During our DS demo, as the producer flicked frantically through dialog screens, we caught a sneak peek at a teenage Princess Leia. As the stories are essentially the same across all platforms, we’re hoping that she’ll also appear in the 360 and PS3 versions. A web post by Haden Blackman from last October said that initially The Secret Apprentice was to be older, and develop a fatherly relationship with a teenage Leia. George Lucas was uncomfortable with Leia in that role, however, and encouraged a younger Secret Apprentice. This was the genesis of Juno Eclipse; she was created as a companion/love interest to fill the void left by Leia. While our glimpse of Leia was brief, pixelly and had the voyeuristic quality of peeping through a keyhole, it was enough to set our inner fanboys alight with joy.
On our way out of the demo, we received what may be some of the best game journo swag ever: a LEGO Rogue Shadow (The Secret Apprentice’s ship.) The set features another tantalizing hint of things to come: a “Battle-Damaged Darth Vader” LEGO figure, complete with cracked helmet, scarred visage, and chunks of busted electronics hanging off his face and chest. If you’re dying for more plot spoilers, we have it on good authority that the Wizards of the Coast’s Force Unleashed miniatures game is rife with expository character cards. As usual, the Star Wars merch machine is running at full steam, with a galaxy of novels, comics and toys in the works. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is set for simultaneous worldwide release this summer. We can already hear Hollywood crying in its oatmeal – what would-be blockbuster will dare launch against Lucas’ latest opus?
Jan 25, 2008
