Star Wars and gaming: two great tastes that taste great together... for the most
part, that is. We can all forget Jedi Power Battles and, well, those other bad
Star Wars games. You know the ones I'm talking about. But I digress. For now,
we may forget the bad and rejoice in the good, for today LucasArts and BioWare
have announced a partnership to develop an honest-to-goodness RPG based in the
Star Wars universe.
Not to be confused with Star Wars Online, the forthcoming massively multiplayer
online endeavor under development by Verant and Sony Online, this currently unnamed
RPG will take place four-thousand years prior to Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. The game will focus on
the struggle between the Jedi, the guardians of the then-strong Republic, and the
Sith, servants of the Dark Side. Although this time period was detailed by Dark
Horse Comics, it has never been used as a setting for a game. It should also be
noted that the game will feature characters that are entirely different from those
that figured into the comic books.
Although specific details are scant at press time, it has been confirmed that
this game will be developed for the PC. BioWare has indicated that it is likely
that the RPG will also be made available for the Playstation 2, Dreamcast, and Macintosh
platforms. Furthermore, the game will be developed as a single-player title, although
BioWare has said that a multiplayer aspect is not out of the question. BioWare is
also developing a brand spankin' new engine for the game's 3D graphics.
As for the release date... Well, let's put it this way: to call this information a
teaser would definitely be an understatement. Slated for a 2002 release, this
game is quite far off. Given the generous development schedule, we can only hope
that it won't be pushed off any further. Details on this game will undoubtedly
be forthcoming, so stay tuned to RPGamer for more news at it develops.
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