It was thought that this year’s E3 convention would bring with it our first glimpse of Microsoft and/or Sony’s next-generation gaming console. Surprisingly, no one is saying a word…not even a whisper (which is perfectly fine by me—current systems are at their peak and can still give us a couple good years). Even some of the games we’ve seen look so good that it’s hard not to wonder if they’re being made for the current consoles, or if they’re an early unannounced sneaky peek at the future of gaming.

One such game is Star Wars 1313, which is probably the most likely candidate of them all to ultimately be revealed as a next-gen game. The reason for this is that, while most of the other games shown release this year or are slated for sometime in 2013, Star Wars 1313 is still in the early stages of production. That means either they’re going to rush to get it out, or it’s still a couple of years off.

Usually games that early in development aren’t shown off at E3, but the folks at LucasArts Games wanted to bring a little something along to show off. Prepare yourselves for what you’re about to see (I’m talking to you, Star Wars fanatics), and continue on to watch the videos.

To set things up a little bit, Star Wars 1313 will be a dark and gritty M-rated games meant for you adults fans who are sick of the more cartoony fare that’s been out there as of late. It’s set INSIDE of the planet of Coruscant, which runs 5,000 layers (or levels) to the core. You play as a bounty hunter who’s heading to…you guessed it, level 1313.

Keep in mind, the videos you’re about to watch are completely constructed of in-game footage. It’s not a mixture of gameplay and CGI cinematics. Everything is made using the same engine.

The first video is the first I also saw. It looks great, but it does look an awful lot like a cinematic cut scene. The other videos, however, show off actual gameplay, and you can see how insane it looks. Pay close attention to how much is going on around the player—the smoke and shadows and lighting and all of that good stuff. It’s really remarkable what they’re doing, especially early on. You can only imagine what the final product will look like.

I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself, but Star Wars 1313 could just end up being the best Star Wars video game ever made…and we’re seeing the very earliest stages of that potential right here.

What do you guys think?

Videos