Clone Wars

When we heard that Clone Wars starts up right where the Episode II movie leaves off, we casually asked LucasArts Producer Jim Tso if he could fill us in on the details of the movie's ending. No dice. But he did give us a scoop on this 3D vehicular-combat title in development at Pandemic Studios, makers of Dark Reign 1 and 2 (PC) and Army Men RTS (PS2). "We're really trying to show the Jedi at war," Tso explains, "which hasn't been done before, in movies or in games. It's something like Rogue Leader meets Apocalypse Now." For those who slept through film class, that means loads of action-heavy, mission-based combat with a gritty military theme (only on other planets). "The 16 missions include objectives like escorting convoys, defending friendly craft, and destroying targets," says Tso. "There will also be power-ups and unlockable bonus items."

Clone Wars takes place on six different planets, including Geonosis, a stark, rocky world introduced in Episode II. Because all the ships in the game are built for planetside travel and a few missions are conducted on foot, the whole game plays out close to land. But count on Clone Wars taking some cues from LucasArts' other popular space shooters. For one, fans of Starpghter and Rogue Leader will recognize the wingman controls, which can be used to issue orders to squadmates.

We took CWs multiplayer for a ride, and its Twisted /Mefo/-style combat seemed solid. Up to four players on GameCube (but only two on PS2) can play in a standard deathmatch, king of the hill, capture the flag and more. What really caught our attention, though, is the strategy multiplayer mode, which Tso says is "like Herzog Zwei (Genesis) but not quite as involved." See below for more.