Archive for May 5th, 2006
“7th Heaven” Heads into the Ether (E! Online)
Friday, May 5th, 2006Spider-Man Creator Seeks New Superhero (AP)
Friday, May 5th, 2006Comparing PC Game Physics
Friday, May 5th, 2006John Callaham writes “On Wednesday we posted up comments from Havok about rival AGEIA’s use of their physics processor in the PC version of Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter. Today we have an expanded article with point-to-point comments from AGEIA that address Havok’s statements.” From the article: “How much interaction do you want in your PC games? It used to be that graphics were the number one factor in picking up a new game but now players are asking more and more about interactions in the environment. One company that has provided such interaction is Havok. They have developed a physics engine that has been used in a ton of games, including most famously in Valve’s first person shooter Half-Life 2. Recently, Havok announced plans for a new physics engine, Havok FX, that would use Shader Model 3.0 graphics cards to further enhance game interactions and physics.”
Nuggets parting ways with GM Kiki Vandeweghe
Friday, May 5th, 2006The Denver Nuggets will not extend general manager Kiki Vandeweghe’s contract, the team’s ownership said Friday.
With Favre on board, Packers open camp
Friday, May 5th, 2006Asked if he liked what he saw in his first day of minicamp, new Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy responded with a qualified “yes” Friday.
LEGO Star Wars II jumps onto the Xbox 360
Friday, May 5th, 2006Filed under: Nintendo DS, Nintendo GameCube, PC, Sony PlayStation 2, Portable, Sony PSP, Microsoft Xbox, Microsoft Xbox 360, Action
LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy will now be making an appearance on the Xbox 360, along with its earlier announced platforms (which include pretty much every current-gen system).
Whether creating a Han Solo-Greedo, lightsaber-wielding humanoid hybrid is really the wisest course of action or not is a debate best left to the fan community, however. (A green HanGreedo on the 360 — it could work.)
Our only hope is that the original LEGO Star Wars will make its way onto the official Xbox backward-compatibility list by the time the sequel’s released in September. Getting those unlockable characters from the prequels onto the next generation would be awfully nice. (Transferable saves? Even better.) The complete Lucasfilm press release follows below.
See also:
- LEGO Star Wars II out with OT DVDs Sept 12
- Original Xbox Games Playable on Xbox 360 (last updated in March)
The Epic Adventure of Star Wars Lives On This September With Exciting New DVD, Videogame and Toy Releases
Available for a Limited Time Beginning Sept. 12, New 2-Disc DVD Sets Include Original Versions of the Star Wars Trilogy as Bonus Feature
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (May 4, 2006) – Star Wars[TM] fans across the galaxy will experience the excitement and adventure of the Star Wars Trilogy as never before on Sept. 12, thanks to the premiere of LEGO(R) Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy; a new lineup of toys; and an event they’ve been asking to see for years: the DVD debuts of the original versions of the three movies that introduced audiences to the Star Wars saga.
In response to overwhelming demand from Star Wars fans, Lucasfilm Ltd. and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment will unveil attractively priced individual two-disc DVD sets of Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, Episode V The Empire Strikes Back and Episode VI Return of the Jedi. Making these DVDs truly special is the inclusion, as special bonus material, of the original versions of the movies as seen in theaters in 1977, 1980 and 1983, respectively.
Paired with the spectacular digitally restored and re-mastered movies, these versions will be available on DVD for a very limited time beginning Sept. 12 (international release dates will follow on or about the same day). On Dec. 31, the original movies will be returned to the Lucasfilm Archives. Also included on each two-disc DVD set is commentary by George Lucas and key cast and crew members.
“Over the years, a truly countless number of fans have told us that they would love to see and own the original versions that they remember experiencing in theaters,” said Jim Ward, President of LucasArts and Senior Vice President of Lucasfilm Ltd. “We returned to the Lucasfilm Archives to search exhaustively for source material that could be presented on DVD. This is something that we’re very excited to be able to give to fans in response to their continuing enthusiasm for Star Wars. Topping it off with a new interactive adventure makes Sept. 12 a red-letter day for Star Wars fans.”
The original versions of the Star Wars Trilogy movies feature Dolby 2.0 Surround sound, while the digitally restored films are presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround. All three films, both in their original and restored versions, are closed-captioned and subtitled in English, French and Spanish in the U.S. International sound and subtitling specifications vary by territory. All three films are rated PG by the Motion Picture Association of America and are rated PG in Canada.
Also on Sept. 12, LucasArts and TT Games will release LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy, the action-packed sequel – filled with tongue-in-cheek humor – to one of the best-selling videogames of 2005.
LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy combines the classic story of Star Wars with the endless customization of LEGO to create a wholly unique gaming experience that puts an unexpectedly comical twist on the Star Wars universe. Players can “build and battle” their way through the galaxy, reliving (and sometimes reinventing) favorite moments from the Star Wars Trilogy.
The epic story, characters and action are all there, and for the first time players can build and ride their own Star Wars vehicles, then get on and off of them to explore the interactive galaxy as envisioned by LEGO. True to the LEGO experience, players can even customize their own Star Wars characters: It’s the world’s first opportunity to discover a Yodarth, a See-Chewpio or a Princess Obi-Wan Kejawa (or almost any variation imaginable).
Published by LucasArts and created by TT Games, LEGO Star Wars II is slated for release across eight platforms: the Xbox 360[TM] videogame and entertainment system from Microsoft; the Xbox(R) videogame system from Microsoft; the PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system; Sony PSP[TM]; Microsoft Windows; Nintendo GameCube[TM]; Nintendo DS[TM]; and Nintendo Game Boy(R) Advance.
“Star Wars remains incredibly popular around the world, and Sept. 12 brings even more excitement,” said Tom Warner, Senior Director of Marketing for Lucasfilm Ltd. “Fans love the nostalgia of their first Star Wars experience but are also eager to see new, original entertainment from Lucasfilm, and this fall we’re bringing them both.”
Debuting day-and-date with the individual Star Wars Trilogy DVDs and LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy are new lines of licensed Star Wars merchandise and toys. Exciting new offerings from the popular Star Wars collections of Hasbro and LEGO will be on shelves, accompanied by TV advertising in the fall.
The successful Star Wars publishing program, which has seen more than 70 titles hit the New York Times Best Sellers list, will see the debut of a new novel, Darth Bane: Path of Destruction by Drew Karpyshyn, on Oct. 6. This intriguing new Star Wars adventure is set 1,000 years before Episode IV A New Hope.
Star Wars fans and movie buffs alike will get a thrill from the first-ever publication of The Making of Star Wars: A New Hope in the fall. Both new titles are published by Ballantine Del Rey.
More than 9,000 pages of information about the Star Wars saga can be found at http://www.starwars.com.
Lucasfilm Ltd. is one of the world’s leading film and entertainment companies. Founded by George Lucas in 1971, it is a privately held, fully integrated entertainment company. In addition to its motion picture and television productions, the company’s global businesses include Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound; LucasArts Entertainment; Lucas Licensing; Lucasfilm Animation; and Lucas Online. Lucasfilm’s feature films have won 19 Oscars and its television projects have won 12 Emmy Awards.
Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment LLC is a subsidiary of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, a News Corporation company.
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Friday, May 5th, 2006
In part one, Mitchell and Keller discuss in-depth the pros and cons of Joey Styles’s big “shoot-style” promo on Raw…
‘Dog Whisperer’ Sued by Pet Owner (AP)
Friday, May 5th, 2006AP - A television producer sued dog trainer Cesar Millan, star of TV’s “Dog Whisperer,” claiming his Labrador retriever was injured at Millan’s training facility after being choked with a collar and forced to run on a treadmill.
Unwelcome Wagon: Phillies fans boo Bonds
Friday, May 5th, 2006Barry Bonds heard plenty of boos in the Giants game at Philadelphia, in his first trip East this season.
Parcells: ‘I support’ T.O. acquisition
Friday, May 5th, 2006Bill Parcells says he’s happy to have Terrell Owens on the Dallas Cowboys.
Friends, family gather at memorial for Earl Woods
Friday, May 5th, 2006Friends and relatives came to the Tiger Woods Learning Center to privately remember the golf star’s father, Earl Woods, who died this week.


