Lego Star Wars 2

Review from AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ and AJ - Wednesday, 25 October 2006 @ 12:00am

I recently had my 30th birthday. Normally you’d expect an adult male to get something like power tools or perhaps a lawnmower for their birthday. At the very least something that I could show to my mates and say, "how manly am I now that I have my new *insert macho gift here*"! But we all know that the only difference between toys for boys and toys for men, is the price tag. Anyhow…my fiancée bought me a Lego Star Wars Sandcrawler. For those of you who aren’t sure what that is, it is the big brown box on tank tracks that the little midget brown guys (Jawas) were rocking around in when they hocked off R2-D2 and C3P0 to Luke Skywalker and his uncle at the start of Star Wars Episode 4 (the first one, chronologically…. not the shitty one with the big haired queen, snot nosed “Annie” Skywalker and “devil spawn” Jar Jar Binks). The Sandcrawler is big and it’s very cool. It goes well with my Lego AT-AT, X-wing, Tie Fighter, Millennium Falcon, Imperial Star Destroyer (yes the really big one) and several other Star Wars Lego sets that I have perched above my liquor cabinet. It’s not that the fact that they are Lego that makes them appealing, or even the fact that they are Star Wars toys that is appealing….it’s the fact that they are BOTH that makes these collectables so collectible. It also gives you some indication as to my mental condition.

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Now that you understand my obsession with Star Wars Lego, it will help you understand my obsession with Star Wars Lego videogames. It’s not just my obsession with Star Wars Lego that makes this game insanely fun, it’s the 2-player co-op. For all the guys out there that are trying to find something that their girlfriends will play with them, this is it! Essentially this is a kids game at heart. It is very easy to pick up, and very easy to get through, death holds next to no penalty, the characters are insanely cute (except for the Emperor, he’s just nasty!), the cut scenes are hilarious and if you’re a fan of the movies there are many inside jokes to keep you laughing. Somehow the fun of Lego just melds so well with the fun of the original Star Wars trilogy. Episodes 4, 5 and 6 didn’t take themselves too seriously, and neither does this game. It is refreshing to see a licensed game have so much fun with the material.

Lego Star Wars II is obviously the sequel to Lego Star Wars I which was based on the prequels to the original trilogy which this sequel to Lego Star Wars is based on. Chronologically, Lego Star Wars II is set after Lego Star Wars I even though the trilogy that it is based on came out before the trilogy that Lego Star Wars I is based on. If that doesn’t make sense, the original game (I) is based on the prequel trilogy (episodes I, II and III) and this sequel game (II) is based on the original trilogy (IV,V, VI). I know that is totally screwed up, but so is starting a trilogy at episode 4 in the first place. And if you’re no good at roman numerals, give up now and play something else because it will seriously do your head in.

The first Lego Star Wars game was ace. It did just about everything right. When I heard that a sequel was in the works, I was excited but also worried. As is often the case, sequels introduce new features which often take away from what made the game fun in the first place. I am glad to say that this is not the case here! As fans of the original game know, the game is broken up into Story mode and Free play mode. Story mode involves playing as 2 characters through the story of the movies. The Story mode is quite linear and basically works through the story of the movies in sequence with two or more characters available to play with. Using the different abilities of the characters you solve puzzles and challenges to collect coins and minikits and to ultimately finish the story.

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Like many classic platformers, this game is a lot to do with collecting. You collect coins to buy characters, cheats and upgrades. You collect minikits to build mini craft which can be used in a few “special” unlockable levels. You can also collect Power Bricks and Gold bricks which lead to other unlockable items and levels. It is pretty quick and easy to get through the game in Story mode. To unlock everything and every character takes a whole lot more dedication. To even begin unlocking all the game has to offer you will need to delve into Free Play mode.

Free Play is easily the most enjoyable aspect of Lego Star Wars 2. In this mode you can play as any one of the characters you have unlocked. Even better than that you can switch between characters during the game by pushing either of the triggers. This allows you to switch between a pistol user, a force user, a droid, a bounty hunter or even a storm trooper. The key to this mode is that you will need all of the character types to reach all of the well hidden mini-kits and power bricks! Finding them all is pretty tough on occasion, and you will be tempted to do some research to find that last power brick or minikit.

The game does have some low points, and the most common of these is the sometimes annoying camera angles, especially in 2 player mode. Quite often you’ll find yourselves heading in opposite directions but all too often the camera will not zoom out far enough to give you a reasonable leeway. For the most part this isn’t too much of a problem except when you’re both riding in something big like AT-ST’s, when you are walking along a narrow ledge or trying to both ascend a lift, then one of you will get dragged around like a rag doll often ending in death. The only real way to get around this is to drop out temporarily to let the other player pass through the danger area, and then re-join when it is safe. It isn’t the end of the world, but it could’ve been avoided with some more generous camera angles.

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This new version of the game does have many new features which make it a whole lot more fun than the original, but can in some instances make it more frustrating. For one, the levels are much larger. This is great in free play mode, because it unlocks a whole raft of new locations to explore, but on the other hand it means it takes a lot longer to finish each level. Not only are the standard levels much larger and less linear, but the vehicle levels have also had a major facelift. In the previous version of the game, vehicle levels were essentially on rails. You had no choice of where to go, and no choice of vehicle. In this new release, not only can you free roam, but in freeplay you can switch ships to fly anything from the Millenium Falcon to a Tie Fighter. As a big bonus, all the minikits you find can also be driven or flown in the unlockable extra levels. Speaking of extra levels, you will also gain access to special Bounty Hunter missions, Character Levels and the hugely fun City Level which sees you destroying an entire Lego town in an effort to collect 1 million coins!

Plenty of people out there will never try this game because they will say it’s a kids game. In part they are correct, it is based on Lego which is a kids toy. The thing that makes this so much fun though is that the developers have had a lot of fun creating this game. The game is far more tongue in cheek than any other Star Wars game, and is strangely a perfect fit for the original trilogy which was, in its own way, a fun trilogy to watch. It didn’t take itself too seriously, and this game certainly doesn’t. The game isn’t terribly difficult, and it isn’t terribly complex, but it is a whole lot of fun. Lego Star Wars definitely fills a gaping hole in the 360 line up and is really the first game that you can sit down with your girlfriend or little sister/brother and play together and BOTH have a good time. It’s games like this that remind us that games are supposed to be fun.

Summary

Everything the first version had to offer plus more. More depth, more characters, more collecting, more minikits, more coins! Single player won’t bring a lot of joy, but this is the most fun Co-op game currently available. Not just fun for kids, but fun for all Star Wars fans. Pretend you’re buying if for your little brother if you have to, but definitely worth picking up.

Pros

Best Co-op game out there. Loads of fun, easy to pick up. Ability to drop in and out of the game when playing 2P. Huge replay value (we’re 3 times through and still going!)

Cons

Occasional camera issues. A little too easy, could do with a difficulty setting. No online (not that anyone cares). 360 version twice the price of other versions with no added features.