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 There
has always been a time when one wishes to be a Star Wars character. You've
probably guessed who I want to be, what with a username of Loweded Wookie, but
while there are many Star Wars games out there I don't think any are as clever
as Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy (except maybe the original Lego
Star Wars - how's that for irony).
The game is set in the Star Wars universe related to episodes 4-6 (the first
three original Star Wars films for the uninitiated) only instead of Star
Wars-realistic characters, they are instead portrayed in Lego form. This has
produced a neat and humorous twist to gaming but more on that later.
First, the controls. You can play by keyboard (default), mouse (wouldn't
recommend) or joystick (I prefer this control). The control system is
annoying although it is alleviated somewhat with a joystick. If you face
forwards (with back to screen) then left and right acts like left and right.
However, if you face the screen then the controls are reversed. In the heat of
the battle you often find yourself shooting your own guys or punching them instead of the
enemy...luckily they are all a bit forgiving. You control all the characters in the group and you will need to do this as the
game is a puzzle adventure.
To open some doors you'll need R2D2 or C3PO. You
may even need to don a Storm Trooper hood to get through some doors. Often
this may mean transferring your control (almost like an out of body
experience) into another character that you then occupy. The other characters
around you don't just sit idle though...instead, helping, getting in the way
or just following you along aimlessly until needed.
The cool twist to the game is the need to build stuff. What would Lego be if
you didn't build stuff? Piles of Lego can be built into something
revealing parts of something bigger, platforms to allow you to grapple, get access to other areas, fun stuff like an entire DJ turntable and disco (don't ask...but it is hilarious!) or
just stuff that provides more money or hearts....both of which you need to spend dedicated time collecting.
The first part of this, that of finding parts of a bigger entity, is evident early on
where you play as Obi Wan Kenobi and you see parts half buried. You can try to
pull them out but nothing seems to happen. Meanwhile you've just found a few
parts which seem to make up some sort of cannon but that doesn't work either.
Then you find some other bits that look odd. But once you've got all the parts
you find you can now start building something that in the end turns out to be
an AT-ST Walker.
The puzzle aspect of this game is awesome. I hate most First Person Shooters
because it's all shoot shoot shoot. You leave your brain behind because you're
nothing but a grunt. But adventure games are great because you need your brain
to progress. There's been times where trying to progress has meant that I get
stuck and the puzzle seems like I've done everything right but nothing works.
Then out of frustration I shoot at the object only to have it blow up and take
out the gate I've been trying to open thinking you need to set off pressure
switches. I love this in gaming and as such Lego Star Wars scores highly for
me.
The cut scenes lose music and sound at some times. Whether or not that is
meant to happen I don't know but it cheapens the affair. On lesser specc'd machines things can slow down dramatically, even when there
is NOTHING going on. But the funniest problem is not actually a problem. The Stormtroopers look so
cute so you don't really want to blow them away - but you got to cos they
don't care about how cute you look either.
 As mentioned above each character has their own abilities and fighting styles.
Obi Wan uses the force where early on Luke uses a blaster. As such he can use
grapple points. Chewie's fighting style is cool. He uses his bowcaster but
when he gets close, instead of throwing punches he jumps on their chest and
rips off their arms. R2 flies and C3PO is as annoying as he is in the movie.
The cutscenes are funny like when Luke is at Obi Wan's house and Obi Wan gives
him a lightsaber. Luke swings it around and ends up cutting off C3PO's head.
This is a great example of the humour in the program and the creative licence
they have been given to poke fun at Star Wars. Those in the know or obsessed
with Star Wars will enjoy these jokes, as the poke fun at a universe we all
know and love. Watch Chewbacca try and wear a Stormtroopers' helmet (it never
fits) and you know making this game must have been loads of fun itself.
One of the main tasks is to collect money and hearts. The more money you collect the better the chance of being given The Force as well as earning gold bricks, that allow you to build doors into other extra scenes. Money also allows you to buy hints, equipment and characters...the latter then also hilariously letting you mix and match body parts. Chewie's head with Princess Leia's gold bikini torso? Hmm?! If you search the net you'll even find a hidden Santa mode you can play in!
All in all if you love Star Wars you need this game. If you don't like Star
Wars you should still play this game. It's so much fun. It takes a bit to get
used to the controls but it becomes second nature. It's capable of being
played as a two player game as well. If you're playing as two players using
the keyboard then it reminds me of the good old days at school playing
Dogfight on an Apple IIe - 8 people crowding around a single keyboard. Gaming
has become intimate again.
Review Setup
- Mac OS 10.4.10
- Intel Mac Mini 1.66Ghz
- 512Mb RAM
- Intel GMA 950 graphics processor with 64MB (shared memory)
- SuperDrive
Phil comments - This is the first game I've had time to play in ages...years
(but sadly, study beckons again, so that's the end of that!) and it was great
for me. The puzzles were not so challenging that I would do as I normally do
(find a walkthrough on the net) and cheat, and the not so hard to play that
you constantly ended up being killed. It was forgiving enough to be good and
challenging at the same time and the cut scenes (as Darryn said) were just
great!
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