Interview: Star Wars: The Clone Wars

IGN: The game is developed for the ground up for Wii. What has this allowed you to do?

Ken Fox: The biggest thing has been the opportunity to design and tune the controls around the unique controller. That's the hook in many Wii specific games, but I think we've been able to take advantage of it like the market really hasn't seen yet. The difference between swinging your Lightsaber by hitting a button and swinging you r Lightsaber by swinging the Wii- remote is huge. Developing specifically for the Wii also gave us the opportunity to really dial in the look of the game to match the show very closely rather than needing art assets to be usable cross-platform.

IGN: Describe the gameplay in The Clone Wars. What exactly do you do? Is it a beat-'em-up? (Right now, we're picturing something like LEGO Star Wars. Please help us understand exactly the type of game you're making.)

Ken Fox: Clone Wars for the Wii is all about lightsaber 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. It's also about the character development that happens in Lightsaber Duels. We have one of the main writers from the movie and the series writing and all the voice talent from the series recording over 4000 lines of dialog for the game. So, when you as Obi-Wan versus General Grievous, they will say things to each other that they will never say to any other character. We think this is something that we've never seen in a game like this and is perfect for Star Wars and the Clone Wars franchise in particular.

IGN: LucasArts is really pushing the game's lightsaber battles. How do you control your lightsaber with the Wii remote?

Ken Fox: We've tried to make the lightsaber control as intuitive and fun as possible. It's not a Lightsaber simulator, but when you swing your Wii remote left to right; your character does the same. You use the thumbstick on the nunchuck to move your character and swing the Wii remote to swing your Lightsaber. The buttons all do cool stuff like use the force, block and dodge, but the focus is really on putting the Wii remote in the players hand and saying 'This is your Lightsaber!'

In-game screenshot of Lightsaber Duels

IGN: A lot of games have tried for one-to-one swordplay, but none have nailed it. Are you going for it?

Ken Fox: I wouldn't describe what we're doing as one-to-one in the way that you might picture, but we really tried to make it feel like you get to swing your Lightsaber 'manually'. In short, it feels like the most natural and convincing sword type experience I've had on the Wii. And on top of that, it not just a sword, it's a lightsaber.

IGN: Are you using pointer-based and gestural gameplay controls?

Ken Fox: We are not doing much with the pointer beyond menu choices as we felt like it might take away from the feeling of the Wii remote being like a Lightsaber. As far as gestural controls, there's a few 'mini game' moments that use some light gestures, but still within the context of wanting it to really feel like you're swinging your Lightsaber not using a game controller.

IGN: How can you use the environments to your advantage?

Ken Fox: Well, although we wanted to keep the focus really squarely on Lightsaber dueling, we thought you just wouldn't feel like a Jedi unless you could use the force to pick things up and throw them at each other. So we made sure that you could, you know, pick things up and throw them at each other using the force, but to make it more Lightsaber centered, we made sure a lot of the things you can throw need to be sliced off first with your Saber.

IGN: You can play as different characters from The Clone Wars series, both good and bad. How does that work?

Ken Fox: In the story mode, where we are recreating the greatest Lightsaber battles from the movie and the series, you play through as the Jedi. But in the other modes of the game, challenge, multiplayer etc. you just pick your favorite character and go to town!

IGN: What are you most proud of visually speaking in regard to the game?

Ken Fox: We are very happy with the look of the game. We use a lot of the visual tricks that the Wii is best at, but more than any specific technical achievement, I am proud of the fact through all of the technical achievements and the very close contact we have had with the animation team making the movie and the series; we have been able to achieve a look that really matches the source material and creates the very real feeling that you are playing the show.

IGN: Is there a multiplayer mode of any kind?

Ken Fox: Yes! We really see multiplayer and the social aspect of this game as a huge part of its potential. We see a scenario much like with sports games where fans will watch a real game on TV and then boot up a video game and replay the match they just watched. We see fans watching the show every week and extending the experience by booting up the Wii game and re-enacting the great lightsaber duel they just saw, then picking their favorite characters and dueling some more.

IGN: Wii owners are a finicky bunch. Why should they be excited about Star Wars: The Clone Wars?

Ken Fox: The promise of a Wii Lightsaber game has hung in the air since the Wii hit the shelves. We think this is the game that delivers on that promise. It also delivers on what we think Wii owners will want from a game based on the new Clone Wars Movie, DVD, and TV series. The Clone Wars is an exciting way to relive the duels from the series using your Wii remote as a lightsaber, as well as keep the gameplay open and accessible to everyone.

Thanks for the update.

OMG Advertisement!!!!

I can't get rid of it. It's invisible when I try to edit.

YYEEEAAAH! GO WII! Exclusive game on the Wii FTW! :D

Here is the interview for the ds version

Interview: Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Use the stylus to wield your lightsaber in this new DS-exclusive adventure.
by Matt Casamassina

June 18, 2008 - LucasArts is bringing the Force, again, to Nintendo's handheld. This time, the company's Singapore studio has developed a DS-exclusive new action-adventure game based on the upcoming Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated TV series and movie. The project, called Star Wars The Clone Wars: Jedi Alliance, thrusts you into a new storyline branch from the Clone Wars universe and challenges you to use your stylus to wield your deadly lightsaber. We caught up with project lead Feargus Carroll to learn more about the game and we've posted the first screenshot below.

IGN: Your last DS Star Wars effort was handled externally by n-Space. Why take the development process in-house?

Feargus Carroll: This DS game is based on the forthcoming movie and TV series Clone Wars. It is being developed in the Lucasfilm Animation Studio in Singapore, the same place that the TV show is being animated. The opportunity to build the game alongside the artists on the show was a unique one, and I think for the first time in the world both movie/show and game were built side by side in the same building. And the results speak for themselves.

IGN: How does the storyline of the DS game branch out from the movie and TV series, if at all?

Feargus Carroll: We've taken all the major characters from the TV show and created a brand new adventure for them. The very future of the Republic is threatened by a sinister alliance of Count Dooku and the mysterious Nightsisters – Sith Witches with Force powers and Lightsaber skills. This combination is a huge threat to the Jedi Order, and it is up to the player to uncover the plot and defeat this powerful enemy.

IGN: Explain the gameplay mechanics powering the project. What do you do?

A screenshot from the DS title.
Feargus Carroll: Clone Wars Jedi Alliance tells the story of how Jedi tag-teams work together to uncover and prevent a plot by enemies of the Republic. The player gets to choose from a possible six Jedi which two get taken on each mission. With the player directing one character and the other under AI control, the team must fight droids, Lightsaber wielding enemies, complete thrilling action sequences and solve numerous mini-games before a six-way showdown with the ultimate boss, Count Dooku! Each Jedi has their own unique fight combo moves, and they also combine to carry out unique two-man attacks on powerful enemies.

IGN: How do you control your Jedi using the stylus? Please elaborate.

Feargus Carroll: Jedi Alliance is designed, from the ground up, as a stylus driven game. Player movement, combat, Force powers and puzzle solving all driven by the stylus. The unique form factor of the DS has given us a great opportunity for the first time ever to give players direct control of the Lightsaber. With stylus control the player can aim the Lightsaber with pin-point accuracy and engage in blisteringly fast Lightsaber duels. Using the Force has never been easier – press a button, tap the screen and feel the power. The team has worked really hard to make controls really intuitive, and I believe they've succeeded.

IGN: How does the multiplayer mode work?

Feargus Carroll: At any time during play, one of your friends can drop into the game and take over control of your partner Jedi – at that point they too must engage enemies in Lightsaber duels, escape near death in the high action sequences, and combine with you to unlock secret rooms to find pick-ups and collectables.

IGN: How are you pushing the DS graphically?

Feargus Carroll: Can you imagine a fully 3D world on the DS? Well, neither could we 18 months ago, but that was the challenge I set the team, and they knocked it out of the park. You won't have seen anything like this on the DS.

IGN: You have a Jedi pairing system in the game. How does this work?

Feargus Carroll: As you will learn from the TV series, Jedi are not lone operatives; they work in partnerships, fighting alongside each other and leading the Clone troopers. We will reveal how each partnership brings a unique dimension to how the Jedi fought during the Clone Wars – their relationship to each other; their fighting moves; their Force abilities – are all different depending on which Jedi are fighting together. In a given situation, you will hear unique dialogue between each pair of Jedi, depending on whether it is master and apprentice, master and former apprentice or two Jedi Masters.

IGN: Who do you get to play as?

Feargus Carroll: This is the Clone Wars, and the Jedi Order bring out their big guns to combat their enemies – so you play as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Mace Windu, both Jedi Generals. We also have Anakin Skywalker, no longer a Padawan (apprentice) but a full Jedi; the new star of the TV show Ahsoka Tano. She is very cool and Star Wars fans will love her. We also have two die-hard fan favorites, Plo Koon and Kit Fisto. Each of these Jedi feature in the show, and you will get to see their cool and unique powers in our game.

IGN: Why should DS owners be excited about the project, in your opinion?

Feargus Carroll: In watching the TV series, fans will learn a lot more about the individual Jedi than was previously known – their relationships to each other, events from their past, how the Clone Wars were won. In the game we explore that further. This is not just the game of the TV show; this is the TV show in your pocket. Just as in the show, each game level is delivered as an episode of the story, with a cliff hangar ending that is resolved only later. This is a stylus driven game that delivers previously unknown Lightsaber control in a game that will blow your mind.

So which will be better Force or Clone wars? If you had to chose one which one?

Force, it just seems more of a single player game imo. Clone Wars seems more of a multiplayer game.

Finally!! The lightsaber duelling game we've all been waiting for. This suddenly became a must-buy. Which oddly makes Star Wars Force Unleashed a probably buy instead.

What a pesky in-article ad. Got it for you, SC.