LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy  Review - Page 2

- Roger Gibson, " Crusader ", Senior Editor

Wednesday, September 27, 2006

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Title: LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy .............................................. System: Gamecube .............................................. Genre: Action/Adventure .............................................. Publisher: LucasArts Entertainment Company .............................................. Developer: Travellers Tales .............................................. Release: 09/12/2006 .............................................. Online: No .............................................. ESRB: Everyone (E) .............................................. Most of the game is action/platforming with puzzles and multiple areas to explore. But just like any quality platformer, things are broken up so the game doesn’t get stale (though it can still feel repetitive, unfortunately), which includes missions in which you pilot the X-wing as Luke and destroy the Death Star, or burn through the forests on speeders on the Ewok planet. This time around for these types of missions, however, the levels aren’t so linear, or “on rails”. Though the flying is over a 2-D plain and pretty simple in its maneuvers and control, it feels more open and entertaining. These stages can be difficult, too, and they certainly provide the much needed mix-up and essential plot coverage. It’s not as grandiose as the movies, of course, but it’s neat to play out those awesome events. The large part of the game has you running, jumping, shooting, solving puzzles, and even use grappling devices and other environment elements, such as building LEGOs into a device or equipment to help you progress. This is familiar stuff to the fans of the first title, but the pacing is much faster so that puzzles aren’t a detractor; gameplay feels seamless. And of course specialties are still available: Jedi can use the Force and Light Sabers; Boba Fett can use his jet pack and sticky bombs; the Dark forces can use the dark side of the Force (which is also a differentiating factor in accessing secret areas in the game); Chewbacca can pop off the arms of enemies (which is pretty darn funny); and Storm Troopers can run around in their underwear and still be effective in battle. It's a combination of comical additions and the necessary updates to gameplay. Another important element that makes this game brilliant is that it utilizes is the tag system. You can swap out to any character in your party, which is from one to six characters. You’ll need to balance combat with puzzles, using these playable support characters that follow along to progress through each level. Some doors only C-3PO can open. Some hidden areas are blocked except to those who can use the Force or Dark Force. Each of the aforementioned specialties is not only there for the fun and realism, but they are integral to game progression. Returning is some multiplayer fun, but, unfortunately, online play wasn’t added. At any time, a second player can jump in for some co-op action. But unlike the original, the camera actually zooms out so things don’t feel so cramped on the screen. Also new is a character creation interface so that you can make a character more suiting to your play style and look. Lucas Arts may not have been worked to death in trying to render hundreds of thousands of polygons for a single character, but the graphics are still quite crisp and vibrant for a LEGO game, particularly in the outdoor environments. That’s not stay there’s not some issues, however, as some famerate drops and clipping are occasionally present, even on the Xbox 360 version. Overall, though, the game looks polished and well presented, with the 360 version taking point with its obviously better resolution and progressive scan compatibility. Likewise, the sound does justice to the original, epic tracks of the movies, redone in Dolby Digital for 5.1 surround capability. Though you have infinite lives, this game can still be quite difficult, sometimes frustratingly so. This is questionable because it is, by and large, a kid’s game. That’s not a noticeably negative mark on the game, but it certainly needs to be mentioned. Overall, however, LEGO Star Wars II is worth the money, or at least a rent. It’s got all the desirable content: addicting and fun pickup-and-play game play, a story and characters we all know and love, different game types (18 chapters across 3 episodes plus bonus stages), solid graphics and sound, including faithful, epic music, and, most of all, an experience anyone can have fun with. Pages 1 2   The Core Score Overall 8.5 Fun 9 Gameplay 8 Graphics 8 Audio 8 Replay 8.5     Kid Safe Score      10  Great    It's rated   How we score games