Reviewed: July 6, 2005
Reviewed by: Mark Smith

Publisher
Eidos Interactive

Developer
Traveller's Tales

Released: April 5, 2005
Genre: Action
Players: 1-2
ESRB: Everyone

8
9
8
8
8.7

Supported Features:

There was little doubt in anyone’s mind that the final movie installment would spawn at least one licensed game, but who knew that the best game dealing with the final film would actual hit on the entire trilogy of prequels and even outshine the official movie-licensed game.

LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game is quite simply a work of art and perhaps the most original and cleverest game I have played so far this year. Perhaps much of my youthful exuberance is based on the fact that while growing up I was building X-Wings and Tie Fighters out of LEGO’s long before there were official kits. I even went as far as creating several home-movies using these LEGO constructs and primitive stop-motion photography techniques.

So yes, LEGO’s and Star Wars were a huge part of my youth, and when I heard they were making a video game I was a lot more excited than most of you. But now that the game has arrived it has proven itself to be not just a gimmicky tie-in promo for the LEGO brand but a shining example of quality gameplay for solo gamers and especially multiplayer.

The game couldn’t be any simpler. You can jump, attack, and use a special move. Depending on which character you play, this could be any one of dozens of original attacks. Building on this simple premise is a surprisingly deep and strategic game where you must pick and choose your characters wisely to engage in combat, work together as a team, and solve numerous puzzles.

LEGO Star Wars plays out much like Lost Vikings only on a much grander scale. Depending on the episode and chapter you will have a predetermined group of characters that were in that part of the movie. You can cycle to any of these characters at will, each having their own attacks and special ability.

You can play the game solo but the game truly shines as a two-player cooperative experience. The computer does an admirable job of controller all the NPC’s in the group and I never had to baby-sit anyone not under my direct control.

Certain characters are better suited for certain combat and environmental puzzles will require unique paths and abilities to get from point A to B. You can assume control over any of the playable characters by walking up to them and pressing the Y button or if two players wish to swap you can walk up to each other and press the Y button.

Obviously the Jedi characters use lightsabers and Force powers that can be used to disassemble and reassemble various LEGO constructs. This is further broken down into items that can only be manipulated by the Light and Dark Side of the Force R2D2 can fly and interact with door consoles while other characters have blasters and even bowcasters for ranged attacks.

You’ll even get to drive or fly around in various vehicles like a starship or even a pod racer when you reenact the exciting pod race on Tatooine from Episode I in true LEGO style.

Everything you smash in this game breaks down into numerous LEGO bits (or studs) which you collect as your total score for each level. If you achieve the prerequisite score for that level you achieve True Jedi Status and unlock a secret. LEGO studs come in Blue, Silver and Gold and reward you with increasing scores based on the rarity of the color.

Admittedly, the game is simple with a younger audience in mind, but that won’t stop teenagers and even adults from engaging in several hours of leisurely fun as you revisit all your favorite moments from the prequel trilogy, all with a clever LEGO twist.

The game blends smoothly rendered backgrounds and detailed environments with objects and people constructed from LEGO’s. This gives the game a unique and often humorous contrast as you move classic LEGO-style figures and interact with blocky objects. Everything has a very distinct and authentic LEGO feel to it.

Even the pre-rendered movies use the LEGO style construction to tell the story between the playable levels. The presentation is perfect with your home base at Dexter’s Diner. You can choose your Episode from any of the available exits or view your status and awards from the plaques over the counter.

Sound effects are lifted straight from the movies and they all sound totally authentic and perfectly placed within the Dolby Digital mix. The music mixes the best of the John Williams score for perfect background music to enhance the action.

There are more than 50 unlockable characters and a whole slew of multiplayer actions and special powers to master. The cooperative gameplay is infinitely more fun than playing alone, but even by yourself, this is a highly addictive and totally entertaining title that will keep you glued to your Xbox for several days.

The fact that you can play most of the game from the perspective of any one of numerous characters in the party gives the game a huge replay value. The game is also short enough that you won’t mind replaying it, especially when your various friends come over and want to tackle the multiplayer.

With a solid action core, innovative puzzles, teamwork concepts, and the clever integration of the endearing LEGO franchise, this would be a great game even without the Star Wars license, and I can only hope to see more LEGO-ized games in the future.