Lego of my lightsabre!, 9 Jun 2005

By	CJ "Books, films, games, you name it - I love... (UK) - See all my reviews

I think it would be fair to say that LSW is aimed at the kids gaming market, but there is a lot for adults to get their teeth into, as minikits can be collected throughout the levels to earn Lego studs (the game's dubiously-named currency), plus if you collect enough studs during a level you can achieve 'True Jedi Status'. Manage that on every level and you unlock a special bonus level at the end of the game. Studs can also be traded for extra characters for you to play with, hints and also cheats - of which invincibility can come in very handy for collecting all the studs you need over the course of the adventure!

Lego Star Wars covers Episodes 1-3 of the Star Wars saga, and very effectively tells the story of each through gameplay and very cute cut scenes. The whole thing is presented in a fairly tongue-in-cheek way, poking gentle fun at the movies and characters. There is no speech really, but the facial expressions of the little Lego characters convey all they need to very well.

The areas of each movie that it uses for action (such as Ep 1's pod race, the fight with Darth Maul, Ep 2's battle through the droid factory, Ep 3's opening space battle) are well thought out. This is not a particularly difficult game, and your character can't die (you just lose studs if your health runs out) so most levels are completed at the first attempt, but you often need to go back to collect extra minikits and studs.

Each of the characters you can control has different skills: the Jedi can move Lego objects to build things or open up secret passages, Jar Jar Binks can jump high, R2-D2 can unlock doors and fly across gaps, Padme can fire a blaster and has a grappling hook, etc. These skills are all needed to find all the objects in-game, and the brilliant 'Free Play' mode allows you to take multiple characters into a level to utilise all of their abilities.

Graphically, LSW does the job, all the Lego models and minifigures look great, lighting and special effects add a sophisticated look to proceedings and it runs at a good pace. Sound, as with most Star Wars games, is excellent, and the music especially is used very well.

It's very easy to pick up and play, my 3 year old needs a little help with the pad but loves the game to bits and when I get a chance to play I am busy stacking up studs and minikits in order to unlock everything!

This is a fun Star Wars game that is well worth a play.

 Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you?