UPDATE! Bandai Namco to Create Star Wars Battle Pod, a New Arcade Machine.

the-star-wars-arcade-game-marqueeYes, you read that correctly – in an age where most games are either downloaded on smartphones or purchased for consoles, a brand-spanking-new Star Wars coin-operated game is going to be released in the near future, with details on the title popping up as soon as next week.

 

From HNGN’s Jerry Bonner:

Bandai Namco is being coy with any specific details at the moment, leaving one to wonder what kind of game it will be (Puzzle? Shooter? Pinball? A reboot of one of the many classic Star Wars arcade games?), and whether or not it will be based on the new trilogy of films that Disney currently has in the works. Something similar occurred in 1999 when Lucasfilm was getting set to release The Phantom Menace. They already had a deal in place with Williams to unleash a Pinball 2000 game on the public a few months before the actual movie was released to whet the appetite of a rabid and hypercurious public (The pinball machine was launched in March 1999, while the film came out in May 1999).
 
To be quite honest, while getting a peek at some of the new film elements in video game form would be very cool, I personally would love to see a reboot/re-imagining of the 1983 vector based shooter that put the player in the cockpit of Luke Skywalker’s X-wing during the climactic Death Star attack in A New Hope. 12-year-old me dumped hundreds of quarters into that machine during the summer of ’83. And while the upright version of the game was exciting, nothing beat the near total immersion of the sit-down cockpit version.
 
Bandai Namco is holding a grand event next Wednesday, 10/8, to debut the game, and to kick off the New York Comic Con with style. HNGN will be covering this event, so definitely stay tuned for more on this one…

 

Part of me thinks that Disney is doing this to appeal to nostalgia-lovers; given that the movie will be based mainly in practical effects (as far as we know), perhaps the marketers at Disney believe that it’s worth their while to revisit a more old-fashioned approach to a medium. But who knows? At this point, Disney might even be considering whether or not they should bring the Kenner Products label back to sell more toys.

 

UPDATE!

 

The convention has arrived, and with it the game: Star Wars Battle Pod. The game appears to be made in the same vein as SEGA’s Star Wars Trilogy Arcade title from 1998, in which players got to hop into a starfighter and blast everything in sight. IGN posted a few details on the title:

The first-person pilot game gives players control of the Millennium Falcon, Darth Vader’s TIE Advanced fighter, snowspeeders on Hoth, Endor speederbikes, and the iconic X-Wing for Death Star runs. Publisher Bandai Namco explained that Battle Pod features “arcade-exclusive gameplay on a unique dome screen enveloping your entire area of sight,” and five stages from the original Star Wars Trilogy, and a playable level in which Darth Vader hunts Han Solo.

 

The game is slated for release in January 2015. Its official trailer can be seen below.

 

 

While I was personally hoping that a few Prequel Trilogy levels to be thrown in there (the Battle of Coruscant would look amazing in a format like this), I really can’t complain with what they have so far. Let’s just hope that Disney places plenty of these arcade cabinets in theaters throughout the world.

 

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Grant has been a fan of Star Wars for as long as he can remember, having seen every movie on the big screen. When he’s not hard at work with his college studies, he keeps himself busy by reporting on all kinds of Star Wars news for SWNN and general movie news on the sister site, Movie News Net. He served as a frequent commentator on SWNN’s The Resistance Broadcast.

Grant Davis (Pomojema)

Grant has been a fan of Star Wars for as long as he can remember, having seen every movie on the big screen. When he’s not hard at work with his college studies, he keeps himself busy by reporting on all kinds of Star Wars news for SWNN and general movie news on the sister site, Movie News Net. He served as a frequent commentator on SWNN’s The Resistance Broadcast.

58 thoughts on “UPDATE! Bandai Namco to Create Star Wars Battle Pod, a New Arcade Machine.

  • October 5, 2014 at 6:49 pm
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    The day another proper Rogue or X-wing game is announced will be the greatest of days seconded only to their release!

    Right now though I’m happy with anything I can get. An arcade sounds cool. It’ll be interesting to see if they go retro or modern. Since it’s an arcade one would think it’s obviously retro…

    • October 5, 2014 at 7:16 pm
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      Don’t worry, I was only kidding. 🙂

  • October 5, 2014 at 7:16 pm
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    Bringing back the simplicity and enjoyment of the arcade games is a great idea. There’s so much pretentious twaddle out now that it would be a perfect compliment to the new sequels, the spin-offs and what Disney/Lucasfilm envision for the future of Star Wars.

    • October 5, 2014 at 7:57 pm
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      Yeah, we’re going back to the inferior clunky game systems of the 80s because it’s safe and diehard fanboys are going through their second childhoods.

      Sounds just like Disney’s plans for Epidode VII, now that I think of it.

      • October 5, 2014 at 8:40 pm
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        I know, you PT guys want to remain forever in your juvenile period where you’ve lost the ability to enjoy simplicity and aren’t adult enough to understand complexity.

        • October 5, 2014 at 9:09 pm
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          Just like the OT guys aren’t adult enough to realize that STAR WARS is just a movie. And that it is and always was for children.

          • October 6, 2014 at 5:16 am
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            Just like cutting off an aliens arm and seeing it severed on the floor in a puddle of blood.
            Just like showing people use “guns” to shot and kill other people with.
            And let us not forget that we are letting our children watch a movie where brother and sister passionately kiss one another (Don’t even argue that they didn’t know, cuz kids do understand that Luke and Leia are siblings).
            Someone posts an awesome post about how all of us STAR WARS fans should just unite and peeps still post slamming the PT….

          • October 6, 2014 at 5:22 am
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            All you guys are POSERS for slammin’ each other! All 6 star wars films TOTALLY kick butt! And all 6 star wars films have their FLAWS!

          • October 6, 2014 at 5:29 am
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            Really…’

            Why didn’t you show some clips of characters holding guns to kill with?

            Since day one all the STAR WARS films have been made for the “younger” generation of kids.

            LOL if they weren’t made for kids then we would’ve seen Anakin slay the younglings.
            But they are so we didn’t.

          • October 9, 2014 at 4:54 pm
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            “Since day one all the STAR WARS films have been made for the “younger” generation of kids.”

            Where did you get that tidbit of information from? because it’s completely false. Lucas wrote the original screenplays for the 18-35 year old male demographic. It became geared more towards children when George realized that the money was in merchandising.

            Saying Star Wars is a children’s movie is one of the worst excuses to use in an argument.

          • October 9, 2014 at 8:13 am
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            hey are childrens films that are enjoyed by adults …. like toy story or the goonies …..theres nothing wrong with that……
            theres a quote on the comentary of sith that goes something like “we worried about cutting his head off but decided thats exactly what a 9 year old would want to see”
            and then theres the consultation with child psycologists about the empire plot line in which it was realised that kids under 12 might think it was a lie unless it was expressed explicitly . they thought about if they should have the arm cut off in a new hope and thought that kids would actually like that…… they did. its all about context
            and if them being called childrens films bothers anyone or makes them feel uncomfortable then that is their problem to sort out , there is nothing wrong with finding kids films entertaining . ….. wall e is ace , cats and dogs is fantastic , the lion king rocks …. they are all made for children.

          • October 6, 2014 at 8:37 pm
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            Pretty funny watching anonymous fighting anonymous, despite which series you enjoyed.

        • October 5, 2014 at 9:39 pm
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          I dream of a day when us OT fans and PT fans can all stand united as one fandom, unshakeable in our passion for all things that are Star Wars. Heck, even the EU fans can come and join us. Why do we fight amongst ourselves brothers, when we are living in a most unprecedented time. I call upon you all to take up arms against our foes, and smite them down upon the very living rock and stone.

          • October 5, 2014 at 9:44 pm
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            Amen.

          • October 5, 2014 at 10:16 pm
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            That’s because the PT was seduced, and finally corrupted by the Dark Side. Only with the OT/ST can balance be restored within The Force.

          • October 6, 2014 at 5:38 am
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            Brother I’ll stand with you, united in all things STAR WARS !m!

          • October 6, 2014 at 11:13 pm
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            YES! Like things were before 1999, back when there was only “Star Wars Fans”. Good times..

          • October 9, 2014 at 10:18 am
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            Yeah, I’m just hoping that we’re not all united against a horribly crap ST, that’s all. That’s my biggest fear with the SW universe.

  • October 5, 2014 at 7:35 pm
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    How is this related to Star Wars: Episode VII?

    • October 5, 2014 at 8:56 pm
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      This is a general Star Wars news site with a focus on Episode VII; not every piece we write is going to be about the movie. The shortest way of making this point is that it’s better this way – better to have articles that relate to other Star Wars things than to have several days where no articles are written because nothing related to Episode VII surfaces.

      And technically, this *could* be related to Episode VII, but we don’t have confirmation on it. I’m not holding my breath, but we’ll find out what this game is going to be like in a few days when the convention presentation opens up.

      • October 5, 2014 at 9:04 pm
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        The video games that are being designed could end up being for Star Wars 7

        • October 5, 2014 at 9:46 pm
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          I think that’s a possibility, but I’m not expecting it to be a complete tie-in with the movie. I imagine that, most likely, elements that you can see in the game will be used in other works.

          • October 6, 2014 at 4:54 am
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            That would totally be cool!

  • October 5, 2014 at 7:43 pm
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    So what if it isn’t Star Wars 7 related. I think it’s awesome that this website has all the latest scoops on Star Wars 7 as well as any major Star Wars news. I for one am glad it’s all on one website and I’m sure many other people are too.

  • October 5, 2014 at 8:34 pm
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    It may not be Star Wars 7 news………

    It’s Star Wars news and that’s cool enough for me.

    Pomojema this was a cool bit of news THANX for the post !m!

    • October 5, 2014 at 8:58 pm
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      Any time!

  • October 5, 2014 at 8:41 pm
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    Oh, dude! Do you know what I’d love to see? A six-player side-scrolling beat ’em up (but with blasters and lightsabers) based on the Original Trilogy! Think X-Men (1992 arcade) and The Simpsons Arcade Game (1991)! Old school, baby! xD

    Playable characters:

    1) Luke Skywalker
    2) Princess Leia
    3) Han Solo
    4) Chewbacca the Wookiee
    5) Lando Calrissian
    6) Wedge Antilles

    C-3P0, R2D2, Ben and Yoda help with the story and provide cool health and power-ups. Fight stormtroopers alongside Rebel NPCs, battle Jabba’s forces, gang up on Boba Fett, Jabba the Hutt, Tarkin, the Emperor and Darth Vader himself! Should include overhead speederbike, snow speeder, land speeder and space battle sequences. Could be available as an arcade and/or later ported to PS4, XBox1, PS3, XBox 360, various phones, etc.

    • October 5, 2014 at 8:58 pm
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      Imagine gamers playing as Han, Lando and Leia, each in their own vehicle, are about to arrive the Death Star and battle Tarkin while avoiding Vader and the other ships. Obi-Wan’s face appears in the middle of the screen, and gamers hear the words “May the Force be you!”, which also gives a temporary health or weapon bonus.

    • October 6, 2014 at 12:37 pm
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      Sounds a lot like Super Star Wars (SNES) meets Super Mario Bros. Wii. Could work if done right.

  • October 5, 2014 at 8:59 pm
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    I have some STAR WARS 7 news. My Uncle works for a company that works for a company that works for Disney. So I know this news hasn’t been leaked yet on the world wide web, and I trust this bit of news.

    *SPOILER ALERT*SPOILER ALERT*SPOILER ALERT*

    I was just told late last night that STAR WARS creator George Lucas is going to sell STAR WARS to Disney for $4 billion. He also told me that they (Disney) are going to produce Episode 7 and that it would be released sometime in December of 2015. And as if that news wasn’t enough, I was also informed that Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford and Peter Mayhew are already signed on to reprise their roles.

    • October 5, 2014 at 9:00 pm
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      STOP THE PRESSES, WE’VE GOT A HUGE SCOOP HERE!

      • October 5, 2014 at 9:13 pm
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        LMAO

        • October 5, 2014 at 9:44 pm
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          THIS IS BRAND NEW INFORMATION!!!!

    • October 5, 2014 at 10:22 pm
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      Don’t worry! You’ll soon wake up in the shower and release that, unfortunately it was all just a wonderful dream.

      • October 5, 2014 at 10:38 pm
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        And that day will be December 19 2015. And there will be much rejoicing.

        • October 5, 2014 at 11:10 pm
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          Hallelujah!

  • October 5, 2014 at 9:18 pm
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    We are what, 25 days away from the 2nd anniversary of the STAR WARS “D-Day” right?

      • October 5, 2014 at 9:52 pm
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        Happy birthd… oh hang on… not quite yet. (creeps off back into the darkness)

      • October 6, 2014 at 5:01 am
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        And this is the only place I go everyday to get my dose of Star Wars news !m!

  • October 6, 2014 at 11:43 pm
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    I have a lot of nostalgia for that 1983 game. Played it every chance I got as a little boy.

    Graphics were pretty much equal to the CGI Larry Cuba did for ANH in 1977. The VG industry seems to catch up to the movie industry CGI in about six to eight years.

  • October 9, 2014 at 6:12 am
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    That looks SICK!

  • October 9, 2014 at 6:14 am
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    It has always been a dream of mine that a sit-down, hi-def Star Wars space simulator would be made with full multi-player (with comms and all) capability.

    I doubt this is my dream come true, but it still looks pretty cool.

  • October 9, 2014 at 7:06 am
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    I think we all know the real news is that Bandai Namco is still a functioning company.

    • October 9, 2014 at 7:22 am
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      With Super Smash Bros. out, I see no reason as to why they wouldn’t still be able to pull their weight.

  • October 9, 2014 at 4:05 pm
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    Looks just like a remake of the Star Wars trilogy arcade……. Which I don’t mind cause that game was friggin awesome!!! I remember being so surprised when I was a kid that there was an endor space level after I beat vader. So awesome

    • October 9, 2014 at 4:57 pm
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      Definitely one of my favorite arcade games of all time, but Battle Pod looks like it has the potential to be even better! I’m really looking forward to playing this.

  • October 9, 2014 at 5:47 pm
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    Happy birthday, Jason Wingreen (94 – original film voice of Boba Fett) and Brian Blessed (78 – voice of Boss Nass)! 😀

    • October 9, 2014 at 6:46 pm
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      “STAR WARS”
      You blind?

  • October 9, 2014 at 6:35 pm
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    This is the Star Wars game I’ve been waiting for. Took long enough. Looks awesome

  • October 9, 2014 at 7:05 pm
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    Woa woa woa, stop the clock…
    What was that scene at the very end? A TIE fighter shooting at a medical frigate and the Millennium Falcon towing some sort of…i dont know. SLIGHTLY resembles one of the pod racer engine looking things from the set photos of EP7?

    Anyone have any idea?

    • October 10, 2014 at 8:55 pm
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      It looks to me as though the thing being towed is some kind of weapon. It looks as though it was just “heating up” to fire when it was blown up by the tie fighter.

      Interesting thing is, it reminds me of the giant “laser gun” weapon described in an old “debunked” script that was supposed to be capable of destroying entire star systems. The one where Luke is captured at the end and is speaking with the big baddie over some kind of game of chess?

      Anyway, kind of reminds me of that…

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