Two New Titles Coming from LucasArts

LucasArts announced two new titles on Sunday: Grim Fandango, a new adventure game from the creator of Full Throttle and Day of the Tentacle, and Balance of Power, a mission disc for X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter. Sounding like a cross between Chinatown and Beetlejuice, Grim Fandango is a surreal 3-D adventure inspired by the Mexican Day of the Dead with a film noir twist.

Manny Calavera is stuck in a dead-end job as a travel agent guiding people between the Land of the Living to the Land of the Dead. He gets caught up in the middle of an embezzlement ring that eventually propels him into a personal journey for redemption. Grim Fandango is the brainchild of Tim Schafer, who also created Day of the Tentacle and Full Throttle for LucasArts. It's expected to be completed in late summer or early fall next year. Balance of Power will address the numerous criticisms surrounding X-Wing vs. TIE-Fighter's single-player missions by including two new story-driven campaigns that can be flown in single or multiplayer mode. Balance of Power will also include new melee missions and combat engagements and a new full battle for single and multiplayer competition.

The campaigns will include rendered cutscenes and the game will ship with 3D accelerator support. The add-on disc also features the B-Wing starfighter and a non-pilotable Super Star Destroyer that is a key battle target. Balance of Power is expected to be on store shelves this winter.