June 13, 2012 by Paul Curtin
One of the biggest surprises at this year’s E3 was Star Wars 1313. LucasArts sent out a press release officially announcing the game just days before E3 started, but still, nobody expected 1313 to look so damn good in its debut. Changing things up a bit from the typical Star Wars Jedi mythos, 1313 focuses on a bounty hunter main character without powers in a darker and more mature world. But 1313‘s lack of Jedis wasn’t what shocked us; it was the insanely high level of detail that almost stole the show, if not for how little of the game we got to see.
From what little the gameplay teaser does show, 1313 looks like Star Wars meets Uncharted with the game’s emphasis on shooting, using cover, platforming, and visually stunning cutscenes merged with gameplay and packed full of character development. Also surprising is that 1313 has been confirmed to be using a modified version of Epic’s Unreal Engine 3 and not the recently unveiled UE4.
LucasArts has only said that the gameplay shown in the demo was running on a high-end PC, with no announcement of an Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 release date, leading many to believe that Star Wars 1313 will be one of the first games released on next-gen consoles like the Xbox 720 and PS4.
Named for Level 1313, a ruthless criminal underground deep below the surface of the planet of Coruscant, the game puts players in control of a deadly bounty hunter as he uses an arsenal of exotic weaponry to hunt down his marks and uncover the truth surrounding a criminal conspiracy. Star Wars 1313 emphasizes epic set pieces and fast-paced combat with a hero who uses human skills and gadgets, rather than supernatural Force powers, to make his way through this dangerous world.
