With this one, the Force is...
User Rating: 8.3 | LEGO Star Wars PS2
When I first heard about Lego Star Wars, I was uncertain. I'm a big fan of both Star Wars and Lego, but neither franchise has spawned very good games. I was pleasently surprised to find that my feelings were wrong - Lego Star Wars is an instant classic. For those not in the know, The Lego Company has created sets based on the Star Wars theme since 1999. This year they introduce their Revenge of the Sith line, based on the new film. This, the first game based on the Lego theme, covers The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith - the 'Prequel Trilogy'. Starting up the game, the first thing to hit you is John Williams' classic score. I was pleased to see that Skywalker Sound has worked almost every Star Wars theme into this game somewhere, and it really makes it feel more authentic. You begin the game in Dexter's Diner from AOTC, controlling Qui-Gon Jinn. Your partner is Obi-Wan Kenobi. Both of you, as well as Dexter himself and much of the diner, are made from Lego bricks. This may deter some of the more die-hard fanboys, but it really doesn't matter - the graphics are clean and sharp, full of exciting little details. The animation is fluid and the polygons are so sharp that you could even build replicas of the ships from the game, if you wished to. Going through the door marked 'I', and then the one marked '1', you are taken to the game's first level. Like the movies, it begins with an opening crawl, briefly explaining your situation. The opening movie is just like the real TPM, but with Lego bricks. You are thrown into a conference room filling with carbon dioxide, and this is where the real fun begins. Using the Square button to swing your lightsaber and the Circle button to use the Force, the game is easy to pick up and play. The Force is well-implemented into the game - you use it to move around and reconstruct Lego structures. You can pull of combos and reflect blaster bolts with your lightsaber, and even pull of most of the moves from the movies. The attention to detail is quite stunning, especially since it's all pulled off with small plastic bricks. The multiplayer aspect of this game is surprising, but welcome. At any point in the game, a second player can take control of your partner character, helping you to defeat enemies and solve puzzles. Playing the game with a friend is a very differerent experience, as you can try and find new solutions to the game's challenges. You can take control of almost any friendly character in the game by walking up to them and pressing Triangle. This is necessary because some characters have unique abilities. For example, in the first level, you must switch from Qui-Gon to the protocol droid TC-14 to open certain doors. Once you've beaten a level, you unlock Free Play mode, where you can switch characters by pressing the shoulder buttons. It's compulsory to play Free Play mode so that you can pick up all of the game's collectibles. The main 'currency' of the game is Lego Studs, small round plates. You can use these to buy new characters and secrets from Dexter, but collecting a lot of them will fill up your Jedi power bar on a certain level. This will earn you a piece of a mini Rebel Blockade Runner. And that unlocks a secret level. The only other real collectible are Lego canisters - each contains a piece of a mini kit. There's one mini kit for each level. There are 18 levels in the game - six levels for The Phantom Menace, five for Attack of the Clones, six for Revenge of the Sith and one secret level. The game is rather short, but while it lasts, it's such great fun, it hardly matters. There are three vehicle mini-games to break up the action - a Podrace, the Battle of Geonosis and the Battle of Coruscant. Each is an original experience that is great fun to play. The Battle of Coruscant, in particular, is so enjoyable that you may want to play it even after you've got all of the collectibles there. There are also several bosses scattered throughout: Darth Maul, Jango Fett, Count Dooku, General Grievous, even Anakin Skywalker... each is a joy to play. Unique is the way you progress through the game. Beating Chapter 1 of Episode I unlocks Chapter 1 of both Episodes II and III, so you can get started on them. It's a bit strange, but useful if you want to get straight to Revenge of the Sith. There are over 50 characters in the game. While some are almost identical, most have their own attributes. Some are in there just for fun. The Gonk Droid and PK Droid are useless, but fun to try out, and some, such as Yoda (who turns into an all-out killing machine as soon as he has his lightsaber drawn) seem to exist soley for laughs. Some are very useful, however, such as General Grievous and Jar Jar Binks. Some characters are unlocked throughout the course of the game, while others can be bought from Dexter. It's not all great, however. The game is very short, and can be beaten in a rental with some effort. It's a bit too easy at times, and the game doesn't seem very well balanced - some of the earlier Chapters are harder than the later ones. Still, it doesn't really matter. Renting the game first is probably a good idea if you aren't sure about it, but buying it comes highly recommended. It's so easy to get into, you'll keep on playing long after you've beaten it 100%. If you're looking for a fun little game to play, either on your own or with a friend, you can't do much better than Lego Star Wars. 
