Several new games will soon be added to the Xbox 360 Platinum Hits lineup, Microsoft announced tonight.

Left 4 Dead, Grand Theft Auto 4, Street Fighter 4, Saints Row 2 and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed will all soon be branded with the Platinum moniker and appropriately discounted.

No updated pricing information was included in the release, with Microsoft only saying the games will be available for "as low as $19.99."

Retailers will also be running a "Buy 2, Get 1 Free" promotion on Platinum Hits games through October 31.

The first of two new Force Unleashed levels has arrived today in the form of downloadable content.

Based around the first Star Wars film, the "Tatooine Mission Pack" sees the Force Unleashed's Apprentice travel to the sandy planet to do battle with Jawa and Jedi alike.

The pack is available on Xbox Live for 800 Microsoft Points ($10), and should shortly be found on the PlayStation Network following today's store update.

Of course, the Tatooine pack will also be included in the Force Unleashed "Sith Edition," along with the disc-exclusive Hoth-themed mission. The Sith Edition is headed to stores this holiday on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC and Mac.

LucasArts gives us a peek at The Force Unleashed's Hoth mission with this new batch of screenshots. The mission will be included exclusively in the upcoming Sith Edition of the game, and sees the player traveling to the ice planet to do battle with Luke Skywalker in a bit of Sith revisionist history.

The Sith Edition hits this holiday on PC, Mac, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

The appearances of Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Sith Edition of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed are shown in a new trailer, as well as their demises.

Please install Flash to view this Shackvideo

Shackvideo users can use the HD Stream.

Two new missions in the Sith Edition--the first of which will also be released as downloadable content--see Darth Vader's secret apprentice slaying his master to become the Emperor's new dogsbody, tasked with wiping out those goody-goody Jedi.

The Sith Edition will mark the debut of The Force Unleashed on PC and Mac when it arrives in the holiday season, along with Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 editions.

LucasArts' physics-powered Star Wars action game The Force Unleashed will hit the PC and Mac for the first time with this holiday's "Sith Edition." The Sith Edition is set to include all past DLC for the title, plus a Hoth level exclusive to the package. The special edition will also make an appearance on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, with Aspyr Media handling the Mac/PC port.

Click through for all the details on the Sith content:... Read more

LucasArts today announced two new levels for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, one downloadable and the other available only with an upcoming special edition of the game, according to a press release published by VG247 and a story on PS3 Informer. The downloadable content, set for a fall release, will put players on Tatooine in a story that "re-imagines the Star Wars Saga as if the Secret Apprentice had killed Darth Vader and taken his place at the Emperor's side." The Apprentice is sent to the infamous planet on a mission to hunt down and kill the reclusive Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Unfortunately, the conclusion of the alternate storyline won't be as... Read more

LucasArts' multiplatform action title Star Wars: The Force Unleashed has sold 5.7 million copies since its September 2008 release, according to Gamasutra.

The figure makes The Force Unleashed the fastest-selling Star Wars game in history.

The game's demo also set records, seeing over one million downloads on Xbox Live in eight days.

Contributing to The Force Unleashed's success was the game's multiplatform coverage. The Force Unleashed was released on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, Wii, PSP, Nintendo DS, iPod Touch, iPhone, N-Gage and other mobile platforms.

The Writers Guild of America has released its nominations for the best-written videogames in 2008, and the result is a fairly eclectic mix.

Fallout 3, Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3, Dangerous High School Girls In Trouble!, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed and Tomb Raider: Underworld all received recognition from the WGA.

Only games scripted by writers that belong to the WGA were eligible to be nominated. And the WGA charges dues, so who knows how many games they really had to choose from. Still, High School Girls!

The full credit list, via Variety: ... Read more

LucasArts today released the promised donwloadable mission for the Xbox 360 version of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, along with another set of character skins.

The Jedi Temple Mission Pack, priced at 800 Microsoft Points ($10), brings Darth Vader's Secret Apprentice to Coruscant and the ruins of its Jedi Temple as our action game protagonist searches for more information on his father.

The Mission Pack includes a number of new costumes, such as Temple Exploration Gear, Cybernetic Reconstruction Apprentice, Sith Training Gear, Mace Windu, Darth Maul, Qui-Gon Jinn, Dark Stalker, Lightsaber Training Droid and Combat Training Droid.

A separate 400 Microsoft Point ($5) Character Pack adds a... Read more

Developer LucasArts has revealed that it will bring a new mission and new playable characters to the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed as downloadable content, though pricing has yet to be decided.

The new playable characters, due next month, will include Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ki-Adi-Mundi, and Kit Fisto. The additions are "based on what we heard from fans," executive producer Haden Blackman informed Kotaku.

Meanwhile, the new campaign level will take place in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant and is set to arrive later this year. The stage was one the team had hoped to include in the initial release, but was among those axed before the action game entered production.

A different version of the level is said to have appeared in external developer Krome's PS2, Wii and PSP editions of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.

"I wouldn't rule out any future content on The Force Unleashed," Blackman concluded. "There's easily another two dozen we could make into levels. This is a good way to continue the story."

A near-simultaneous launch on six platforms across four regions helped LucasArts sell 1.5 million copies of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed and set some new records during the game's first five days at retailers, the publisher announced today.

According to the company, that makes The Force Unleashed both the fastest-selling Star Wars game and LucasArts title yet. A total of 4.3 million copies were shipped to stores worldwide, with the publisher preparing more due to "unprecedented demand."

Developed by LucasArts on the PS3 and Xbox 360, the physics-intensive action game hit North America on September 16, followed by a Australian and Southeast Asia release on Sept. 17 and a European debut on Sept. 19. External studio Krome handled the accompanying PS2, Wii and PSP editions, with n-Space on the Nintendo DS version.

"The record-setting sales of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed shows the undiminished power of Star Wars and its popularity across all media types, including video games," noted LucasArts president Darrell Rodriguez. "We're blown away by the response."

Now available from the Xbox Live Marketplace in all Live regions is a demo for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. A 905mb download, the demo includes a tutorial for using the Force Grip power, and a level set in a TIE Fighter construction facility.

The demo is also slated for release through the PlayStation Network soon. The retail version of LucasArts' action-adventure game where you play a secret apprentice of Darth Vader will be released September 16 for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, PlayStation 2, PSP, and Nintendo DS.

LucasArts doesn't have a very big lineup, but here are screenshots from Fracture, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed and Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Lightsaber Duels & Jedi Alliance.

Fracture (X360) Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Jedi Alliance (DS) Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Lightsaber Duels (Wii) ... Read more

LucasArts today released the launch trailer for its upcoming action title Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.

A warning: if you are one to care about these things, the trailer does seem to give away a portion of the game's (admittedly predictable) story arc.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is due out September 16 on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, Wii, Nintendo DS and PSP.

Shackvideo users can use the HD Stream.

LucasArts has released a new video detailing the story development in Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, currently slated for a September 16 release.

The game will be available on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, Wii, Nintendo DS and PSP. As indicated by the video's opening, this latest feature on the game's development contains early plot spoilers. Registered users can use the HD Stream.

Update 2: Speaking with Shacknews, LucasArts representative Margaret Grohne reaffirmed the company's commitment to its internal studio and noted that the studio is continuing to work on the next Indiana Jones game in addition to The Force Unleashed.

"We're committed to our internal studio," she said. "We're working on the next Indiana Jones game internally." When asked if this commitment extends to future efforts, Grohne responded, "I'm not going to comment on projects we have not announced."

As to whether LucasArts will begin focusing more on externally-developed projects, Grohne noted, "We've always had a good balance between the internal studio and working with external partners. Expect that to continue."

Update: When reached for comment, a LucasArts representative only told Shacknews: "LucasArts is committed to the internal studio."

The company did not address the subject of more layoffs or the outsourcing of future projects, which could theoretically leave the publisher as a "think tank" that contracts external developers to expand on internal concepts and design documents.

Original Story: Following word of routine terminations at developer LucasArts, a reliable source has informed Shacknews that the company plans to cease internal development and fire roughly 100 more employees after the completion of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.

LucasArts is known to have at least one other title, an Indiana Jones... Read more

It seems that Yoda and Darth Vader won't be the only Star Wars characters featured in the latest entry of Project Soul's long-running fighting series Soul Calibur.

Publisher Namco Bandai today revealed that the two will be joined by the Force-wielding Secret Apprentice, the main character from LucasArts' upcoming action title Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.

According to GameSpot, the Secret Apprentice will be the only Star Wars character to appear in both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 releases of Soul Calibur IV. Yoda is exclusive to the Xbox 360 version and Vader only appears in the PS3 edition.

Sporting online multiplayer--a first for the series--Soul Calibur 4 hits PlayStation and Xbox 360 on July 29. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed follows on September 16, with PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, Wii, Nintendo DS and PSP editions in tow.

Though LucasArts' physics-intensive effort Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is hitting every major system this fall except PC, the longtime PC developer has reassured fans that it is not abandoning the platform.

"We're not shutting the door on PC at all. For this project, it happens to be that we don't have a PC SKU," producer Cameron Suey told VideoGamer. "We do hear that complaint [that PC gamers want The Force Unleashed]. I definitely wish it had been possible."

While acclaimed PC developer Crytek has referred to piracy as "the core problem of PC gaming" and its reason to pursue multi-platform development, Suey attributed the missing PC edition of Force Unleashed to the platform's wide array of possible hardware configurations.

"[If we made the game for high-end PCs], someone with a low-end PC would have a watered down experience, they would have to turn all the settings down and it wouldn't be the same game," he continued. "On the other hand if we made that game for as many people as possible then it's not taking advantage of what those $4,000... Read more

When it arrives next Tuesday, Rockstar North's Grand Theft Auto IV (PS3, X360) will be the first retail game to feature NaturalMotion's euphoria animation technology.

In advance of the title's release, NaturalMotion sent over a video demonstrating how the real-time animations of the euphoria engine differ from other solutions, such as ragdoll physics.

The euphoria technology is also being utilized the physics-intensive PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 editions of LucasArt's Star Wars: The Force Unleashed as well as NaturalMotion's own football game Backbreaker (PS3, X360).

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

Registered users can use the HD Stream.

LucasArts has released a new batch of screenshots for the Wii version of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (PS2, PS3, X360, Wii, NDS, PSP), offering a glimpse at the game's Force powers and lightsaber-centric combat. Due out on September 16, the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 editions of The Force Unleashed were developed by LucasArts, with Krome Studios on the PlayStation 2, Wii and PSP versions and n-Space handling the Nintendo DS iteration.