Han Solo, P.I.
Our friends at The Bat Blog point out this Nerdage-appropriate YouTube video, called “Han Solo, P.I.” It’s a remake of the Magnum, P.I. intro, this time with Han Solo in the starring role, using footage from the original “Star Wars” trilogy.
Want to see a side-by-side comparison with the original intro? Makes it even more impressive, I think:
Funny to see some of the Harrison Ford-Tom Selleck similarities when pointed out like that. And of course, as many know, Selleck was the original choice for “Indiana Jones,” which ended up going to Ford.
- Matt Price
Death Star = $15 septillion
Multimedia Mike Koehler points out this site calculating the cost of building and launching a Death Star, like in “Star Wars.” The cost? About $15 septillion, or 15 followed by 24 zeroes.
I have one small quibble, as also pointed out here: Wasn’t the Death Star built in space? Thus, the launching costs wouldn’t be accurate. (Though I guess the materials have to get there somehow.)
– Matt Price
Star Wars retold by someone who hasn’t seen it
Star Wars: Retold (by someone who hasn't seen it) from Joe Nicolosi on Vimeo.
A retelling of the “Star Wars” original trilogy, by someone who’s only seen bits and pieces of it. Pretty brilliant.
Sabers bring slashing action to the Wii
THE NEXT LEVEL
If you’re enjoying “Star Wars: The Force Unleashed” for the Wii, but find you just haven’t been able to slash enough, a new product is coming to your rescue: Dual Glow Sabers from dreamGEAR. For about $25, you can get a set of two. Your Wii remote goes into the cradle of the saber.
Gamers can choose from Sith red or Jedi blue, and play with these Wii accessories. And not only on “The Force Unleashed,” but on any Wii game that requires a slashing motion. The Dual Glow Sabers are compatible with all Wii sword-fighting games.
The LED lights in the sabers are handy, and the sabers themselves seem pretty durable. (I don’t know that I would recommend repeatedly knocking them against each other, not that anybody would do that.) And they don’t seem to have a negative effect on gameplay.
If you’re not sure that you need your Wii controller to look like a lightsaber, you might think again — LucasArts’ “Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Lightsaber Duels” is shipping in early December.
Producer Ken Fox told IGN.com that “Clone Wars” for the Wii would be “all about lightsber dueling.”
“It’s about swinging your Wii remote like a lightsaber and recreating what we know will be classic lightsaber battles from the movie and the show,” he said.
By Matthew Price
Assistant Features Editor
From Friday’s The Oklahoman
Game review – Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
By Matthew Price
THE NEXT LEVEL
Become Darth Vader’s secret apprentice in “Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.” “Force Unleashed” is set between Episodes III and IV of the “Star Wars” saga. Vader’s apprentice is Starkiller. Vader keeps his apprentice’s moves secret even to the Emperor. Starkiller follows Vader’s commands in this storyline, officially sanctioned by George Lucas.
Starkiller was orphaned during a battle on the Wookiee planet of Kashyyk. Sensing Starkiller’s strong Force abilities, Darth Vader takes the young boy on as his apprentice. Years later, as the Clone Wars come to an end, Vader sends Starkiller on a mission, to find and destroy the remaining Jedi.
Starkiller’s joined in his quest by the android PROXY and a female pilot, Juno Eclipse.
There’s a lot to like in “Force Unleashed” — the storyline is one of the strongest ever for a “Star Wars” video game. Also, there are plenty of fun gameplay moments, especially in Starkiller’s ability to use the Force. The art design and sound design are both just right, pulling the gamer into the “Star Wars” universe.
There are negatives that take “Force Unleashed” from being a groundbreaking game into just being a solid one.
The targeting of Starkiller’s Force powers is inexact, and often frustrating. And the camera movements can be unhelpful, especially in levels with close quarters. And, unfortunately, there’s no multiplayer.
However, “Star Wars” fans will likely want to tackle “Force Unleashed” more than once, both to search for special items hidden throughout, and to find out both possible endings. The game is available for the Xbox 360, which was played for this review. It is also available on the PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 2, PSP and Nintendo DS.
For the Wii: Compared to the Xbox 360 version, the graphics are not as good on the Wii. It also seems as if the number of characters to battle has been scaled back. However, the Wii makes up for it in the control department — the motion controls, which allow many of the Force attacks to be controlled by gestures, are a lot of fun. In fact, it could get even more fun — I received an e-mail yesterday from dreamGEAR, who are sending me some lightsaber-style Wii controllers to try out with “Force Unleashed.” Look for more on that once I get a chance to try ‘em out.
Summer movies roundup
Brandy McDonnell and I discuss the films of the summer, including “The Dark Knight,” “Hulk,” “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” and more in this week’s entertainment podcast.
– Matt Price
Lucas says “Indy 5″ likely
Fox News reports George Lucas says a fifth “Indiana Jones” movie is a possibility; he also reveals that Fox passed on the new animated “Clone Wars” movie, which led the film to becoming a Warner release.
– Matt Price
“Star Wars: Clone Wars” theatrical trailer
StarWars.com has the trailer for “Star Wars: Clone Wars” that aired this past weekend with “Speed Racer.”
“Deal or No Deal” goes “Star Wars”
DEAL OR NO DEAL — Episode 361 — Pictured: Chewbacca, Darth Vader, R2-D2 — NBC Photo: Adam Taylor
“Deal or No Deal” visits a galaxy far, far away with a special two-hour “winner takes all” Star Wars-themed episode on Monday, April 28.
Guest supporters for the show include Carrie Fisher, Chewbacca, R2D2 and Darth Vader as the villainous banker.
Hosted by Howie Mandel, “Deal or No Deal” is a game show where contestants play and deal for a top prize of $1 million in a contest of nerves, instincts and intuition.
I think the 26 models in “Slave Leia” bikinis, if nothing else, should juice “Deal’s” ratings for the night.
– Matt Price
“Star Wars” characters invade “Soul Calibur IV”
Yoda and Darth Vader are among the “Star Wars” characters recently announced to appear in Soulcalibur IV for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
Vader will appear as a guest character on the PS3 version; Yoda makes his mark on the 360. The game is slated for a summer release.
“In the entertainment industry, LucasArts possesses some of the most recognizable characters and franchises in the world. We’re thrilled to integrate their historic characters into one of our most treasured brands.” said Makoto Iwai, executive vice president and COO at NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc, in a release.
From the release:
In Soulcalibur IV, the epic struggle between the spirit sword, Soul Calibur, and the cursed sword, Soul Edge, continues with revelations about this ongoing story as fighters from across the galaxy seek the powerful swords for their own goals and to face the ultimate judgment. Propelling the franchise into the next-generation, Soulcalibur IV flexes its graphical muscles to shows its visual brilliance with a new look for both allies and enemies.
Shown in true high-definition graphics, Soulcalibur IV offers an entirely new battle system that promises to revolutionize the fighting game genre. Featuring an expanded customization mode, Soulcalibur IV allows players to personalize a character to look and perform as they desire. Also, for the first time in the franchise, customized characters or original favorites can be taken online to challenge others for the top spot of this timeless series. Developed by Project Soul, the legendary team behind Soul Blade(R) and Soulcalibur(R) I-III, Soulcalibur IV is set to reinvent the brand and reintroduce the fighting genre to new and existing fans alike.
– Matt Price
