Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Exclusive Season 5 Republic Commando Action Scene

Straight from its debut during the big Star Wars: The Clone Wars panel at Star Wars Celebration VI this weekend, we’ve got the exclusive online debut for you of a new scene from Season 5 of the hit animated series.

The Clone Wars: What to Expect in Season 5

Back in Season 3, fans were incredibly excited by the first appearance on the series of the video game-created Republic Commandos – though it was basically a cameo, in the midst of a dialogue-driven scene.

But in Season 5, we’re going to finally see at least one Republic Commando in action. This gentleman’s name is Gregor, and as the clip shows, he’s got a group of droids he’s working in tandem with, including R2-D2 himself. As we learned at The Clone Wars panel, Artoo and these droids are tasked with infiltrating the separatists to get a crucial encryption code, and along the way, they meet up with Gregor. While the specifics on his history and involvement in the storyline have yet to be revealed, you can see in the following clip that his skills in battle become crucial to this mission's success.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 5 premieres Saturday, September 29th at 9:30am in the show’s new timeslot.

For more info on Season 5, including new inclusions to the series taken from both the films and the expanded universe, check out my full report on The Clone Wars panel from Star Wars Celebration VI.

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App Store Update: August 23

Every day hundreds of new apps make their debut on the App Store, and hundreds more are updated or reduced in price. We have sifted through the noise and highlighted those select few that might be worth your attention.

Game Debuts

VOTE!!! – (Free)

With only a few months left until this year's election, the makers of Infinity Blade are making a push for gamers to get themselves registered to vote. This new, free game is the focus of that campaign, and allows you to pit the candidates against one another in battle – goofily beating each other up with oversized microphones and lightsabers. It's a bit different than how you'll see them acting in televised debates, no doubt, and it's free – so why not check it out, and then go get yourself ready for November?

Lost Cities – ($3.99)

The latest in a long line of great physical games gone digital, ubiquitous game designer Reiner Knizia's Lost Cities has you taking on opponents to send out expeditions to famous hidden civilizations around the globe. Will you bring back more treasures from the fabled Atlantis, or Shangri-La?

Star Wars Dice – ($4.99)

The latest app from that galaxy far, far away, Star Wars Dice is a companion for the X-Wing Miniatures Game and Fantasy Flight's Star Wars Role-Playing Game – so you can forget about lugging around bags of physical dice and just let your iDevice do the rolling. (That's more Star Wars futuristic, anyway.)

One Epic Knight – (Free)

The App Store's latest endless runner, this one casts you as a cartoony knight dashing through dungeons and castles while dodging medieval traps.

The Curse – ($0.99)

When you accidentally unleash an ancient curse hidden within a magic book, it's up to you to solve all the puzzles within its pages to undo what you've done.

Eufloria – ($2.99)

Originally launched as an iPad exclusive back in February, Omni Systems' ambient strategy game is now available for iPhone owners as well.

Mikey Shorts – ($0.99)

Mikey is gaming's latest platforming hero, and already the one most committed to wearing short pants. Help me on his adventure, won't you?

Jelly Cannon Reloaded – ($0.99)

A partnership between Chillingo and Nickelodeon brought about this next game, which tasks you with launching bouncy jelly blobs around the screen.

Eternity Warriors 2 – (Free)

And our last new release for the day, it's the sequel to last year's first Eternity Warriors. Check out its trailer right here:

Price Drops

Abu's Adventures – (Free)

No, sadly, this one doesn't star the little fez-wearing monkey from Disney's Aladdin. This Abu is a squirrel, and he's hoping you'll try his magical adventure for free today.

Banzai Dice – (Free)

If you looked at Star Wars Dice up there earlier and were disappointed that it wasn't actually a game per se, try out Banzai Dice for free. It's a good dice-gaming fix.

Updates

Cut the Rope – ($0.99)

If you haven't been back to feed Om Nom some candy lately, jump back into Cut the Rope now – the little monster is preparing for that most candy-crazy holiday of Halloween with a new "Spooky Box" full of ghost-filled levels to play, courtesy of the new Version 1.0 update.

Order & Chaos Online – ($6.99)

Gameloft's iOS MMO has just gotten a huge new content push that introduces PvP arena battling, new mounts, new dungeon content and banishes the old pay-to-play subscription model.

Angry Birds Space – ($0.99)

And we've of course got to stay on top of what Rovio's up to. Their latest update brings new levels to Angry Birds Space that, through a partnership with NASA, include the Curiosity Mars Rover!

That's all for today! If you haven't already, remember to subscribe to the App Store Update via email for extra convenience:

Lucas M. Thomas is IGN Nintendo's longtime champion of downloadable titles across the Wii, DSi and 3DS. He's happy to now be helping Justin round up the best options for App Store shoppers. You can follow him on Twitter.

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Five Theories About Guardians of the Galaxy

Marvel Studios is steering full speed ahead on the next round of superhero movies, which includes a number of sequels and the debut of a cosmic team known as the Guardians of the Galaxy. While the Guardians movie is currently being rewritten by Chris McCoy, a rumored plot synopsis for the film popped up this week:

"About a U.S. pilot who ends up in space in the middle of a universal conflict and goes on the run with futuristic ex-cons who have something everyone wants."

Though that synopsis is only one sentence long, it hints at what direction Marvel is taking these characters. We've decided to explore what the synopsis reveals -- assuming its accurate -- and the various questions it raises.

Who Is the U.S. Pilot?

As we've discussed in past Marvel features, one of the functions of the Avengers was to serve as a litmus test for casual fans, determining whether or not they'd tolerate a few science fiction-based characters and plot elements alongside more traditional superhero fare. Audiences seemed to respond well, given the box office numbers, and that's why Marvel is pushing ahead with a Guardians of the Galaxy movie.

GotG will take Marvel's Cinematic Universe more fully into the realm of sci-fi. However, whether you're looking at comics like Guardians of the Galaxy or TV shows like Farscape, one element many space-based stories share is that at least one central protagonist hails from Earth. It helps to have an ordinary hero for fans to latch onto and to help keep the story grounded a bit.

The summary makes it clear that the GotG movie will have such a character. Chances are the “U.S. Pilot” in question is Peter Quill, better known as the hero Star-Lord. In the comics, Quill is a NASA pilot with a troubled childhood who essentially cheats his way into becoming a super-powered space cop. Star-Lord had a largely solo career until he became leader of the modern version of the Guardians after the storyline Annihilation: Conquest.

Marvel's concept painting (seen at the top of this page) clearly shows Star-Lord front and center among the Guardians. However, there's also the possibility that the summary isn't referring to him at all. The original version of the Guardians created in 1969 was a team based in the 31st Century rather than the present. That team had its own Earth-based hero named Vance Astro. Like Quill, Astro is a NASA pilot, only he was frozen in suspended animation for 1000 years as he traveled to Alpha Centauri on an experimental spaceship. Astro eventually joined up with a number of colorful heroes to form the futuristic Guardians of the Galaxy.

Another remote possibility brought up by the folks at Topless Robot is Carol Danvers. Though best known as the heroine Ms. Marvel, Danvers was recently rechristened Captain Marvel in the comics. Danvers is an Air Force pilot who accidentally gained powers when she was abducted by Kree scientists. It's unlikely that Marvel would opt to bring in a separate Avenger character when the GotG franchise already has two separate characters who fit the “U.S. Pilot” bill. Additionally, her origin might be too difficult to pull off in the context of a team movie like this.

On the other hand, Marvel has been placing unusual emphasis on the character in their comics recently. Perhaps they're preparing for her mainstream Hollywood debut? Also, it really wouldn't hurt the Marvel Cinematic Universe to have more central female heroes. There's no need for Black Widow to continue shouldering that burden alone.

It's more likely that the U.S. pilot is Peter Quill rather than Astro or Danvers. However, as we'll discuss later, it seems that Marvel may be combining elements of both versions of the Guardians. It's possible the cinematic Star-Lord will at least share some traits with Vance Astro.

Present or Future?

As mentioned, there are two distinctly different versions of the Guardians of the Galaxy in the Marvel Universe, one based in the present day and one in the 31st Century. The concept painting Marvel released suggests that the movie will be based on the contemporary Guardians. However, the fact that they're referred to as “futuristic ex-cons” has us wondering if the movie isn't borrowing from both incarnations. Are the Guardians futuristic because their technology and resources are leaps and bounds beyond Earth's, or because they literally come from the future?

Perhaps Marvel Studios are still hoping to keep the movie as contained to Earth as possible. By setting the movie in the future, the various team members could be explained as being products of highly advanced genetic engineering rather than aliens. In the case of some of them (Drax, Rocket Raccoon) this isn't necessarily that off the mark anyway. However, we fear the team would lose some of its color and charm if they were all presented as Earthlings.

Either way, time travel could easily become an element of the conflict. Even in the contemporary GotG series, some of the characters were whisked away to the future in order to see what dark fate was in store for the universe 1000 years down the road. Both timelines could come into play as the Guardians confront a terrible threat in the 31st century and then travel back in order to stop its rise. Time travel could even be used to foreshadow the events of Avengers 2, which we now know won't be hitting theaters too long after this movie.

Are the Guardians Criminals?

Perhaps the most interesting and unexpected tidbit of information revealed in the plot summary is that the Guardians are “ex-cons.” While individual team members have sometimes had questionable loyalties, the Guardians as a whole have never been portrayed as being on the wrong side of the law. Most are bounty hunters or adventurers, while Groot is royalty on his home planet.

Perhaps their respective origin stories are being altered for the Cinematic Universe. The Guardians may become a team more like DC's Suicide Squad, where prisoners volunteer for dangerous missions in exchange for reduced sentences. Given Peter Quill's somewhat shady past, he may find himself thrust into a similar sort of situation when he commits a galactic faux pas. If this is the function the team serves in the movie, we'll be curious to see what intergalactic power is giving them orders.

We also wonder if this means the Klyn will factor into the conflict of the movie. The Klyn is a maximum security prison built at the edge of the universe and designed to hold the most powerful creatures in the universe (even characters like the Beyonder and some of Galactus' relatives). Star-Lord himself spent time in the prison before his recent resurgence in the comics. Using the Klyn as a locale in the movie ensures that Marvel can toss in pretty much whatever iconic villains and alien races they want, depending on contractual rights.

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App Store Update: August 17

Every day hundreds of new apps make their debut on the App Store, and hundreds more are updated or reduced in price. We have sifted through the noise and highlighted those select few that might be worth your attention.

Game Debuts

Meeblings – (Free)

You've probably played one of the Bloons games in the past, and now the same studio responsible for bursting so many virtual balloons invites you to meet the Meeblings – little smiling blobs starring in a physics-based puzzle adventure.

Thunderstone Gateway – (Free)

The latest virtual version of a physical deck-building card game has great source material to draw on, as anyone who's played Thunderstone with tangible cards will tell you. Early word is this app edition is a bit rough around the edges here at launch, but it's free to try – and giving it a download now will help you keep an eye out for updates that address its issues going forward.

Price Drops

Alien Breed – ($0.99)

This Team 17 remake of a vintage 1991 top-down shooter has already shown up twice in earlier August App Store Updates, but we're committed to keeping it in front of your faces frequently. After a brief price increase pushed it up to the three dollar range, It's on sale again for 99 cents.

Jazz: Trump's Journey – ($0.99)

Also down to 99 cents is the App Store's most soulful game design, Jazz: Trump's Journey. Give its trailer a view, or, more importantly, a listen:

Sonic CD – ($2.99)

Sega's having a sale to salute the end of summer as students head back to school, and the great iOS port of Sonic CD is one of the best bets you'll find from the House of the Hedgehog. Feel free to read our review, too, before dashing off to buy it.

VS. Racing – (Free)

We'll finish out the week with three final freebie options for you. First up is VS. Racing, Maciek Drejak Labs' design that will be seeing a sequel in the App Store soon. (So try out the original now.)

Hambo – (Free)

And then we have Hambo, which, yes, is a combination of Ham and Rambo. Pigs with guns!

Spell Sword – (Free)

And finally, Spell Sword, a good old retro-esque hack 'n slash that winks at everything from The Legend of Zelda to Game of Thrones.

And that's all for this week! If you haven't already, remember to subscribe to the App Store Update via email for extra convenience:

Lucas M. Thomas is IGN Nintendo's longtime champion of downloadable titles across the Wii, DSi and 3DS. He's happy to now be helping Justin round up the best options for App Store shoppers. You can follow him on Twitter.

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Comic Book Reviews for 8/15/12

Everyone's favorite Watchmen loony finally makes his debut in Before Watchmen this week, and we're happy to report that the initial results are promising. Meanwhile, Avengers vs. X-Men loses its steam, Batwoman returns to form, Saga continues to kick ass, and the latest issue of Wonder Woman blows our minds.

DC COMICS

Batwoman #12

Written by J.H. Williams III & Haden Blackman | Art by J.H. Williams III

"A number of changes have occurred since you last read a Batwoman comic: J.H. Williams III is back on art, the format is back to a relatively linear format, and Wonder Woman is featured prominently. I would have expected each of those changes to benefit the book, but, together, they push the book to its best form thus far." -Poet

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

9.0

Before Watchmen: Rorschach #1

Written by Brian Azzarello | Art by Lee Bermejo

"Poll a group of Watchmen fans on who their favorite character is, and chances are the majority will answer "Rorschach." There's something endlessly appealing about the dark, twisted vigilante who sets out to solve the world's ills with his fists. No doubt many writers would have jumped at the chance to pen the further adventures of Rorschach, but DC opted for the writer perhaps best suited for his bloody, grimy, nihilistic world -- Brian Azzarello. Unsurprisingly, Azzarello quickly and comfortably settles in with the character in Before Watchmen: Rorschach #1." -Jesse

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

8.0

Birds of Prey #12

Written by Duane Swierczynski | Art by Cliff Richards

"Birds of Prey #12 isn’t brimming with forward progression or even notable character work, but it does pack plenty of pleasing action into its 20 brisk pages. Cliff Richards handles art duties here, and though many backgrounds are scarce and rely on the hues of Gabe Eltaeb, his figure work is detailed and his facial emotions are impressive. The action flows gracefully from panel to panel, with Richards ensuring a wide variety of blocking for the numerous action sequences and detailing each punch for maximum impact. Of particular note is a battle with on again-off again teammate Poison Ivy, which when coupled with Eltaeb’s fantastic green tones, gives us an aesthetically pleasing and dynamic action sequence." -Joey

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

7.0

Catwoman #12

Written by Judd Winick | Art by Adriana Melo

"If Red Hood and the Outlaws was a critically maligned book that managed to make some crucial improvements over the first year of the New 52, Catwoman has mainly been spinning its wheels. Like Red Hood, the rampant sexuality is no longer the concern it once was. But unlike that series, Catwoman has failed to develop a sense of forward momentum or the crucial character relationships needed to keep readers invested over the long run." -Jesse

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

5.0

DC Universe Presents #12

Written by Fabian Nicieza | Art by Jorge Jimenez

"After a fascinating and inspired arc about Vandal Savage, DCU Presents #12 cheapens the very prospect of this series by turning it into an unnecessary tie-in to Teen Titans, a book so overwritten itself that you’ll be stunned to learn that it needed more words elsewhere to paint the whole picture. This issue opens with a straining exposition dump – really just a recap page in disguise – and then launches into a high-octane story about Kid Flash fighting dino-teens. The premise is fine and good; unfortunately the issue itself is a one-way ticket to 'Check out Teen Titans #12'-ville, resolving nothing and leaving you empty." -Joey

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

4.5

Green Lantern #12

Written by Geoff Johns | Art by Renato Guedes & Jim Calafiore

"The Blackest Night event is a personal favorite of mine, so I was trepidatious when a Black Lantern ring popped out of Black Hand’s mouth, threatening to spoil the epic story that had already come to a fitting conclusion years ago. Geoff Johns has stymied my fears by choosing to put a new spin on Black Hand’s purpose in a way that severely shakes up Hal Jordan’s status quo. You’ll never guess what he’s going to be the 'greatest' at this time." -Joshua

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

8.0

Green Lantern Corps #12

Written by Peter Tomasi | Art by Fernando Pasarin

"The quality of this story by Peter J. Tomasi is debatable. As far as pacing, character development, and fan-pleasing moments go, I would consider it high quality. But when you turn an eye to the story arc being told, it fails miserably because it forgets about why the story was told in the first place: John Stewart murdered one of his fellow Lanterns and he must answer for his actions. This series has been one of the stronger Green Lantern titles, so it’s all the more shame that this story didn’t come to any sort of conclusion on the matter." -Joshua

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

5.5

Nightwing #12

Written by Kyle Higgins | Art by Andres Guinaldo

"Between the Dick Grayson-related revelations that came out of Night of the Owls and various other elements Kyle Higgins has seeded over the past year, Nightwing has a lot going for it. Unfortunately, the series too rarely seems to nail the execution. Issue #12 is another frustratingly uneven installment that nonetheless suggests some pretty cool things are coming on the horizon." -Jesse

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

6.5

Red Hood and the Outlaws #12

Written by Scott Lobdell | Art by Timothy Green II

"Red Hood and the Outlaws has been chugging along for a year now, and this is one New 52 series where it's particularly interesting to examine its evolution over the past 12 months. If not without its problems, the book has nonetheless addressed a number of troubling characterization problems and proven that there's a place for a ragtag team like the Outlaws in the New 52." -Jesse

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

7.0

Supergirl #12

Written by Mike Johnson & Michael Green | Art by Mahmud Asrar

"It’s been nearly a year since Supergirl and Superman first battled in Supergirl #2, but their reunion in this issue is significantly calmer. More importantly, we can feel the immense amount of progression that Kara has made since her arrival on Earth. She might not be able to speaking English yet, but the growth of her powers and acceptance of her loss are truly endearing and the writers play that up to the fullest in this issue’s opening conversation. Her distrust of Superman, while somewhat understandable, is growing a bit thin, but if the discovery at the end of this issue is any indication, that’ll soon be put to rest." -Joey

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

8.0

Wonder Woman #12

Written by Brian Azzarello | Art by Cliff Chiang

"Brian Azzarello just made me a Wonder Woman fan for life. By dating this story just enough to let him play around with the origin of her powers, and reveal some new ones, Azzarello has given meaning to aspects of Wonder Woman’s character that have long been taken for granted. Flight is so commonplace in superhero books that it’s easy to forget its symbolic importance, as well as the rush of adrenaline that comes when your new favorite hero does it for the first time." -Joshua

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

9.5

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