Boba Fett, 'Unleashed' again

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/gaming/2010-07-22-starwars22_ST_N.htm

Boba Fett, 'Unleashed' again
7/22/2010
Mike Snider, USA TODAY

Fan favorite Boba Fett is poised to steal scenes in another Star Wars adventure.

The bounty hunter who captured Han Solo in The Empire Strikes Back has a date in the upcoming LucasArts video game Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II (due Oct. 26, for all game systems).

A follow-up to 2008's The Force Unleashed— the best-selling Star Wars video game ever — the sequel continues the story of Starkiller, Darth Vader's secret apprentice, with events that take place between Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and Episode IV: A New Hope.

As the story continues, Starkiller, who helped ignite the rebellion against the Empire, has escaped from Vader, who then employs Boba Fett to track him down. "We didn't want to just throw Boba Fett or other characters in the game just for the sake of making a fan appearance," says LucasArts' Haden Blackman, who wrote the story for both games. "But it really made sense for (Vader) to hire Boba Fett."

Adding the beloved character adds heft to a cinematic story line. Boba Fett "really has become a rich character over time, and for us to have him show up in a small but pivotal role was exciting," says Blackman, who will make the official announcement today at Comic-Con.

After apparently dying in Return of the Jedi, Boba Fett has had a busy life in the subsequent Star Wars offshoots. Young Boba appeared in Attack of the Clones and the current Clone Wars Cartoon Network series. He stars in recent paperback Bounty Hunter: Boba Fett and the upcoming graphic novel Star Wars: Blood Ties— A Tale of Jango and Boba Fett, out Aug. 25.

"He's one of those characters that really resonates with fans," Blackman says. "That cool masked man (with) all the gadgets, he's a bounty hunter, which has got to be a life of adventure and danger. ... Fans just want more stories about him."

Blackman hopes similar sentiments grow around Starkiller, the main character in The Force Unleashed games.

"We give him what I think is a satisfying character arc. He starts in one place emotionally and physically, and ends up in a different place," Blackman says. "There are definitely more stories we can tell with this character."