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Darth Vader is just as menacing in pink in ‘Star Wars Battlefront II’ mod

battlefront ii pink darth vader mod pinkvader
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Darth Vader can finally get over his goth phase with a new mod for Star Wars Battlefront II on PC (via Eurogamer). PC modder Destauch has uploaded pink and white skins for Darth Vader to Nexus Mods, which can be used with the PC version of Battlefront II via the Frosty Mod Manager. Both skins are a cheeky response to comments made last year by an EA executive about respecting the Star Wars canon.

Back in November 2017 when EA was getting into major hot water with their fans over the implementation of loot boxes in Battlefront II, it came out that gameplay-neutral cosmetic items for customizing your character’s appearance had been implemented, but removed from the game in lieu of stocking loot boxes with gameplay-affecting bonuses. Apparently pressure to make the change came in part from Lucasfilm over concerns about canon if players could freely mix and match characters and styles from across the entire franchise history. Imagine a First Order stormtrooper fighting alongside a Clone Wars stormtrooper? Immersion shattered — literally unplayable. EA CFO Blake Jorgensen defended the decision at a Credit Suisse event:

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“It’s an amazing brand that’s been built over many, many years,” said Jorgensen. “So if you did a bunch of cosmetic things, you might start to violate the canon. Darth Vader in white probably doesn’t make sense, versus in black. Not to mention you probably don’t want Darth Vader in pink. No offense to pink, but I don’t think that’s right in the canon.”

No offense to Mr. Jorgensen or the Star Wars canon, but no one tells Darth Vader how to dress except for Darth Vader. In case you thought the colors in the mod and Jorgensen’s remarks might be a coincidence, Destauch included the quotes in question on the mod page to show MR. Jorgensen just how wrong he was. To protect fragile fans, however, he also included a helpful warning: “WARNING! MAY BREAK CANON!”

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What does and does not constitute canon has been a subject of major debate among Star Wars fans ever since Disney purchased the franchise in 2012 and retroactively invalidated a huge swathe of Extended Universe media as non-canonical. The mixed reception for The Last Jedi recently has only intensified the debate as everyone seems to have developed different expectations for what constitutes a proper Star War. We applaud fans like Destauch who take the sanctity of their canon with a grain of salt.

Will Fulton
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Will Fulton is a New York-based writer and theater-maker. In 2011 he co-founded mythic theater company AntiMatter Collective…
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor comes to current consoles in 2023
Cal Kestis stares at a person in a tank in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.

EA has finally revealed the title and set a release year for the sequel to Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. According to a new teaser trailer, the game's name is Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and it will release in 2023.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor - Official Teaser
In addition to the trailer, EA shared a synopsis for the game's story in a press release, revealing that Survivor takes place five years after the events of Fallen Order. "Cal must stay one step ahead of the Empire's constant pursuit as he begins to feel the weight of being one of the last remaining Jedi in the galaxy," the press release says. "Accompanied by his trusty companion BD-1, Cal will meet and ally himself with an array of unique and interesting characters on his journey."
The teaser trailer doesn't feature any gameplay. However, the press release confirms that Survivor will be a single-player action-adventure title like its predecessor and that Cal will have some new abilities at his disposal. Fallen Order director Stig Asmussen returned to direct this new game, saying that "we're leveraging advanced technology to create more dynamic Jedi combat and cinematic storytelling to expand on Cal's story as he matures and survives during the dark times." He also promised to show more of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor later this year. 
This announcement comes during a jam-packed Star Wars Celebration where we've also received trailers for shows like Andor and Willow. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor appears to be the big video game announcement of the event, although EA has previously stated that Respawn Entertainment was developing a sequel to Fallen Order.
In a press release, EA confirms that Survivor will be current-gen only "to create a deeper and more expansive Star Wars experience," so don't expect it to come out for PS4 or Xbox One. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor will be available for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S when it releases in 2023. 

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Elden Ring finally dethroned on Steam by Lego Star Wars
Promotional art of Lego Star Wars The Skywalker Saga.

After over a month as the top-selling game on Steam, Elden Ring has finally been cut down by an unsuspected title: Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga.

Released last week, The Skywalker Saga has quickly risen to the top of Steam's top-sellers list, bumping Elden Ring down to third place. This is just the latest piece of good news for Traveller's Tales' newest Lego title, though, as it's already broken the record for the series' most concurrent players on Steam and became the second-biggest physical release of the year in the U.K.

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Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga isn’t just for kids
Promotional art of Lego Star Wars The Skywalker Saga.

Before Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, I had fallen out of love with TT Games and WB Games' Lego titles. The Lego Star Wars, Batman, and Indiana Jones series helped make me passionate about video games as a kid as I spent endless fun (and sometimes frustrating) hours playing them with my brother.
Over time though, I aged out of the series and grew more disappointed with the basic open-world formula the series settled on after great games like Lego City Undercover. I was no longer smitten with one of the series that helped cement my love of video games. That’s why The Skywalker Saga’s bold new direction excites me.
It not only revisits the films behind some of my favorite Lego games, but builds on top of them with more expansive hub worlds, mission variety, and deeper gameplay than previous Lego action games. While The Skywalker Saga’s multiple delays and development issues concerned me, my hands-on with an early build of the game managed to engross me just like the original Lego Star Wars did 17 years ago.
A New Hope for the series
My demo took me through the first 90 minutes of A New Hope, one of the nine Star Wars films represented within The Skywalker Saga. Like every Lego game before it, this segment of the game followed the events of the film it was based on. It features full voice acting (from soundalikes, not the film cast), though I appreciated the inclusion of a “mumble mode” that makes the characters grunt and pantomime as they did in early Lego games.
LEGO® Star Wars™: The Skywalker Saga - Gameplay Overview
TT Games also experiments with the iconic opening of A New Hope. Many jokes are present to keep kids entertained, but it also intertwines with the end of Rogue One. The first character I played as was actually Princess Leia, who has the Death Star plans and is trying to escape Darth Vader as he boards the Tantive IV. Somehow, this Lego game made this oft-adapted and parodied plot beat feel fresh.
This mission also served as a tutorial and a demonstration of how The Skywalker Saga differs from previous Lego games. Yes, there are still combat, exploration, and puzzles, but those are deeper than before. A cover-based system has been implemented to make shootouts more involving. Meanwhile, players can now string together melee combos with different moves and counter enemies' attacks, making melee battles more enjoyable than before. Character classes and abilities also ensure fights in this game are more than simple button-mashing affairs.
Missions often give players multiple options to complete objectives, whether that’s because of a specific Lego build players can create or the abilities of their playable character. It’s no Devil May Cry, but these deeper gameplay systems made sure my eyes didn’t gloss over out of boredom within the first hour, something I can’t say for the last couple of Lego games I played.
The Skywalker Saga made a strong first impression on me and excited me to see how the rest of A New Hope would unfold. I was able to play as Luke Skywalker on Tatooine, meet Obi-Wan Kenobi, recruit Han and Chewbacca, and explore the Death Star before my demo ended. While this is the second time TT Games is adapting this material, it feels completely new because of the revamped approach to storytelling, level design, and gameplay design.
All grown up
During my demo, I only scratched the surface of what the game had to offer. The Skywalker Saga seems to be the most densely packed Lego game yet, as all nine mainline Star Wars films have been recreated here. Not only are there linear levels based on the main plot points and set pieces of each film, but there are large hubs on planets and areas in space that players can explore and complete side missions within.
As players complete the stories of more films and gain access to more characters, ships, and planets, the amount of options players will have at their disposal will only continue to grow. The Skywalker Saga also has a progression system to back that amount of content up ,as missions reward players with Kyber Bricks that players use to unlock and enhance abilities on skill trees.

Yes, this game has skill trees to complement the aforementioned classes -- which include Jedi, Smugglers, and Protocol Droids -- and their abilities, which is useful during and outside of combat. Systems like this bring TT Games’ Lego series more up to par with its action game peers and make it feel like the franchise has finally grown up. As The Skywalker Saga will be the first Lego game in years to appeal to those with nostalgia for the series' earliest game, it's a relief to see that it won't disappoint. 
Of course, The Skywalker Saga still will be approachable enough for kids thanks to its visuals, humor, and approachable gameplay basics, but it finally doesn’t seem like that’s coming at the sacrifice of engaging gameplay for older players. While I thought I had aged out of ever liking a Lego game again, this demo of The Skywalker Saga revealed that I could still love these games -- they just had to catch up to me first.
Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga will be released for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Nintendo Switch on April 5, 2022.

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