Because we just can’t get enough of Dick Turtle here at TE, here is a little background information on the guy that I’m way to lazy to have dug up myself. And now back to the program already in progress.
Rented LEGO Star Wars this weekend. I have to say, that despite my premature opinions on the game, it turned out to be quite good. When I first heard of it, I just thought it had bad idea written all over it. But alas, I’ve been proven wrong, and I spent pretty much all weekend playing it. So it’s time for one of those nifty little blog reviews, the only thing that keeps the blog from being entirely boring!
Firstly, and possibly most importantly, the name doesn’t tell you much about which Star Wars it’s covering. And to the possible dismay of some, that would be the prequel trilogy. I have no problems with this, because to be honest, I liked both The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones, and I intend to fully enjoy Revenge of the Sith as well. But most people feel differently, so yeah. Either way, the game has about 17 missions, covering most of the more action-packed parts of the movies. This includes several rampages through Theed, a romp in the Geonosis droid factory followed by the huge Jedi Battle in the coliseum, the war on Kashyyyk, and the final battle between Obi-Wan and Anakin. Of course, this means some slight spoilers for those who’ve not seen RotS (and by the way, I refuse to address the newer movies as “Episode X”). And while it could be argued that we already know the outcome, I was still intending to find out exactly how everything goes down from the movie itself, but oh well.
The game is fun, but a little slow. See, you’ve got two ways to go about it. You can power through the levels and not worry about collecting stuff (money), or you can explore every nook and cranny to get it all. And there are tons of interactive objects in every level room, so there’s a lot to check out. You don’t really need the cash, as you only need copious amounts of it to unlock the secrets (which are just for fun), as the only other thing you’ll be spending it on is new characters, and most character unlocks are quite cheap.
Speaking of which, there are a total of around 56 playable characters (I suck at math), and while like 20 of them are different coloured Clone Troopers or Battle Droids, pretty much every single character from the trilogy (and then some) is playable. Everyone from (three versions of) Obi-Wan to General Grievous to Jar Jar to Yoda is playable. And they all have different abilities, like being able to use the force, being able to jump really high, or being able to unlock certain doors. Of course, not every character has an ability. All the Battle Droids can do is walk and shoot, except the commander. He can say “Roger Roger”. So everyone will be able to find someone they like to play as. I personally spent the most time as AotC Obi-Wan, Grievous, and R2-D2.
The one thing that really made me favour the game is that it’s got a ton of funny little things in it. The fact that everything is in LEGO is funny on it’s own, but the fact that some cutscenes really make the most out of the medium, and add in some little sight gags. Some of the levels contain some funny things, like when you’re on Kamino, you can do a little light-matching puzzle to turn the room into a disco and get the Kaminoans dancing. It is indeed quite hilarious. Most of the “extras” are just funny things too, like adding moustaches to all characters, or having Jedis wield brooms rather than lightsabers.
All in all, the game is pretty solid. It’ll last until you’ve hunted down every collectible item, and the tow-player mode will add a bit more fun to the mix. Graphics are great, as LEGO isn’t too damned hard to animate well. The music is ripped directly from the movies, so obviously that gets full points. The only weaknesses is that most people won’t like all the slow treasure hunting you’d have to do to produce the kind of funds you’ll need for the more expensive stuff, and that when you’ve got everything, the game is pretty much dead. If you really go at it, you should be able to get everything in a rental. I wouldn’t recommend buying it though. Sadly, it loses pretty much everything once you’ve got the 100%. But it is fun while it lasts. Oh yeah, and it’s way too easy. You can’t lose, no matter how hard you suck. You’re given unlimited lives, and the only disadvantage to dying is that you lose a little money. The only way you can lose is to get stuck as the somewhat tricky podrace level and quit of frustration. So yes. Good game, but not a buyer. Not at more than half-price anyhow.