LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game

for anyone like me who loves Star Wars, LEGOs, and video games, LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game rated E (everyone), is worth a look (you can download a PC demo at the game site). you begin your adventures in Dex’s Diner as a Qui-Gon minifig, and then, along with your Padawan Obi-Wan, embark on a mission to negotiate with the Trade Federation regarding their trade blockade of Naboo. TC-14, a protocol droid, greets you in a conference room. a short while later, you and Obi-Wan fight your way past battle droids including two formidable destroyer droids equipped with energy shields. however, similarities between the game and movie begin and end with the recreation of key scenes using LEGO bricks, minifigs, and computer animation.

instead of saving the galaxy, your objective is to collect 10 canisters hidden in each scene or, level. upon gathering all the parts, the pieces come together to form a minikit vehicle. completed and partially assembled minikits are kept in the diner’s parking lot. i’ve completed one vehicle so far and it appears to be simply a display model. if i can use it, i haven’t figured out how.

as you play through each scene, destroy enemies with your lightsaber and Force powers, which regrettably, are limited to moving objects and sensing which objects can be manipulated through the Force. no Jedi mind tricks, no Force lightning, nor any other Force power you may have encountered in other Star Wars video games. in fact, other characters are necessary to accomplish some of your objectives.

besides canisters, you also collect characters from each scene by unlocking the Free Play mode. to do this, you must find your way back to Dex’s Diner from which you enter and exit episodes and scenes. it isn’t necessary to collect all 10 canisters to complete the scene because you won’t be able to without certain characters. for example, on the Trade Federation ship in Ep. I, scene 1, some doors can only be opened by specific droids. as a result, you must return to that level once you have the correct droid in your party.

in Free Play mode you can cycle through the characters you’ve collected to choose the appropriate one for the task. because you need party members besides Obi-Wan, all episodes and scenes are unlocked once you complete Ep. I, scene 1. you can then play through levels in any order.

destroying battle droids and certain objects will yield studs (1 x 1 plates, round, to you LEGOmaniacs) and hearts, which represent health. these are also hidden in each scene and you must use your Force power to draw them out. studs can be used to purchase various items at the diner.

for every 2,000 studs you collect (though the number may vary per scene–not sure), you come closer to reaching your true Jedi potential, which is tracked on a meter at the top of the screen. i’m not positive, but i don’t think you have to use a Jedi character to increase your Force potential because any character can collect studs. although health is limited to 4 hearts, if you die, you’re continually resurrected and can continue playing where you left off. however, every time you die, you lose studs and consequently, your Force mastery is diminished. fortunately, this has no bearing on your abilities. once you reach 100% of your Jedi potential, you receive 1 of 17 pieces that make up a superkit vehicle. if you don’t reach this the first time you play through a scene, you can replay it–studs are replenished on each level when you re-enter it. the game can also be played in 2-player co-op mode.

a minor complaint is that you can’t cycle through the objects on which you can use the Force, indicated by a “Force glow.” this makes it difficult to use the Force during combat, which you should do in close quarters, especially in 2-player mode–characters are susceptible to friendly fire. when battle droids approach, i reflexively pull the right trigger, but instead of choosing a target, i cycle through characters and sometimes end up with one who has no combat abilities.

my main complaint, though, is the inability to use a first-person view and/or a camera view from behind the character. the right thumbstick wasn’t assigned any functions, which in other games, can be clicked to switch to first-person or zoom. this lack of control over point of view means that enemies may be rushing at you head on, but you won’t know it because you, the player, may be stuck facing the same direction as the enemies. music usually starts up, though, so listen for it. anyone accustomed to having almost complete control of how to view the character’s environment will find this frustrating and annoying.

although the graphics are hardly mind shattering, that the scenes are made up of LEGOs is amusing. however, if you’re not particularly fond of LEGOs, the novelty will wear off quickly. i like this game a lot, but the $40 would have been better spent on the ARC-170 Starfighter Star Wars LEGO set.