THQ has launched (roughly) the millionth game to simulate the iconic attack on the Death Star from Star Wars — but on iPhone this time! In Star Wars: Trench Run, available today for $4.99, you use tilt controls to steer your X-Wing ship, and touch controls to take down the TIE Fighters that attempt to impede your path to the Death Star’s thermal exhaust port.
The game features both arcade and story modes, multiple camera angles, leaderboards, and, of course, special Force powers including the ability to slow down time. It’s just not a Star Wars flying game without a scratchy Obi-Wan voice sample telling you to use the Force.
Check out this short video with Creative Director Joe Madureira. Get a short glimpse of the weapons, story, and features of this highly anticipated title. Heaven and Hell have witnessed nothing like a slightly upset Horseman of the Apocalypse.
Keep an eye here as we approach the January 5, 2010 release date.
There’s a lot to absorb in the latest developer diary for THQ’s celestial adventure title, Darksiders: Angels fighting demons, demons fighting horsemen of the apocalypse, horsemen fighting angels, giant worm monsters, the Apocalypse and, best of all, a horse that nearly killed Joystiq’s own Kevin Kelly. Basically, we’re saying that it’s going to be tough to top the video you see above at any point today, as we doubt another video will force one of us to flash back to a moment in our lives where we experienced pure mortal terror.
You might become entranced by the grandiose visuals featured in the latest trailer for Darksiders, which we’ve posted above — however, don’t let your sense of sight get you too distracted from the video’s sounds. It might be too soon to say, but it looks like Darksiders could be the most gravelly-voiced video game in the history of the industry. Seriously, even the woman briefly featured in the above trailer makes Solid Snake sound like Dakota Fanning.
Check out the trailer, but keep in mind that it comes to us from the mysterious land of Europe, explaining the release date of “08/01/2010″ which appears at the end of the video. See, they do dates backwards in that continent. Just like they do democracy.
THQ announced today that World Wrestling Entertainment has extended a deadline that allows the publisher to renew its licensing contract. The extension lasts until December 21, 2009 — the original deadline was November 1. If signed, the agreement would be good through December 31, 2014.
THQ is cool with the WWE, but it’s not very chummy with JAKKS Pacific, its longtime partner in the WWE licensing venture. The wounds also run deep between JAKKS and the WWE. When asked for comment on the license renewal and further details regarding the three-way deal, a THQ representative told Joystiq that the publisher plans to renew its contract with the WWE, and then added, “Beyond that, I cannot comment.”
The business, politics and legal issues are certainly complicated. We spoke with Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter who laid out multiple scenarios, but in the end he believes the most likely outcome is that the joint venture between THQ and JAKKS will be terminated. If JAKKS enforces its (believed to be one-year) non-compete clause, then no WWE games can be produced. Neither side would benefit from that, however.
Pachter suggests that the WWE’s renewal deadline was extended to give THQ and JAKKS time to settle their issues. What it sounds like to us: THQ and WWE want to move forward as a couple, and the previous arrangement, featuring JAKKS as the third wheel, has worn out its welcome. Check out Pachter’s complete analysis after the break.
Star Wars: Trench Run targets iPhone today originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
