Just a few days ago, in a Galaxy not very far away, the LEGO Star Wars franchise sold over 30 million copies. This number spans the entire series all the way through to LEGO Star Wars 3: The Clone Wars. If 30 million sales was not enough excitement for LEGO developer Traveller's Tales, they are celebrating this landmark by signing an extension to their contract with LucasArts until 2022.

There's a new 320-gigabyte hard disk drive right around the corner for Xbox 360 Slim owners who'd like to upgrade their download capability. The same drive that was included in the recently-released Gears of War 3 edition console and will be included with the Star Wars-themed R2-D2 console available this December, it will be on shelves as a standalone addition to your current Xbox 360 Slim (only) for $129.99 US.

What's more is that it will come with a code to download a full copy of LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars, valued around $20. Extra HDD space and a formidable, enjoyable game that features two-player couch co-op - what more could you ask for?

Can a game combining George Lucas’ Star Wars universe and LEGO stay on target for a third time? Or is this one sequel too far, turning to the dark side and bricking it?

It's one of the most co-op family friendly series out there, the LEGO games from Travelers' Tales are a staple to any family's gaming regiment.  The latest title is back in the Star Wars Universe, specifically modeled after The Clone Wars TV show.  

LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars is out on a myriad of platforms - Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC, Wii, DS and PSP.  The game supports two player co-op through the entire campaign, though only the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 support it online.  The rest support couch co-op play.

You can snag the version of your choice right now through Amazon and support Co-Optimus in the process.

LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars is not only rivaling the SOCOM series in lengthy and complicated names...it's also bringing out the big battles. Along with these epic landscapes and sprawling leagues of combatants Traveller's Tales is including more driveable vehicles than any previous LEGO game.

From Anakin's signature yellow starfighter to the BARC speeders featured in Revenge of the Sith to the lumbering AT-TE pictured above, you'll be able to get all up in the CIS's grill with some real firepower. Best of all: the game will feature two "chicken walker" variants for some truly nostalgic moments...as if LEGO and Star Wars weren't already enough to send your inner child squeeing all the way to an instant pre-order.

There's a brand new, co-op friendly, demo for LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars out now on Xbox Live.  The demo includes both space and ground levels to try out as you take on the evil Empire with your army of clones.  At your disposal are new weapons, news characters and new force abilities.  Perhaps the most promising feature though for the full game is going to be the "multi-layered space combat" missions.  

 The demo weighs in at almost 800MB - which at first seems like a lot - until you see the other demo released today, Dragon Age 2, is almsot 2000MB.   As Yoda would say - "size matters not" - you can download the LEGO Star Wars III demo right here.

 The PlayStation Network should get the demo later today after the weekly update.

We recently let you know about the small delay for the release of  Lego Star Wars 3: The Clone Wars.  Today, to help dry your tears,  we bring you a new pre-launch trailer.  It covers some of the epic battles from both The Clone Wars and Attack of the Clones.  The new, more 'realistic' enviroments are all on display in their non-Lego glory.  The upgraded engine should allow for more blocks on screen than ever, which means more droid fodder for your humming light saber.  At one point a decapitated droid head is used as a weapon.  No word yet on whether or not this game will be ripped from store shelves for its graphic depiction of Lego violence. 

Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars launches on March 22nd.  You will be able to join a friend via split-screen or online, depending on the system.  It is available for almost every major current platform, and even a future one.  That's the DS, PSP, Wii, PS3, Xbox 360, PC, and the upcoming Nintendo 3DS.  

Yoda's light saber was of impressive length

Springtime should be the season for frolicking in a field of flowers, surrounded by new born lambs, whilst playing the latest gaming releases such as LEGO Star Wars 3: The Clone Wars.  However, as many game veterans know, springtime is also a season of slipped release dates.  LEGO Star Wars is not the first game to have slipped this year, but it is still disappointing that the release has moved from February 15th to March 22nd.

March is still spring, but I for one don't want to wait for the latest 2 player co-op title from TT Games.  There is no official reason for the delay, but hopefully they are polishing an already decent looking title and adding online co-op this time around?  Co-Optimus will keep LEGO fans, Star Wars fans, and even LEGO Star Wars fans informed if any more news is released on the game.

Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars is scheduled to be released for the PS3, PSP, Wii, Xbox 360, and Nintendo DS.

We're big fans of the LEGO games here at Co-Optimus.  Charming interpretations of beloved movies combined with kid-friendly two-player co-op is some good.  The best of the LEGO games, as we recently determined, are the Star Wars titles.  Thus, we are very excited about the upcoming third game in the series, based on the Clone Wars television show.

A web doc has popped up on YouTube, and it shows off some of the new features of LEGO Star Wars III.  The improved graphics and nifty new animations are expected for sequels, but there's more.  Leading armies of troops who follow your commands, massive space battles, and lengthy split-screen sections look quite promising.  It looks like the force is strong with this series once again.

If you're a fan of cross-licensed LEGO games, then you'll be pleased to know that LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars has been officially announced, and will include the same two-player co-op that we've grown to expect in these types of addictive, casual platformers.

If you're a fan of the Cartoon Network's computer animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars series, then you'll be doubly pleased, as that's the target setting and inspiration for the new game. Featuring the same shared screen/splitscreen function that we saw in LEGO Indiana Jones II and upwards of 60 levels to explore with a friend, LEGO Star Wars III looks like another instant classic, slated for sometime in 2011.

It's difficult to follow up a title as widely successful, hilarious, and co-optacular as Lego Star Wars. So, Travelers Tales revisits the world of Star Wars for a bit more Lego action in Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars. Only this time, instead of taking the cast of the two trilogy movies, they're bringing us the Clone Wars saga from the animated TV show.