It may not be the Star Wars Battlefront 3 game that ‘everyone’ wants, but it is certainly no second best either. Star War 1313 is a game which explores the much darker side of the Star Wars universe and it is easily the best looking Star Wars game in history.

The game is set in Coruscant, with the number 1313 referring to the underground level that the player finds himself on. Details on the specific storyline are sparse at the moment, but it is the jaw-droppingly good graphics that is getting everyone talking at the moment and wondering if this is a next-gen or current-gen game that we’re seeing.

Developed in-house at LucasArts, unlike SWTOR which is a Bioware made game, 1313 easily looks like it belongs on next-generation consoles. The actual tech demo shown was built on a PC using high-end NVIDIA graphics, but we have just found out that the game also uses the Unreal Engine 3, as confirmed by CVG.

Just to repeat, that’s Unreal Engine 3, not the Unreal Engine 4 that is being designed for use on next-generation consoles. It makes you wonder if we really are ready for next-generation consoles already, when seeing a game like Star Wars 1313 looking as good as this, while still being based on the Unreal Engine 3 – an old engine in reality. A quick reminder of some of the games that have used Unreal Engine 3 in the past and present: Batman Arkham City, Bioshock Infinite, Dust 514, Gears of War 3, Mortal Kombat and also 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand to name a few.

When Star Wars 1313 does release next year, it will easily go down as the best game to release on the Unreal Engine 3. It’s also interesting to see that no platforms have been mentioned yet. Would the PS3 and Xbox 360 be able to handle this game without any problems, or is it one of the many E3 2012 games we’ve seen without a platform that will end up on next-gen consoles?

Watch the fantastic tech demo below and let us know your reaction to the level of graphics on show. Does it beat The Last of Us and the Agni’s Philosophy tech demo from Square-Enix?

LucasArts has just recently registered three new website domain names that all point towards the new title, Star Wars: Identities, whether this title is for a series, film or a game is yet to be determined, but our guess unlike Fusible is that it is most likely for a new game. The three domains which were registered on Monday, November 7th are sw-id.com, Starwarsidentities.com and starwarsidentites.com.

The fact that the company founder George Lucas has in the past firmly denied wanting to make Star Wars Episodes VII, VIII and IX also rules out the probability that this new title is for a new film. However a series is still a possibility. Evidence to support the fact that it could be for a game suggests this is most likely the case. The company was recently reported to have been recruiting for a new Star Wars title, but details on what that title can be have not yet been confirmed.

Rumors that an open-world game could be on the cards have also been circulating and this news suggests that Star Wars: Identities could be it. Although nothing official has been announced by the company themselves, further evidence came from a source close to them saying a next-generation Star Wars: Starfighter game was in development. Could this be it? What do you think the newly registered domains could be for?

The Move controller would be a better choice, as the shape is already similar to a Lightsaber. This would mean that you would be able to wave it around in a comparable way to a Jedi or Sith Lord; something that cannot be done with the Kinect, as you have nothing in your hands. How many times did you have a sword fight as a child and did it without a stick or plastic sword – bet the answer would be never?

LucasArts is all about technology, and is it for this reason why they would want to stick with the Kinect, but isn’t playability just as important? We are not saying that the Star Wars game will be a let down on Kinect, we are just saying that the Move version would be more practical. Put it this way, when kids get into a Lightsaber fight scene on the Kinect, how many of them will then get out their toy version or something else just so that they can feel a little closer to the action?

Maybe we are looking at this all wrong; LucasArts is all about making money, so maybe they will come out with a Lightsaber peripheral that will work with the Kinect? This would be a good idea if they want the game to feel realistic, but then how many other games would you want a peripheral for – you may as well get yourself a PS3 Move if you wanted to go down that route?

While reading over one or two forums on this very subject we came across Movemodo, and there was one suggestion by a member that LucasArts should take a look at Sports Champions, as the gladiator game shows that Star Wars on the Move is very possible. However, if they were to implement this then Sony had better get their act together and just make those moves a little more precise. When you do the small movements Move is fantastic, but when you make much larger and faster movements things have just a slight lag – maybe that’s why LucasArts went with the Kinect after all?

As a recent benchmarkreviews.com article reports, the Star Wars: The Old Republic product range – which has been designed and developed in collaboration with both BioWare and LucasArts – is expected to launch alongside the highly-anticipated game later this year.

All of Razer’s SWTOR peripherals come with interchangeable Sith Empire and Galactic Republic faction symbols. The Star Wars: The Old Republic gaming keyboard will set you back $199.99 / €199.99 and includes a touch-sensitive LCD track-panel and a braided 7 foot USB cable.

It also features 10 dynamic adaptive tactile keys, an adjustable multi-color LED and gold backlit keys with slim key caps. Meanwhile, the SWTOR gaming mouse will cost you $129.99 / €129.99 and includes 17 fully programmable MMO-optimized buttons and a charging dock.

The gaming mouse mat is dual-sided to display the two different faction choices and has a non-slip, anti-reflective, abrasion-resistant hard coating. The mouse mat is priced up at $49.99 / €49.99. The headset on the other hand will set you back $129.99 / €129.99.

For $130 / €130 you get a 5.1 surround sound headset, a flexible boom microphone, an adjustable multi-color LED, an adjustable headband for optimal comfort and both volume and mic control buttons. You can read more about the peripheral range via benchmarreviews.com.

Would you buy any of these gaming peripherals?

As Sarafan Lord over at gamershell.com recently reported, the LEGO Star Wars 3 game was originally scheduled to be released on February 15th in North America and February 18th in the UK, but LucasArts has just announced that it won’t be arriving until March 22nd.

The upcoming LEGO game – which is being developed by TT Games – will feature all the characters from both seasons of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated TV series, along with a few fan-favorites. It also features new battle modes and brand new character abilities such as Lightsaber slicing.

If you want to learn a bit more about the LEGO Star Wars III game and its story, then you might like to head on over to the official lucasarts.com website. Stephen Ebert from electricpig.co.uk previewed the game recently and judging by his first impressions, it looks like it will be worth the wait.

According to Stephen, the LEGO Star Wars III game has all the playability, humor and personality that can be found in previous titles from Traveller’s Tales. He also claims that this game looks better and more polished compared to earlier Lego titles. You can read the full preview here.

Like so many fans, IGN has been looking forward to the game for some time, but from the start they point out that the story lacks depth and will only appeal to hardcore fans – some could say that this is a disappointment to the franchise.

The Force Unleashed 2 is like its predecessor, but powers have been enhanced, so much so that you will now be able to cut your enemies in half – what is with most games wanting an element of gore in them nowadays?

IGN has a sad conclusion to the review, one that is likely to upset most fans of the Star Wars franchise. They conclude that not only is the story a bit lackluster, but also the fact that combat has now lost some of its pace.

In the demo you will play as Starkiller on the planet of Kamino, apparently Vader will be after you and you will be able to used Starkiller’s dual Lightsabers. Other details are scarce however I’m sure it will give you a good enough taster to want to buy the game on its October 26th release date (US).

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 should build on the success which its predecessor saw when it was released in 2008, I am sure that Unleashed 2 will have better visuals and we have been informed that their will be refined gameplay, more variety and more Force powers.

I will definitely download the demo to see what its like, however I have no plans to buy the full game, perhaps an in-game Jedi mind trick may change this.

Is Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 a definite buy for you?

Source: OnlyKent