X-Wing Retrospective Part 1: Rogue Squadron

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 If you listen to podcast here at Tosche Station, (and if you do, great, if you don’t, why not?) you’ve heard that in honor of the coming latest addition to the fantastic X-Wing series, Mercy Kill, we’re presenting you a retrospective of the series.  It will provide a great opportunity for those of us who haven’t read the books in a very long time to refamiliarize ourselves with it.  That is actually my own situation—I love these books but somehow I haven’t read them for what must have been a solid decade.

I imagine that there are plenty of you out there that are regulars here at the site that have read my prior material and you’re worrying.  Why is the snarky, jaded guy reviewing the first part of this?  Is he going to rip it apart?  Will he ruin these books for me?

Yes.  I mean no.  Very no.  I love these books and I have an even  better perspective on them now.  And by now, I mean, after I’ve been looking at some of the most poorly written books in the entire saga. I know what bad Star Wars looks like.  This isn’t that.  Praise the Force!

So, without further adieu, X-Wing: Rogue Squadron.

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Star Wars: 1313 Is The New Game

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Last night on Spike, Lucasfilm finally announced what that new game franchise they’ve been hinting at is. The answer, Star Wars 1313.

LucasArts is diving into the most dangerous depths of the Star Wars criminal underworld with their newly announced internally developed videogame franchise, Star Wars 1313. Players will take control of a lethal bounty hunter in the never-before-explored expanses of Level 1313, deep below the surface of Coruscant. Using an arsenal of exotic weaponry to hunt down marks, the player must also uncover the truth surrounding a criminal conspiracy in this third-person cinematic action adventure game. It’s a bold new take on the Star Wars galaxy, intended for mature audiences.

Admittedly, I was hoping beyond hope that this was going to be a flight simulator of some sort. Or anything else, really. I’ve got bounty hunter and sandbox shooter burnout. This sounds like it’s going to be a combination of both of those.

Expect actual gameplay footage to be revealed at E3.

Origins Day One Recap: Writing Advice, Mara’s Death, and a Whole Bunch of EU Goodness

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The second half of the day brought all sorts of star Wars Expanded Universe goodness. Authors Timothy Zahn, Mike Stackpole, and Aaron Allston were on hand to discuss everything from the writing process to Star Wars. Highlights below the jump!

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Star Wars Party Ideas

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I was going to say that I want to have a Star Wars party like this someday for my kids. Then I thought, forget the kids! We should have this party NOW! I mean, it features a homemade R2-D2, and a Wampa Cave Cake. In fact, I think this woman needs to write the next edition of the Star Wars Cookbook.

Make sure you check out her links to the previous year’s party as well and check out the garbage masher cake too.

Origins Day One – Morning Update

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After getting through the adventure that was Origins Event Registration, I managed to actually get into the convention to do a bit of exploring. Some morning highlights from day one!

  • If you’re looking to relive your high school years (I know, hang with me here), you should look at a game called Rise of the Cliques. Select your personal clique, earn popularity points, and stab your friends in the back. What’s not to like? It’s actually a fairly amusing, quick to pick up game for 3-5 individuals. Very much a social game that allows you to form alliances or just resort to blatant deception. Fun game, quick rating of 3.5/5.
  • The exhibitor showroom is truly a sight to behold. Collectibles, all sorts of games being demonstrated. One of the coolest things I saw was a huge 32 inch touchscreen slate for dungeon masters that allows a lucky DM to quickly cycle through game notes, documents, and other useful features. If I had an extra chunk of change sitting around, I’d be sorely tempted to get one and start DMing again.
  • The most amusing find so far: The Vampire Diaries trading card game. There’s something here for everyone, folks.

Panels with authors begins at 1PM Eastern today, so stay tuned to our Twitter account for details from them. At 4PM will be a Star Wars EU panel with Timothy Zahn, Mike Stackpole, and Aaron Allston.

Tosche Station Radio #18: Cut Short

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It’s a brief episode of Tosche Station Radio this week, but the hosts still pack in the snark.

The show kicks off with a bit of housekeeping. First, Nanci recorded a guest spot on the Star Wars Beyond the Films podcast, so listen for her on a future episode. The Replace Mara’s Catsuit contest has also gotten an extension to August 15th to give costumers enough time to put an outfit together for convention season.

On the blog this week, we received two art entries for the contest from Victoria and a costume submission from Blizz. We asked for your snarky suggestions on what the new Star Wars videogame franchise that will be unveiled at E3 might be. Shane discussed the stagnation of technology in the Star Wars universe. But the big news, however …

On Wednesday, June 6th, Tosche Station Radio will be interviewing Expanded Universe author Aaron Allston! Be sure to send us your questions.

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We Dreamed a Dream!

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And it is nearly a reality!

Cameron Macintosh has released the first trailer for the upcoming film adaptation of the Broadway musical Les Miserables. Those of you who listen to the podcast know that this is my most-anticipated movie of the year – yes, even above The Hunger Games and Prometheus and all those other movies everyone else is freaking out about. You see, I was a drama nerd in high school, and thanks to my teacher, I fell in love with this musical. I’ve seen it five or six times, and I’ve always wanted to see it turned into a film. (The version with Liam Neeson just did not do it for me.) Also, the idea that Hugh Jackman, one of my favorite actors, is playing the role of Jean Valjean fills me with absolute glee.

The trailer features Anne Hathaway’s version of “I Dreamed a Dream,” and, let me tell you, I got chills. Chills, people. I’m not a huge fan of Fantine (Eponine is my favorite character by far, with my favorite song of the show being “On My Own”), and I wondered how well Anne would portray the role, but now I’m completely convinced. And everything else looks absolutely amazing – the scenery, the costumes, the actors. Man, I cannot wait for this movie. Is it Christmas yet???

 (Thanks to the Big Shiny Girlcast for the link!)

Origins Game Fair Coverage This Week

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The Origins Game Fair in Columbus is this weekend and as it so happens, I’m going to be there. Keep an eye here on the blog and on our Twitter account for news, tidbits, and fun from the convention.

Notable guests in attendance include actors Wil Wheaton and Felicia Day. There’s also a host of great authors in the lineup such as Bryan Young, Timothy Zahn, Michael Stackpole and Origins Guest of Honor Aaron Allston. All of them will be holding reading sessions to show up new and upcoming books and will also be part of several panels throughout the event.

Dear Nanci: Snarky Advice for Geeks

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Sometimes, my brain works in odd ways. Earlier, Emily posted about the Droid Factory at Hollywood Studios and entitled her entry “Dear Nanci.” When I first saw her post, my mind immediately flashed to “Dear Abby” and all those other advice columns in newspapers and magazines. And then I thought, what would a geeky advice column be like?

Well, now is your time to find out, because that’s what I’m starting! Once a week, on Tuesday nights, I will answer (with large doses of snark, of course) your geeky questions about love, life, and fandom. So leave a question in the comments below, tweet us a question, or post on our Facebook page.

It’ll be fun – I hope! May the Force be with me!