The Fun Factor 3.26.07: Lego Star Wars
Posted by Cory Moore on 03.26.2007
Were you in the majority who thought the Star Wars prequels sucked? Lego Star Wars just might change your mind.
When I was a youngster, I loved playing with Legos. I loved having the power of building a fortress for an evil emperor, a base for the good guys, and cruisers for them to fight with. If there is one thing (and I mean, ONE thing) about my dad's profession as a construction worker that rubbed off on me, it would probably have to be building stuff from the ground up. It fascinated me beyond belief as a kid.
For years, I yearned for Lego to release Power Rangers-themed figures and play sets. At the time, Lego wasn't in the licensing business, so it never happened. I had to make do with the space-themed figures and interchanged the visor colors on the helmets to resemble my favorite heroes. Ah, what a young mind can achieve.
Years later, I discovered Star Wars thanks to the 1995 toy line and my cousin, who had been collecting memorabilia since as long as I can remember. My mom must've spent hundreds of dollars in the flea markets that used to house the ‘80s collectibles. Every time I would find a gem, I'd jump for joy.
Fast-forward to my late teen years, and two of my favorite childhood pastimes formed a coalition. From the moment I heard about it, I knew the Lego/Star Wars merger would produce exciting times for many kids. Never, though, did I think a video game based on the concept would succeed. After all, the series is aimed at kids, not college gamers. We all know how those projects turn out. Just look at any handheld game featuring the likes of Disney shows such as Hannah Montana.
Somehow, LucasArts did the unthinkable and translated Lego Star Wars into a fun, engaging video game. Seems like they have a habit of that, huh?
Lego Star Wars
PS2, Xbox, Gamecube, PC, Mac
2005
The Controlled Substance
Lego Star Wars: The Video Game is based upon the recent films released between 1999 and 2005. This prequel trilogy is set before the films released in the ‘70s and ‘80s and tells the origin of the characters that preceded those of A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi. Lego Star Wars' protagonists include Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, Padme Amidala and their ragtag bunch of heroes squaring off against what would become the Empire, consisting of corrupt politicians Chancellor Palpatine, Count Dooku and their lackeys such as Darth Maul and General Grievous.
Lego Star Wars consists of three main story arcs taken from Episode I, II and III. Each story arc features 4-5 ground missions and one vehicular-based adventure. These adventures are introduced with and followed by cut scenes that inform the player of any additional information relating to the background of the scene or to advance the story, respectively. The gameplay is a cross between the platforming genre and the frantic action of an old-school ‘beat-em up' game. Two options exist for your crusade: Story Mode – which relies on assigned characters faithful to the movie, and Free Play – where you handpick a duo from more than 50 playable characters.
The Fun Factor
Right off the bat, I must warn you that the reviews of this game are absolutely right. Lego Star Wars is, in fact, a "kiddie" game. There are an infinite amount of lives, no hidden mysteries to solve and no 50-hit combo moves to learn. Is this a bad thing? Absolutely not, if you believe the reviews and the opinion of almost anyone who has played this game. Lego Star Wars is full of action and adventure, and likewise leaves the fluff for the ‘respected' games.
The first feature you will notice immediately is how well the game captures the Star Wars personality flawlessly, but in a different sort of way. No, there aren't fancy cut scenes from the movies, but you're treated to comical reenactments by the little Lego figurines. Most of your favorite scenes from the prequels remain intact, though a few – like the opening chase and Anakin's Tatooine raid of the Sand People in Episode II – were deemed too intense or violent for the target age group. You'll also find a plethora of signature Star Wars trademarks. All of the unique sounds – like lightsaber swishing – and music are here in full force. Furthermore, the game contains abilities unique to each character (i.e., droids open doors and Gungans jump higher than their human counterparts). The Lego approach is different, but succeeds in adding new and fun elements to an already-unique Star Wars universe.
While the "kiddie" approach allows the gamer to complete the story mode of the game within a day or two, this game has tremendous lasting appeal. While you play through the game the first time, you're likely to miss ‘mini-kit' pieces scattered around the levels, which collectively form a unique display of vehicles of the prequel series. In addition, there are more than 50 characters to unlock in the game, including villains, available to use in free play mode. With each character's unique abilities, there are endless combination possibilities to uncover new areas previously unreachable in story mode. With so much to explore, you get stuck on this game a lot longer than you might have anticipated.
Finally, the cooperative play in Lego Star Wars sets this title apart from so many of today's platforming games. I am a major advocate of bringing back cooperative play to the forefront of gaming, and this game validates my point that the effort could score major brownie points in the long haul. This game is addictive in single-player mode, but two-player gaming is an absolute blast. It is much easier to plow through enemies with a friend when you're being ambushed in Episode I's Theed Palace level. The same goes for any boss, especially when battling the ridiculously agile General Grievous.
The 411
I received my first glimpse of Lego Star Wars during a trip to Best Buy with two of my friends over Christmas Break. The first friend curiously approached the PS2 kiosk, picked up a controller and started slashing away at battle droids. It was senseless, sure, but he laughed the whole time. Seeing how much fun he was having, the second friend picked up the other controller and encouraged exploring. Since they're not huge Star Wars buffs, I had to guide them through the levels, but they had a fun time nevertheless. They stepped away from the kiosk 30 minutes later with smiles on their faces, and I stepped away with a $20 copy of the game, convinced it was a worthwhile purchase.
Lego Star Wars is a throwback of sorts. Sure, it's simple, but it's a blast to play. The characters may consist of Lego blocks, but that's a part of the charm. It's fast paced, much like old arcade action/adventure games. Its controls and mechanics are dead on. Exploration is deep and rewarding. Most of all, the levels are linear and goals are clearly defined from the opening sequences.
Earlier this year, I saw an interesting interview with Lego Star Wars producer Jonathan Smith in which he suggested testing games on 8-year-old boys for best results. Why? Smith said it's because 8-year-olds enjoy games that are easy to navigate and move quickly. Most of all, the youngsters understand the game best when the objective is stated from the get-go. This shouldn't be rocket science, but somehow it has become such.
For all the hidden bonuses, confusing puzzles and dozens of avenues to complete a one of today's best-selling franchises, gamers still enjoy an experience that is straight forward and hassle free. That's why Lego Star Wars succeeds as an all-around FUN experience that can be enjoyed be anybody.
Go ahead, give this game a try. It's worth enduring the smirks in the check-out line.
