RTX Red Rock: Lucasarts ready to Red Rock N' Roll Company: LucasArts Mention the name George Lucas, and the knee jerk reaction from anyone is to say Star Wars. The same goes for any gamer when the name Lucasarts is mentioned. But, when your name is tied to one of the most prolific names in entertainment, that reaction is a given. However, if recent interviews are any clue, George seems to be more than a little interested in losing the association and try new things that don't take place in a galaxy far, far away. Judging from their 'Heroes...' push at E3, Lucasarts also seems to be interested in something new. Just as the 'Flanneled One' can point to American Graffiti and THX 1138 and say, 'Look! I'm more than just Star Wars!', Lucasarts can also point to games like Full Throttle and the Monkey Island and say the same thing. But, as the examples of both Anthony Michael Hall and the kid who played Screech on Saved by the Bellhave shown us, once you're typecast as the nerd, you're always going to be seen that way. RTX Red Rock is Lucasart's first push into this new 'Forceless' era of games, and even though the space theme may seem similar, you'll find no Jedi or Stormtroopers here. The year is 2103. After a long, brutal war with the L.E.D.s, or Light Emitting Demons, a nickname given to the aliens because of their ability to communicate with special light-producing organs, Earth loses all communication with it's Red Rock colony on Mars. Considering the delicate nature of the situation, and the current state of the Earth's military forces, they turn to Radical Tactics Expert, E.Z. Wheeler, to investigate the situation. Upon reaching the colony on Mars' inner moon, Phobos, E.Z. discovers that the entire site has been destroyed. However, he soon receives a distress call from Cimmeria Rajan, the Chief Colony Officer at Red Rock, and descends to the planet's surface on a mission to rescue the colonists. Of course, infiltrating an alien infested space station and rescuing hostages isn't an easy job, even for a one man Navy SEAL. Luckily E.Z. will have the aid of his bionic arm and eye, both scars from his previous mission. E.Z.'s arm will not only include the standard issue military pistol, but he will be able to find upgrades during his mission including a torque wrench, grenade launcher, and a cutting torch. His bionic eye gives him improved sight, as well as four scan modes. Thermal scan will allow E.Z. to see through walls and identify hidden secrets; Electro-scan allows him to identify electrical systems he can interact with; Bio-scan identifies biological residue and Navi-scan brings up maps and other information. He will also be assisted by his computer companion IRIS, a flirtatious A.I. with the ability to interface with numerous robots and something of a jealous streak (but only because E.Z. programmed her that way). In addition, Wheeler will also be able to use various vehicles including a lunar rover, an L.E.D. ship and a four-legged, all-terrain vehicle called a spider. While time will tell if Lucasarts will be able to achieve it's goal of being known for games other than those bearing the Star Wars moniker, RTX Red Rock looks to be shaping up rather nicely. RTX Red Rock is scheduled for release this March for both the GameCube and PS2, so be sure to check back here for our full review. In the meantime, head over to Lucasart's website and check out the game's opening movie, as well as additional screenshots. -Starscream, GameVortex Communications AKA Ricky Tucker Related Links: Lucasarts' Website RTX Red Rock Official Site