We knew it was coming, but today Traveller's Tales officially announced that LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga would be making its way to "next-generation" game consoles this fall. Players will be able to experience all of the block-sized Star Wars action with an added bonus of new characters, levels, and features on the Wii, PS3, and Xbox 360. Additionally, Traveller's Tales will be creating a completely new DS version of the game, redeveloped from the ground up.

LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga encompasses events from the first two games, along with other major sequences from throughout the Star Wars storyline. In addition to all the content of the first two games, The Complete Saga includes Episode II's high-speed pursuit of Zam Wessell, as well as new playable characters including Watto, Zam Wessell, and Boss Nass. This brings the total character count to over 160. On top of that, the game is said to offer new bonus levels and ten additional Bounty Hunter Missions.


These aren't the droids you're looking for...

In addition to all this, the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game will feature an online co-op mode for the first time in the series. These versions of the game will also showcase newly recreated high-res visuals. The Wii and DS versions will take advantage of those systems' unique capabilities to offer motion sensitive or touch-screen controls.

No specific release date was provided, but we will be sure to let you know when one does materialize.

The public face for most Square Enix titles in Japan has been Akitoshi Kawazu, who normally gets an "Executive Producer" credit in the staff roles at the end of all those lengthy RPGs. One of the original designers of the Final Fantasy and Saga series, Kawazu is in charge of the company's game development, and is also a member of the company board, putting him in close quarters with president Yoichi Wada.

According to the online version of Japan's Mainichi Shimbun, Kawazu will be dropping one of these roles shortly. The producer will leave his board position as of 6/23, the site reports today, and will focus his efforts squarely (har, har, har) on game development.

We're not sure if he'll go hands-on old school style, though, as he will still serve as "Executive Producer" on upcoming games.

Remember Project O? You know, Marvelous Interactive's original Wii game that drew attention at its announcement a couple of months back due to some of the players involved, including Hideo Minaba (art director on Final Fantasy XII), Kazuyuki Kurashima (designer of Moon and Endnesia), Youichi Kawaguchi (main programmer on Dragon Quest VIII) and Yoshirou Kimura (Moon, Chulip)? The mysterious game is back in the news again following an interview with Kimura, producer, Minaba, character designer, and Kurashima, monster designer, the latest issue of Famitsu.

The three first began by offering details on how the project came about. It all started, according to Minaba, when Kimura asked him for advice on what kind of art style should make it into the game. Kurashima recalled being called into a Watami (a Japanese restaurant chain) in Tokyo's Shinjuku district; apparently, this was Minaba's doing. And so began design work on Project O, with initial discussions centering on art and character designs.

We'd make our way to the Shinjuku Watami to scan the floors for any clues or forgotten pieces of art, but it turns out that there are quite a few Watami's in the Shinjuku area.

Following this initial work, the project was interrupted as Kurashima found himself in the hospital. He spent a month in a bed, he disclosed to the magazine, although he's feeling better now . In fact, the week following his release from the hospital, he apparently began creating rough sketches of the game's monsters.

Minaba and Kurashima provided a couple of pieces of artwork to the magazine. Kurashima's monster designs are a bit out of the ordinary. There's a chicken standing upright and flexing its muscles, an insane-looking bipedal cow, a tiny creature with a giant turnip on its head (or maybe that is the head!), and a volcano with what appears to be a single hand at rest beside it. Minaba's artwork shows a crowd of these creatures in a market beside a wooden structure that seems to be under construction.

"There are people who make things, and people who destroy things," commented Minaba of his artwork. Kimura continued, "Development and destruction are the keys to this games. In town, there are groups of people. Outside of town, there are groups of monsters. Development and destruction continues to take place, but it's all done via AI. I can't say anything clearer yet, though."

Kurashima provided the one small bit of solid info in the entire interview. We can look forward to over 60 creature forms, although he admitted that he's made rough sketches for only 50 of them at this point. He's going for a European essence with the art, which Kimura commented resembles something out of a European short animation.

While the three interviewees didn't give too much information on their project, Famitsu's summary of the game has us intrigued. The magazine describes the game as one part life simulation, where you view the action from afar and characters carry out their lives according to AI routines, and one part adventure game, where you follow the storyline of the main character from a closer perspective.

Two updates and Famitsu, and still only vague hints at what we can expect. Project O isn't due for Japanese release until 2008, but we presume Marvelous will start giving solid details before then. We'd suggest checking back close to the September Tokyo Game Show, where Nintendo and the Wii are expected to have a big presence.

Those looking for their next puzzling fix on DS can rejoice: Nintendo has announced it's bringing Puzzle League DS - known as Panel de Pon in Japan - to Europe on June 29.

Panel de Pon has had several names through the years (Pokémon Puzzle League, Tetris Attack) but although the name may change, the highly addictive and fantastic block-based puzzle gameplay always remains the same.

For those still unaware of its charms, you move coloured blocks left and right to form a line or column of three or more same-coloured blocks. In classic puzzle tradition, the squares then vanish with a satisfying 'pop'. As you advance, you can line up combos of block popping so that, as one set of squares disappears, more blocks drop down to form new lines - which then also vanish.

This new Panel de Pon features more modes than ever before and you can test your skills against time attacks, avalanche attacks, matches with the computer and Daily Play which, rather like Picross DS, gives you a set of regular challenges to tackle.

Meanwhile, if you like to pit your wits against human opponents, Puzzle League DS features an online multiplayer mode that sees players racing to clear the most blocks, using special attack items to hinder the progress of foes.

If all this wasn't exciting enough, Nintendo has also revealed that Puzzle League DS is launching for the bargain price of £20 (around 29 Euros).

Today Gamecock announced a few details on its upcoming bug noir game Insecticide, scheduled for release on PC and Nintendo DS this holiday season. The first offering from developer Crackpot Entertainment, Insecticide takes place in a futuristic city where insects have become the dominant species and is inspired by gumshoe detective films.

Gameplay borrows from both classic adventure titles and action games. Players will have to piece together clues to unravel a mystery and catch its culprit. Crackpot is taking advantage of the unique input options of both the PC and DS to allow for "precise navigation" of the game's environments and control of each character's special abilities.


Six legs and a six shooter.

"The heart of classic detective novels and movies is to get the audience involved mentally, but now via PC and the Nintendo DS we can get players involved in a much more tactile arena," said Rick Stults, Console Chief for Gamecock Media Group. "The mouse and the stylus are the key to the 'touch and feel' experience we're really aiming for with this game and I think that's something players are really going to enjoy."

The environments of the DS version will be realized in full 3D. The handheld version will also feature a multiplayer co-op mode.

Hit up the gallery for new images.

Introduction

An opportunity has arisen for a new version of DEFCON to be created for a mobile platform . In order to de-risk the project Introversion requires the development of a prototype that will demonstrate the game running on a simulation of the target platform.

Once we have acquired the prototype we will further investigate the commercial viability of the title. Should we choose to proceed, we will be looking to create the full version of mobile DEFCON. Whilst we would be keen to offer this work to the developer who created the prototype, this work would not be guaranteed at this stage.

Technical Requirement

We require a Windows or Mac OS executable that simulates single player DEFCON mobile running on the target platform. This prototype would simulate the screen size and resolution of the target platform, as well as the physical input system. The new platform will provide additional data sets to DEFCON and the prototype will simulate these inputs. The game would need to be interactive, but we would not expect full functionality within the prototype.

...

Timescales

Our initial plans suggest that the prototype will require approximately 3 months of full time work.

We are aiming to have a complete prototype finished by the end of September 2007.

Remuneration

The budget for the project is £6000, payable in two initial instalments of £1500 and a completion bonus of £3000.

Application

For more information or to register your interest, please send a CV to [email protected].

Introduction

An opportunity has arisen for a new version of DEFCON to be created for a mobile platform . In order to de-risk the project Introversion requires the development of a prototype that will demonstrate the game running on a simulation of the target platform.

Once we have acquired the prototype we will further investigate the commercial viability of the title. Should we choose to proceed, we will be looking to create the full version of mobile DEFCON. Whilst we would be keen to offer this work to the developer who created the prototype, this work would not be guaranteed at this stage.

Technical Requirement

We require a Windows or Mac OS executable that simulates single player DEFCON mobile running on the target platform. This prototype would simulate the screen size and resolution of the target platform, as well as the physical input system. The new platform will provide additional data sets to DEFCON and the prototype will simulate these inputs. The game would need to be interactive, but we would not expect full functionality within the prototype.

...

Timescales

Our initial plans suggest that the prototype will require approximately 3 months of full time work.

We are aiming to have a complete prototype finished by the end of September 2007.

Remuneration

The budget for the project is £6000, payable in two initial instalments of £1500 and a completion bonus of £3000.

Application

For more information or to register your interest, please send a CV to [email protected].