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Lego Star Wars II Sells 1.1 Million

LifesBlood writes "Lego Star Wars II has gone Platinum in under two weeks, reports TheForce.net. The title, showcasing the adventures from the original Star Wars Trilogy, has sold over 1.1 Million copies already." From the article: "Set in a tongue-in-cheek Star Wars galaxy, LEGO Star Wars II allows gamers to build and battle their way through the events of Star Wars: Episodes IV through VI. It has earned rave reviews from both consumer and trade press, largely because it is designed for the entire family."

70 comments

  1. Co-op by Enoxice · · Score: 2

    The only reason I bought it was for the super-awesome and really fun co-op (on xbox). I also own it for PC, and it needed a replacement 3rd-party msi before it would install.

    If I had one complaint, it's that it doesn't have online co-op on PC, but the co-op on the xbox version more than makes up for it.

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    1. Re:Co-op by rwven · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Honestly...the game is pretty funny. That's one of the reasons I've been enjoying it (on my PSP, btw). The cutscenes and "artificial talking" are pretty entertaining. There's also nothing like walking up to another character in the game, chopping it with the lightsaber, and watching it pop apart at its little lego seams. The sound effects are just priceless.

      Not to mention that you can't really "die" in the game. If you die you just respawn right where you were... That definitely lowers the "bang head against desk" moments.

    2. Re:Co-op by row1 · · Score: 2, Informative

      Yeah don't get the PC version, I can't believe they would release a product which doesn't INSTALL on a significant amount of PCs (mine included)) ... ohh wait it's published by Lucas Arts, they also released Battlefront II which was unplayable on a significant amount of PCs (yes I am talking high end PCs well above the minimum requirements) and required waiting 2 months for a patch.
      At least they got a installer patch out for the PC version of Lego II after a week or so....

    3. Re:Co-op by heartless_ · · Score: 1

      Better than Battlefront I which still to this day is unplayable on any PC. The sheer fact that when I reinstalled it out of curiousty on the patch fixes there was still servers running... it boggled my mind.

  2. Interesting screenshot by suso · · Score: 1

    Honestly, I was intrigued a bit by the box when I was in EB last weekend and found a rather odd screenshot on the back showing Darth Vader's head on top of the body of Princess Leia's Jaba outfit holding a lightsaber. Subtle?

  3. Is it just me... by Rude+Turnip · · Score: 4, Funny

    or does anyone else find the picture of the Lego version of Leia on the game packaging mildly attractive?

    1. Re:Is it just me... by meringuoid · · Score: 4, Funny
      or does anyone else find the picture of the Lego version of Leia on the game packaging mildly attractive?

      You can get a Lego boxset of 'Jabba's Palace'.

      Leia in the gold bikini: hot. Leia in the gold bikini in Lego: deeply disturbing.

      --
      Real Daleks don't climb stairs - they level the building.
    2. Re:Is it just me... by IflyRC · · Score: 2, Funny

      Hi, no matter what you did with your Legos as a child...we don't want to know about it!

    3. Re:Is it just me... by the_wesman · · Score: 1

      I do ... but I also think Fievel's sister is a total fox (despite, obviously, being a mouse ... er, a cartoon mouse), so I'm not sure if you're in good company - probably not.

      -w

      --
      calling all destroyers
    4. Re:Is it just me... by Lectrik · · Score: 2, Insightful
      I do ... but I also think Fievel's sister is a total fox (despite, obviously, being a mouse ... er, a cartoon mouse), so I'm not sure if you're in good company - probably not.


      Pssh.... Gadget was more of a fox in the cartoon mouse category. But I only ever saw the first American Tail movie though (and a few minutes of her singing in a saloon from the second one I think) so I don't know if she was hotter in the later movies.
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      --- As to make my comment seem, by comparison, more intelegent... doodie doodie doodie poop poop poop!
    5. Re:Is it just me... by Rude+Turnip · · Score: 4, Funny

      Sweet creeping zombie Jesus, I am really beginning to regret my post.

    6. Re:Is it just me... by Lectrik · · Score: 1
      Sweet creeping zombie Jesus, I am really beginning to regret my post.

      I have served my purpose then :)
      --
      --- As to make my comment seem, by comparison, more intelegent... doodie doodie doodie poop poop poop!
    7. Re:Is it just me... by KDR_11k · · Score: 1

      Oh ccome on, they haven't even started posting the yiff yet.

      --
      Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
    8. Re:Is it just me... by RobDogAlpha · · Score: 1

      Actually, it wasn't as sophmoric as "Sweet creeping zombie Jesus," so I guess you just got a flair for the regrettibly stupid comments.

  4. Wow by ice666 · · Score: 1

    And some people were saying that the game wouldnt do that well becuase ofthe first one to come out.... Guess a few people were way off on this one.

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  5. Star Wars Essence by IflyRC · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Somehow, through digital representations of Legos they captured the feeling of Star Wars. They did a lot of things right unlike Sony Online Entertainment and Star Wars Galaxies. SOE continues to try to make the game into something it can't be - World of Warcraft. Games like this bring fun, adventure and nostalgia to new and old fans alike not to mention it opens up the market for small children.

    1. Re:Star Wars Essence by Vraylle · · Score: 2

      I have to agree. Somehow, they seem to have accurately captured the "Star Wars Experience" in the game. It's one of the most fun games I've played in quite a while.

      --
      Mutant Freaks of Nature: "Frighteningly Addictive"
    2. Re:Star Wars Essence by HaloZero · · Score: 1

      And not to mention, quite a few laughs! The game incorporates a lot of slapstick humor and just generally odd situations with a smile. Seen the beach troopers that randomly spawn? They're dudes in Stormtrooper helmets and blue speedos.

      --
      Informatus Technologicus
    3. Re:Star Wars Essence by meringuoid · · Score: 5, Interesting
      Somehow, through digital representations of Legos they captured the feeling of Star Wars.

      Lego is the perfect medium for Star Wars.

      Consider why it is we remember Star Wars so favourably. Star Wars gave us a universe painted in broad, bold strokes, but with vast expanses of the unknown. We follow an innocent farmboy into a galactic war, leaving his narrow horizons to change the world, learning to use the Force to reconstruct reality itself... The film shows us the outlines of a magnificent world, with endless possibility. So much detail, implying so much more than we ever saw, and a mysterious backstory we never got to hear the whole of and had to speculate and build it for ourselves. For the eight-year-olds we were, this all adds up to the greatest movie ever.

      Now, what about Lego? Again, we were eight years old, and playing with this toy that comes with instructions for how to make this one plane or spaceship or whatever it might be... but has pictures of a few other things you might build with it instead. And of course you do. And in time it gets broken up and goes into the sack with the rest of the Lego and next thing you know it's something else entirely, something that's yours.

      To my mind, rebuilding my Lego as I wanted it, into something based on the original design but definitely my own, is the same impulse as building my own backstory to Star Wars - of how Darth Vader hunted down the Jedi, how Yoda and Obi-Wan managed to hide themselves and the children, of General Kenobi and Bail Organa and the Clone Wars, of how Anakin fell, of the long and proud history of the clan so famous for their command of the Force that they gained the title of Skywalker. And of course it's the same impulse as picking up a stick and waving it around going 'whoom... whoooooooom.... whooom!' It's taking what you're given and expanding upon it, making it your own. It's creativity.

      I might add that my own imagination of the untold stories of Star Wars did not involve midichlorians, or Gungans, or virgin births, or anyone going 'yippee' for any reason whatever. Which perhaps is why even Revenge of the Sith, which was actually pretty good, will never be as well loved. It was beautiful, sure, but it was like that one guy who glued his Lego together. There's just nothing there to have any fun with.

      --
      Real Daleks don't climb stairs - they level the building.
    4. Re:Star Wars Essence by kidcharles · · Score: 1

      You write like Wil Wheaton.

      --
      Ceci n'est pas une sig.
  6. not that impressive by Frag-A-Muffin · · Score: 0, Troll

    That's 1.1 million copies spanning 8 platforms! That's only 137,500 copies for each platform. There are DS titles that have sold 3 million now individually. FFIII for DS in Japan sold almost 600,000 copies in less than a week. How is this impressive?

    --

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    1. Re:not that impressive by sprayNwipe · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Because, believe it or not, every person doesn't buy every SKU of the game. In fact, it'd be rare for someone to buy more than one SKU.

    2. Re:not that impressive by MeanMF · · Score: 1

      Why does it matter how many platforms they release it for? 1.1 million is 1.1 million. It's not like many people are buying multiple copies for different platforms.

    3. Re:not that impressive by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > That's 1.1 million copies spanning 8 platforms!

      Do you think LucasArts divides their revenue by 8? Why should they, or we for that matter, care about the provincial wanking of platform fanboys?

    4. Re:not that impressive by Frag-A-Muffin · · Score: 2, Insightful


      Why does it matter how many platforms they release it for? 1.1 million is 1.1 million. It's not like many people are buying multiple copies for different platforms.

      Because developing for 8 different platforms is going to cost you a lot more money. So 137,500 copies per platform doesn't sound that spectacular business wise. I doubt they've even recouped their costs yet. (Granted it's only been a week). I didn't see /. posting about FFIII's 600,000 copies sold in 5 days in Japan on a single platform. That seems much more impressive to me.

      --

      AirSpeak - http://itunes.com/apps/AirSpeak
    5. Re:not that impressive by Wdomburg · · Score: 3, Informative

      There are DS titles that have sold 3 million now individually.

      And it's taken them months to reach those numbers; e.g. Animal Crossing has been out since last year, and New Super Mario Bros since May.

      FFIII for DS in Japan sold almost 600,000 copies in less than a week. How is this impressive?

      Total sales of FFIII have only hit 655,533 a month after release.

    6. Re:not that impressive by kinglink · · Score: 1

      this is completely true. Just because they have 8 skus doesn't mean you add up all the skus. While it's a correct number on sold and does denote profit it does little else. There needs to be a way to score this game versus others with multiple skus. I'm sure madden 07 hit 1 million in the same time frame (if not day 1).

      Just because they did sell 1 million copies, it's 137 per Sku, when compared to other games that are for one system you can't just say well 1.1 million, you also can't say 137,500. Personally I'd say somewhere around 390,000 as I see it as 3 times the single SKU performance would probably equal the performance of this game if it was released for one system.

      However I have no scientific fact that 3 is a good number. However I know 1.1 million isn't a very valuable number to use.

      After all that though it's a great game for those fans of the classic trilogy.

    7. Re:not that impressive by Babbster · · Score: 2, Insightful
      I didn't see /. posting about FFIII's 600,000 copies sold in 5 days in Japan on a single platform. That seems much more impressive to me.

      There are several factors at work:

      1. LEGOs are awesome and often Slashworthy.
      2. Star Wars (most notably the original trilogy) is nerd porn.
      3. Final Fantasy III for the DS is a remake of a game that was never released in the US in its original form and, thus, is slightly obscure.
      4. Slashdot is a site based in the US and as such will usually have little interest in the sales of a particular videogame in Japan.
      5. FFIII for the DS will be here in the US before Christmas, giving Slashdot more than enough time to geek out over it when it arrives in English (if the previews and screenshots are right, it'll be huge in the US, too).
      and, finally, 6. 1.1 million is a much cooler number than 600,000, whether the number relates to 1 hardware platform or 20.
    8. Re:not that impressive by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Madden doesn't count. According to Slashdot, only dumb jock conformists buy Madden whereas free-thinking intelligent pro gamers buy Lego Star Wars II.

    9. Re:not that impressive by ClamIAm · · Score: 1

      Not that impressive? The "impressive" sales numbers you mention are from two cases that are very different from this game: the 3 million sellers are all games that are targeted at non-traditional gamers, and FFIII getting released in Japan is an FF game getting released in Japan.

      This game, on the other hand, is targeted at regular gamers so much it's almost funny. It's Legos and Star Wars, for crying out loud. How much nerdier/young boy-ish can you get?

    10. Re:not that impressive by toddhunter · · Score: 1

      Total sales of FFIII have only hit 655,533 a month after release.

      This is only because it sold out and you can't actually buy it anymore

    11. Re:not that impressive by CaseM · · Score: 1

      Are you dense? The point the GP was trying to make was that development costs go up as you port your game to different platforms. 1.1 million across 8 different platforms ISN'T an astounding success by any metric. If the game was sold on 1 platform and sold 1.1 million copies in one week, then you're talking Halo 2 or GTA 3 success or something...this is relatively banal by comparison.

    12. Re:not that impressive by Goldfinger7400 · · Score: 1

      It was my understanding that a lot of the big development houses can compile simpler games like this to many systems at once, so there's not much extra work to put it on major systems (I don't know about handhelds). From what I read the games are all identical, even the XBOX360 version just runs in a higher resolution.

      I think the real point here is the amount of sales for this in comparison to other "kids games" that are also released for all platforms like this. Since LSW is appealing to everybody apparently (even me).

    13. Re:not that impressive by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "I didn't see /. posting about FFIII's 600,000 copies sold in 5 days in Japan on a single platform. That seems much more impressive to me."

      Not impressive. It just screams about the sad state of gaming in Japan.

    14. Re:not that impressive by Wdomburg · · Score: 1

      It had sold out, and you couldn't buy it anymore. A quick google search shows several vendors with both the game and the special edition bundle in stock.

    15. Re:not that impressive by KDR_11k · · Score: 1

      The news is that it's a million seller. You can make a game like Beyond Good & Evil in as many SKUs as you like and you're not going to sell a million of them. Nothing (except exclusivity contracts and you aren't forced to sign those) is preventing other games from being released in multiple SKUs so I don't see why games that didn't get released for all platforms should have an advantage over games that did.

      --
      Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
    16. Re:not that impressive by frostedg · · Score: 1

      You're assuming an even distribution across all platforms, which I could almost guarantee is not true. Most people probably bought one of the the console versions. Still, 1.1 million copies in ~ 2 weeks is pretty impressive, considering the amount of people that probably downloaded it from BitTorrent or newsgroups.

    17. Re:not that impressive by KlomDark · · Score: 1

      Once again: So what? Nobody cares? What's your point? Stop whining.

  7. Entertaining by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    One of my friends obtained a copy of it last week and there were about 10 people in his dorm room switching off playing through various parts, I didn'y get to play much but, I'd say its worth checking out.

  8. Even more disturbing... by nweaver · · Score: 1

    Vader in the gold bikini...

    --
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    1. Re:Even more disturbing... by Wolfrider · · Score: 1

      I feel a great disturbance in Teh Force...

      http://mademelaugh.com/index.php?id_category=-1&de tailed=681

      Hello Dere Kitty!

      --
      .
      == WolfriderV6 == I'm willing to admit that *I just might* be wrong... Are you??
    2. Re:Even more disturbing... by Frizzle+Fry · · Score: 1
      --
      I'd rather be lucky than good.
    3. Re:Even more disturbing... by elrous0 · · Score: 1
      Aunt Beru in a gold bikini.

      -Eric

      --
      SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
  9. Played the PSP version by LazyPhoenix · · Score: 1

    My carpooling buddy it for his PSP and I played it this week -- INSTANTLY hooked me. I haven't played the first installation, but I'm going to go and find it now for my mac, since Lego StarWars II isn't out for the mac yet.

    The humor (like two stormtroopers in a hot-tub at the end of the first level), the sheer perfect joy of seeing the SW world as legos, and great gameplay make this a real winner.

  10. One of the best by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Along with Halo 2 and Fable, I really do think that Lego Star Wars is one of the best games for the Xbox. There seems to be so much you can do, and it is one of those games that can be a lot of fun for both kids and adults. I play it with my 8 year old nephew. I am going to purchase part 2 ASAP.

  11. Single best game I've played in years... by elcid73 · · Score: 1

    ...the first LEGO Star Wars game. My son is five, and this is the best thing as far as gaming is concerned. Great Co-Op, funny, great storylines, interesting enough for me to play, easy enough for my five year old to cut his teeth on gaming systems.
    I know, I know, plenty of five year old out there are already master gamers.. but my son's been riding without training wheels since he was three and a half... *and* swimming, underwater, unassisted since just about the same. I'll trade that for some underdeveloped hand-eye coordination.

  12. Hoping for a Mac version by bomanbot · · Score: 1

    Man, I loved the first one and the second one looks to be mighty good as well :) Now I hope the second one will get ported to the Mac as well (the first Lego Star Wars has a Mac version), I think it would do well on the Mac platform and seems to be a good title for the Mac as it has a wide family and casual appeal and is not too demanding on system specs.

  13. They are "Beach Troopers" by DrTrogg · · Score: 1

    They actually named them ...

  14. Its not bad. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The game is fun, but the controls for it on the PC suck. I'm also kind of ticked off that the only Co op for the PC is if you setup keys and player 1 and player 2 share a Keyboard and screen. I also had the same install problem mentioned above and had to download a modified file to get the install to complete.

  15. Leggo! by Impy+the+Impiuos+Imp · · Score: 1

    Love Lego Star Wars! Here's an excerpt!

    Obi-Wan: Yes, your father wanted you to have this block-saber.

    Luke: You knew my father!?!?!?

    Obi-Wan: Yes, I knew your father. But Darth Vader betrayed and [very solemnly] disassembled your father.

    --
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  16. If you would've told me... by lpangelrob · · Score: 1

    Sheesh.

    If you would've told me watching animated Lego-men pretend to be Luke and Leia would've saved the fortunes (or slowed the decline, depending on how you look at it) of one of the biggest toy companies in Denmark, I would've called you crazy.

    Shows what I know.

  17. Shameless Plus for LSW by Kalak · · Score: 1

    I've got a LSW worshiping video collection for those who need more than screen shots. After playing about 100+ hours of this with my son, I decided to record a speed run through the entire game.

    http://kalak.dhs.org/

    and LSW II looks like they's integrated it into the extras. You can unlock a timed run of an episode. Started it this morning, but I didn't get to finish. I did get to play the race to collect 1,000,000 studs in a giant battle with my son. This one is even better than the last (more challenging too, but not so much my 8 year old gets frustrated).

    --
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    1. Re:Shameless Plus for LSW by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Here's the torrent for the video collection he's talking about:
      http://kalak.dhs.org/modules.php?name=Downloads&d_ op=getit&lid=70

  18. Will there be a special edition for the Wii? by WillAffleckUW · · Score: 1

    Just think, you've changed into the droid version with the Princess Leia head, and you activate your light saber as the Wii controller vibrates with sound ... HMMMMMMMMM .... oh, yeah, I'm there.

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    -- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
  19. Except not by arete · · Score: 1

    Except it's not going to cost you a ton more money unless you need to have cutting edge effects that push the envelope of all those systems. (more, yes. Tons more? no. Anything like 8x for 8 consoles, no) As long as you live within the least-common-demoninator constraints, it's bad but not THAT bad, especially if you already have experience developing for each platform.

    I haven't seen this game, but it sounds like it's well written and well executed - not necessarily the most cutting edge graphics ever seen. (Which doesn't mean they're not, say, really good for a couple years ago)

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  20. Re:I'm gonna start a new thread by zoney_ie · · Score: 1

    The 8 platforms thing is pretty cool though.

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  21. Broken out of the box by HaloZero · · Score: 1

    Ignore the fact that the .NET DRM prevents the game from installing on a properly patched Windows XP SP2 machine. WinTrustVerify is broken and prevents the install from completing successfully.

    QA failure. Atleast there was a 3rd party hack, but I have to say that I was pissed for buying something that came broken. They may have sold 1.1m copies, but about a third of those were PISSED.

    --
    Informatus Technologicus
  22. Love it by 1310nm · · Score: 1

    My 6 year old daughter loved the first Lego SW, so we're going to get this one. I like the drop in/drop out co-op especially, because I can play with her for a little while, and not be chained to it the whole time she wants to play.

  23. thought first one sucked by joe094287523459087 · · Score: 1

    i guess i'm in the minority here but i got the first one and watched a 12 year old play it for a few hours.

    shoot everything that moves, run through room to open next door. repeat 10,000 times.

    i found it VERY boring. the graphics are simplistic, perhaps by necessity. but the gameplay is simplistic too. seemed to me like they made the 3d engine, the character models, the weapons and the other details, and then just bailed on the story/mapping.

    1. Re:thought first one sucked by PhakeDC · · Score: 1

      I found it boring too, but I wanted to keep playing for some odd reason.

  24. Re:I'm gonna start a new thread by KDR_11k · · Score: 1

    a) It'll cost you a LOT more to develop for 8 platforms.

    No, not at all. It'll add a bit to your costs but not much. This most likely uses the Renderware platform which makes multiplatform development very easy. Sell a thousand copies on each of those port platforms and you've recouped the cost.

    --
    Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
  25. Lego = Shite by PhakeDC · · Score: 1

    A little offtopic perhaps, but has anyone checked Lego's new products? Harry Potter? Batman? WTF? It's all cash-in crap! I know videogames have ravaged the toys industry, but this is absurd. Perhaps Technic and the trains line would remain Lego's last decent toy products.

  26. Sure... by thrill12 · · Score: 1

    ...if you find drag queens attractive, I bet (s)he is :)

    I mean, Lego-people got a cheek from here to Tokio with heavy masculine overtones.

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  27. Like... by thrill12 · · Score: 1

    this???

    Eeeerrrwwww...

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  28. Good News for Nintendo? by Pointdexter · · Score: 1

    How do these sales figures compare to more 'mainstream' and 'mature' games released recently?

    Sounds to me like the huge success of a fun, family friendly title like this is a good sign for the Wii.

    --
    Party Time: Excellent
  29. A word of warning to potential buyers by spyrochaete · · Score: 1

    My girlfriend and I somewhat enjoyed the first LSW. The combat is fun, death penalty is very minimal, and the option to jump in and out whenever you wish is a master stroke. The sequel boasts a lot more of everything which is a blessing and a curse. Levels are LONG!!! I haven't gotten past the 3rd level because after 45 minutes I find it a little tedious (or the game crashes [on PC]), but there are no intermediary save points!

    I'd love to play this game through just to see the wretchedly adorable cut scenes but at this rate Han will never even make it to the computer generated jelloey Jabba!

  30. Revenge against Jar-Jar by Rhys · · Score: 1

    The original game (ep 1-3) is AWESOME for the lightsaber chopping action. "Why look it is Jar-Jar!" *chwooom* "yeoww!" *chwoom* "Yeahhoooww!" *schwoom* "Yeagh" *pops into jar-jar bits*

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  31. Re:I'm gonna start a new thread by KlomDark · · Score: 1

    Yes, we get it. X divided by 8 is not quite as much profit as X divided by 1. We can do simple math, or at least know how to use a calculator. Shut up about it already.

  32. DS version broken by MilenCent · · Score: 1

    I'm surprised no one's mentioned yet that the DS version is infamous for having been pushed out the door early, containing many troublesome bugs. The gaming blogs have been sniping about it for days.