Childhood Toys Come to Life
Gameplay-Lego Star Wars is an extremely easy game for any experienced gamer. The basic objective is to play through each of the "first" three Star Wars movies, one section at a time. Once you finish a level, you are free to return with a different set of characters to clean up anything you may have missed. The lack of difficulty is perfect for the younger audience at which it is aimed, but the constant backtracking and replaying of levels, while stretching a very short game, drags the pacing way down.
Some control issues also pull Lego Star Wars back toward mediocrity. The player has absolutely no control over the camera. You can easily find yourself stuck in a corner getting yourself beaten to a pulp or being blasted by off-screen enemies. It also gives you trouble during the platforming parts, where it is extremely easy to line up a jump and miss completely, plummeting to your death and the loss of a couple thousand studs.
The targeting of your Force power when playing as a Jedi is also wonky at best. You'll often find yourself wanting to use the Force on an object, only to be targeting something behind you or on the other side of the room. A lock-on button would have fixed this problem, and is an inexcusable oversight (especially with the unused Z button sitting right there).
There are a couple bright spots. There is drop-in multiplayer and the control in the vehicle stages is pretty tight. Unfortunately, it really only results in a wash.
Visuals-They're not bad, they're not great. But they are definitely amusing. The destructible parts of the environment break up into Lego pieces and destroyed characters explode into separate body parts. Occasional expression changes on the characters look so silly on a Lego head that it's impossible not to laugh. The colors pop and each area and character is recognizable from it's movie counterpart. It's a decent package overall that fits the mood the game is trying to project.
Sound-Rarely has a Star Wars game been released with subpar sound, and this is no exception. The music and sound effects are instantly recognizable and well done. The only drawback is that, aside from a few grunts and squeaks, there is absolutely no voice acting. Now, you can't expect them to get Samuel L. Jackson for a project like this, but some goofy, cartoon voices would have been nice and fitting for the mood of the game. That said, the sound is the highlight of the game.
Value-The game gets stretched out by the fact that some items are impossible to pick up the first time through. But, unless you're a completist and you want to have every vehicle outside Dexter's Diner and obtain every single unlockable, there is no real reason to play it more than once.
Lego Star Wars falls squarely in the "decent" category. It's an interesting diversion for a few hours and nothing more. If you're a fan of Star Wars, Legos, or both, it's definitely worth a play.