Lego Star Wars

"This game in three words: shameless, mindless, fun."

So, I was a big Star Wars junkie when I was youthful. I watched all the movies, enjoyed all of the action figures, and even (ironically) played with some of the Star Wars Lego sets. I never did play any Star Wars video games, however. The only one I did play was Shadows of the Empire for the Nintendo 64. I loved that game...

But, I digress.

Little would I know that years later, I would try an Xbox version of Lego Star Wars at a local Best Buy and find it to be the most shameless, mindless fun I've had since Super Mario 64. I couldn't believe it. Me? A grown adult? Playing and, ultimately worse, enjoying a Star Wars video game?! I shooed the idea and went to look at more adult-like things...like composite cables...and large TVs...

But I kept coming back for more. I couldn't get enough of the demo. I couldn't believe how fun it was. It was so much fun, indeed, that I bought it. It's a purchase that I haven't regretted to this day, over a year later.

GRAPHICS - 10/10
The graphical technology isn't an issue here; it's the art-style that matters. The graphics have literally everything made out of Legos (hence the name). Virtually everything is able to be crushed or moved. When you die, your Lego figurine falls not unlike the way a young girl would rip the head off of her Lego toy. It's really quite impressive. The amount of detail gone into the different Lego selections must have been very difficult. Kudos.

STORY - 8/10
Lego Star Wars consists of three parts: Episode I, Episode II, and Episode III, for each of the three respective Star Wars prequel films. You go through them in Chapters. The story of the films, to me, aren't as good as the original films, but, hey, what can I do about it? This game follows the movie down to the last scene, which some will like, but I found to be a little too linear. The wonderful gameplay kept the game great to play though.

GAMEPLAY - 10/10
If a game can captivate me so much by its gameplay in a 2 minute demo, it's worth buying. The gameplay isn't revolutionary...it's just fun. Pure, stinkin' fun. You have TONS of characters to chose from (after they are unlocked, of course), and each one has special abilities. For example, the Queen's bodyguards can use suction-cupped rope launchers, like the ones you saw in Episode 1. Boba Fett can get into small areas, since he is still a kid. And the most fun of all, Jedi/Sith can use the Force, and MAN is it cool-looking tearing Legos apart with the Force! It's wonderful. Navigating the game is a breeze, and it's short, but totally fun to play and replay.

SOUND/MUSIC - 9/10
Not much to say here. Just slapped-on Star Wars sounds from the film. Same with the music.

REPLAY - 9/10
There is SO much to do here. There are massive amounts of unlockables, including TONS of characters, and special game modes. Sometimes, the novelty will wear off after you've unlocked everything though.

FINAL WORD - 8/10
I love this game, and I haven't regretted this purchase. Go ahead and pick it up. It'll be worth your time.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 08/16/07