The buzz for LucasArts’ Kinect Star Wars is decidedly negative. But the Force is strong with this new live-action promotional trailer.

Since it was first announced, Kinect Star Wars video game has filled fans with anxiety. The idea of using Microsoft’s motion-sensing technology to control a hacking-and-slashing Jedi is an alluring one, but the game is saddled with dreaded on-rails gameplay and controls that are reportedly full of bugs. All in all, it looks like a lackluster cash-in title, but consumers will make the ultimate judgment when it’s finally released in April.

But even if it’s a stinker, when you’ve got as much money as Lucasfilm does, you can afford to create awesome promotional materials like this one for any product you choose. The video — which contains no in-game footage whatsoever — imagines what would happen if an everyday, dorky kind of guy was put into Obi-Wan Kenobi’s shoes for his final duel against Darth Vader aboard the Death Star. Things don’t quite go the way Vader’s expecting, and the results are pretty funny.

I should point out that it’s all good fun until the very last “payoff” shot, which will either make you laugh hysterically, or want to gauge your eyes out. When you see the buildup that precedes it, it won’t be remotely surprising. But it’s worse than you’ll be imagining. You’ve been warned.

BioWare and Lucasarts have sent out a press release today announcing that their upcoming MMO, Star Wars: The Old Republic, is being translated into the Wookie language of Shyriiwook for the benefit of “our furry friends.”

By the way, did you happen to notice what today’s date is?

BioWare says that their community of players has been logging requests for a Wookie translation of the game since development began:

From their subtle roar of sadness to the pleasant yelp of excitement, Wookiees are a role model for companionship, loyalty and respect, and we at BioWare and LucasArts want to show our appreciation. Therefore, all text in the game will be translated into Shyriiwook, and all voice-overs will be re-recorded by authentic, native Wookiee speakers.

Fun!

As if to prove it, BioWare posted this collection of videos to show off how the game plays with characters speaking in Wookie. And if you had any doubt that this announcement was a prank, the video below will erase those doubts. The Wookie dialogue lend these otherwise tense scenes a little levity.

The supposed “Wookie version” of the game even comes with its own customized, furry HUD, which you can see above. What do you think? Did it make you laugh, or was it a waste of time?