It's always sad when someone in this industry steps down, and this is no different - as LucasArts President Jim Ward is finally hanging up his ten-year tenure at the company that brought us lightsabers and spaceships. Find out why and what's in the future for Jim Ward after the jump.

There have been many lethal alliances since the dawn of time: Romeo and Juliet, Guns and Roses, Bonnie and Clyde, Tom and Jerry, Milk and Cereal. All of these have been instrumental in shaping our universe into the land it is today, and it is time for us to talk about the upcoming adventures of a whole new alliance.

This is the alliance of Rianna and Zeeo on the DS version of Star Wars: Lethal Alliance.

We picked up some new intel on the DS version and it seems you'll have a lot of interesting ways of playing the pair as they attempt to steal the schematics of the Death Star.

First off, you have to get the two to work together seamlessly, combining the defensive abilities of Zeeo with the gunplay of Rianna. You'll also be able to split up the two to do individual missions, which lets you play Zeeo in first-person mode and Rianna in your usual third-person style.

Ubisoft will also be putting some stuff made specifically for this version of the game. You'll be able to use a DS-only unique weapon called the Dual Cannon, for one thing. You'll also be able to play against three other people through Nintendo's Wi-Fi system, and playing through game unlocks new content for you to try out, which includes stylus-based minigames! In any event, you'll just have to wait for its release. Expect the DS version to come out on December 12, with the PSP version heading to stores on December 3. Happy gaming!

And the quest to restore balance in the galaxy continues with Ubisoft's next game for the Nintendo DS, Star Wars: Lethal Alliance, a game based on the Star Wars universe which, for the first time, is not created by LucasArts.

The game is set at a time that falls right between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, and the player will be playing as the orange-and-silver female Twi'lek Rianna Saren who will then be accompanied by the trusty droid Zeeo. Together, they must steal a partial set of schematics for the Death Star, and to do so, they must visit places such as Tattooine, Mustafar and the Death Star itself. The catch? Rianna is a thief and not a practitioner of the Arts. Therefore, this means that the player will not have access to things such as Force Powers or a lightsaber, and one will have to depend on guns. However, one can count to run in to characters as Kyle Katarn, Princess Leia, Boba Fett and even Darth Vader himself, so help can be expected from time to time, as well as battles.

The game is expected to be released in December 2006. So while we wait for this game to reach our DS handhelds, here's some screenshots of what we can look forward to.

Pre-order: [Star Wars: Lethal Alliance]

Games that have people's name attached to the title seem to be doing well. Great  examples are Tony Hawk and Tiger Woods-themed games. However, there's also one more familiar name that needs to be mentioned: Tom Clancy.

Tom must be really happy right now. Besides being an author of various military-related books, his name is attached to two games that are bound to be as much of a best-seller as his paperbacks. Ka-ching!

Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Double Agent (Xbox 360 and Wii): series has so far sold 14M units globally.
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas (Xbox 360, PS3, PSP): another of Tom's name on one of the better sellers: 14M again.
Rayman Raving Rabbids (Wii, Nintendo DS): The Rayman is back to sell more than 17M units worldwide.
Far Cry Vengeance (Wii): FPS series that sold 2M worldwide.
Brothers In Arms D-Day (PSP): young but sold 3Mso far. Good start.
Blazing Angels Squadrons of WWII (Wii): planes and WWII--some of the things you'll need for a good game.
Prince of Persia Rival Swords (PSP): This old game has been selling over 8M globally.
Petz (Nintendo DS): Top Ten on GBA
Red Steel (Wii): The FPS created just for the Wii. Looks awesome.
GT Pro Series (Wii): takes the Wii controllers for a real ride.
Open Season (Xbox 360, PSP, Nintendo DS, Wii) the movie-tie-in game that's all over the gaming consoles and handhelds this year.
Star Wars Lethal Alliance (Nintendo DS, PSP): the first Star Wars built just for the next-gen handhelds.
Monster 4X4 World Circuit (Wii): Scary and big trucks come rolling down the Wii.

Ubisoft has announced a new game based on the Star Wars saga, developed exclusively for handhelds. Licensed by Lucas Arts, Lethal Alliance will be an exciting third-person action adventure that takes place between Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith and Episode IV: A New Hope. Players assume the roles of both Twi’lek Rianna Saren and her security droid Zeeo, infiltrating Imperial strongholds and sabotaging the enemy. Working together with the droid will be crucial as dangerous tasks await this duo - all in order to uncover the Empire's deadliest secret: The Death Star.

Key features include:

• Unique collaborative fighting: Combining the advanced arsenal and mobility of Rianna with her technologically flexible droid Zeeo creates an unbeatable team. Players need to let the characters cooperate with each other in order to complete the complex missions.
  
• Cinematic gameplay: Lethal Alliance will feature a wide range of well-known Star Wars locations, from the buzzing streets of Coruscant and the corridors of the Death Star, to the dusty alleys of Mos Eisley. Each planet allows for unique strategies, for example setting up holographic disguises to fool Imperial guards, commandeering gun turrets, and ultimately escaping in a variety of ways.
  
• First original Star Wars game built exclusively for handhelds: Multiplayer modes enhance collaborative gameplay while taking advantage of the unique capabilities of both the PSP system and Nintendo DS.
• Iconic environments and characters: On the missions, players will encounter unforgettable Star Wars characters and species, including Boba Fett, Kyle Katarn, Princess Leia Organa, Darth Vader, Imperial officers, Rodians, Quarren and stormtroopers.

Lethal Alliance arrives on handhelds December 2006 - the screens shown in this post are from the PSP version.