We chat with Ubisoft about their forthcoming Star Wars: Lethal Alliance release.
Name: Manab Roy
Position: Senior Specialist PR Manager (Ubisoft)
What type of game is Star Wars: Lethal Alliance? The game is a third-person action/adventure, and the experience is all about the collaboration between you, an agile and weapon-equipped Twi'lek mercenary, and your security droid Zeeo. Only by working together will you be able to defeat your enemies, access secret places and, finally, complete your missions.
The press release says Rianna and Zeeo are hunting for details on the Death Star. We thought "many Bothans died to bring us this information" not a Twi'lek and a droid! And didn't Kyle Katarn do this in the original Dark Forces? We have worked closely on the story with LucasArt to assure continuity in the Star Wars universe. In fact, it's true that there are many discussions in the fan community about the Death Star plans. Who gets the plans and who finally manages to transmit them to Princess Leia?
Kyle Katarn is part of our story; we have established a link between him and our mercenary to keep it coherent. Also, so that you know, Bothan spies died to deliver data regarding the second Death Star.
As the game is set between Revenge of the Sith (III) and A New Hope (IV), can we expect to encounter famous characters from both the prequels and the classic trilogy? In the game, you will encounter some iconic characters like Darth Vader, Boba Fett, and Princess Leia. We have also designed new characters that will make their first appearance! And of course, we have stormtroopers and scout troopers. Could you imagine a Star Wars game without them? You will also encounter others species like Quarren, Arconas and many Empire droids
Is the story considered part of the official Star Wars canon? This is an original story, and we have worked very closely with LucasArts to define the game and the story. They have been excellent collaborative partners, and have also given us the freedom to implement the game mechanics we wanted to develop.
Of course, we needed to be respectful of the universe, as Star Wars is even more complex than what we have seen in the movies. The game takes place just a few months before Episode IV, and it marks the first appearance of Twi'lek mercernary Rianna Saren into the Star Wars universe.
Early in the game, she is recruited by the Alliance to infiltrate Imperial-controlled planets and ultimately steal the plans of the Empire's most powerful weapon: The Death Star.
Any space or vehicular action, and what kind of locations can we expect to visit? Your missions will take place on some famous planets from both sagas, like Coruscant, Mustafar, Tatooine or the Death Star. But you will also discover never-before-seen locations on Despayre, Danuta or even Alderaan. Working with LucasArts, our artists defined our vision of these worlds.
In terms of ships, we cannot have a Star Wars game without the famous TIE fighters. We have fun space sequences where the only thing you will have to worry about is destroying all TIE fighters and TIE interceptors. And do you remember the sequence in Episode II when Obi-Wan hung onto a droid as it flew through the skyscrappers of Coruscant? You will have sequences like this, but not only on Coruscant. However, I have to warn you - it goes fast!
What multiplayer enjoyment can we expect? On PSP you will play a deadly duo against another deadly duo. Use sabotage or cunning strategy as a Twi'lek-and-droid team to win.
What visual style have you gone for? Realistic movie-like quality, Clone Wars animated style, LEGO Star Wars D-Form style? We have preferred to go for a realistic movie quality in our visual style. As the story is just before A New Hope, most of our inspiration comes from the design that we saw in the movie.
Do you have any Star Wars celebrities attached to the project? James Earl Jones, Carrie Fisher, etc. Since this is an original story, we decided to go with original voice talent, and we are extremely happy with the actors we cast in Los Angeles. Their performances are excellent and fit perfectly within the Star Wars universe.
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