. The nonstop action within Mercenaries is heightened by the integration of the Havok physics engine, making everything within the environment act and react as it would in real life. LucasArts will deploy Mercenaries in early 2005 for the PlayStation2 and Xbox.

LucasArts also plans to unveil the PC expansion pack Star Wars Galaxies: Jump To Lightspeed at E3 as well.