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The Star Wars stuff seems to be spinning off into a hundred different directions, even on the PC, where LucasArts was showing Galaxies, Knights of the Old Republic, and Jedi Academy. But unlike the console showings, which seemed to really be grasping at straws (another Rogue Squadron? the Aliens-meets-Star Wars Republic Commando?), these three titles seemed to be focused designs with their own specific appeals.

How fat was my Bothan

Along with Blizzards Worlds of Warcraft, Star Wars: Galaxies is probably the last best hope for massively multiplayer gaming to rival EverQuest's success. The demo showed the typically detailed character creation screens, where you can choose from one of eight races and then customize your appearance. For example, choose the size of the gullet on your Mon Calamari or the nose protrusion on your Bothan. Then you choose from a few basic professions like artisan, marksman, brawler, scout, healer, or entertainer, and then head off to one of Galaxies' ten planets.

Galaxies 1

Galaxies 2

Galaxies 3

The demo showed an example of how LucasArts wants the game to be more accessible to non-MMO players. There's a pretty slick interface for getting around the planet that includes a helpfully labeled map screen, locations easily selectable from a list, and even navigational aids that will direct you through town to, say, the nearest cantina. Cantinas will serve a gameplay function by being the place you go to remove battle fatigue, which accrues as you fight. Only entertainers can remove it and you'll find them at cantinas (Force-fed downtime? (pardon the pun). Nooo… not from Verant! -ed.).

Putting the wars in Star Wars

The last part of the demo was a big battle at an Imperial outpost, with AI stormtroopers and wookies fighting each other. Although it wasn't part of the demo, they did say you'd be able to control AT-STs (unfortunately, you won't be able to control other vehicles; in Galaxies, you have to hoof it from place to place, or pay for a ride on a transport shuttle). One of the testers was dancing around the battle swinging a lightsaber, which led to the obvious question: How do you get to be a Jedi?

"Oh, he's not a Jedi," said the guy talking us through the demo. "We just gave him the lightsaber for testing purposes."

But how do you get to be a Jedi?

"Well, we're not really talking about that much. We want players to discover that on their own."

What players have already discovered is that the developers want Jedi to be extremely rare, so it's part of a sort of lottery system. Some players, by the luck of the draw, will unlock Jedi characters. For everyone else it won't even be an option. If you're counting on Jedi-hood, you'll have to try one of LucasArts' other Star Wars games.