Articles
By Mr Shoosh
Published: Mar. 18, 2007 2:48 PM
The team at Lucas Arts have brought back the bizarre yet amusingly addictive combo of Lego & Star Wars through the worlds and tales of the original trilogy. Lego Star Wars 2: The Original Trilogy does the right thing by keeping close to the winning formula of its *insert heavy breathing* father having more than enough material to warrant an uncompromised sequel.
At a time where games are more intricate than Paris Hilton’s phonebook, it’s refreshing to see there’s room for this simple gem. We all know the story, we all know what happens in the end, but playing out this interpretation through Lego is addictive, humorous fun.
The scene is set at the infamous Mos Isly cantina which acts as an interactive launch pad to the actual game. The Cantina also allows you access to all items & characters you’ve unlocked and the ability to purchase additional items. The game itself is aptly split into the three main movies of the original trilogy, each consisting of six levels (and bonus stage). Each of the six levels are initially played in story mode and once completed, can be replayed in a free play mode. Free play mode adds serious replay value to the title by allowing you to re-enter missions with any unlocked character (or vehicle where relevant) where you can access previously locked areas of the level depending on which character you choose.
Gameplay is initially a little too simple. The controls are fairly basic and all possible functions of the controller are known almost immediately. Auto-aim adds to the simplicity and your first impressions have you believing this to be a kid’s game with little depth. Star Wars fans won’t be too phased by this as the game does the story justice. It doesn’t take long for the game to grow and begin to challenge you. Clever little puzzles emerge as road blocks requiring you to think in order to progress. The added depth is just enough to entertain the adult gamer and add some seriously disguised educational value for the younger gamer.
Lego Star Wars 2 is in essence a platformer, and as such, carries all the obligatory requirements of the genre. You collect pieces of Lego along the way (used as a form of currency) as well as other hidden objects well placed within each level. The amount of unlockables in the game itself make for a certified bonus bonanza and add replay value to the title (until you get sick of collecting so many items). You typically find yourself with a posse of 2-5 characters and can easily change between them as required by the situation you’re in. You might need Luke’s “force” to move an object or R2D2 to jet across and activate a bridge for others to cross. Each character has his/her own forte’ and it’s always fun to switch between them and experiment.
The game doesn’t do anything earth shatteringly different to the original, and nor should it. The flexibility of vehicles and animals (both in choice and ability to go just about anywhere) adds a little more to the game, but it’s obvious the developers were happy with the original and didn’t really try to stray. Aerial work is implemented beautifully and although the trench run was a little too simplified, the Battle of Hoth and other space battles add great balance to the game. There’s no Live gameplay, but the COOP mode satisfies any MP urges.
Page 1 of 2 | Next Page » - 
