Lego Indy’s back, and this time, he’s entering the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

The original Lego Indiana Jones was a smash hit, and with the arrival of the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull last year, there’s suddenly more material for a sequel. That’s the thinking behind Lego Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues, which will also include material from the original film trilogy that didn’t feature in the first game.

We got to see reproductions of both new and old films in our GamesCom demo today, both with the diner section from The Crystal Skull and the opening of the ark from Raiders of the Lost Ark. The latter cutscene was particularly memorable, as the Nazis were compelled to perform funky dance moves before disintegrating into thin air. In-game, Indy can now do more with his whip, such as tie enemies up and drag them around, as we saw in the diner fight scene.

Lego Indy 2 also has plenty of upgrades that will please fans of the Lego series. When two players drift apart, the screen now automatically splits in two, letting players do what they want before joining seamlessly together once they’re close to each other. There’s also a new level builder that allows you to put down boards and pieces just like you might have done with real Legos as a child. However, with this being a children’s title, you probably won’t be able to share these creations online, although LucasArts is currently looking into this possibility. At least you and a friend can both work on your design at the same time.

The hubs in Lego Indy 2 have also been expanded and improved, with three hubs from the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and three from the original trilogy. The hubs are themed around different areas in the films, and you can fly around in a plane, parachute out, and then jump into levels straight from these hubs.

Lego Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues is looking almost finished, which is a good sign given how close we are to release. The game will be released on all major platforms in the third quarter of 2009.

Check out the source at GameSpot

We get a look at this new Monkey Island adventure game being developed by Telltale Games for LucasArts.

E3 2009 is still under way, and one of the many games on display at the show is Tales of Monkey Island, the all-new episodic adventure game being developed by Telltale Games for publisher LucasArts. Tales of Monkey Island will be an all-new adventure series starring the classic characters from the lighthearted Monkey Island pirate adventure games, including on-again, off-again pirate Guybrush Threepwood, his lady-love Elaine Marley, and the dastardly ghost pirate LeChuck.

Who’s Making This Game: Telltale Games, a studio founded by LucasArts adventure developer refugees that has gone on to create episodic adventure games such as Sam & Max and Wallace & Gromit.

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We take an up-close look at this family-friendly action game based on the Star Wars TV cartoon series.

Who’s Making This Game: LucasArts, the developer/publisher that makes official video game adaptations for all of filmmaker George Lucas’ Star Wars franchises, including the Star Wars The Clone Wars animated series, on which this game is based.

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The beloved franchise is resurrected with a new episodic series from Telltale Games.

Monkey Island fans are in for a treat this year because not only are they going to receive a glossy remake of The Secret of Monkey Island from LucasArts, but they’ll also see a new adventure starring the self-proclaimed mighty pirate Guybrush Threepwood, his lady love Elaine Marley, and, of course, ghost pirate LeChuck from Telltale Games. Many of the Telltale developers came from LucasArts with previous Monkey Island experience, so we met with design director Dave Grossman to see what this new adventure would entail.

Guybrush is older and not much wiser.

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LucasArts’ action-oriented space opera games arriving to PSP, DS courtesy of Rebellion, n-Space later this year.

The Entertainment Software Rating Board hasn’t been as reliable as it has been in year’s past when it comes to inadvertently revealing publishers’ upcoming new releases. However, the industry rating board did slip up last week, listing the as-yet-announced Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron for the Nintendo DS and PSP with an E10+ ratings as well as fantasy violence descriptors of the lightsaber and blaster rifle kind.

Elite Squadron on the PSP.

Thunder thus stolen, LucasArts today officially announced Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron, saying the handheld title would arrive for the DS and PSP this fall. Rebellion Software has been tasked with the PSP edition of Elite Squadron, having crafted the well-regarded Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron for Sony’s handheld in 2007. LucasArts also confirmed for GameSpot that n-Space has been tasked with the DS edition of the game.

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