The new Star Wars Galaxies: Champions of the Force trading card game we previously announced and detailed has officially been released. The game can be downloaded here .

Well? What are you waiting for? It's time for a virtual pack-opening party of epic proportions!

For some, the annual SOE Fan Faire is a place to gather with friends from around the globe, catching up on old times shared within an online world.  For others, it's all about the panels and meeting the devs, community teams, and other players.

Then there are those who go for the events... such as the Live Events... hosted each year by the community teams for each respective title.  This year was no different.  There were Live Events for EverQuest, EverQuest II, Star Wars Galaxies, and Vanguard, created by the community team for each game.

Just what is a Live Event, you ask?  Well... let me tell you!

For those who are seriously in to puzzle solving, riddles, and questing, Live Events are just for you.  That's right... it's a live quest.  You start with a quest giver who provides you with the necessary information for you to search out your next clue towards completing your task.  Be sure to ask the right questions, though, if you are hoping for success!

The great thing about Comic-Con is that so many different types of popular media and art are available, and I was not disappointed after a visit to the LucasArts booth, where Champions of the Force was being shown. Marco Cresenti spent about an hour going over the game with me, even playing a full game to completion with his NPC opponent.

Champions of the Force (CotF) is the Online Trading Card Game intermixed with the Sony Online Entertainment MMO Star Wars: Galaxies, similar to their EQ and EQ2 game Legends of Norrath. CotF can be played from a stand alone client or from within the SWG client, though you must be either a current or former subscriber to access the game.

Over 20 loot cards are included in the launch set of CotF, all available from booster packs, rather then starter decks, and they have some pretty neat stuff to show! From a Jawa Vendor to the exclusive images below, you can expect some good stuff for your in game fun! These items will be randomly inserted into the virtual booster packs that will be available from the online store once the game goes live. Booster packs will also be lootable in game, but only during special events. They will not be added to the loot tables for all creatures at all times in the Galaxies world.

On Tuesday, July 29, at 4:00 AM PDT all U.S. and European galaxies will be taken down for server maintenance and a live update.

When the update is complete, all galaxies will be live but unavailable while we complete final testing. All galaxies will be made available after that time. (Please note that this may be a longer period than normal due to the new systems included in this update.)

4:00 AM PDT (Los Angeles) / 6:00 AM CDT (Austin) / 7:00 AM EDT (New York)
11:00 AM GMT / 1:00 PM CET (Berlin) / 8:00 PM (Tokyo)
Click here for a Time Zone Calculator.

Star Wars Galaxies: Game Update 5
Publish Notes, July 29, 2008

Highlights:

I began playing Star Wars Galaxies in the summer of 2003, within weeks of its release here in North America. My foray into the world of An Empire Divided lasted, oh... two months or so. I remember thinking to myself every time I logged in, "This game would be so great, but..." But, the servers were always going down. But, the combat system was underdeveloped. But, the game had more bugs than a cheap New York City apartment. BUT, the game just wasn't finished yet, and needed more time in development. I know every game has its kinks at release, but this just seemed excessive to me. To make it worse, the game had so much potential, if only all the pieces would fit together. It became a major frustration to me, because the game could have been great.

I know I should have stuck it out through the rough times, but playing a game that buggy just wasn't fun for me. I decided to take some time away from the game, let them smooth out the rough spots, and come back in a month or so. I knew Star Wars Galaxies would be great, given just a little time. But then, Final Fantasy XI came out to distract me, followed by World of Warcraft a year later. Despite my intentions, I never went back to Star Wars Galaxies.

June 16th marked the five year anniversary for Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided. FIVE years. Had it really been that long? Word of drastic changes - their merits debatable - intrigued me, and two weeks ago, I decided it was time to go back, and check it all out again.