Darth Maul Is So CUUUUTE!

by Wootini

Looks like Katamari Damacy has some competition for Most Fun Videogame Ever. Lego Star Wars is like pure fun compressed into a little metal disc that you can stick in your PS2. Yes, it's made for kids, and it's almost too easy, but it doesn't matter. It's still just wicked fun. And if you can't see how adorable little Lego Darth Maul is with his tiny little lightsaber, then you simply have no heart.

This game takes you through the first three episodes in the Star Wars Trilogy, and somehow, the silly stupidity of Episode I with all the Jar Jar Binks nonsense actually works when everything is made of Legos! In fact, the game actually kind of forces you to use Jar Jar a lot because he's the character who can jump the highest, and that's the only way to get some secret items. First, you play each movie, broken up into sections with the major story points. Cinemas are portrayed without voice, since the Legos can't talk, and they're kind of funny. After completing a level in story mode, you can replay it in Free Play mode, where you can feel free to explore and switch between various characters that have different abilities. Jedis have force powers, blaster-wielders can grapple to unacessable areas, Lego Jake Lloyd can crawl in tiny places, and like I said, Jar Jar can jump real high. Because after finishing a level, you can go back to find all ten hidden Lego Canisters, some of which you can't get during regular play. Also, smashing scenery and using force powers on things can release little Lego studs that you collect to buy new characters or bonus features. Collecting enough of these during a level allows you to achieve True Jedi Status, and if you can do that on all the levels, you can unlock the secret bonus stage, which is the beginning of Episode IV (which ends with a To Be Continued... that I hope is not just a tease!).

What's really awesome about the game is that everything is made up of Legos, so sometimes there's little Lego debris that you can use your force powers on to transform it into ladders, platforms, etc. It's all very clever. However, the game is kind of meant for little kids, because you can't die. You just explode into a shower of Lego Studs and regenerate again. You lose some studs from your total, but that's no big deal unless you're going for the Jedi Status. You can whip through the game in a couple days, but if you really want to go through and find all the hidden canisters and unlock all the characters and extras, you can spend more time with it. But even after you've finished, it's still fun to go back and just play through a level because it's so much fun. Especially if you've got someone else to play with, because two-player is awesome. If you're flying solo, the computer takes care of your on-screen partner, but at any time during the level, a second player can jump in and help out. This is good, because if the AI is in charge of your friend, their attacks won't do anything against the enemies, and it's all up to you. Oh, the camera can be a little obnoxious, and you have no control over it, and there are a few shooting stages that totally suck ass and interrupt the flow of the fun. But even that can't kill this game. Lego Star Wars may look silly, but give it a shot — it's the best way to experience Episodes I to III!