Check out this video of the cast of Clone Wars as they talk about what makes Season 3 the most cinematic season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars yet!

And stay tuned for our 50th Episode Extravaganza next week!

For now, these pictures are all we can show you, but as soon as someone uploads a video anywhere on the internet, we’ll have it posted to the site.

Filoni elaborated on the reveal of the commandos, mentioning that the scene shown was only completed a couple of weeks ago, but upon seeing it he said, “We have got to show this a Celebration.” And wow was he right. When the ramp opened up on the republic shuttle, revealing the four members of Delta Squad, the entire theatre exploded in applause. Upon a second and a third viewing, the enthusiasm of those in attendance stayed at a fever pitch, eliciting Filoni to repeatedly mention the panel on Saturday afternoon.

With the way this panel went, we’ve decided that we’re going to live blog the Saturday panel, via Twitter, so head over to our account at www.twitter.com/clonewars and be prepared to read some awesome news as the panel unfolds.

Stay tuned to the site for videos and interviews from Ashely Eckstein, James Arnold Taylor, Matt Wood, Tom Kane and whoever else we can grab!

For now, here’s a look at some of the 501st room:

StarWars.com has announced the official release date for Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 3 on Cartoon Network in the US. The new season premieres on Friday, September 17 @ 9 p.m. with the new online Clone Wars Adventures debuting the same day! So that means you’ll be able to download and log on to Clone Wars Adventures, and hang out with your friends in a Star Wars virtual world WHILE you watch the season premiere of Clone Wars on Cartoon Network! It doesn’t get much better than that!

So head over to forum.starwarsdaily.com to register and get in on the discussion!

And a small reminder about SWCV. It’s next week!!! Check out the previous post for info on the Frontlines Meetup @ SWCV!

See you in Orlando, and May the Force Be With You!

Also, check out this video of Frontlines Listener, JCfromNH (He’s Boba, btw), as he and other members of the 501st run the bases at the 2nd Annual PawSox Star Wars Day!

Faster More Intense is the first t-shirt from Frontlines: The Clone Wars Podcast! The first in a series of limited run t-shirts, Faster More Intense features a lightsaber with the iconic iPod sillhouette, and a blue blade reading Faster More Intense. There is also a classic Frontlines logo on the back, below the neck. Shirts are made of 100% Cotton! Supplies are limited, so get yours now, before they’re gone!

Head over to the Store to purchase your shirt now!

I have to say, as far as panel’s go, I really enjoyed the commradere and love of the Star Wars universe the panelist showed. Jaime King, Daniel Logan, and Dave Filoni showed great enthusiasm and knowledge of Star Wars and the Clone Wars. I was particularly impressed with Daniel Logan. What a great ambassador to the Star Wars universe. Daniel is always available to the fans, and was very excited about returning to the Star Wars universe as Boba Fett.

So much so, that Jaime King had to “shush” him a few times when he let a few secrects slip about his charactar. Lets face it, he has known about returning to Star Wars for over a year now, and it was hard for him to keep it a secret! Jaime King (the voice of Aurra Sing) who was there with her husband and Fanboys director Kyle Newman, also gave insight into her charactar and her relationship with Boba Fett.Last, but certainly not the least, was Supervising Director Dave Filoni. During this panel it was ubundantly clear that Dave knows Star Wars and as a fan I am thrilled he is such a big part of the Clone Wars. Dave shared insight into the Clone Wars and made for some really funny moments during the panel. Dave also shared something about the season 2 finale that I will save for the next Frontlines podcast!!

The panel ended with a preview of the season 2 finale trailer which was fantastic! Go check it out now if you haven’t seen it! Also, make sure to check out the Frontlines podcast next week where Mike and I will discuss the trailer and give you inside access to the panel. Yes, Frontlines was there and has the audio of the panel for you. So make sure to check out the next Frontlines podcast for all Wondercon 2010 Clone Wars news!!!

Also, just a note that at the time of recording (Tuesday, March 23rd), the news about Young Boba appearing later this season had not been released yet. For more info, check out the story at TheForce.net!

Senate Murders airs Friday March 19th at 9:00pm on Cartoon Network, and look forward to our discussion in next week’s episode of Frontlines.

Just log on to Ustream and check out the show at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/frontlines-the-clone-wars-podcast

We’ll be answering your chat and twitter questions, so be sure to pop in and be part of the conversation. There might even be a contest announcement or two!

See you there!

For those of you looking for a bit more Star Wars to keep you busy, head over to Fancore Daily to read my review of Star Wars Adventures: Luke Skywalker and the Treasure of the Dragonsnakes, and get in on The Mandalorian Debate, my latest blog post on my blog Mike’s Jedi Holocron!

Oh, and if you’re wondering why this episode was late, here’s why:

And, as promised, here’s a pic of the new AT-AT surrounded by Clone Wars figures!

[via Distracted by Star Wars]

I love the dynamic of Obi and Satine. They definitely act like a married couple at times. Who else is looking forward to seeing where this goes? Sound off in the comments!

What did you think? Sound off in the comments below!

Head over to their site, www.bigfanboy.com, and check out their full synopsis of the episode.

Lucasfilm artist Tom Hodges joined Mike and I on the podcast, and Tom was gracious enough to draw this special sketch for us to give away to a lucky fan! The prize is a fantastic sketch of none other than Captain Rex!

To win this piece all you have to do is email me at matt@clonewarspodcast.com. In the subject heading, type “contest”, and don’t forget to include your full name, address, and phone number. It’s simple. I will be taking all the submissions and “drawing a name out of the hat”. The final day for submissions will be January 4th at 12:00 pm, so get your emails in early!!! Good Luck!

Pictured above is a mount creature that was featured in an episode from Season One of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. What you need to do is email us at mike@clonewarspodcast.com and let us know what episode the creature is from, the name of the creature, and it’s first appearance in the Star Wars Universe (Be careful! There’s a couple of possible answers to this question, but only one is right!). That’s right, listeners, we’re making you work for it! So goo luck, and the first one to email me with all three correct answers wins the Darth Vader iPhone 3G Case!

The Winner will be announced on our upcoming Holiday Special episode!

If you’re the type that believes there’s no such thing luck, here’s how you can secure your very own Star Wars iPhone 3G Case:

Star Wars iPhone cases for 3G and 3Gs are now available just in time for the holidays!  Featuring either Darth Vader or a Stormtrooper, these hard cases are made of durable plastic or flexible silicone construction that hugs the iPhone and keeps them safe from nicks and bumps while allowing for full functionality.  They are now available for purchase online through Amazon.com and at select Apple Stores for $29.95.

Looks to be another intense, action packed episode, on the heels of last week’s great adventure! I’m looking forward to it for sure!

That’s right folks, we’re back! But this week things are a little different as Michael takes a sick day, and Matt takes over to recap the episode Landing at Point Rain. That, plus collecting news, your emails and more this week on Frontlines: The Clone Wars Podcast!

(Sorry for the late upload. Technical difficulties of all kind were encountered in the production of this week’s episode.)

I arrived at the event about an hour and a half  before the concert to view the props and memorabilia that was displayed throughout the arena. This is the only part of the event that I was slightly disappointed with. I found original prop costumes, weapons, and original artwork. I thought a little more care and thought could have been shown to the exhibition. The first part of the exhibition was original artwork by Ryan Church. Wow! These pieces looked fantastic. Wookies, Kashyyyk, wookie vehicles, etc., all looked great and to see that close-up was a treat.

The next items were original costumes. I saw Plo Koon, Kit Fisto, C-3Po, Yoda, Han in carbonite, Royal Guards, and Boba Fett.

A couple of really important pieces were missing from this collection.Where was Darth Vader, Darth Maul, Chewy?! How could they leave those out? Also on display were various prop weapons used throughout the saga. Some of the blasters showed some wear and tear, and those dated back to the days of the O/T. Very cool to see those movie used props.

There were also 42″ screens placed throughout the exhibits showing behind the scenes footage of all the films. Some of the images and videos I had never seen before. Maybe some of this footage will end of on the Blu-Ray discs?!?

After finishing up the exhibit, I headed to my seats to get a layout of the stage. I sat in the upper section of the arena, and surprisingly, the “cheap” seats were not that bad. I think sitting farther away is actually visually better for this event. As the lights went down in the arena, I noticed a whole section of empty seats, and they were directly in front of the stage. I decided to move from my current position adjacent to the center, and risk getting kicked out and back to my original seats. As I sat down, I noticed many others followed my lead, and the center section soon filled up with others who were in search of better seats. Like I said, I was surprised to see so many empty seats, but this was being shown in a 17,000 seat arena.

The show opened with the live symphony orchestra and chorus performing the “fanfare” and Star Wars Main Title. Hearing this performed by a live orchestra was amazing! This music has been a part of my life for many years, and to hear it performed in a way Lucas originally heard it back in the early 70′s was, well, awesome! After the opening theme, host Anthony Daniels took the stage to set up each piece of musical theme. Halfway through the show I realized he was the perfect person to host this show. Daniels showed great enthusiasm and excitement, and having a Star Wars veteran host was brilliant casting by the creators. The set list included:

Duel of the Fates
Anakin’s Theme
Moisture Farm
The Flag Parade
Across the Stars
Battle of the Heroes
The Imperial March (Darth Vader’s Theme)

Intermission

The Asteroid Field
Princess Leia’s Theme
Tales of a Jedi Knight
Cantina Band
Yoda’s Theme
TIE Fighter Attack
Luke and Leia
The Forest Battle
Light of the Force
Throne Room/End titles

The two standout songs were “Duel of the Fates”, and “Battle of the Heroes”. Hearing these performed by the orchestra with a full chorus was outstanding. Hearing the chorus during “Duel of the Fates”, along with images of lightsaber fights gave me chills. Images of Anakin and Obi-Wan fighting during Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars accompanied by “Battle of the Heroes” was equally chill inducing. I was also equally impressed with the video montages. The high-def screen images were crystal clear. I immediately thought of the Blu-Ray versions of these films and how great these will look someday. On stage, the 3-story high-def screen projects the film footage , surrounded by a halo of low-res screens to enhance the tone of the imagery. Additionally, there are lasers, jets of steam, and even balls of fire thrown above the stage, most effectively during the Anakin and Obi-Wan duel on Mustafar for “Battle of the Heroes”.

The night ended with the “Throne Room”/ end titles and to a standing ovation, which was well deserved. Theres just something special about attending a Star Wars event with so many other Star Wars fans. As I left the arena I was reminded of the documentary, “Empire of Dreams”, and the one thing that Lucas remembers exceeding his expectations while making Star Wars. The London Philharmonic, John Williams, and his score gave life to Lucas’ vision, and after hearing and seeing the orchestra play these songs live, I can certainly see why.

Looks like things are about to get a lot faster and way more intense!

Things are ramping up! Is anybody else getting excited?

Head over to TheForce.net for more details, and please, do what you can to help.

In the meantime, why don’t you head over to the forum and discuss the recent events of San Diego Comic-Con, and other Star Wars related news!

From Lucasfilm Ltd. and Warner Home Video, Four-Disc Set Includes Companion Featurettes For All 22 Action-Packed Episodes, and a Blu-ray Exclusive – Jedi Temple Archives

After wowing TV audiences with a cutting-edge, animated look at “a galaxy far, far away,” Star Wars: The Clone Wars The Complete Season One is coming to DVD and high-definition Blu-ray Disc November 3 from Lucasfilm Ltd. and Warner Home Video.

Live the adventures again and again, and dig deeper into the first season of The Clone Wars with a comprehensive look behind-the-scenes of the popular animated series. Uniquely packaged with an exclusive 64-page production journal, the four-disc set contains all 22 episodes from the groundbreaking first season — including seven extended Director’s Cuts — as well as companion featurettes for each episode. And exclusive to the Blu-ray disc, The Jedi Temple Archives provides in-depth access to an extensive database of creative materials.

“I’m a longtime Star Wars fan, and the same’s true for a lot of the guys working on the show,” said supervising director Dave Filoni. “And as a fan, I know that Lucasfilm can be pretty secretive. They’re famous for it. But we’re all so proud of the work that’s gone into The Clone Wars, and we wanted to share some of our production tricks, and open up the vault and reveal our efforts. You’re going to get unprecedented access, to see the nuts and bolts of our series — from concept to finished animation.”

Created and executive produced by George Lucas, the first-ever TV production from Lucasfilm Animation explores the tumultuous time between Episodes II and III of the live-action saga, expanding the scope of Star Wars beyond anything seen in the feature films.

“The live-action saga was just the beginning. The universe is vast, and there are so many more stories to explore beyond Anakin’s fall and redemption,” said Lucas. “The scope of the war gives us the perfect vehicle for a weekly series, allowing us to look at how the conflict has affected the farthest reaches of the galaxy, including characters, creatures and races we only glimpsed in the feature films. Animation has allowed us to visualize the worlds and characters of Star Wars in all new ways.”

Star Wars: The Clone Wars The Complete Season One will be available November 3 for the suggested retail price of $44.98 for DVD and $59.99 for Blu-ray.
Special Features:
Star Wars: The Clone Wars The Complete Season One is presented in widescreen with English, Spanish and French 5.1 DTS audio and English, French and Spanish subtitles. Bonus features include:

• Seven Director’s Cut Episodes: Rising Malevolence, Shadow of Malevolence, Lair of Grievous, Rookies, Storm Over Ryloth, Innocents of Ryloth and Liberty on Ryloth
• 22 Episodic Featurettes that go behind-the-scenes with Supervising Director Dave Filoni and crew about the making-of each episode
• Spectacular 64-page production journal that includes early sketches, artist notes, and concept art from each episode from Season One
• Blu-ray Exclusive — The Jedi Temple Archives: An extensive database exploring test footage, early concept art, 3-D character and object turnarounds and early animation. The Archives is a rare look at the assets in various stages of creation for The Clone Wars, with a wealth of surprises and never-before seen moments sprinkled throughout.

Oh yeah, and there’s this…

And stay tuned to the site for a new episode in the next couple of weeks!

Clone Wars: Decoded starts May 1st on Cartoon Network.

Coming off of the record-setting first season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Cartoon Network announced today it will premiere Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Decoded, a full slate of 22 enhanced episodes from season one of the CG-animated series from creator George Lucas and Lucasfilm Animation. Using text windows to provide in-the-moment insights into all aspects of the sweeping galactic conflict — from trivia to background on characters and storylines — Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Decoded enhances each episode with exclusive content created by the Lucasfilm Animation talent responsible for the show itself.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Decoded is Cartoon Network’s first-ever season-long commitment to enhancing the content of existing series episodes. Offering a new twist on the beloved series and serving as an unprecedented primer for faithful fans as well as new viewers, Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Decoded premieres Friday, May 1 at 9 p.m. ET/PT only on Cartoon Network. This full season of enhanced episodes will continue each Friday at 9 p.m. ET/PT, the regular time slot for Star Wars: The Clone Wars, leading up to the fall 2009 premiere of season two.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars has emerged as the preeminent sci-fi series on television, combining the expansive scope of the Star Wars Saga with exciting weekly adventures. Ranking #1 on all television — broadcast and cable — with the key demo of boys 6-11, Star Wars: The Clone Wars is a thrilling, weekly 30-minute “mini-movie” created by the talented artists at Lucasfilm Animation.

On the front lines of an intergalactic struggle between good and evil, fans young and old join favorite characters such as Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Padmé Amidala, along with brand new heroes like Anakin’s Padawan learner, Ahsoka. Sinister villains — led by Count Dooku and General Grievous — are poised to take over the galaxy. Stakes are high, and the fate of the Star Wars universe rests in the hands of the daring Jedi Knights and their brave clone troops. Star Wars: The Clone Wars continues the tradition of thrilling stories and astonishing visuals that have always been the hallmark of the Star Wars Saga.

Check out the Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Decoded preview here!

Buckle up, kids, because the season finale is going to be one heck of a ride!

And stay tuned for a new episode of Frontlines, recapping the episode Innocents of Ryloth, later this weekend!

Now that you’ve had your spoonful of sugar, here comes the medicine…Frontlines: Episode 19 won’t be out until Monday. If you need a reason, blame it on Watchmen.

And check back tomorrow for an all new episode of Frontlines: The Clone Wars Podcast!

I’m putting this out there for you, the Frontlines fans.  The following are designs for the very first Frontlines T-Shirt:

click for larger version

click for larger version

And you, the listeners will have a part in determining which one is released first!  So head over to our section on the Geek Out Loud Forums and vote in the poll titled Frontlines: The T-Shirt!  The number of votes will determine the release line-up.

Details are coming on pricing and release date…

]]> http://www.clonewarspodcast.com/2009/02/17/im-a-liar/feed/ 0 http://www.clonewarspodcast.com/2009/02/12/frontlines-episode-16/ http://www.clonewarspodcast.com/2009/02/12/frontlines-episode-16/#comments Fri, 13 Feb 2009 00:42:53 +0000 Michael Cohen http://www.clonewarspodcast.com/?p=55 Well well well…if it isn’t another episode of Frontlines: The Clone Wars Podcast.  Join our host, Michael Cohen, and he reports on news from NYCC, recaps the episode Hidden Enemy, reads your mail and more.  All that, and some hints at upcoming episodes of Frontlines, in this, our 16th episode.

And stay tuned for another episode of Frontlines, later this weekend.

So creepy.  And I love the cold-weather gear…I hope they do figures of them like this.  Especially Captain Rex…at least I think that’s Rex…

And here’s that leaked footage from Star Wars: Battlefront III.

Looks like it’s gonna be a good one. And stay tuned to the site for a new episode of Frontlines later this weekend!

And don’t forget to check out our new forums at www.geekoutpodcast.com/forums/

-Michael

Also, as a small reminder, there’s no new episode of The Clone Wars this week, but you can catch the entire Malevolence Saga this Friday on Cartoon Network!

My apoligies for the delay, but hopefully it’ll be worth the wait.  Happy Turkey Day everyone!

Check out Jar Jar in action…but be warned, this may be considered a spoiler!

I, for one, can’t wait for this episode!

Sorry to inform you all, but Episode 7 is going to be a bit late.  I’ve got some things that need taking care of, so it won’t be out until Friday afternoon.  Sorry for the delay.

I haven’t done any reviews for The Clone Wars series since the movie was released. I don’t know if it’s because I don’t want to step on my friend Michael Cohen’s toes or because I just haven’t thought about it. However, after tonight’s episode, I can’t help but geek out about it.

Destroy Malevolence wrapped up a three part story surrounding a secret weapon developed by the Separatists that was leaving no witnesses to it’s destructive power. In the first part, Rising Malevolence, Jedi Master Plo Koon was rescued right in the nick of time by Anakin and his padawan Ahsoka after having his fleet destroyed by the Malevolence, which employs a huge ion cannon to disable a fleet of ships’ power and then the huge vessel uses it’s turbolasers and vulture droids to destroy the ships leaving no survivors, and no witnesses. In the second episode of the trifecta, Shadow of Malevolence, Anakin and his fleet join with Obi-Wan’s fleet and use information from Plo Koon to track Malevolence and attack it head on. In an awesome space battle, Anakin and a small fleet of clones, using early Y-Wing bombers destroy the main weapon and put Malevolence on the run.

In the newest episode, Destroy Malevolence, the fleet has the ship on the run, and Greivous and his droids are looking at a huge defeat and a colossal failure in the eyes of Count Dooku. In an effort to play off of the sympathies of the Jedi, Darth Sidious has The Banking Clan feed Chancellor Palpatine (I know, I know..but let’s pretend we don’t ok?) false information concerning their desire to defect from the Separatists. Senator Amidala is given coordinates to go meet with the head of the Banking Clan and work out the negotiations. Padme, along with C-3PO (See Threepio) (Vintage action figure collectors, see what I did there?) come out of hyperspace right in the path of the Malevolence and are promptly captured by it’s tractor beam. As she is being taken aboard the massive warship, Padme gets a call to the Republic Ships and Anakin, along with R2-D2 (Artoo Deetoo)(Did it again.), and Obi-Wan, launch a rescue mission into the ship.

What’s great about this episode?

First, the references to lines in the prequels, and there were several. The first involves a manoeuvre Anakin uses to dock at an emergency air lock. As the air lock opens Obi Wan tells Anakin, “You know, spinning is not flying.” To which Anakin responds, “Yes, but it is a good trick.” What a great throwback to Episode I! Never thought I’d be happy to hear lines from the prequel movies referenced. As much as I love them, I never thought that they were very referenceable. (Not a word, but it fits.)

Later, Obi-Wan and Anakin are separated and Obi-Wan comes face-to-face with Greivous and a group of battle droids, super battle droids, and destroyer droids. As Greivous walks up in the room he looks at Obi-Wan and says, “Hello there.” We know that a few years later, Obi-Wan will turn the greeting around on the cyborg. Awesome.

There is a great interaction between Anakin and Padme here as well. After Anakin takes out a group on the bridge, Padme tells him that ever since she first met him he’s been playing with droids. Their banter is witty, funny, and their enjoyment of being around each other is evident even in the most dangerous of situations.

That’s the next thing I loved about this episode. Padme and Anakin. For the first time, I felt like I didn’t have to be an apologist for them. There was a great flow to the relationship, and it was really easy to believe.  Padme was definitely not the typical damsel in distress and from the trap she sets for the droids on her ship, the way she carries herself through all of the danger,  and her skills in taking out droid starfighters from the gunner position on the Twilight (Anakin’s ship that he’s kept from the movie) one can see where Leia gets her scrappiness in the original trilogy.

Finally, there was the action of this episode.  It felt like Star Wars.  The cast was out of one situation into the next right until the droids activated a little creative jury rigging that Anakin did with the Malevolence’s hyperdrive nav computer and ran the ship into a lifeless moon, destroying it.   This episode made me want to watch Star Wars, prequels or otherwise.  I’m sitting here, legitimately wanting to pop in a DVD and just get right back into that galaxy far, far away.

What wasn’t so good?

Basically, the same things that everyone has complained about thus far.  The battle droids continue their Three Stooges, very cartoonish antics.   I’m not sure how kids watching feel about the gags, but my hope is that Dave Filoni and crew will scale back and learn the proper balance between the battle droids being funny, while at the same time feel like a real threat to Republic forces and Jedi, similar to the feel they had in The Phantom Menace.

The music is still not John Williamsy enough for me, but it works for the show,  and this episode’s music was the best so far.   That’s the other hope I have for this series, that Filoni and crew will encourage Kevin Kiner and the music editors on the show to dip even more into the classical feel of John Williams.  I feel that a move like that would only improve the show.   Just watching the commercials with music ripped straight from the movie soundtracks makes the show better.

So, while I have truly enjoyed every episode of The Clone Wars so far, especially the first episode, “Ambush,” this episode seemed to kick things up a notch for the series.  While, as with any series, I don’t expect them all to be winners, I think that this is going to prove to be one of the most consistently good shows on television.

Next week?  Looks like we’re going to get a very “Clone-centric” episode.  Should be interesting.  Make sure to check here for my review.

As for this week, I have to give the episode a full 5 out of 5 giant warships.  It was honestly that good.

Before I go, however, if you are a total prequel hater, this episode may actually shift your attitude toward the prequels, or at the very least this series.  Here’s my disclaimer however, if you are a total prequel hater, you’re probably still gonna hate this show.  So, go pull out your original version of the original trilogy and enjoy it…it’s still good.

And of course, may the Force be with you.

You can check out lots more of Steve geeking out over at www.geekoutonline.com, and listen to him on the Geek Out Loud Podcast!

Perhaps most exciting of all, Star Wars: The Clone Wars will be available to download on iTunes!  Yes, that’s right, you’ll be able to download episodes of The Clone Wars each week!  You’ll be able to purchase these episodes for $1.99 each, or $39.99 for the season pass.  Each episode will be available the day following it’s initial air date, so the first two episodes, “Ambush” and “Rising Malevolence” will be available tomorrow, Saturday, Oct. 4th.

As well as this, free content will be available online, in the form of a half-hour behind the scenes special on the making of The Clone Wars available on iTunes today, and an online Webcomic.  The Clone Wars Webcomic has launched and you can find it here.  The webcomic is illustrated by none other than Official Star Wars artist, Tom Hodges, who is in fact a member of our own Facebook Group.  The two stories available lead in to the new episodes of The Clone Wars, airing tonight.  Hopefully we’ll be able to look forward to new stories each week, leading in to new episodes.

And as a huge suprise, The Holonet News has returned!  In it’s previous incarnation, The Holonet News was an “In-Universe” website that brought Star Wars Fans news taking place in the Star Wars Universe, leading up to the events of the Clone Wars.  Rumours had been circulating for the past couple of weeks that The Holonet News would be returning, but in what form nobody knew, until now.  Available as of today on Starwars.com and iTunes(although I couldn’t find it in the Canadian iTunes Store…), is a new MP3 episode of The Holonet News.  This is huge news, as Starwars.com has never really had a podcast.  The show will continue the “In-Universe” theme of it’s namesake, and each episode may take a different format, from Round Table Discussions, to Breaking News, to whatever they can come up with!  You can download that here.

We’ll post a link to all of the content available in the iTunes Store as soon as they become available.

That’s right! Star Wars: The Clone Wars premieres tonight on Cartoon Network at 9:00pm, and they’re getting things started with two back-to-back episodes! Airing first is “Ambush”, where Jedi Master Yoda attempts negotiations with the Toydarians, while Dooku’s apprentice, Asajj Ventriss disrupts them with a droid attack! Following that is the second episode, “Rising Malevolence” where Anakin and Ashoka have to save Jedi Master Plo Koon and his clone troopers after the Seperatist Army uses their devastating new weapon.

The animated adventures of Star Wars: The Clone Wars will be coming to television every week starting next week, and you’ll soon be able to also enjoy the theatrical Clone Wars movie in your own home! Star Wars: The Clone Wars is coming to home video on November 11, as a single-disc DVD, two-disc Special Edition DVD, and — the first for any Star Wars release — a Hi-Def Blu-Ray release. The single and double-disc standard-definition versions both include the widescreen movie with Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround EX sound, and with feature-length audio commentary.

Pictures and more after the jump.

Bonus material on the Special Edition DVD and Blu-Ray include:

• The Clone Wars: The Untold Stories: Preview stories, vehicles, planets, and battles from Season One of The Clone Wars television series. (This feature is in Hi-Def on Blu-Ray).
• The Voices of The Clone Wars: Meet the voiceover actors and see them perform their craft. (This feature is in Hi-Def on Blu-Ray).
• Gallery of Concept and Production Art (This feature is in Hi-Def on Blu-Ray).
• Webdocs: Six making-of featurettes, as seen on StarWars.com (This feature is in Hi-Def on Blu-Ray).
• Deleted Scenes: Cargo Bay, Platform Droid Fight, Rancor Pit and Through the Tanks
• The New Score: Kevin Kiner leads a 90-piece orchestra to create the unique sound of The Clone Wars movie and series. (This feature is in Hi-Def on Blu-Ray)
• Theatrical and videogame trailers (This feature is in HI-Def on Blu-Ray)
• A digital copy of the movie to watch on the go.
• Take the Hologram Memory Challenge: Test your skill and memory and unlock three hi-def TV series sneak peeks

Exclusive to the Blu-Ray release is a feature-length creative conversation video commentary, featuring Director Dave Filoni, Producer Catherine Winder, Writer Henry Gilroy and Editor Jason W.A. Tucker, who discuss the development of the feature, illustrated with behind-the-scenes footage, deleted material, concept art and more.

Be on the lookout for retailer exclusives. There are more details to come, but take a look at the exclusive packaging found at Best Buy — where the Special Edition 2-disc DVD set will be available in a “steel book” tin — and the Target exclusives, featuring the red-emblazoned Senate guard clone troopers.

If you haven’t already seen it, check out this TV spot that cartoon network is running for Clone Wars.

If you missed it, it’s been posted on YouTube, and I’m happy to bring it to you here on the Frontlines website. Of course, who knows how long it will be available, so watch it quick!

WARNING!  The following clip is extremely awesome!

And stay tuned to the site for Official Frontlines Products in the future.

Story

The story for this game has to be the best aspect.  It really does a great job of leading in to Episode IV, however, the links to Episode III are not as evident as people like to think.  This is really kind of like a prologue to the Rebellion era, as we see some pivotal moments in the formation of that galaxy far far away we know from A New Hope.  The endings (yes, there are two endings) are both fantastic, capping off a great story with truly epic payoffs that effect the Star Wars Universe in very profound ways.  I don’t want to spoil too much, so I’ll pretty much leave it at that, but also add that although the overall story is excellent, the character relationships could have been developed a little bit more.  I’m sure the novelization expands on this, and I may just pick it up, in light of how great the game was.

Graphics

What do I need to say?  I played the game on the most powerful current gen console, so the experience was definitely a great one.  Not only does this game serve as a great tech demo for Naturalmotion’s Euphoria Engine and the new Digital Molecular Matter, but the game also looks fantastic.  Textures and detail are not sparse, and for the most part everything has a great, uniquely Star Wars feel to it.  Some of the visuals are on par with the expansive vistas of the Prequel Trilogy.  However, the environments lack the all encompassing feel that was promised a couple years back by Lucasarts.  There are lots of great interactive elements in each level, but they lack consistency.  Where you can render a massive Wroshyr tree into mere toothpicks, smaller saplings just sway in the wake of your mighty Force abilities.  Were all elements of the environment as interactive as they had promised, it would have been much more impressive.  The other minor critique I have is that the game has little persistence with regards to your destruction.  Enemies and objects disappear after being destroyed, leaving you with little ability to leave a mark on the level.  Overall though, an impressive accomplishment in graphics.

Gameplay

Here’s where the game starts to fall apart.  Although it’s fun in the beginning to thrash enemies with Force, it gets to be a little repetitive.  You’re pretty much going up against the same enemies throughout the entire game, just with new weapons and annoying things, like immunity to your Force abilities.  As well, the upgrading system is fairly shallow, only allowing you to enhance you abilities, and offering no customization.  After two playthroughs (to get both endings) I had pretty much maxed out all of my abilities, talents and combos.  Pretty disappointing, as a more flexible upgrade system would give you lots of opportunity for multiple playthroughs.  All in all, the lasting appeal leaves you wanting more, without the ability to fulfill that want.  A great idea if this were the beginning of a franchise, but that is unlikely.  I’m sure I’ll go back to it and try and beat the higher difficulties, but I will in essence still be playing the same game, just in a more challenging way.  But if you like straightforward action/platformers, this ranks up there with games like God of War and Prince of Persia.

Sound

Here is another place this game shines.  It’s Star Wars, so of course you have all of the elements that make a great Star Wars soundscape, as well as a score that builds on classic themes and creates new ones that will definitely be added to my library of Star Wars music.  And on top of that, the voice cast is the best ever assembled for a Star Wars game.  Sam Witwer plays the Secret Apprentice, Starkiller, with a great deal of depth and emotion, giving better resonance and true character to the story of TFU.  Other cast members include Star Wars alums Tom Kane(Yoda from Clone Wars), Catherine Taber(Padme from Clone Wars) Matt Sloan, Jarion Monroe, and Jimmy Smitts himself as Bail Organa.

Design

The art direction and design of this game is beautiful.  From taking key locations from Episode III, to developing new locations, every environment has a very genuine Star Wars feel.  The addition of design elements from all six films really does a lot to tie the game in to the saga.  The myriad of costumes (Starkiller has a new outfit for each level) all have great design elements and are reminiscent of different characters from throughout Star Wars lore.  Some of the visuals in the game are even beyond anything in the films, such as an Imperial facility built into the mouth of a great sarlaac on Felucia.

Overall

Overall I would rate the game as an 8.5 out of 10, mostly because of the shortness of it, as well as the lack of replay value.  If the PS3 version included the Duel Mode of the Wii version, I’m sure it would bring the game up to a 9, if not a 9.5, so let’s hope for a downloadable add-on in the future.  My recommendation is that if you like Star Wars and have the means, this is a must have for all fans, but if you have the patience of a Jedi, you could wait for it to hit Player’s Choice, which it undoubtedly will on all platforms eventually.

And if my opinion isn’t enough for you, then you can check out this video review from IGN.com

In other news, we should have a new episode up in the next few days, with a full review of The Force Unleashed for PS3!  I know, I know, it’s not really Clone Wars news, but there’s not a lot of that to go around lately.  However, there is a new comic book and I’ll be reviewing that in the next episode as well, so stay tuned to the site for that!