Geeked

Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
Vidoegame reviews by Adam Diamond

PUBLISHER | LUCASARTS
DEVELOPER | TRAVELLER’S TALES
PLATFORM | PS2, XBOX, GC, 360, GBA, DS, PSP, PC
PRICE | $49.99
ESRB RATING | E 10+ (EVERYONE 10 AND OVER)

WHAT’S COOL: Playing the original trilogy; creating a character with Obi-Wan’s body, Greedo’s head, and Darth Maul’s lightsaber and Force Powers so you can beat all the levels in free play.

WHAT’S UNCOOL: Occasional camera weirdness, and it may be just a bit too cute.

GAMEPLAY *****
GRAPHICS ****
SOUND ****

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: gameplay is the thing. Games with poor gameplay, no matter how pretty the graphics or impressive the sound, are just horrible wastes of money. The flipside of the coin is that games with outstanding gameplay can make even run of the mill graphics and sound seem special. Such is the case with Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy. It is, without a doubt, the most fun I’ve had with a controller in my hand in years, including my perennially favorite Madden titles.

OK, OK, I understand: this is a kid’s game. I’ve been made fun of relentlessly for my love of the first Lego Star Wars. But where it was hampered by a mediocre plot that George Lucas should be forever ashamed of, the sequel is the story that all true Star Wars fans love. Yes, Lego Star Wars II allows you to play through Episodes IV-VI, otherwise known as A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.

Each movie is divided into six levels, with the game offering several additional bonus levels for your further enjoyment. And while it’s certainly true that you can make it through the main story rather quickly, the fact is that this game’s real charm is not simply playing through the story; it’s in replaying it.

What gives this title so much replayability are the challenges you face in each level, many of which can only be met by repeating the levels with different characters. For instance, there are several areas you can’t access without a Bounty Hunter head, a Storm Trooper helmet, or access to the Dark Side of the Force. Needless to say, it’s rare for Luke, Leia, Han, or Chewie to have any such things, so the game’s designers added a new feature: the ability to hack together a new character with the parts and powers of other characters. Combine different body parts like you did as a kid with actual physical Legos, add in a few special powers, and voila: in a very short time, you can start replaying those early levels, where you can collect all the bonus items you need to complete the game.

It’s this search for the bonus items that keeps you coming back—clearing levels has never been so much fun. Still, you’ll often need a bit of luck to do it, because the camera angles have an unfortunate tendency to make it difficult to figure out exactly what’s going on. In addition, the AI help you get from single player mode can sometimes be a hindrance. Your traveling companion, whichever character(s) that may be, have an uncanny knack for finding a way to stand between you and the thing your currently shooting at. Nothing, it should be mentioned, is sadder than seeing Chewie fall to friendly fire.

It should also be noted that the game is cute—really cute. And while most of the cute touches are nice, it does get a bit weird when Lego Leia gets into that metal bikini from Jedi.

These are minor quibbles, however, as the game overall is amazing. It’s fun and you can play it in front of (and with) little kids without any awkward and embarrassing questions coming up. Buy this game and become the popular uncle or aunt who kicks ass at your niece or nephew’s favorite game. Or just buy it and become that weird guy who is always going on about Lego Star Wars. Trust me, the teasing doesn’t bother you after a while.