The Force is Calling

The Force's awakening is not limited to its origins in film.  In addition to the Star Wars film revival premiering on December 18th, a revival of Star Wars:Battlefront released Tuesday, November 17th.  This series had originally been developed by LucasArts and Pandemic Studios with its first release in 2004.  Following the acquisition of LucasArts by Walt Disney in 2013, however, production has been transferred to Electronic Arts, specifically to their subsidiary, DICE ( Digital Illusions Creative Entertainment).  DICE is responsible for an array of EA's successes, the most prominent of which is the Battlefield series, a direct rival of Activision's Call of Duty.  

Star Wars:Battlefront, distinguishable from the similarly titled Battlefield, is not driven by the storyline of the saga, something already explored on screen.  Instead, it serves to emulate the intergalactic conflict in which the story is presented.  As an entirely multiplayer experience, matches will be set within accurately detailed environments from within the films.  Teams will of course be divided into the Rebel Alliance and The Galactic Empire.  This will allow the opportunity to not only serve in battle as the soldiers of each but also as notable characters from within the original trilogy, such as Han Solo and Boba Fett (The Bounty Hunter).  DICE has made extensive efforts to ensure that this experience within beloved franchise's universe maintains its authenticity, sending team members to not only Lucasfilm's studio but also to the locations in which the scenes were filmed.  Scenery, film props, and artist renderings have all been studied in order to transit Star Wars from one form of entertainment to another with maximum efficiency.  

http://starwars.ea.com/starwars/battlefront

Never Drive Alone

The next innovative sensation within the racing genre has been introduced by a perhaps unlikely source.  Ubisoft in collaboration with technical studio Ivory Tower released their most recent joint project, The Crew, on December 4, 2014.  This is certainly an attempt at experimentation by Ubisoft given its lack of experience with any production projects similar to this.  Ivory Tower, in contrast, is very well affiliated with this genre.  The team consists of developers previously affiliated with Eden Games, with whom they developed for such renowned franchises as Need for Speed and Test Drive Unlimited.  The Crew, however, introduces an entirely reevaluated approach to the virtual driving experience. 

The Crew delivers a vast and unprecedented open world landscape, spanning the entirety of the mainland United States.  This will yield significant transitions between climate and terrain.  Vehicle specs optimized for different conditions ensures the versatility of the player's capabilities along with intricate vehicle customization options.  Each of the five regions introduces a different spec, which can be used anywhere in the game's world.  The game itself is ultimately a multiplayer experience, one which requires online connectivity.  It is, of course, possible not to interact with other players, but the free roam environment is one that is always being shared.  If one does choose to utilize their multiplayer access, they will discover the ability to form "crews" of up to 4 players who can all collaborate or compete in the game's vast array of activities.

  http://thecrew-game.ubi.com/portal/en-us/home/