I know the original Star Wars: The Force Unleashed has been out for about a year now, but with the recent addition of PSN Trophies to the title and a new version of the game hitting soon (Ultimate Sith Edition), I figured there’d be plenty of you giving the game a first (or second) look. Also, LucasArts‘ Presidio campus is pretty much the coolest workplace location on the planet, so we had no problem coming back :-)

So after Chris was done taking a look at Star Wars Battlefront Elite Squadron for PSP, Assistant Production Manager Cameron Suey popped the updated Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Ultimate Sith Edition into the PS3. This version packs a couple of interesting “What if?” levels onto the original game, as well as some new trophies to boot (eagle eyes will catch our demo dude unlocking one late in the video).

Let the wampa slaughter commence!

The February episode of Qore’s got variety and new technology.

Resident Evil 5 in QoreVision
With all the talk about the co-op game play in Resident Evil 5, the Qore team has developed a sweet new way for you to experience it. Using your PS3 controller, you can switch between character viewpoints in real-time during our walkthrough to better understand the strategies involved.

The Godfather II
Making a game based upon one of the most beloved movies in cinematic history is a huge challenge, but for The Godfather II Veronica Belmont discovered that the developers at Electronic Arts captured the spirit of the film - with sizzling blackhand combat enhancements and the new “Don’s View.”

Pitchers and Catchers Report
With baseball’s spring training getting underway this month, Audrey Cleo reports on the new features and gorgeous visuals of MLB 09 The Show.

Digital Destruction
At LucasArts in San Francisco, the Qore team breaks down the animated magic of Digital Molecular Matter – the unique technology used to create realistic destruction in Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.

As for downloadable content, we’ve got two new exclusive Killzone 2 themes and a voucher for the PSone classic Syphon Filter.* We’re celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the espionage classic created by Sony’s Bend Studio, whose latest project, Resistance: Retribution, is coming to the PSP in March.

Qore Episode 09 arrives on February 12.

* *E-mail vouchers will be provided to annual subscribers. Single episode purchasers will also receive a Syphon Filter voucher via e-mail, provided that they purchase Qore Episode 09 on or before March 31.

Hello PlayStation Blog readers!

I wanted to take a quick moment to remind everyone about the launch party we’re hosting at Best Buy (1717 Harrison St. in San Francisco) tonight. From 7pm to midnight we’ll have the game available to play early, tons of great photo opportunities, and a chance to meet the cast and crew. Please stop by and say “hi” if you live in or around San Francisco; we’d love to meet you.

I’m so excited that we’re this close to launch. Tonight at midnight the world will finally get a chance to play the game we’ve worked so hard on for the last couple years. I’m extremely proud of what the team here at LucasArts has accomplished and hope that you all will enjoy the game. Here’s a developer interview with a deeper look at the PS2 version of the game:

I’ve also been asked to close with a trivia question … My instructions were: “nothing too obscure, but nothing too easy, either…” In the Internet Age, with sites like StarWars.Com and Wookieepedia out there, I think it might be impossible to come up with something that can’t be answered with a three-second Google search, but I’ll try: What type of music do Ugnaughts listen to? (believe it or not, it’s in the game …)

The first person to submit the correct answer will receive a special prize chosen from the Lucasfilm archives, a “Star Wars: The Force Unleashed” novel, “The Art & Making of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed” book, a Lego Rogue Shadow Kit, a Star Wars: The Force Unleashed t-shirt and an Inflatable light saber.

Correct entries 2 through 5 will receive a “Star Wars: The Force Unleashed” novel, “The Art & Making of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed” book, a Lego Rogue Shadow Kit, a Star Wars: The Force Unleashed t-shirt and an Inflatable light saber.

And correct entries 6 through 10 will receive a Star Wars: The Force Unleashed t-shirt and an Inflatable light saber.

Email your answers to PlayStationTFUcontest@gmail.com. Don’t bother posting the answer in the comments section - it won’t count!

And now for the required legal jargon:

OFFICIAL RULES – “Star Wars TFU Blog Sweepstakes”

1. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. To enter, visit http://blog.us.playstation.com. Answer the question posed by the Star Wars Producer posted on the blog post and email your answer to PlayStationTFUcontest@gmail.com. Sweepstakes starts September 15, 2008 at 12:00 p.m. (PST) and ends September 15, 2008 at 11:59 p.m. (PST). No other method of entry will be accepted. To be eligible, completed entries, including the correct response to the question posed, must be received no later than September 15, 2008, at 11:59 p.m. (PST). Limit one entry per person and valid e-mail address for the duration of the promotion. Entries will be declared made by the authorized account holder of the e-mail address submitted at the time of entry. Subsequent entries will be disqualified. Sony Computer Entertainment America (the “Sponsor”) is not responsible for lost, late, mutilated, illegible, incomplete or misdirected entries. Sponsor is not responsible for technical, hardware or software failures of any kind, lost or unavailable network connections or failed, incomplete, garbled or delayed computer transmissions which may limit an entrant’s ability to participate in the contest. Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to cancel or suspend this sweepstakes should virus, bugs or other causes corrupt the administration, security or proper play of this sweepstakes. Entries not satisfying these Official Rules will be automatically disqualified.

2. PRIZES: The first ten (10) correct answers received will receive a Star Wars: The Force Unleashed t-shirt and an Inflatable light saber (approximate retail value $9). The first five (5) of the above 10 correct answers will also receive, in addition to the above prizes, a “Star Wars: The Force Unleashed” novel , “The Art & Making of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed” book, and a Lego Rogue Shadow Kit (approximate retail value $119). The first (1) correct answer from the above 10 correct answers will receive all of the above prizes and a special prize chosen from the Lucasfilm archives. (Approximate retail value $319) Sponsor reserves the right to substitute prizes of equal value if prizes are unavailable. Prizes are non-transferable and no substitutions allowed.

3. WINNERS: Winners will be determined based on the first entries received. Winners will be selected among all eligible entries. Winners will be contacted via their emails on September 22, 2008. If winners entered via a mail-in entry, they will be notified by email. Online users, be sure to check your user mail on September 22, 2008 to see if you are a winner. If your name is selected you must respond via email to PlayStationTFUcontest@gmail.com within five (5) days to accept the prize. Failure to respond within five (5) days will result in forfeiture of prize and an alternate winner will be selected among all eligible entries.

4. ODDS OF WINNING: The odds of winning depend on number of valid entries received.

5. ELIGIBILITY: Open to legal U.S. residents only aged 13 or older. Return of any prize/prize notification as undeliverable will result in disqualification and an alternate winner will be selected. The prize winner may be required to sign an Affidavit of Eligibility and Release within fourteen (14) days of receipt or forfeit prize. If the prize winner is a minor, then prize will be awarded in the name of the minor’s parent or legal guardian. By acceptance of prize, winners agree that Sponsor, their affiliate companies, subsidiaries, parent companies, advertising and promotion agencies, and their respective officers, directors, employees, representatives and agents will have no liability whatsoever for and will held harmless against any injuries, losses and damages of any kind alleged to or resulting in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from acceptance, possession, misuse or use of any prize or participation in this game. Winner agrees to the use of their name and/or likenesses for purposes of advertising, trade, or promotion without further compensation, unless prohibited by law. Employees of the Sponsor and its parent, subsidiaries and affiliated companies and their immediate families living in their households are not eligible to participate in this sweepstakes. Neither the Sponsors nor its affiliates, subsidiaries, division or related companies are responsible for any damages, taxes (federal, state or local if any), or expenses that winners might incur as result of entering or participating in this sweepstakes or upon receipt or use of prize.

6. WINNER LIST: To obtain names of winners, send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to Star Wars TFU Blog Sweepstakes, 919 E. Hillsdale Blvd. 2nd Floor Foster City, CA 94404. Prize winners name request will be fulfilled within four weeks after prize has been awarded. Requests for winner list must be received by September 22, 2008.

7. RESTRICTIONS: Void where prohibited or restricted by law.

8. SPONSOR: Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc., Foster City, CA 94404

I’m really excited for this opportunity to make my first public post about Star Wars: The Force Unleashed here at PlayStation.Blog. I spoke with Jeff from the Blog last Friday, and many of the questions you asked are answered in the video below.

The game is finally done, after several years of hard work by an incredibly talented team, and I can now just enjoy playing the game and begin to reflect on the experience of building it. When I do look back on the development effort, I’m amazed and humbled by the fact that we actually managed to finish the game. As the first internally-developed title from LucasArts in quite some time, we bit off several huge challenges, including: building a brand new game engine and tools from scratch for two new (at the time we started, anyway) platforms (including PlayStation 3); crafting a new story that bridges the gap between the two Star Wars trilogies; assembling a new team that had never worked together before; and integrating new and cutting-edge simulation-based technologies. Along the way, we also formed a new and unique partnership with our sister company Industrial Light & Magic, and worked closely with Krome Studios in Australia on the PS2 and PSP versions of the game.

From the outset of development, we were committed to building games from the ground up for each platform, taking advantage of each platform’s strengths. We really tried to push the visual boundaries on the PS3, with lighting, cinematics, and VFX that I believe are world-class. In order to achieve the scale of destruction necessary to make the Force feel truly “unleashed,” we worked with Pixelux Entertainment to incorporate a simulation-based technology called Digital Molecular Matter (or DMM), which simulates the way that materials behave based on real world physics. If you throw a stormtrooper through a plate glass window, that window will shatter differently every time based on the angle of impact, the velocity of the stormtrooper, and other factors. We also use DMM on things like metal doors, which you can blast your way through using a powerful charged Force Push that causes the doors to bend and warp. To bring our characters to life, we collaborated with Natural Motion to integrate biomechanical AI called euphoria into the game. Euphoria infuses each of our enemies with a central nervous system and full suite of reflexes. Stormtroopers you pick up with the Force will writhe and flail, and will protect their heads or grab onto objects when thrown. The power of the next-gen systems allowed us to bring together these technologies – alongside the Havok physics system – to create authentic environments that are ultimately designed to be just really fun and interactive Force “playgrounds.”

The feel of being “unleashed” has also been brought to life on the PlayStation 2 through robust physics. The physics system allows the player to affect and move around more objects than I’ve personally ever seen in a PS2 game. This allowed us to create highly-interactive and destructible environments. We also added exclusive content to both the PS2 and PSP. You’ll be able to visit the Jedi Temple, for example, a location that’s not found in the PS3 version of the game. On the PSP, we also have the concept of “historic missions,” which allow players to relive some of the key fights from the Star Wars Saga – but with “unleashed” powers. Imagine Luke and Darth Vader battling on Cloud City, but with amped up Force Push, the ability to create violent shockwaves, and more… And the PSP is one of the few platforms to include a multiplayer mode, again because we wanted to ensure that each version of the game has its own unique features.

Everyone at LucasArts, ILM, Krome, n-Space, Skywalker Sound, and Lucasfilm who has touched The Force Unleashed has worked extremely hard to realize the core vision: a game about kicking ass with the Force, wrapped up in a compelling new story that bridges the gap between the two trilogies. Most of us on the team are Star Wars fans, and we tried to make a game that we’d want to play, with a story that we felt remained true to the saga. But ultimately, I’m just hoping that people will find the game fun and addictive, whether you’re tossing stormtroopers into oncoming TIE fighters or punting Jawas into chasms on the junk world of Raxus Prime. I’m really looking forward to meeting fans at our Launch Event on Monday the 15th, and to hearing reaction to the gameplay and story.

We’ll have more on that - and a way for you to win some Star Wars/The Force Unleashed loot - next Monday.

I’m pretty confident that any gamer with at least a passing interest in the Star Wars universe knows that Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is coming to the PLAYSTATION 3, PS2, and PSP this month (September 16th, to be exact).

That’s why SCEA is teaming up with LucasArts and Best Buy to mark the midnight release of the game in San Francisco on the night of September 15th - and everyone’s invited to the launch party. Beginning at 7pm, the 1717 Harrison St. Best Buy location (that’s my hood!) will feature appearances by Sam Witwer (Darth Vader’s Secret Apprentice - and main character of the game), as well as a number of other cast members. From the game development side, Executive Producer Haden Blackman and others from LucasArts will be on hand. Attendees will be able to play the full version of the game in advance, and take photos with Star Wars characters.

“But I don’t live in San Francisco!”, you may be typing furiously into the comments section. Well, we thought ahead about how to include the rest of the country. Here’s the plan:

Later today, I’m going to visit with Haden Blackman at LucasArts for an interview. What do you want to know about the game (or anything, for that matter)? I’ll ask him for you.

The interview will show up on the Blog this coming Monday - and at that time, Mr. Blackman will ask a Star Wars-related trivia question. The first respondents with the correct answer will win special Star Wars/The Force Unleashed collectables. We’ll have all the details on how to win (and what you’ll be playing for) this Monday.

In the meantime … tell me what to ask the Executive Producer of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed!