Star Wars: KotOR II Announced!

As promised, LucasArts has issued a press release announcing Star Wars: KotOR II and their E3 lineup. Straight from my inbox:
LUCASARTS E3 2004 LINEUP TO INCLUDE STAR WARS: KNIGHTS OF THE OLD REPUBLIC II: THE SITH LORDS(tm)

Marin County, Calif. - May 4, 2004 - LucasArts today announced its official 2004 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) lineup, which features Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, the follow-up title to last year's award-winning role-playing game. The original KOTOR(tm) was released in 2003 and earned widespread acclaim throughout the interactive industry, including more than 35 "Game of the Year" awards. The Sith Lords will be officially unveiled at E3 2004 and will be released for the Xbox( video game system from Microsoft and for the PC in February 2005.

Beginning approximately five years after the events of the first Knights of the Old Republic, The Sith Lords takes players on an entirely new journey as they assume the role of what is believed to be the last Jedi in the galaxy. The game features a cast of memorable returning characters and sinister new villains. Using more than 30 new Force powers, players can turn weak-minded enemies against one another in combat with "Force confusion" or see through doors and view character alignment with "Force sight." Assigned to protect the Old Republic and the Jedi Order from the terrifying Dark Lords of the Sith, players must explore and battle through seven diverse worlds while being challenged whether to choose the light side of the Force or surrender to the lure of the dark side.

The Sith Lords is published by LucasArts and developed by Obsidian Entertainment Inc. For more information, please visit the official product website at www.swkotor.com.

LucasArts will also highlight the following titles at E3 2004:

Star Wars Battlefront(
Star Wars Battlefront is an action/shooter game that gives fans and gamers the opportunity to re-live and participate in all of the classic Star Wars battles like never before. Players can select one of a number of different soldier types, jump into any vehicle, man any turret on the battlefront and conquer the galaxy planet by planet online with their friends or offline in a variety of single player modes. Battles are set up in more than 15 environments across 10 diverse planets, such as Hoth, Endor and Tatooine, in addition to memorable Clone Wars locations like Kamino and Geonosis. Star Wars Battlefront will be released for the PlayStation2, Xbox and PC on Sept. 21, 2004, day and date with the release of the Star Wars Trilogy DVD set.

Mercenaries(
Mercenaries is a revolutionary third-person combat-action game that delivers the next level of free-form gameplay in massive interactive environments. The game gives players the opportunity to take on the role of a soldier for hire in an open-ended world, letting players choose to be one of three mercenaries: an American ex-soldier, a British secret agent or a Swedish bounty hunter. Each playable character has unique strengths and weaknesses that affect gameplay. The nonstop action within Mercenaries is heightened by the integration of the Havok physics engine, making everything within the environment act and react as it would in real life. LucasArts will deploy Mercenaries in early 2005 for the PlayStation2 and Xbox.



Star Wars Republic Commando(
Star Wars Republic Commando is a squad-based first-person shooter that lets players explore the elite world of the Star Wars military. Leading a three-man squad of Republic commandos, players embark on a variety of missions that go deep behind enemy lines in more than 14 intense and challenging levels, spanning three unique campaigns. As a Republic commando, you will have more than a dozen deadly weapons at your disposal, including the game's ultimate weapon - your squad itself. The innovative "One-Touch Squad Control" system lets players command orders to their squad with the touch of just one button. Star Wars Republic Commando will be released in Fall 2004 for the Xbox and PC.

Star Wars Galaxies(r): Jump To Lightspeed(
The struggle between the Galactic Empire and the Rebel Alliance extends into space with Star Wars Galaxies: Jump to Lightspeed, the first expansion for the award-winning Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing game set in the Star Wars universe. Set in the Star Wars timeframe between Episode IV and Episode V, this first extension opens 10 vast and distinct space sectors, spanning from the Core Worlds to the Outer Rim, for players to explore while engaging their opponents in intense real-time combat or uniting with friends in battle or exploration. Players can embark on more than 100 new missions, venturing through asteroid fields, nebulae and space junkyards while honing skills in four new space-specific professions. Star Wars Galaxies: Jump To Lightspeed will be released in Fall 2004 for the PC.

About LucasArts
LucasArts, a Lucasfilm Ltd. company, is a leading developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software worldwide for video game console systems and PC. Based in Marin County, Calif., as well as on the Internet at www.lucasarts.com, LucasArts was created in 1982 by George Lucas to provide an interactive element to his vision of a state-of-the-art, multi-faceted entertainment company.

Lucasfilm Ltd. is one of the world's leading film and entertainment companies. Founded by George Lucas in 1971, it is a privately held, fully integrated entertainment company. In addition to its motion-picture and television production operations, the company's global activities include Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound, serving the digital needs of the entertainment industry for visual-effects and audio post-production, and Lucas Licensing, which manages the global merchandising activities for Lucasfilm's entertainment properties. Additionally, Lucas Online creates Internet-based content for Lucasfilm's entertainment properties and businesses. Lucasfilm's motion-picture productions include five of the 20 biggest box-office hits of all time and have received 19 Oscars and 53 Academy Award nominations. Lucasfilm's television projects have won 12 Emmy Awards. Lucasfilm Ltd. is headquartered in Marin County, Calif.

About Obsidian Entertainment Inc.
Obsidian Entertainment, Inc. was founded by five industry veterans with over forty years of combined experience in the Electronic Entertainment industry and is passionately dedicated to the development of next generation games for the PC and console platforms. For more information please visit www.obsidianent.com.