Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy

"Already better than the original because it's based on the original trilogy."

Lego Star Wars II, the sequel to Lego Star Wars. There is already a big difference in the two games, one is based on the new Star Wars trilogy, then other based on the original trilogy. Lego Star Wars II is very much like the original, but it based on Episodes IV, V and VI, with about six levels for each episode. Whilst Lego Star Wars II doesn't add anything generally new to the original, it is still a great game.

First off, you should already know the story line in Lego Star Wars II. You play through Episode IV, V and VI, and the story is exactly the same as those. Something different in Lego Star Wars II is the fact no one ever talks in it. Not even any subtitles, instead, the whole story is shown through cut-scenes and even characters actions. If you're a Star Wars fan then you will already know the story line, but the game follows it closely and never has any random levels thrown it to make the game longer. Also, the game isn't generally serious (you can most probably guess from the fact it's in Lego though). The game is generally funny, with Darth Vader showing Luke he is his father by showing him a family photo, and many times the Lego people just break up sending all their limbs onto the floor. Either way, the game is presented fairly well, especially since the game is most probably aimed at a younger audience.

Now then, the gameplay. The game is pretty simple, the Mos Eisley Cantina acts as the main area for the game. Inside, you will find three rooms, each representing an episode. Inside there are doorways for all six levels that are on each episode. Outside the Cantina there are many secrets, mainly to do with the Gold Bricks you can obtain through out the game (there are a massive 99 in total). The game itself is a platformer, with a camera you can't control. You can attack, jump around, collect studs (the games currency) and there are loads of hidden secrets in each level. When you beat a level, any characters inside the level are unlocked (at least, the ones you can control), and you obtain a gold brick. If you get True Jedi (by collecting the needed amount of studs to get it) you can get another gold brick. Once you beat a level, you can play on it again in Free Play mode, where you can play as any character you want, maybe to access some areas you can only get to when you're playing as characters with certain abilities. You basically continue through the game until all 18 levels are complete. The game features a difficulty to change to your abilities (a bit like in SiN Episode One), and I certainly did notice this, as I seemed to start dying a lot more toward the end of the game (I found the start quite easy). The general gameplay is pretty simple, but there are masses of secrets and such to be found, and there is much more to do after completing the Episodes.

Firstly, there is a shop to buy loads of stuff in You can buy extra characters (provided you're far enough in the game for them to be available), extra gold bricks and even cheats. You will also notice that there are many places in the levels you can't get to as the story characters. Different objects may sparkle certain colours, for example, if something is sparkling red, this means you need a character with the Dark Force to use it (like Darth Vader for example), where as blue means the Light Force. Also, there are many doors which only certain characters can use. This helps you to get True Jedi and get even more gold bricks. Around the Cantina you can find gold objects, if you have enough Gold Bricks, you can make them into different things. For example, if you make the gold doorway inside the Episode rooms, you can play Super Story (complete all six levels in one sitting). There are a total of 99 bricks to collect and there are many ways to collect them. Also, there are 10 Bounty Hunter missions in the game. Once you have unlocked all the bounty hunter characters, you can access them. Within them, you must find the Bounty Hunter you're playing as (or maybe it's the one whose face is displayed on the door, I can't remember). Also, in every level, there are ten mini kits to find, each creating models of vehicles that appear outside the Cantina. Although useless, it all adds up to that 100%. There is also a new feature, where you can create your own Lego Characters. Using the ones you already have, you can have separate legs, torso, head and any weapon. For example, you can have the legs and body of Slave Leia, with the Head of Darth Vader and the Bow as a character. These can only be used in the Free Play mode of levels though.

So, being the 360 version, it obviously has Achievements. Whilst there aren't many, they're also simple and some easy to get. You can get an achievement for finishing the level with out dying once for example (this counts for every level), you get them for beating each episode in the game, for beating the different bounty hunter missions, and also for getting 100% of the game complete. There are a lot of achievements to be gained just from completing the game, although many players may want to come back for more and will most probably end up getting all of them. I (think) all the achievements add up to the full 1000 Gamescore, as I know some games tend to be a little below the full 1000.

The graphics are most probably the best for any version of Lego Star Wars II. The character models do look pretty nice despite being made out of Lego, and generally being blocky. Although the fact that most things are Lego is why the game is called Lego Star Wars. The games textures are pretty nice, on par with any realistic game out there, with the snow, grass and desert textures looking nice. Some buildings are made of lego, but the main things you will see in lego are objects, and characters. The music in the game is pretty much straight from the films. The music you hear in the level is usually played at that point in the film (although it depends on where you are), for example, one of the early levels, Death Star, features the music that plays when the film gets to that point.

PROS:

Based on the original Trilogy
Although there isn't anything different, gameplay can be pretty fun
Good Coop mode

CONS:

Simplistic gameplay, and there isn't much new
Slightly short single player
No Online Coop

THE RATINGS:
Graphics: 8.0/10
Audio: 8.3/10
Story: 7.5/10
Game Play: 7.9/10
Life Span: 7.5/10
Difficulty: 7.5/10
Multiplayer: 8.0/10
Overall: 8.0/10

My Two Pence:

Overall, Star Wars II is still a fun game, although there is a lack of new features. The game will please Star Wars fans, and maybe even younger audiences, and will certainly please any platformer fan. There may be no online play for the 360 version, and slightly short single player, but the game is still great fun and definitely a nostalgia trip back to the Original Trilogy.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 04/18/07