Lego Star Wars

"Short, but sweet."

Introduction - This Star Wars game that will likely get overlooked because of the ‘Lego' in the title. Despite it being a Lego game, which can be rather poor, this game is one of the best Star Wars games I've ever played.

Gameplay - The gameplay is quite excellent in this game. There is a lot of variety, with different weapon types, such as Blasters and Sabers. Attacking is executed by pressing Square, jumping with X, Special abilities with Circle, and Character Switching with Triangle. Controlling your chosen character is very easy to do once you adjust to the control scheme. Maps are large, with plenty of areas to explore.

A nice ability is the Jedi's ability to use ‘The Force' to move object and throw enemies. Using it is simple, and very fun.

A great feature of this game is the multiplayer. Another person can join in the main Single Player game at any time by simply pressing Start on a second controller. Multiplayer can make certain parts of the game much easier, and can add further enjoyment to an already excellent game.

The only real downside of the gameplay is the camera, which can, at times, be uncooperative, especially when playing multiplayer. It can be hard to see some platforms that you need to jump on, and some important pieces to a puzzle.

Story - The story goes along 3 Episodes of the Star Wars universe. Though there is no talking between characters, the main point of the story is pretty clear. I, having never seen any Star Wars movie(though I've played several games), could tell what was going on most of the time.

Graphics - As implied by the title, this game is about Legos. So, not surprisingly, the graphics are all Lego-like. Everything in the game looks just like real Legos, including the characters. When characters are killed, they shatter into the Legos that make them up.

Sound - The music in the levels is good, but nothing extraordinary, since most of the time, you can‘t really hear it. However, the music in the cutscenes is superb. The sound effects are also well-done, especially the Blaster sound effects.

Play time - Despite covering 3 Episodes and several chapters, this game is VERY short. My first time through the game, I played with my friend who had never played before, either, and we finished in about 7 hours(in two sittings).

Replayability - After finishing the main story, there is still quite a bit to do. You can unlock several characters to use in levels, make ships, and even unlock a secret last mission. Also, playing back through levels with different characters is fun, and adds some differences in the levels.

Final Recommendation - This is a tough decision. If you love action games like this, you should buy it. However, because of the extremely short length of the game, you could easily finish it in a rental period, and unlock everything in two. The decision is up to you.

Gameplay - 9/10
Story - 8/10
Graphics - 8/10
Sound - 8/10
Play time - 4/10
Replayability - 9/10

Final Score - 8/10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 04/25/05