 | | Star Wars and LEGO; a match made in heaven, or a drunk Vegas fling? |
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LEGO Star Wars won't be for everyone. What LucasArts and Traveller's Tales have done, is simply recreate the three Star Wars prequels in virtual LEGO, with you controlling the pieces. It's a concept so barmy and off-the-wall that the mere thought of it all will put you into either one of two camps.
Some will be repulsed with every inch of their body at such a silly concept, but others - like me - will be so fantastically aroused that their nether regions become almost stiffer than the bleedin' pope (sorry, too soon?).
To be honest, that initial reaction is the perfect gauge on whether to buy this game or not. Forget anything I have to say as a result, from the title alone you'll immediately know whether LSW is for you or not.
 | | Key moments from the saga are played out in silent but hilarious cinematics |
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It's funny. It's silly. It's a blast. It's LEGO Fucking Star Wars, folks. And as a player who puts himself firmly in the latter of the previously mentioned categories, I'd say it delivers by the bucketload.
I have no idea when, how or why this crazy game came about, but whichever LucasArts exec green-lit this bizarre nonsensical concept in the wee hours of a hallucinogenic alcohol binge certainly deserves another round of drinks.
Just the utterly surreal site of Obi-Wan vs Darth Maul recreated in LEGO, right down to the exact same moves from the flick is pure brilliance alone, never mind the rest of the game.
The Force is Fucking Strong With This One
I'll start by spooging over the graphics. Everything's so extremely polished and shiny here, so much so that you can
literally see your face in it. For a world made up of nothing but plastic bricks, the game is extraordinarily detailed and luscious, and about as near perfect a recreation of its subject matter as you could possibly hope for (save plunking a video camera down and filming real LEGO).
 | | LEGO Star Wars is a gorgeous looker of a game, right across the board |
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It just all looks so inviting and gorgeous, further perfected by animation to die for. Pleasingly, there's also a fair bit of destructible scenery included too, as well as some (somewhat superficial) physics, both of which provide icing on an already overly scrumptious cake.
More than anything though, the whole thing makes you yearn to be five years old again - back in a time when you could happily fuck around with LEGO safe from scorn.
The only real downer is the lack of manual camera control, with it all being handled automatically by the engine. I should also mention that at times the game gets a teensy bit carried away with piling on as much chaotic action as it can - particularly in the action heavy war scenes of Episode II - and thus begins suffering from frame-rate lapses.
Sound is fine, but then again Star Wars games rarely falter on this side of things. LEGO SW doesn't faff around with any voice acting at all, other than the odd comedy scream of death, so just about everything you hear - whether it be lightsaber hums or John Williams' score - is all ripped straight from the movies. Can't complain there.
But How Does it Play?
 | | Saber duels may be button-bash fests, but boy are they fun |
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Gameplay wise, it's oddly fun to be honest. Sure, it's undoubtedly a kids game on the surface, but if you're the kinda person who to this day can still enjoy the likes of Mario and Zelda despite being in your 30s and near death, you'll similarly find LEGO SW laced with enough charm and brilliance to garner some adult enjoyment as well. I find it odd that the game is soon to be released on PC, PS2 and Xbox, when the true system that it seems built from the ground up for is the conspicuously absent GameCube.
On loading up your first game, you'll find yourself in a diner. This is essentially just an interactive menu system, from where you pick which of the three films you want to play through; Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones or Revenge of the Sith.
 | | The game includes fantastic mini-games such as pod-racing and starfighter combat |
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Through collecting cash in-game, you can also return here later to purchase unlockables as well; everything from additional characters to hints, tips and some gloriously cool Easter eggs that I won't ruin for ya.
The game itself is a big bouncy hack 'n' slash platformer at heart, although on occasion there's also some surprisingly enjoyable mini-games thrown in to liven things up. For the most part though, you simply charge around hammering your attack button and cutting down wave after wave of enemy units.
That said, the game does chuck a few pleasing additions and surprises in to make the LEGO SW experience a wee bit more enjoyable and original than the usual scrolling beat 'em up. For example the entire game is played out with at least one AI buddy tagging along with you at all times. The beauty of this is that a second player can jump in and take over this second character at any point they choose. Chopping your way through hordes of battle droids is an absolute riot with a mate alongside you.
 | | There's a constant stream of puzzles to solve amidst all the platform action |
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As the game progresses, it starts upping the number of these team mates hugely - up to six people on occasion - with you then free to chop and change between each on the fly.
Every character has their own unique abilities and play style which adds some pleasing variety to the overall experience, and it all works surprisingly well. Even uber lame retards like Jar Jar Binks and 8 year old Anakin provide their own usefulness at specific points, and it garnishes the game with a groovy little puzzle element as you figure out which lad or lass is right for the job at hand.
Your Powers Are Weak, Old Man
 | | Force powers are great fun, but there could have been a lot more of 'em |
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For the majority of the time you'll probably opt for the various Jedi characters I'm guessing, which include pretty much every single one seen in the prequels (even Yoda). One aspect that somewhat disappointed me along these lines was the scaled down implementation of The Force, however.
You can Force push enemies, smashing them into walls and over ledges, and you can also manipulate various pieces of scenery to create makeshift bridges and ledges, but that's about it. Don't expect any kind of extensive selection of abilities and powers, 'cos LEGO SW ain't that type of game. This isn't an in-depth Jedi simulation like the Jedi Knight series, the game is far too busy making you laugh out loud to really worry too much about its lack of apparent Force depth.
 | | Futurama's Bender finally landed his long-awaited Star Wars cameo |
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The humour is one of the prime selling points of the game in actual fact. You haven't experienced comedic genius until you've sadistically chopped limbs off a protocol droid and watched it hop around on one leg. The cut-scenes in particular are downright hysterical, oddly familiar reconstructions of the movie plotlines but with completely random gags thrown in from leftfield, such as faulty lightsabers and drunk droids.
This Will Be a Game (Not) Long Remembered
The bad news is that like all kids' games, this one's extremely short. With all three movies put together, there's less than 20 levels in total, and none are especially long. I breezed through the first two flicks in all but a few hours, leaving only Episode III to go (which can wait til after May 19th).
However, unlike say StarFox Assault, LEGO SW has a ton of replay value, which is why I still have no problem recommending it. Mainly 'cos it's just a heck of lot more fun to play, especially in 2-player mode, but also 'cos it can boast literally hundreds of unlockable goodies and extra modes for you to uncover.
 | | This intro is as far as I got in Episode III before spoiler-itis infected me |
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For example the "Free Play" feature lets you replay levels and switch in any other character from the entire saga at any point you wish, utilising their own unique abilities to explore the harder to reach passageways and hidden treats. The levels are choc-full of such devious little hidey holes you see, and this kind of exploration alone merits at least one additional play through.
Never the less, as this review draws to a close, we're ultimately back to square one. You know what the game's all about and whether or not it's for you. It's equal parts solid hack 'em up action and absolute comedy gold, but it's still just a kids' game at the end of the day too, one that many will unfortunately scoff at I'm sure.
Shame really, 'cos it's about as slick and beautiful as anything else out there right now if you ask me...and fuck, if nothing else, contains huge clumps of Revenge of the Sith's plot for those of you who can't wait one more month...
