Lego Star Wars shows Star Wars as Lego sees it. The style of play is exactly like the Lego computer games of the past. It provides for a simplistic, fun, and satisfying game that is just good to pick up and play when you don?t feel like doing any serious gaming and just want to kick back and relax.

Gameplay

The gameplay is short, sweet, and to the point. You can learn how to work the game in 5 minutes or less. There are four main keys that you use: the Force Key/Special Ability, Jump, Attack/Block, and the switch character key. Plus you use the arrow keys to move around. The Force is fun to use. You don?t have a bunch of different powers; instead, objects glow if they can be affected by the Force. When you use the Force on them, they will either explode and give you studs (I?ll explain what those are later), or maybe the Lego bricks will come apart and form into something to help you move to a different area, or, in the case of droids, you can push the droid backwards. If a droid hits a wall, it collapses, but otherwise it will be stunned for a few seconds. You can also move Lego objects from place to place. The Force has a lot to do with the puzzles in this game.
If you are not a Force related character, you will have a special ability instead of being able to use the Force. The special abilities vary from character to character. For instance, astromech droids (that?s an R2-D2 type of droid) can hook up to computer panels and open doors. There are over 30 characters, and each has its own special ability.
Jumping has a few different classes. There?s the Jump, the Double Jump, and Hyper Jump, Hyper Jump being the highest leap of the three. Attacking is very easy. It?s the same for each character (though some don?t have an attack). If you have a lightsaber, you block incoming blaster bolts by pressing your attack button at the right time. I thought that it would be really hard to play 2 player in this game, but I was wrong. Both characters use one keyboard, but if you adjust some things, you can both operate your characters at the same time without knocking hands. Most of the fun in this game appears when you play in 2 player mode. I highly suggest playing that way. There are three things that you try to collect while playing: studs, superkit pieces, and mini-kit pieces. Studs are small Lego pieces which work like money. You use them to buy characters and they get you a superkit piece every time you reach the 100% level on your stud bar. Mini-kit pieces are bricks you have to get and sometimes provide for a challenge in order to get them. If you get all ten pieces in one level, you receive a mini-kit set.

Sound

I was very surprised with the sound in L.S.W. I expected some sort of comic-like Star Wars sound FX, but I was wrong. The sound for all the weapons and ships sound exactly like they would in the movies. I think that the sound is almost better than some hard core Star Wars games I?ve played. It?s funny to watch the Padme Lego character firing the classic Lego pistol, and the gun sounding just like the Naboo blaster pistol. There is no voice acting in this game. Nobody talks?period. When there are cut scenes, we see the Lego characters do funny things, but there is no talking. It?s still easy to tell what?s going on, however, especially if you?ve seen all the movies.

Graphics

The graphics are good, but not impressive. It seems that things really haven?t changed much since I got Lego Racers about 6-7 years ago. I personally think that the average graphics add to the simplistic pleasure of the game.

Dexter's Diner

If you?re not playing the different levels in L.S.W., you?ll be in Dexter?s Diner (you?ll remember this place from Episode II). I was surprised to see how much fun there is to be had in this place. You can walk around and use the Force to move chairs around, blow up pepper and salt shakers, and switch lights. Often when you do this, studs will come out of these objects and you can collect them. Once you get bored with that, you can go outside, where you can observe the different mini kits that you have picked up, or look at your superkit pieces. You can also get into fights occasionally if you are a character of a certain enemy (for instance, if you are Qui-Gon, Darth Maul will suddenly begin attacking you). After a few moments, he will start fighting you back. It provides for some very good entertainment. One quick word of advice; there are two characters you should never get in a fight with once you have picked them up: Yoda and Darth Sidious. These guys are almost impossible to beat. By now, you may be wondering how you ?pick up? different characters. Some, you get to use after you have played with them in a level. However, there are a lot of characters that you have to purchase with the studs that you collect. In Dexter?s Diner, you can go to the counter and there?s a character screen. If you have enough studs, you can ?buy? them, and then you will be able to use them in any Free Play level. There are over 30 characters to choose from. Sometimes, it takes a while to get enough studs to purchase certain characters (Darth Sidious costs 150,000 studs, which can take a number of levels to get enough of).

Ways to play

There are two ways to play L.S.W: Story Mode and Free play. In Story Mode, you try to beat a level with the characters provided for that level. Once you beat it, you can play that level in Freeplay. This is much more fun. Before you start the level, you get to pick what character you want to play as. Imagine fighting Count Dooku in Episode II as Count Dooku.

Appropriateness

I found nothing at all offensive about this game. There is violence, but it?s not real. Lego people killing other Lego people doesn?t bother me. When characters lose all their health, they will die and fall apart, their Lego pieces flying everywhere. The pieces disappear within five seconds.

Final Ratings

Gameplay ? 16/20
Graphics ? 6/10
Sound ? 10/10
Interface ? 5/5
Stability ? 5/5
Appropriateness ? 48/50

Overall - 90%