Lucas Arts turned up the heat during this year's E3 by unleashing the latest trailer of the next highly anticipated Force-using, butt-whooping, lightsaber wielding game in the Star Wars franchise. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is, by the looks of it, going to be the most epic title released in that line to date.

Set in the time between Episodes III and IV, players take control of Darth Vader's secret apprentice and are let loose on the universe to wreak havoc with the force. Utilizing the Digital Molecular Matter (DMM) developed by Pixelux Entertainment and NaturalMotion Ltd.'s euphoria technology, this game promises some of the most realistic physics and biological responses found within a game.

With beautifully rendered and intricately detailed animations, an epic storyline approved by George Lucas himself, and some of the most realistic environmental details this side of Naboo, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed will surely bring out the Sith in you. Watch the trailers and give in to the call of the dark side.

 

If it isn't apparent from the pre-vis video that was released months ago, LucasArts wanted emphasize "kicking ass" with the Force in their game Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.

But how does the man behind the force, George Lucas take to all this Force-ass-kicking? Well, Star Wars: Force Unleashed project lead, Hayden Blackman informed the press at the Game Developers Conference 2007 that when he put together a "pre-viz" video (we're assuming that it's similar to the one released to the press) that showed off the interactivity and the force related physics in the game to Mr. Lucas, it was one of the most frightening moments of his life. He explains:

Here we were showing the guy who created the force where we wanted to go with the games. ...He turned to us and said, "That's great, that's exactly what you need to do for games, go make that game." And I was terrified because we didn't have the technology to implement this into a game yet.

Over at LucasArts, they define the term "next-gen gameplay" by its focus on simulation-based gameplay as opposed to hard-coded scripted events. Over at LucasArts, while they still have to "hard code" certain aspects of next-gen gameplay, it is the exception rather than the norm.

Given that the concept they gave Lucas got the approval but they didn't have the tech yet. And LucasArts wanted to do less hard-coding, and focus more on simulation. It's no surprise that they're putting their eggs in the much touted Digital Molecular Matter physics, Euphoria, and Havok engine basket.

Will those engines make LucasArts' Star Wars: The Force Unleashed match up to the pre viz that Blackman showed Lucas? Well, given that there isn't a narrow enough release window yet, we'll just have to hope and pray for a demo or something so we'd have something to chew on.

Jay of TheForce.Net gives us the lowdown on the details revealed in a Game Informer feature regarding details surrounding LucasArts' upcoming Star Wars: Force Unleashed.

First off, the various platforms the game is made for and who will be responsible for each version. You guys already probably know a lot about the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of the game, so we'll skip to the rest.

Krome Studios will be responsible for the PSP and PS2 version of the game, while n-Space will be handling the DS version. As for the Wii, well, a version for Nty's console is not likely. And if there will be a Wii version, it won't be what fans expect. A LucasArts representative says, "Even if that version does happen, it probably wouldn't be "the lightsaber game" that gamers have eagerly been awaiting."

Get the rest of the article after the Jump!

Will Wright will be the recipient of the 2007 Vanguard Award from the 2007 Producers Guild Awards. The Vanguard Award is a recognition of outstanding achievement in new media and technology. Previous recipients of this award include George Lucas, James Cameron, and Jon Miller. The awarding would be on January 20 at the Century Plaza.

Just in case you have no idea who the heck Will Wright is, he just happens to be the brains behind simulation games SimCity, The Sims (PC, Wii), and the upcoming PC game Spore. Mr. Wright dabbled on a lot of things when he was in college, he took up architecture, then mechanical engineering, and then finally landed on computers and robotics. In the end, he became a statistic in the classic story of high tech business - after five years of college, he did not attain a degree.

But back to the Vanguard Award. PGA Awards co-chairs Mark Gordon and Hawk Koch said that "Will Wright is the icon of the gaming industry and one of the great producers of entertainment content. His creations have transcended into feature films and continue to entertain a global audience. We are proud to have him be the first Vanguard recipient from the gaming universe."

In return Mr. Wright said that "The PGA’s decision to honor a game designer is a big moment for game designers such as myself, and those who would like to follow in our footsteps. The PGA is signaling that games are an integral part of the entertainment industry, and an art form worthy of recognition. For that reason, I am incredibly honored to be the first game designer to receive the Vanguard award."

Congratulations to Will Wright! He deserves it.