Review: "LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game"

Information

Title

LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game

Published by

Eidos

Developed by

Giant and Traveller's Tales

Platform

Playstation 2

Rating

E for Cartoon Violence

Genre

Action Platformer/Puzzle

Plot

Um, you play through the entire Star Wars prequel trilogy (yes, that includes Episode III).

High Point

You get to play through Episode III plus the final ending "To be continued..."

Low Point

Can get a little difficult to collect all the widgets to unlock everything, but only a problem for the completionists among us.

Context

I'm a huge Star Wars fan as well as a big LEGO fan, so I was excited by the very idea of this game.

Scores

Story — Adequate (6/10)

This isn't really a story driven kind of game, rather it's a get through the level and try to collect all the widgets. There is a nominal story mode that follows the stories of the prequel trilogy of Star Wars movies, but mostly focuses on the action sequences therein (this is not a bad thing).

Originality — Unusual (8/10)

I'm not entirely sure how to rate this, the premise is wonderfully original, but the settings are taken completely from the Star Wars movies. I think that, in the end, the uniqueness of the premise wins out over the setting and characters.

Graphics — Superb (9/10)

Okay this game looks block and chunky, but it's supposed to. It really feels very much like you're playing with actual LEGOs throughout the game with some very minor exceptions in the buildings.

Music — Perfect (10/10)

What can I say, it's a Star Wars game with Star Wars music in it.

Production — Excellent (9/10)

This game loads quickly and rarely (I think I saw it two or three times) has to load overtly during the game. There is a seamless transition from the outside of a location to the inside and from one location to another. Another really nice feature is that there are hidden continue points within the areas so that you don't have to always go back to the last save point anytime you die or fail.

Difficulty — Mostly Easy (3/10)

If you're just concerned with beating the three episodes, then the game is quite easy, though two players can get a little tricky without some good coordination. There is no fixed number of lives you can go through though you are penalized for each death. If you're a completionist, like me, it gets a bit tougher as you try to collect all the widgets in each level. The bonus level does seem to require two players (or, at least, one player controlling both characters).

Violence — Minimal (1/10)

There is a lot of "cartoon" violence, but it is mostly directed at aliens, robots and faceless people. There's no blood whatsoever and the closest it comes to gore is that beings break apart into their component LEGO pieces when killed.

Bonus Features — Mediocre (5/10)

Mostly this consists of buying hints or special addons (the only really useful ones seem to be the mini-kit detector and invincibility). You can also purchase characters to play as, which is kinda nice as you can purchase any of the characters you've faced-off against (you automatically gain the use of any characters who join your party in a level).

Overall — Must Have (8/10)

I'd call this a "must have" for any Star Wars or LEGO fan out there.