Lego: Star Wars for Xbox

Lego Star Wars? You gotta be kidding right? That's exactly what I thought when I first heard about this game some time ago. I decided I would reserve judgement about it until it actually came out and you know what? This game is actually quite good.

Unlike most every Star Wars-themed game that has come out in recent times, this one doesn't have it's focus on constant action and realism (that last part should be obvious just by looking at the title). Instead, the game is more along the lines of a game like Tomb Raider in that it goes at your own pace, involves solving lots of simple puzzles, and exploring every nook and cranny of the levels. Wrap all that around a Star Wars theme and throw in some Lego blocks and you have this game.

To start out, you find yourself in Dexter's Diner from Episode 2 (remember the fat guy who told Obi Wan about the planet Camino?). The diner serves as a central hub for all your gameplay as the game is broken into it's 3 respective episodes and each episode is broken into 5 or 6 chapters. Once you have completed a chapter or a whole episode, you can replay them by going into the right door in Dexter's Diner. The diner itself is filled with fun little time killers as almost every object can be manipulated by force powers and give you studs (more on this later).

Just like in Episode 1, your first mission in the game has you playing as Qui Gon Jin and Obi Wan Kenobi and going to the Federation Tradeship to try and negotiate a treaty. The story is nicely played out through cut scenes which are even more entertaining since all the vehicles are characters are ofcourse made from Legos. The developer also threw in a few comic relief moments for laughs...keep an eye out for those are they are usually pretty funny. Anyway, before you know it you are fighting your way through the ship just like in the movies and away you go playing in the Star Wars universe. An important note: the game does have a full 6 chapters of Episode 3 levels so if you want no spoilers at all then don't play these levels yet. On the other hand, the game kinda does a condensed version of all the episodes so you won't be spoiled that much even if you do play Episode 3. I did learn a few things I didn't know by playing but most of it is already common knowledge by now.

This game boasts that you can play over 40 characters and they don't lie. Almost any character from the movies can be played ranging from Queen Amidala to Darth Maul to R2-D2 to 4 different flavors of Anakin (the three versions from the Episodes I,II, and III plus Darth Vader). With so many characters many tend to be very similar in abilities but all tend to have special abilities that put them into different subgroups. For example, all the Jedi can use lightsabers and have Force powers. Robots are able to open doors. Human-types can use grappling hooks to get to high places. With 40+ characters there are also the completely useless ones like gonk droids who literally do absolutely nothing except hobble around. They are just there for laughs I suppose. All the special abilities that characters possess come in real handy while playing through the levels as they are often needed to continue though the level or to get the bonuses. Jedis with Force powers are often rearranging parts of the level to "Force build" platforms, steps, or whatnot in order to continue. Robots are sometimes needed to open important doors. Boys (Young Anakin or Young Boba Fett) are sometimes needed to crawl though small spaces. In story mode, where the game forces you to play as certain characters, the game will always provide you with the needed characters to finish the level but rarely all the needed characters to obtain all the bonuses that are hidden around all the levels. That's where Free Play comes in.

After you've completed a level in Story Mode, you can now play it in Free Play mode which allows you to play through the same level with whatever available character you choose. Needed that high-jumping Jar Jar to get that bonus in Story Mode but didn't have him? This is where you go. There are basically two types of bonuses that you aim for while playing: the Mini-Kit parts and the True Jedi Status bonus. The Mini Kits are easy enough. In every chapter there are 10 capsules hid in the level. Each capsule contains a Lego block that when you assemble all ten makes a little vehicle that you can view in your garage at Dexter's. In addition, you get 50,000 stubs. In Story Mode you can usually get a few of the capsules without a problem since they are in plain sight. You have to go back in Free Play with different characters to get them all...and this also requires some serious exploring. True Jedi Status is where the stubs come in. Stubs are kinda like coins or points...but Lego style. Around all the levels are there little stubs...often in plain view but sometimes you gotta work for them. Each level has a certain number of stubs you need to collect and once you reach that mark you attain True Jedi Status. This is typically pretty easy as long as you are a little persistent. At the end of the level, if you get enough stubs you get a Lego part for a mega Mini Kit. Each level has one piece (17 in all) and if you get them all you unlock a secret level.

The levels in the game are pretty easy and pretty quick. Going at a normal pace, most will only take you about 20-30 mins. I finished the Story Mode in a mere 8 hours or so. I was far from done with the game mind you. Most of the levels are direct translations from the movies but there are a few inconsistencies here and there. A few levels also have you piloting vehicles rather than controlling a character (think Pod Race and Clone Wars). In addition to quick levels, you also have unlimited lives. If you ever die (which kinda happens a lot), you lose a few stubs but come right back to life without any other penalty so it's impossible to lose other than by "not winning." The reason for this is because this is really a kid's game but with enough cool stuff to appeal to adults.

At anytime during the Story Mode or Free Play, a second person can join in on the fun and take over whatever character is available. This is especially fun and will surely produce a few laughs (and probably a few ad hoc lightsaber battles between you). A lot of the puzzles in the game require working together in some way which makes it even more fun. The game handles the co-op play really well and the level designers obviously had this in mind when making the game. If you play, make sure to find a friend to play it with as it makes it a much more memorable experience. Aside from co-op play, there is no other form of multiplayer in the game.

Ok, enough description and praise. There are some downsides to this game. A big one is the camera sucks. You are always playing in 3rd person view but the camera isn't controllable so you are at it's mercy. Most of the time it's ok but you often find yourself struggling to see what you want to see or missing bonuses/secrets because you simply can't see them. The developers did a decent job making the camera work with you as much as they could but the disjointed 3rd-person camera should be banned from games to begin with just for their inherent disadvantages. Another fault I found with the game was the controls. The game is so simple that only 5 buttons are ever used...the left joystick for movement and the 4 colored buttons for attacking/jumping/special move/and switching characters. The problem is that your thumb spends so much time pressing the buttons that it starts to hurt pretty quick...reminded me of my Nintendo/Super NES days. The most ergonomic buttons, the trigger buttons, are only used in Free Play to scroll through your available characters. Another problem is there is a known bug in the game that sometimes causes your Xbox to crash when your character touches a force field. This happened to me a couple times but was still pretty rare.

Lastly, and probably the most important, is the game is really short. Even with the addition of replaying all the levels multiple times to collect all the bonuses and getting enough stubs to buy all the extra items I still finished this game 100% in about 15 hours...it's a kids game after all. Other "less experienced" players will likely take longer but there is still a finite limit to this game. Once you are done getting everything...you are done. There is no significant multiplayer aspect or anything that might make you want to play more. For that reason, I highly advise against actually buying this game unless you are a diehard Star Wars fan and already own every other Star Wars video game known to man. On the other hand, I highly recommend going out and renting this game as it's really fun to play and explore the levels and see all the little extras in the game.

I'm tempted to only give this game 3 stars mostly due to it's extremely short lifespan but at the same time, it's nearly 5-star play during it's life. I mean...what's cooler than a Legoman Darth Vader with a lightsaber! I'll compromise and give it 4 stars...it is supposed to be a kid's game after all.