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Review - Lego Star Wars
- Title: Lego Star Wars
- Developer: Eidos Interactive
- Publisher: Traveller's Tales
- System: PC/Xbox/PS2/GBA
- Reviewer: nellardo
- Score: 7/10
Lego Star Wars is without a doubt a fun game. Ostensibly it's a platform game, with the mix of reflex-based jumping and puzzles that genre entails. It is Star Wars seen through the eyes of Lego playtime. Everything is made of Lego bricks and to stay true to the genre you'll spend much of the game collecting items. Of course, they're Lego - studs for simple points, and pieces for mini-kits hidden in every level.
Lego Star Wars lets you play through the major plot points of Episodes I, II, and III. This is Story mode, and you play as Lego mini-figures of the hero at that point of the story (thankfully, the Dread Gungan, Jar Jar Binks, plays very little part, even in Episode I). As soon as you've played through the first chapter of Episode I (Negotiations with the Trade Federation), Episodes II and III are unlocked.
You can also go back and start playing "Free Play," where you can play as any character you've managed to unlock. If you are far enough along in Story mode for a character to have a major role in the game, you can play as that character. After defeating Darth Maul, you can play as a mini-figure Darth Maul. After battling Count Dooku at the end of Episode II, you can bounce around as a mini-figure Yoda yourself. Some of the major characters you purchase with studs you collect (e.g., Jango Fett), and even minor characters are available (playing as a droideka is a bit absurd, but still fun).
Lego bricks don't really push the boundaries of what a modern game system can do. Despite that, the game looks very nice. Solid, smooth motion is everywhere, with very few aliasing artifacts. Collision detection, shooting, moving through space, all of it just works well.
If this was all there was to the game, it would be yet another licensing dud. A good one, but still all concept, no substance. Lots of time and money squandered on a "sure fire" hit, but with no real fun to the game.
Too often, developers forget that the real point is content, not licensing. Fortunately, the developers of this game didn't forget to make it a fun game. The developers followed the plot of the movies, but not slavishly so. They took the germ of a scene in the movie and made a fun level or mini-game out of it. No game possibility? That scene didn't make it in, except perhaps as a cut scene. Thankfully, this means Jar Jar is limited to a cut scene or two (though you can play as Jar Jar if so inclined), and the painful "love scenes" between Anakin and Padmé are absolutely no where to be found.
And make no mistake, the levels of this game are fun. The puzzles can be challenging, but not real stumpers. The mini-games are zippy and sometimes tough, but not impossible. Frustration is not this game's point - entertainment is what it is all about.
Furthermore, it's family entertainment, because this game is at its best when it's a two-player game. A second player can plug in a second controller, press "Start", and show up as a nearby friendly character. Most of the scenes in the game (as in the movies) have several key characters involved, so if you're playing Obi-Wan running after Count Dooku, a second player will start controlling Anakin (who has been running alongside all along). Either player can switch control to a different character at any time. Either player can pause and opt to drop out at any time, too.
Needless to say, this is just perfect for parents who want to play along a bit, but need to get up to answer the phone or make dinner. For that matter, it works well for kids who want to take a break from a parent's focused gaming jag.
This two-player mechanism works into the content of the game as well. If two players are active, the puzzles often require cooperation (characters follow the lead of the single player if only one player is active). Your weapons can hurt friendly players, too, so games become social and interactive - "You take the ones on the right, and I'll get the ones on the left" is a common refrain when two Jedi are faced with a crowd of battle droids.
The game also gives some screen time to relatively minor characters (like TC-14, Kit Fisto, and a young Boba Fett), and is liberally sprinkled with Easter Eggs. (Such as the Cantina song, and the disco synthesizer version of the main theme that came out when disco was still a new thing). Finally, the whole entire game is done with a tongue-in-cheek attitude. The game knows it is made out of Lego. For instance, all the baby clone troopers on Kamino are single-stud bricks, and plants are Lego plants. None of the mini-figures take the proceedings too seriously either, with knowing winks and rolling eyes at all the right moments.
All in all, it's a fun family game, well done, and a great buy. It's easy enough to play that a grade school student can pick it up, and engaging enough that the grade schooler's parents (or even teen siblings) will want to play too. If you buy one "Revenge of the Sith" tie-in, this is one that won't disappoint.
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All in all, it's a fun family game, well done, and a great buy. It's easy enough to play that a grade school student can pick it up, and engaging enough that the grade schooler's parents (or even teen siblings) will want to play too. If you buy one "Revenge of the Sith" tie-in, this is one that won't disappoint.
Why did you only give it a 7/10?
I love this game because it's one of the few games I can play with my 4 year old and not have to worry about him seeing anything he really shouldn't. He was mad at me for refusing to play Episode III with him since I hadn't seen the movie yet, but that's all good now.
This game is pretty fun, even just on your own, but the real greatness comes through on co-op multiplayer. Rather than just blasting your way through levels, you have to work together to solve puzzles on how to proceed. I hear many people complain about the lack of co-op in multiplayer. Well, this game definitely fills that niche.
I also love it because I can play it with my young son. It somehow manages to be accessible and fun for little kids and adults. You can adjust various difficult settings to make the game as hard or as easy as you like. Also, there are collectible pieces through each level that aren't required to advance, but can make the game more challenging.
All in all, this is definitely a great game and deserves 8.5/10 at least.
Forget the whales - save the babies.
Well, maybe I'm exagerrating a bit there. ;) But it's a really good game! I have a couple of things to add to the review.
:)
For one thing, it's just plain straight-up fun. Most games these days seem to be going for pulse-pounding intensity, or frustrating challenges... there's obviously a place for those things, but I found Lego Star Wars to be a refreshing change of pace.
I also really liked the convenience of the multi-player mode, where a second player can join or leave at any time, with the computer taking over for them as need be. I have the PC version, and I think this feature would be even better on one of the consoles.
One more thing struck me: you can play as basically any character in the game. If they made a model for it, you can play as it. A lot of game developers wouldn't let you play as a high-jumping quad-lightsaber-wielding robot, presumably because it would be difficult to balance or something. In Lego Star Wars, it's not a problem.
Overall, I was just really impressed with this game. It's well-done, a lot of fun, and I'd recommend it to just about anyone.
and i'm recommend this game to anyone. but after the two weeks i kept it (yes i kept it late to play it all) to find everything, i didn't feel like picking it up again. worth a play? indeed. worth a buy? perhaps.
We can't afford to be neutral on a moving train.
My girlfriend and i got the game at a friend's urging who had a blast playing it with his kids. We love it. The free-form mode reminds me of saturday afternoons on the living room floor with a box of action figures and a playset or two (while the lego element is fun, you can't actually build your own kits)
You can take on the levels at your own pace and play around with the little secrets here and there. Even though we beat the game, we're still going back to try to get all the minikit packs and unlock the final chapter.
If you like the game, look for the short cartoon "Revenge of the Brick" on cartoonnetwork.com
May you be touched by His Noodly Appendage. RAmen.
is why this game was not released for the GameCube. For all the talk about it being a kids console, I figured a Lego game would definitely grace Nintendo's little purple box.
If you strike me down, i shall become more pieces than you can possibly imagine.
Right there are signs of a good parent. You're actually parenting! OMFG! You're not even letting school, the TV or Pop Crapture do it for you!
It looks like there actually ARE some good parents left in the world. I was getting nervous! I'm completely serious too. Kudo's to you!
Cedega? Nope! Win 2000 & XP only.
http://support.eidosinteractive.com/GI/CustomerSu
4 PC's in the house none XP, Curse you Lucas.
--
To confirm you're not a script, Repeat I am not a script 4 times.
OSGGFG - Open Source Gamers Guide to Free Games
This game(demo version) worked great on my work laptop, but would not start on my 2-year old Athlon XP. I updated to the latest nvidia drivers, and it would not support my Geforce 4. Said it needed some pixel shading capability or some techno-babble.
but it is a fun game. I liked in the beginning when 2 ship pilots have their Lego ship fall apart around them. Like in the cartoons, they float there for a second, look at each other, and fall & shatter to the ground.
On another note, I'd mark down Lego Star Wars a bit because of the collection element. You really have to hit or use the force on almost everything in the game to collect blocks. Along with that and how repetitive it is, I think 7.0 is about right.
On the other hand, I would give Psychonauts a 9.5. Each new mind you enter is completely different with different puzzles and atmosphere, so it's not repetitive at all. Of course there's still the collection aspect, but it doesn't get in the way of the gameplay and you don't really need to do it much. It may be too difficult for younger kids, but it's very funny and there is not much that would bother them.
you are faced with the possibility of excellence warring with the possibility of crapulence
Hey, you don't need Legos or video games for that - you can get that possibility with Star Wars all by itself.
concrete5: a cms made for marketing, but strong enough for geeks.
the impression I got from this game is that it is a lot more fun in two player co-operative mode than single player. Don't get me wrong, I loved it and finished it single player, but I really enjoyed two players mowing down Trade Federation droids, solving puzzles and the like. Also note that there are some levels that require you to return in free form mode with characters that are unlocked further into the game to reach the remaining secret areas and fully complete that level. Again, two player co-op mode really makes this fun.
The controls are kid friendly and pretty forgiving. In fact, you cannot lose at this game; if you die it simply respawns you back to full health minus 1000 "buttons" that are collected during the game (or back to zero if you have none). A great game for the kids.
A franchise game that's actually good?
It's weird how developers are doing that more lately. Unsettling.
...but is it art?
If you buy one "Revenge of the Sith" tie-in, this is one that won't disappoint.
If you buy two, however, this will be your second favorite.
When I clicked the article, the fortune said: "Depart in pieces, i.e., split"
I rented it last weekend having not seen Ep 3. The game includes Ep 3, and it was so satisfying that I have decided the game cutscenes were better than the movie could ever be. I don't need to see the movie, because I've played the game. Remember how every time the movie characters opened their mouths you wished they hadn't? In the game there are no voiceovers, at the most there are a few short sounds and grunts. My wife and I played together and we had a blast. We discovered we could kill JarJar repeatedly just by tying a rubberband around the control yoke, forcing him off a cliff again and again. My pulse races remembering the hot sex that followed.
The game was fun enough, but the absolutely lousy camera control had me putting it aside after about an hour.
After you unlocked enough characters, the fun starts. I have seen Darth Maul being hammered by Obi-Wan and Anakin. I have also seen Padme got killed when Darth Maul reflected the blaster shots back at her. Words cannot describe the hilarity watching these Lego characters fight each other.
I also have a 440, and my machine is a year old. I'm not the kind of guy who can open up computers and fiddle with the insides, so I can't do anything about it.
Pretty lame how something like this should prevent a game from running. HL2 demo ran, and so did UT2004. What a waste of my time and bandwidth.
Imagine if they made gameplay cards instead. Then I might consider trying to upgrade. GFX.. pshht!
Oh well, I actually considered buying a game, maybe this one, but I think I'll go play Ur-Quan Masters instead.
The Chair Corp. comic(*00-12)
My son (4.5 years old) and I have played through this twice since we picked it up on release day. It's great fun, although playing co-op with a four year old is somewhat annoying...
Even though we've been playing the hell out of the game, it remains fun, and I'm enjoying going back to find all the mini-model pieces, get enough studs to open up the New Hope scene, etc.
- chrish
the 99/100 grade hoax has got to stop. And the movie review magazine "Fantastic" that says "Fantastic!" to all movies if they are payed enough for a spot on the poster.
Corruption, marketing, call it what you like.
It's a lot better with the game pad, although since it is multiplayer you can't look around with the right analog stick like you can with normal platformers.
Oh, I know what that means: Lego Star Wars on my AmigaOne. If only I could fix the sound in Mac-on-Linux.
Irene KHAAAAAAN!