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Lego Star Wars 
Release date: 29 Mar 2005
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Mygamer review
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The Force is Strong with this One
Lego Star Wars can be summed up by using a simple equation: Lego+Star Wars=Fun.
Combining a timelessly popular children’s toy with a sci-fi franchise that fulfills nerds’ wildest dreams might seem like it is only targeting a younger audience. The surprise here comes from the fact that anyone of any age will likely enjoy the blocky force of Lego Star Wars. Do not be dissuaded by the game’s unmistakable kiddie theme. The mixing of Lego characters into the futuristic world of Star Wars actually creates an extraordinarily well-realized and dual-complementary gaming presentation. Because of the cute and blocky characters, it is always difficult to take the game seriously, but that, in essence, is its greatest selling point. Make no mistake, Lego Star Wars is an action packed marvel.
Players are given the opportunity to play through the more memorable highlights from Star Wars: Episode I, II, and III. That’s right! LucasArts is giving fans the chance to play through Revenge of the Sith a full month before the movie’s anticipated release. Die-hard fans will need to play through this part of the game as soon as possible. While Lego Star Wars does not contain voice acting or full-motion video, the main story’s plot can be followed through a series of still frame pictures.
The game is an isometric third-person action adventure that plays in a similar fashion to Baldur’s Gate. Players will take control of many of the main characters from the Star Wars movies. Obi-Wan, Padme, Chewy, and even R2-D2 are all playable. Lego Star Wars keeps the action fresh by offering players the chance to switch through unlockable characters at any time. For example, players will start a level in Episode III as Yoda. However, after Chewbacca has been found in the same level, players can switch between the two at a whim. Each character also has personal strengths and weaknesses. This motivates players to constantly switch between available characters in order to achieve certain things. Players will be in awe at the massive selection of playable characters.
Every character is, by turns, best used in certain situations. For example, Jar Jar Binks must be used to reach tall ledges, as he’s able to jump higher than the vast majority of characters. And Obi-Wan can sneak up on enemies by becoming invisible while blocking blaster fire with his lightsaber. Jedi can also use the Force to piece together clumps of seemingly random Legos to form platforms or bridges. R2-D2 can hover across short gaps, while Padme and Chewy use blasters to take out distant foes as opposed to the short range of a Jedi’s lightsaber. The Select button is used to switch between playable characters in an instant. After the Select button is tapped and a new character is chosen, the previous on-screen character breaks apart into many different anatomic Lego pieces, which are then magically reconstructed into the newly selected character. Showcasing small details like this really emphasizes the intuitive constructiveness of the Lego theme.
Players must hack and slash their way through each level, and what better way to do this than with a lightsaber. Honestly, is there anything cooler than using a lightsaber against an army of droids? Without question, the best fighters in the game are the Jedi/Sith, but every other character has a different form of attack such as Jar Jar’s EMP balls, or Chewy’s bowcaster. However, the strangest form of attack comes from R2. Everyone knows this hardy little droid is not a fighter, but he can still drop mines and destroy any droid stupid enough to walk over them. Most of the R2-D2 levels will have players running (or rolling) strategically from attacking droids instead of fighting them. This also brings more variation into the game by offering a different tactic other than straight-up confrontational fighting.
The game pak does support many levels, and all three movies are available for play through, but dedicated gamers will be able to complete Lego Star Wars in merely a day or two. However, the wealth of unlockables will keep the game firmly inside your GBA (or DS) for quite some time. Plus, after each level, the game rates the player on how well he or she did. Achieving the rank of Jedi Master should be your goal on each level.
Lego Star Wars is certainly a fun game that plays extremely well. Fighting as a Jedi, using the Force, and battling an army of blaster-wielding droids will bring a smile to any sci-fi geek’s face. But it is a disappointment that the game was released without a two-player co-op link option. The console versions have this feature, so why not the GBA? Perhaps the well-rounded 3D effects, the number of enemies displayed on screen at any one time and the detailed environments suck up the majority of the system’s processing power? Adding another player to the mix, plus sending simultaneous data over to each GBA system could have slowed the frame rate to a crawl. Either way, it is a disappointment that a two-player mode was not included, but the single-player hack and slash style of gameplay will still please gamers.
Everything in-game looks as though it is built with Lego. From the character sprites and the backgrounds, to the still-frame cut scene pictures, and even particle effects and in-game text, everything is supported by the blocky aesthetic. Using this form of artistic realization promotes a cutesy comical but undeniably fun gameplay atmospheric. It is hard to get mad or grow frustrated within a game world built entirely from Lego. The game’s difficulty is right where it needs to be, which errs slightly on the easier side of the scale. There will certainly be instances when the player dies, but frustration will remain at bay thanks to the elevated entertainment value.
The musical tone also belts out elements from all the classic Star Wars scores. The developers even took the time to make this historical music sound great coming from the GBA’s mono speaker. Even the aurally iconic Star Wars sound effects are beautifully emphasized in the game. You will gleefully hear the sizzling hum and droning wave of lightsabers while droids cry out their stereotypically tinny one-liners.
On all fronts, the game emerges as a solid and well-rounded entertainment package. Lego Star Wars is more action packed than the GBA version of Terminator 3, it’s faster paced than Baldur’s Gate, and offers the same level of variety as Boktai. Fans of the movies will love the combination of the Star Wars universe with a Lego theme. Even detractors of the Star Wars movies will appreciate the entertaining and action-packed isometric adventure that Lego Star Wars offers. The game’s only real downfall exists in its lack of co-op linked play. With so much concentrated fun at their fingertips, players will probably emerge wishing the experience was longer, but playing through the first three movies is still a great way to hold gamers over until the new movie is released on May 19th. Or until the Episode III videogame is released to consoles.
Review by Zachary Gasiorowski on 3 May 2005
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