21.6.2005

Back when I was a kid Star Wars toys were all the rage. A lot of the kids around our area would meet up and re-enact some of our favourite scenes from the movie using the Kenner plastic figures and expensive toys.All of us kids had one of the big models you put your figures in. My brother had an AT-ST (with real walking action!) I think I had an X-wing, others had a Millenium Falcon or an AT-AT.Thing was if you didn't have the appropriate toy to re-do the scene we used to build our own approximations using Lego, which had the added bonus of allowing for 'battle damage' and finally 'total destruction'.Lego is, and I doubt there'll be a protest over this, the finest toy ever created.Star Wars is a cultural phenomenon, beloved by many around the world, but in the world of computer gaming both franchises have struggled recently with poor sales, bad reviews and so-so games.Thankfully Traveller's Tales (who made the Crash Bandicoot series of games) have stopped the rot with their inspired combination of both franchises.Lego Star Wars is, essentially, a platform game for kids. However the loving way every scene from the films is recreated (either as a cut scene or as a playable level) with THAT design aesthetic will raise a warm smile with every thirty-something who was ever a kid. Stormtroopers march with regimented precision and the demanded sway of characters whose legs only hinge forwards; Mace Windu is black, bald and posessing a perfectly rendered lego stud on the top of his head; Pregnant Padme is a Lego minifig with a splendidly moulded bump.The Lego-ness doesn't stop with the characters, backgrounds carry studs and stock windows, Lego trees can be attacked for more pieces, random bricks can be re-assembled (using 'The Force') to form bridges or stairs. Accurate models of spaceships have their weapons attached via studs and bricks.And then there is the humour. There is something intrinsically silly about Lego Qui-Gon waiting for his final battle with Lego Darth Maul whilst the full pomp and majesty of John Williams' score thunders out of your speakers, but Traveller's Tales build on this: A spaceship is blasted to pieces but the pilot minifig has enough time to look at the player, blink in a startled manner before plummeting off the bottom of the screen; Lego Darth Maul falls down the shaft, splitting in two neatly as any Lego minifig; entering the correct code on one level rewards the player with a group of Kaminoans disco dancing to the famous cantina music from Episode IV. The humour is probably made better by the fact that none of the characters speak, instead everything is done in mime and they do require you to have some knowledge of the appropriate scenes of the movie to raise a smile.The game itself is a story based platformer that follows the plots of the first three Star Wars movies (the new ones if you're gtting confused) quite closely. Once a level has been completed it is available for Free Play, which allows the player to re-do the level with a team of characters of their choice. This will allow you to reach areas that are just not reachable in Story Mode. You unlock characters for Free Play by meeting them in the Story Mode and each of the characters have different attributes for example Yoda has awesome lightsabre skills, but is poor at jumping and is hard to control; Obi-Wan has Force powers and is good at lightsabre, but cannot opens ome doors; Jar Jar is excellent at jumping to high places, but can't handle weapons; and R2-D2 can open specific doors, but cannot fight characters; Anakin can fit down small rubbish chutes; Pistol carrying characters can also use ropes. The balance of team members in your party (and you can swap between them at anytime) enables you to hunt for hidden rooms, studs (which are used like money) and parts of spaceships (one of which is available on each level).I love Logo Star Wars. It makes me laugh, grin and smile. It is desperately cute, you'll want to take the Stormtroopers home except they'd probably shoot your other toys. It isn't perfect, the camera can get annoying and sometimes it is difficult to judge your jumps. However you never actually die, you just lose some of your stud collection and are re-generated at the start of the level again. This could lead to frustration tantrums amongst young Star Wars fans, but also means that the game is relatively easy to finish for grown-ups.However the game does need a hefty PC rig on which to run with full detail, so be prepared to turn some graphics options down a bit if necessary and make sure you have the latest drivers for your graphics card - you can find them on the cover disc of any decent PC mag with a DVD on it.If you're a 30-somthing dad, buy this for your kids. All of you will enjoy it. If you haven't got kids, buy it anyway and revel in the nostalgia. This is very nearly one of the best games of all time (seriously) and I expect the obvious sequel (covering the latter three films (or Classic trilogy)) will make things a little more challenging for other customers.

11.6.2007

So, we all know the story of George Lucas's Star Wars saga, we've all seen the movies, bought and collected the toys - far too many in my own life - and all put our hands to our heads when Jar Jar Binks just did not die horribly in the first thirty seconds of the Phantom Menace ! So how was the greatest story ever told (apologies to Christians throughout the world) going to be translated into Lego ?The answer ? Superbly ! This is a fantastic little game in my opinion, even though I prefer playing games like Obscure, Doom 3 and Silent Hill - I think working for my company for 23 years is slowly making me realise working for the Umbrella Corp might be a better idea.It was a total break from the norm,an entertaining and refreshing, silly piece of non-sense. Any game that you can put a moustache on R2-D2 cannot really be held too highly in the Mastermind fraternity !The game is divide into the 3 movies and you can play your way through any of the three - you do not have to finish them in any order, so you can go straight to `Revenge' , if that's your thing. Each movie is divided up into 5 or 6 sub-levels - these you do have to play in order.The idea of the game is simply to go through the levels, defeat your enemies, collect lego studs and kits, and achieve `jedi' status to gain super-kit bonus's. As you meet fellow characters, you can take control of them and those you defeat you can buy - with exorbitant amounts of studs - in Dexter's shop after finishing the level, to replay any level with purchased or `met' additional characters. This is where the designers of the game have put a lot of work into the planning of the game, as some of the collectables can only be reached or obtained by characters you meet in later stages of the game. And as much as I hate to say it - this is where Jar Jar Binks really comes into his own.Other really fun characters to control are the extensively jumping and powerful Yoda, General Grievous with his multiple sabres and Darth Maul - lets face it, we all want to play the bad guy !The publishers of this game advertise it as being suitable for children as young as 3+, and yeah I guess a very small child could well move the characters around the screen and fight a few battles, but - and I would not put my house on it with new generations - I doubt very much that there is anyway that their eye to controller co-ordination would allow them to finish it. I don't play many video games - if I am honest I am slowly working my way through cheap pre-owned ones - and I have to admit I struggled a little on some of the levels. They will especially not find the Pod-Racing and Battle over Coruscant too easy.Other good features of this game are that when you die (in exploding lego pieces), you do not have to start the monotonous trek from the beginning of the level again, you simply lose a few studs and carry on from where you left off - in fact if your quick you can pick up what you dropped. Even some of the really useless characters have uses, children that can crawl through vents to collect items, Droids that can fly short distances, troopers that can fire grappling hooks to other high levels. Fighting with Tea-cups ? Two player drop in and out allows Dad to play along too.I never thought that I would say this, but I found myself totally addicted to 3+ rated game !As a final note I would just like to add `4PR28U' and `LD116B` !!!

9.8.2007

So, we all know the story of George Lucas's Star Wars saga, we've all seen the movies, bought and collected the toys - far too many in my own life - and all put our hands to our heads when Jar Jar Binks just did not die horribly in the first thirty seconds of the Phantom Menace ! So how was the greatest story ever told (apologies to Christians throughout the world) going to be translated into Lego ?The answer ? Superbly ! This is a fantastic little game in my opinion, even though I prefer playing games like Obscure, Doom 3 and Silent Hill - I think working for my company for 23 years is slowly making me realise working for the Umbrella Corp might be a better idea.It was a total break from the norm,an entertaining and refreshing, silly piece of non-sense. Any game that you can put a moustache on R2-D2 cannot really be held too highly in the Mastermind fraternity !The game is divide into the 3 movies and you can play your way through any of the three - you do not have to finish them in any order, so you can go straight to `Revenge' , if that's your thing. Each movie is divided up into 5 or 6 sub-levels - these you do have to play in order.The idea of the game is simply to go through the levels, defeat your enemies, collect lego studs and kits, and achieve `jedi' status to gain super-kit bonus's. As you meet fellow characters, you can take control of them and those you defeat you can buy - with exorbitant amounts of studs - in Dexter's shop after finishing the level, to replay any level with purchased or `met' additional characters. This is where the designers of the game have put a lot of work into the planning of the game, as some of the collectables can only be reached or obtained by characters you meet in later stages of the game. And as much as I hate to say it - this is where Jar Jar Binks really comes into his own.Other really fun characters to control are the extensively jumping and powerful Yoda, General Grievous with his multiple sabres and Darth Maul - lets face it, we all want to play the bad guy !The publishers of this game advertise it as being suitable for children as young as 3+, and yeah I guess a very small child could well move the characters around the screen and fight a few battles, but - and I would not put my house on it with new generations - I doubt very much that there is anyway that their eye to controller co-ordination would allow them to finish it. I don't play many video games - if I am honest I am slowly working my way through cheap pre-owned ones - and I have to admit I struggled a little on some of the levels. They will especially not find the Pod-Racing and Battle over Coruscant too easy.Other good features of this game are that when you die (in exploding lego pieces), you do not have to start the monotonous trek from the beginning of the level again, you simply lose a few studs and carry on from where you left off - in fact if your quick you can pick up what you dropped. Even some of the really useless characters have uses, children that can crawl through vents to collect items, Droids that can fly short distances, troopers that can fire grappling hooks to other high levels. Fighting with Tea-cups ? Two player drop in and out allows Dad to play along too.I never thought that I would say this, but I found myself totally addicted to 3+ rated game !

7.10.2011

This was one of the first games that took a popular movie, and replaced the characters with Lego people. They have since produced similar games with Indiana Jones and Batman. I think the reason that these games are so popular is the wide appeal. The cute Lego characters appeal to young kids, while the cheeky humour and nods to the film appeal to an older audience. This game really has something for everyone.You start the game in Dexters Diner, as the Jedi Qui-Gon Jinn. As you proceed through the game and encounter new characters, you will be able to play as them, too. In the diner are 3 doors, which correspond to the 3 movies in the trilogy. To begin with, you can only enter door 1,but once you have completed the first level you can enter the other doors. When you enter the first door, there are further doors, which represent different parts of the story.The gameplay is relatively simple as you fight and jump your way through the levels. There is a certain element of puzzle solving in each level too, with players having to work out how to activate certain doors, or get certain members of the team who are less able to a certain area. There are also Lego models which you must build to help you progress through the game. When you fight enemies they fall apart as they are made from bricks. I like this, it feels less violent than killing people!The game has loads of funny cutscenes with in game jokes galore. It is a brilliant affectionate spoof of the Star Wars franchise. The music in the game is the original score from the film. This adds to the atmosphere of the game and draws you in.Two players can play at any one time, with the option to drop out. This can be frustrating if you are playing with someone clueless who is slowing you down, and can cause a few arguments! Different characters have different skills, such as Jedis who can use the force to move objects, and droids who can open special doors.Exceptional gameplay during a level will enable you to acheive jedi status. You can also collect gold bricks during the game which allow you to unlock additional content.Once you have completed a level, you can return and explore the level with "free play" as any character you have unlocked. This enables you to discover new secrets about the level. The levels are really fun to explore and there are lots of things to discover during the game. You can find hidden cannisters which allow you to build vehicles that you can use in the game.This is a great fun game that is stll really popular as it is produced for new formats, hence the game hasn't really come down much in price, unless you get a preowned one. It is the type of game that you will keep coming back to, as it has lots of hidden secrets and content. The spoof scenes are hillarious, sometimes better than the movie itself! The game is good because it is easy to play, but a challenge to complete thoroughly. Lego have found a fantastic niche with their movie spoof series. More soon, please!

23.2.2006

As one of those mean, mingey, old-fashioned Dads who think their children should be reading suitable books, watching educational programmes or outside playing in the fresh air, I had quite a few reservations about buying a PS2 for my eight-year-old son and even more in buying this particular game. Having watched several nephews and friends turn into mindless zombies whose immediate response to seeing anything in front of them is to nuke it, I had developed a particular aversion to fast-blast video games, regardless of how much their mothers might claim it improves hand-eye co-ordination.However, I have to admit that I might have been wrong, quite possibly for the first time since 1978.My eight-year-old loves this game above all others and much prefers light-sabres to blasters. Although there is a fair amount of armed combat, there is also a lot of strategy, exploration and acquisition. I still wouldn't rate it highly on the educational front but it is a lot of fun, even to the extent that I'm occasionally allowed to use the second control panel we had to buy so that my daughter could engage in co-operative play although obviously on the condition that I do exactly what I'm told and drop out as soon as we get to a tricky bit. The multiple levels and chapters allow for a large variety of terrains and tasks all based (loosely) on the first three films (that's episodes I-III, which of course are the second three films for anyone born before 1965).The game is certainly absorbing, though the 12+ age-group might zoom through it with relative ease, younger kids will spend months happily developing their skills, acquisitions and it is common enough to enable playground swapping of hints and tips as to how you get through level 3, chapter 5 and whether it's worth buying General Grevus. It also has enough variety to allow them to happily play many of the levels again and again and, as such, is value for money. The only caveat is the flipside of this, there is so much info packed on the disc that it is highly temperamental: finger-marks, dust or the fact that it's the third Tuesday after a full moon causes the thing to crash and the slightest scratch results in irreversible damage which is why we're on our third disc, albeit with conditions about proper care of expensive items relating to the possible reintroduction of pocket-money anytime in the current decade. It definitely requires you to follow ALL of the manufacturers instructions about disc care and consul movement and I wouldn't recommend buying a second-hand one, there may well be a reason it's for sale!The game is a godsend on wet Sunday afternoons in February and has made no difference to book-reading or the desire to kick of football around; it has got rid of those long dreary hours of trying to find an answer to the cry of “Dad, I'm bored …”

30.5.2006

OK, first off, I would like to come out and admit it. Yes. It's true, I'm a total Star Wars nut. I've got every lightsaber Master Replicas made, I made it to Jedi in the lamented Star Wars Galaxies, I've seriously considered going on Master Mind with Star Wars as my specialist subject. You get the picture.I also love Lego. But, let's be honest, the idea of a Lego Star Wars game didn't exactly float my boat. I've ignored this title for quite a long time - firstly, because I thought it was for kiddies - take a look at the box, ages 3+, and look at those graphics! And secondly, well er, because it's LEGO!But my time is at hand. A few weeks ago, a friend of mine mentioned how had got this for his console,and how cool it was. Well, his glowing reviews convinced me to buy it.And I'm very glad that he did.Even though it's only the crappy episodes I-III, even though it's "blocky" lego, it's one of these games that shouldn't work, but it JUST DOES. It's a bit like a triple fried egg curry sandwich. It's fantastic and I love it!Graphically, it's excellent. Even though it's only Lego, the rendering of the parts is fantastic. It really works. The space battles (Ep III into especially) are visually impressive, exciting, and great fun. The ground levels are every bit as fun - to be honest, I would say I've had more fun playing this game than I did watching Episodes I-III at the cinema!For me, a personal highlight is that you can slice Ja-Ja in half with your lightsaber if you want... (I didn't say that)The designers have done a very clever thing with this game - the game is quite easy to complete (for an adult). The age on the box is 3+, and for very young children, the game would be fantastic fun.But for us adults, we can then go back and collect parts to make our space ships and vehicles. In point of fact, many 'secrets' on the levels can't be unlocked until you have characters with different skills (like the excreble Ja-Ja's jumping) to find special parts.And it supports dual-play, a second player can just dip in and out whenever it suits them.And - get this - my GIRLFRIEND LIKES IT! Would you believe it! Finally a Star Wars game that she likes! Mainly because it's cute, but also because it's fun, we've had literally ceaseless minutes of playing the game together!It reminds me very much of something like the old Sonic the Hedgehog game, or one of the old platform games. The graphics are good quality, but cartoony, but the gameplay is so good it makes a great game.Right now, it's less than a tenner. That's an absolute bargain. A great game for less than a decent round of drinks! What more could you want?Easy to complete, difficult to master, I can't wait for the OT version to come out now :-)

9.4.2005

Lego Star Wars effectively merges the kid-friendly lego medium with the films everyone sort of liked. It features episodes I, II and III (yes, spoilers of the film featured!) in great legotastic detail.Almost everything is done out in lego form, every character is represented by one of the delightful toys, and when killed they explode in a shower of their components. Various objects in the world are made of the bricks, but some ground and a few trees aren't, although this doesn't detract from the experience too much.It's certainly suitable for children, as an adult I could easily race through it in a matter of hours, it features no real death (and certainly no game over),

28.4.2009

The moment I read about Lego Star Wars I wanted to give it a go. I knew it was aimed at kids, but it combined the things I loved about my childhood: Lego and Star Wars. How could it go wrong?Unfortunately at the time of it's release, I hadn't seen Episode 3 yet, and didn't want the story ruined so I waited a bit longer and bought the game's sequel, the Original Trilogy pack.And my God, what a game! Even though it's aimed at kids, I absolutely loved it. Also, my girlfriend loves it! Finally a game we could play together! Now after finally getting round to seeing Episode 3, we now have the complete series in Lego form too.Running through the levels to complete the storyline is fairly easy,

21.2.2006

Lego Star Wars is exactly as it should be. It's a Star Wars game, but themed on Lego. I thought it would be fun and that's it, but for a Star Wars fan it's excellent. The game itself is very easy and can be played through in a short space of time, but there's so much packed into it that it's amazing how intuitive it all is. Swapping characters so you can use Jedi Powers, then a grapple gun or droid function would be a nuisance in other games, and often has been in games like Republic Commando, but here it's easy and means you get a real sense of all the character types.The levels have a broad range, from simple 3D platformers, to vehicle levels and outright puzzle sections.

12.11.2006

This is a fantastic game. I have been a Star Wars fan, a lego fan and a playstation 2 gamer for years.Most games on the playstation that have tried to do justice to the Star Wars trilogies have been sadly lacking.I was sceptical to say the least when this came out, but decided to risk it, and was glad i did!The graphics are good and functional.Simple and effective is the order of the day here.The soundtrack is awesome, as it uses the themes from the films.The game is easy to pick up and play whether you are 8,18 or 28!And so it has real mainstream appeal.There are plenty of hidden extras to find - hidden characters, hidden extras so it really can be a game that will fulfil your gaming needs - you can pick it up and have a laugh for an hour or so,

25.6.2008

This game is magnificent. Everything about it spells ingenuity, attention to detail and imagination. The multiplayer mode can be superfluous fun, the adaptive difficulty always presents you with a new challenge and the vast amounts of unlockable content means that there is here a nearly endless source of replayability.Many people have said that there is a problem with graphics cards not being able to support pixel shader. Well, a program called 3d Analyze will simulate this and many other graphical features that your card is incapable of handling (however, is you simulate too much the game will be very slow, as your C.P.U. is having to do more work). Download the program from this adress: '[...]

31.5.2007

I like it at the beginning of the game in level 1 because you can use the force on some chairs and it plays some nice music. Near the end of the 1st level there are 2 Droidecars, they are a Droid with a force field around them. My favourite level is the last level in episode 1 where you are fighting Darth Maul and he uses the force on you. Every time you start or finish a level you get to watch a story. Stories are like the film but only for a short time. Every time you finish a level you can go into Dexter's diner where you can use the force on salt and vinegar to get some money.You can buy hints and characters and go into extras where you can buy things like invincibility.

11.10.2007

Now I have sympathy for those without pixel shader 1.1 cards, but in 2006 I'm amazed most people didn't have them (and indeed even more amazed people baulk at the idea of paying £30 for a basic one). If you had a video card worth its salt then it'd have 1.1 anyways (after late 2005 Pixel Shader 2 had become pretty standard fare).As for the game - having played quite a few of the old Lucas Arts games produced as movie tie ins, this one tops them all. The Jedi Knight games are good, and nothing beats slicing and dicing endless storm troopers...but then you get to do all that in this game with the benefit of:A - playing a myriad of characters.B - puzzles (admittedly childlike and basic,

20.10.2006

This game is absolutly super! There are 18 levels in the whole game including the mystery level at the end and 3 episodes, 1, 2 and 3.You start off on episode 1 where you are trapped in a dark side place and you have to get to the vehicle at the end to get out, and then you get to go on to the other episodes as well. The first and second level on episode three are fabulous! The first one is a spaceship battle where ou have to get into General Grivious' ship and the second one is where you get to fight Count Dooko and rescue the consular from Grivious' ship.The only downer in the game is that after a couple of months/

3.3.2007

A fantastic game set at just the right level for young children. Most games spoil the enjoyment for younger children by locking down the levels so that they just get stuck, frustrated and disheartened. Here careful thought has been given to how children will progress. It's not hard to complete all of the levels. What has impressed me is that even with all the levels open the game remains enjoyable in free player mode. My 7 year old son returns to it time after time even though he now has all the collectable items and has opened the bonus level. In contrast the new Lego Star Wars II game has been made just that little bit harder.

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