The Ultimate LEGO BLOCK - Buster.

By Thomas Machuca

I like LEGO. I like Star Wars. I love games. 

If only someone would combine all of these marvelous things. Hold the phone… Traveller's Tales already did in 2005, with one of the best selling titles that year - LEGO Star Wars. This year they've gone one better, with LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy, based (as the title suggests) on the original three episodes - A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi. 

So those of you out there who want to continue to convince yourself that George Lucas never made those terrible Star Wars prequels, your needs have been met.

LEGO Star Wars, at its core, is your typical action adventure game, but when you take a closer look, it’s so much more. Just like the previous game, it captivates you in its LEGO world; getting to see recognisable LEGO pieces mingling with recogniseable Star Wars characters and locales is just really endearing [and great for merchandising - Ed]. And not to mention that it’s hilarious; really, at times, I would literally burst out laughing.

The gamepad controls are simple enough to get used to and there isn’t much to it to learn, which is likely to ensure an easy and happy playing experience for the younger players too. Straightforward melee combat is the same as before, just point and shoot, or swing if wielding a light saber. Ah, the snap-hiss of a light saber. Furthermore, all non-droid characters can build stuff out of LEGO to solve puzzles and gain points, unlike the previous title where only Jedi characters were able to accomplish such a task.

Another cool aspect of this game is the characters - they have their own unique attributes. For example, basic characters like Princess Leia or Luke Skywalker have blasters and have a grapple hook that grants them the ability to get to higher areas in levels where other characters would not usually be able to explore, while Jedi's like Obi Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader have been given light sabers, can double jump, and can use the force to manipulate objects. There are also droid characters like R2-D2, who can hover short distances, and C-3PO who can activate switches and unlock doors. There are even bounty hunters with thermal detonators, Jawas, and Ewoks.

Although you can only play as one character at a time, you are capable of switching characters on the fly just by standing near an ally and pressing a button. The group of characters that are with you expands and contracts regularly as you progress, growing as large as seven and dwindling down to a measly two characters at times and to solve some puzzles you have to switch to the right characters for the job at hand.

Once again, a nice feature is the multiplayer co-operative play. It's a feature which enhances the gameplay ten-fold in my books. It might just be me, but I enjoy myself immensely when playing with friends and family… I even got my girlfriend playing with me! It's that sort of game - easy to pick up, and hard to cease and desist. The only shame this game bears is the fact that it does not allow online co-op, and that’s not even a big deal after all, because... well... It's LEGO!!

The game has instant accessibility and a gentle learning curve which all add to its charm, and an element of the game that is sure to be a favourite is the actuality that you can’t die, instead you just lose points. No more getting aggravated, throwing ming vases at the wall, breaking the toilet bowl with sledge hammer or setting fire to your pet Lemur in a pure rage from having to restart the level from scratch. It's a game designed to be fun. Period.

Beginning the game anew takes you to the famous Mos Eisley Cantina, which acts like a hub, where you can select the levels which you want to play, purchase cheats and playable characters (using points you collect throughout levels) and you can even create your own character by switching different LEGO body parts with others. While you only have access to play Episode IV in story mode, with V (arguably the best of the film series) and VI unlockable after you complete the first level with each episode containing six stages, there is still a great deal of fun to be had.

The levels are huge and have great attention to detail with the level design. When playing the first time through, the characters are dependent on the movies' storyline, but after you finish a level, ‘freeplay’ is unlocked and you can play as any character you wish which opens up the opportunity to explore new areas of the level where only specific characters can venture.

There is a larger emphasis on vehicles this time around. The on-rails vehicle sequences have been scrapped and instead you are given numerous different vehicles - animals included - like landspeeders, AT-STs, and Banthas. Although I have played such sequences more times than I can remember, I still take pleasure in steering the speeder bikes through the forests of Endor, piloting the Millennium Falcon through an asteroid field and fighting the classic Hoth battle - without once having to worrying about being stung by a speed camera fine. Nice.

A skilled gamer could probably shoot their way through the game's myriad levels defeating stormtroopers, sand people, and bounty hunters, taking down the excellent end bosses, while solving the clever puzzles and complete the game in around six hours. At this stage however, the game hasn’t really been completed as there are loads of items that need to be gathered throughout every level, and in addition there's a series of cool bounty hunter missions and a race against the clock level mode that can be unlocked.

If you were honored with the privilege of playing the original Lego Star Wars, you can even import all of the characters that you've unlocked from the original game… meaning you can play with over 100 citizens of the Star Wars universe! And let's face it - that’s a pretty freakin' awesome aspect of the game.

The graphics are what you would expect from such a title; good enough to get the job done. It is a LEGO game in the end, although you can expect a good number of particle and transparent graphical effects and there's always heaps of destruction going on. The character design and overall artistic style may not be of the highest detail, but it's nothing if not compellingly cool. 

One slightly annoying aspect of the game (and like many others out there) is the camera; seeing as the camera is fixed it can get in your way sometimes and not show you everything that needs to be seen that surrounds you.

And how come I never get tired of a John Williams orchestral score? For this reason, Star Wars fans will love the soundtrack because it just adds something unique to the authenticity of the game. There is no voice acting, however this does not detract from the game as it is always clear as to what is happening. In fact, the gibberish that is mumbled adds to the overall ambiance that the game provides; a fun and lighthearted mood that you're unlikely to get out of watching Will Ferrell's feature film stinker, Kicking & Screaming.

Put simply, LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy is just so much better than its predecessor. It has better stage design, source material, musical score, visual presentation, tongue-in-cheek humour and jokes, and more importantly it's longer and more challenging, and there's heaps of vehicles too. Take a look at that X-Wing attack fighter vessel if you need more proof. 

Ultimately, this means you don’t need the force to know that this game is nothing short of a LEGO block-buster.

It should also be mentioned that load times are practically non-existent during the game, which makes for some of the least fristrating gameplay in recent times. Plus there are heaps of Star Wars tidbits strewn throughout with a supposed go-cart track on Dagobah, and for those of you who treasured the original theatrical releases expect Han to shoot first, Darth Vader to have eyebrows, and Return of the Jedi to end with the classic "Yub Yub" Ewok song.

This sequel movie-inspired sequel game to the prequel movie-inspired prequel game (does anyone else's head hurt after that last sentence?) is a superb title, and will work for the whole family. Its violence is never scary, its humour is always funny, and its gameplay is always enjoyable. With a wealth of gameplay variety – 18 chapters across three episodes plus bonus stages that unlock as you go, not to mention tonnes of hidden goodies – there is an enormous amount of replay value that you can take pleasure in while attempting to dismantle Darth Vader’s expanding Galactic Empire, one piece at a time.

The Force is with this one!

Game: LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
System: PS2
Players: 1-2
Online: No
Developer: Traveller's Tales
Distributor: Ingram Entertainment

Rating: 90%

(Ratings Key/Explanation)