The ESA may have been in major trouble for the past few weeks as publishers Activision, Vivendi and LucasArts left the US-based trade body. No reason was cited for their departures. However, EA has stepped up to the plate to defend the body, criticizing those who left by lambasting their “lack of leadership.”

Speaking to Gamesindustry.biz at a recent press event, Jeff Brown, VP of corporate communications at EA, commented: “They’re a big company and we feel that when you’re a big company you’ve got a responsibility to consumers to work on policy issues which are very, very important to consumers. And the best way to do that is with an industry consensus. That’s the way it’s been done with the ESA in the US, and with ELSPA in the UK.”

He added that EA was not reconsidering its position in the trade body, urging the ESA to make a strong case to its remaining members for their ongoing participation.

When asked about E3, Brown responded that “EA is 100 per cent committed,” adding that other major publishers will also be present at the event to show off their wares. The event, organized by the ESA, will run this year from July 15-17 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Some new Fracture screenshots straight from GC.

LucasArts and Traveller’s Tales have officially announced Lego Indiana Jones, the next franchise following the runaway success of Lego Star Wars. The game will have players play through the three released films and is scheduled for release in 2008 on unspecified platforms.

“LucasArts and TT Games are setting the bar for next-generation family entertainment with the LEGO Star Wars franchise, and our incredible relationship continues with LEGO Indiana Jones,” said Jim Ward, president of LucasArts. “In addition to providing the quality bonding time inspired by any good family game, LEGO Indiana Jones delivers something a little different for everyone. Parents will enjoy the humorous take on some of their favorite movies, and their kids get some rousing action/adventure gameplay that may also introduce them to Indy’s original adventures for the first time.”

They’ve also released a trailer from the game, showing off gameplay as well as cinematic footage. You can watch it streaming below, or download it from Rapidshare.

This franchise is rooted in every nerd/dork’s life, and has impressed quite a few gamers with its many titles, many of which have been good. FiringSquad takes a look at the ten best Star Wars games (in their opinion, of course), ranging from the obvious KOTOR to Republic Commando.

Word comes from LucasArts and SOE that Chapter 4: Armed and Ready for Action is now available for Star Wars Galaxy subscribers. Latest in a series of updates to the MMORPG, it adds three combat professions - commando, spy and medic - and a couple of new features.

Fans of the ever-popular franchise can look forward to Star Wars: The Best of PC from LucasArts that combines all the popular Windows games in the series in one package. This compilation will go on sale this Holiday season for $40.

The package includes Empire at War, Knights of the Old Republic, Battlefront, Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast and Republic Commando. Additionally, it will also offer a 14-day trial of Star Wars Galaxies.

More details on the titles inside.
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Making use of their oh-so-awesome ‘investigative reporters’, CVG has learned that the third entry in the popular Star Wars: Battlefront series is being handled by Free Radical. This, according to their investigator, comes as a result of their recent deal with LucasArts to develop a next-gen title.

Known for their excellent work on TimeSplitters and GoldenEye, Free Radical has neither confirmed nor denied its involvement with LucasArts. However, the studio is “very excited” about the project, saying that it will be “awesome”.

Proving that the Star Wars brand is still strong, and that good games really do sell, LucasArts has announced that LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy has sold 1.1 million units worldwide within one week of release. Since its release on September 12, the game has sold over a million copies spanning eight platforms including PS2, PSP, Xbox, Xbox 360, Gamecube, PC, DS and GBA.

“There’s definitely something for everyone in LEGO Star Wars II, and the sales and reviews so far are proving it,” said Jim Ward, president of LucasArts. “This is the type of fun, accessible game everyone in the family can enjoy. It appeals to so much more than just the traditional gaming audience.”

Set in a tongue-in-cheek Star Wars galaxy, LEGO Star Wars II allows gamers to build and battle their way through the events of Star Wars: Episodes IV through VI.

LucasArts has announced an agreement with Day 1 Studios, creator of the “MechAssault” series, to develop a completely new IP for release on next-gen consoles. As expected, the release was devoid of any actual information on the title, but it did mention that the studio is focusing on “ground-breaking gameplay” and “interactivity that is only possible with next-generation platforms.”

Further details are to be revealed at a future date.

LucasArts’ presentation at Comic-Con included a peek at a next-gen Star Wars game whose video has since gone online for StarWars.com’s Hyperspace members. For normal folks like us, there’s always YouTube: the drool-inducing clip has gone live on the video-sharing site, showing off pre-visualization (pre-rendered) footage of Jedis using Force powers to take out wary Stormtroopers.

LucasArts and Sony Online Entertainment have announced Star Wars Galaxies: The Complete Online Adventures, a bundle pack that will be available starting this November for $30. Compiled for Star Wars junkies, the bundle will include Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided, along with all three of the game’s expansions: Jump to Lightspeed, Rage of the Wookiees and Trials of Obi-Wan. It will also feature new content and gameplay enhancements.

In addition, the bundle will also include a bonus DVD filled with premium content featuring an exclusive in-game item - a personal AT-RT vehicle as seen in Star Wars Episode III; never-before-seen concept art and screenshots set to “beautifully orchestrated in-game music;” interviews with Star Wars Galaxies production staff; in-game movie featurettes produced by fans; excerpts from “From Pencil to Pixel” book that chronicles the art of the MMORPG; cinematic trailers and ads produced for the game; and a demo of Star Wars: Empire at War.

A new patch for Star Wars: Empire at War has been released, updating the RTS to v1.04. It’s a 22.6 MB download which includes balance changes, bug fixes, support for custom maps, an editor for creating custom maps and more. Download it from LucasArts, 3D Gamers and Gamer’s Hell.

Official information on Indiana Jones 2007 (screenshots) has been revealed.

Indiana Jones returns for his most incredible interactive expedition ever. Set in 1939, this epic, original Indy story - the first from LucasArts with direction from George Lucas - puts you in the fedora of the legendary adventure hero as he unravels the clues found in ancient artifacts spanning the globe. From San Francisco’s Chinatown to the world’s most sacred ground, Indy must use his fists, whip and trusty revolver to fight through ruthless opposition and piece together a mystery of biblical proportions.

Indiana Jones 2007 debuts the revolutionary new euphoria technology from NaturalMotion, which delivers never-before-seen lifelike action and awareness to every character in real time - so you’ll never see the same thing twice. For the first time ever, euphoria enables interactive characters to move, act and even think like actual human beings, adapting their behavior on the fly and resulting in a different payoff every single time. This next-gen technology imbues Indy and his opponents with unparalleled environmental awareness and survival instincts. They’ll stumble, then attempt to maintain their balance; brace themselves for falls, then get back up; and reach for nearby ledges when falling. Each action results in an authentic, varied performance every time.

With LucasArts’ completely interactive Hot Set™ environments, every setting in Indiana Jones 2007 is open-ended and completely destructible in a way that only next-generation consoles can deliver. Use your wits and daring to make each spring-loaded environment a weapon as you dispense of foes in clever and unexpected ways. Also, embark upon thrilling chase sequences that remain true to the spirit established in scenes such as Indy’s pursuit of the motorcade in Raiders of the Lost Ark, the mine-cart scene in The Temple of Doom, and the free-for-all aboard the tank in The Last Crusade.

• This epic, original story written with direction by George Lucas - a first for Indiana Jones games - takes place during Indy’s prime in 1939, one year after the events of Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade, at a time when the Nazis are embarking upon their attempt to conquer Europe.
  
• Use your fists, whip and trusty revolver to take on enemies and experience a down-and-dirty fight like only Indiana Jones delivers.
  
• New technologies such as euphoria (a behavioral simulation engine from NaturalMotion) and Digital Molecular Matter (a breakthrough in environmental interaction by Pixelux Entertainment) combine to revolutionize the feeling of realism in a game without the limitations of traditional animation, ensuring a completely unique experience every time.
  • For the first time ever, euphoria enables interactive characters - from Indiana Jones himself to the foes he pulverizes - to move, act and even think like actual human beings without canned animations dictating their movements. Characters move and adapt realistically to their given situations on the fly, resulting in a series of experiences and payoffs that will never be the same twice.
    
  • Thanks largely to DMM, each open-ended Hot Set area allows you to interact with destructible environments that only next-generation consoles can deliver. Every encounter is a dynamic, spring-loaded scenario primed for creative destruction.
• Face off against one of Indiana’s most hated longtime rivals, reunite him with old friends, and meet more of his most trusted allies throughout the world.
  
• Indiana Jones 2007 is LucasArts’ first internally developed title for next-generation consoles, and it represents the first collaboration of talents and technology between LucasArts and Industrial Light & Magic, two companies now finally under one roof at the new Letterman Digital Arts Center in San Francisco’s Presidio district.

The game is being developed for the PS3 and Xbox 360 to be released next Summer. A version of the game will be developed by an external studio for the PS2, PSP and DS for release sometime next year.

In LucasArts’ second announcement, the company announced ThrillVille, an action-adventure-simulation in the works at Frontier Developments. The game will have players creating a theme park - customizing it, interacting with its guests and, best of all, riding into the rides created.

The game will support four-player party games, from bumper cars to arcade shoot-em-ups. It will also let players tour their parks on foot, “chatting and joking” with other guests to help them out and make sure they’re enjoying the virtual rides.

Thrillville combines elements of simulation, party games and social interaction like nothing before it, all in one of the most console-friendly theme park titles ever to be released. Its charming, laugh-out-loud story centers around you and the theme park you’ve inherited from your eccentric Uncle Mortimer. Only by keeping your guests happy and completing most of the hundreds of missions they present can you stave off the threat posed by the nefarious Globo-Joy corporation.

• Build, manage, ride, customize and socialize your way through the five theme parks you’ve created. Play with your friends in the park of your dreams.
  
• Thrillville boasts the simplest, most intuitive development tools available for all 75-plus ride types, from wooden, corkscrew and inverted coasters to merry-go-rounds, trains and all your favorite carnival rides.
  
• Complete up to 150 missions so that you can you retain Uncle Mortimer’s legacy and fend off the threat of Globo-Joy.
  
• Midway games are more than simple props for your park - you can actually play them! Of the 22 available, 18 are multiplayer, 16 can be placed wherever you want them, and 10 can be customized to your liking.
  
• Examples of midway games include bumper cars, saucer soccer, remote-control cars, shooting gallery, mini-golf, rhythm challenges, arcade-style shoot-’em-ups and puzzlers, and much more.
  
• Interact and develop a relationship with any guests you see wandering about. Listen to and address their unique concerns about your park, joke with them, and even help a guest impress his crush by winning that special prize.
  
• Explore 15 different themed areas spread across five theme parks, such as Pirates Gone Wild, Gold Rush, Ancient Treasures of Egypt and Moon Base.
  
• Spend hours customizing every aspect of your park, or let the game assist you as you play the midway games, chat with guests and move the story along.
  
• Customize your own playable character’s gender, head, body, clothes, skin tone and accessories.
  
• “Coaster cam” lets you experience the thrill of every speedy turn and stomach-churning drop your roller coasters have to offer.
  
• PSP version includes completely unique missions not found in the console versions. It also features ad-hoc Wi-Fi play, and players can share items such as their own unique track and coaster designs.
  
• Thrillville’s focus on what you do in your amusement park - not just designing the park itself - makes it a theme park game truly designed
  
• with the console and handheld gaming experience in mind.

Being developed for PS2, PSP and Xbox, ThrillVille will be thrilling players this Fall.

In the first of LucasArts’ trio of announcements from E3, the company announced Traxion, a rhythm/arcade game for the PSP. The unique thing about the game is that it will use MP3s stored on your PSP, analyzing it and creating personalized experiences based on the music; Traxion will also come with loaded music.

Scoop:

• Play along as Traxion analyzes your choice of tunes to generate unique gameplay, new challenges and custom levels.
  
• A variety of arcade-style games, light show effects, and interactive displays bring your music to life.
  
• You can experiment with your music library to get high scores, play along to your favorite album, or just dip into a quick song while waiting for the bus.
  
• When using your own MP3 files, change games at any time with no break in the music, or change songs in the middle of a game you’ve already begun. You can also play a single game continuously over multiple MP3 files or automatically switch games with each new track. You’re always in control!
  
• Each of the 20-plus games features its own specific goals and challenges. A few of them include the following:
  • Vortex: Switch left and right between lanes as you guide a bouncing ball down a twisting, swooping, diving musical staff. Avoid obstacles and collect notes that arrive in time with the music.
    
  • Beatdrop: Destroy colored blocks at the top of the screen by adding more from the bottom. Plan ahead and create longer chains of blocks, or cause combo-boosting cascades of well-placed blocks. Watch out! The wall is continually rebuilt from above as more beats arrive.
    
  • Karate-oke: Fight your music in this collage-based parody of classic martial arts films. Use a combination of three different attacks and defensive stances to fight a series of musically generated opponents.
• In addition to more than 20 games, Traxion also serves as a music organizer for your PSP. Customize your playlists and categorize your tracks by band, album name and genre.

Traxion is slated for release this Fall.