year saw Lucasarts release the much anticipated Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. Right from the get-go, TFU was all about giving players a more thorough Force-wielding experience. Powers like Force Push and Force Lightning could be used in ways far beyond anything we’d ever seen before in a Star Wars game. Following the games release though, Lucasarts supported the title by creating several downloadable packages. There were two costume packs that added several new costumes for The Apprentice, as well as a number of alternate character skins. A third content pack added the bonus Jedi Temple to the PS3 and 360 versions. This particular mission was included in the PS2, PSP, and Wii editions and was originally meant to be included in the other two console editions. The Jedi Temple mission package also included a couple more costumes and skins.

Now, a little less that a year after the game’s initial release, Lucasarts is planning to unleash The Ultimate Sith Edition. Along with the original game, The Sith Edition will include all the downloadable content that has been released to this point. It will also feature an all-new playable mission as part of the “Infinites” storyline. The Infinites follows the dark side ending where *SPOILERS* The Apprentice kills Darth Vader but fails to defeat the Emperor who in turn gravely injures the young disciple. The Emperor keeps his Apprentice alive in a suit similar to Vader’s and continues to use the Apprentice as an assassin until a more suitable force-user is found. Now, the new mission has Emperor Palpatine sending the Apprentice to Tatooine in order to hunt down and kill Obi-Wan Kenobi. While there he will encounter the likes of Jabba the Hutt and Boba Fett. Along with the Tatooine mission pack, a second mission to Hoth is also in the works. Set years later, the Hoth mission sees the Apprentice assigned to kill Luke Skywalker. The Tatooine mission will be made available both as part of The Ultimate Sith Edition and as a solo downloadable pack. The Hoth mission, on the other hand, is exclusive to the new release.

As of now there is no official release date, but both The Ultimate Sith Edition and the solo Tatooine mission pack are scheduled for a Fall 2009 release. Given The Force Unleashed’s original release date, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a mid/late September date again. Also pricing for The Ultimate Sith Edition will likely be full price again which is somewhere in the neighborhood of $59.99.