Brilliant game to play with your kids
User Rating: 9.3 | LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy XBOX
I have no idea of the basis for the Gamespot review other than the possibility the game is being held up to the same standards as Halo or KOTOR. This game is for younger people or for silly older ones and needs to be seen in this light. It is like criticizing Bugs Bunny for not being as sublimely tragic and introspective as Hamlet. They are two different things and Lego Star Wars II succeeds completely for being a wonderfully silly, accessible and enjoyable experience. Gameplay: 9. There is a noticeable improvement on gameplay between the Lego Star Wars I and this game. Part of that stems from the obviously superior source material. A player is just more engaged from the beginning by playing Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Princess Lea. Kids familiar with the movies like these characters more and older people see these characters as part of their childhood. Another factor is that the need to make up for a lack of force characters improved the game with building opportunities. Blowing things up to look for build oportunities that anyone can do is clever addition. Also a clever addition is the need to get disguises for storm troopers and bounty hunters to access certain areas. There are now really fun vehicles to drive, such as speeders and walkers, that did not exist in the previous game. The ship missions are probably on par with the original but lets face it, cruising around in the x-wing with R2-D2 or the Millennium Falcon is just cool. They have developed a fun system for bombs and for roping down walkers that makes some the vehicle missions more interesting and puzzle oriented. The combat, jumping, and puzzle solving are all mechanically almost the same as before but at the same time better. As stated before, disguises, using vehicles to solve puzzles is an addition. Secondly, I can’t emphasize this enough; using cooler characters to do so is more fun alone. And Freeplay is just absurd. You can run around as Darth Vader, a Tuscan Raider, and a storm trooper in his underwear. This last one brings up another escalation from the previous game. The humor is more pronounced and at times downright hysterical. The pre mission briefing of the pilots before attacking the Deathstar is classic. Darth Vader explaining his fatherhood to Luke is another classic cut scene for the ages. Graphics: 9 Very clear, cartoon like, silly, and just right. The characters are well done and look like Lego characters. The visual expressions of the characters are very clever and well thought out. The interiors and exteriors are original, well executed, and give a great feel for the game. Sound: 8 The theme songs are all from the movies so that are covered. The characters make funny Sim like noises. The Tie fighters sound like they do in the movies. There is not much opportunity for sound to carry the game but what is there is well done. Value: 10. You play through the movies plus you can play through the Freeplay with different characters if you choose so you can play the game twice without it being remotely repetitive. Also, to get all the goodies you want, you need to go through again on Freeplay with different characters with different skills. The game is made to be best with co op so playing with a friend, or in my case, my six year old son, is incredible. You get to solve problems together, switch characters, and generally tear up the Empire. We have played many levels several times without getting bored. Tilt: 10 I wish I could give this a 20. This is by far the best kid oriented game I have run across by a factor of 100. Playing this with a child is about as much fun as one can have in gaming. This game is truly an achievement combing great source material, fun, interactive gameplay that is accessible to younger people but is still fun for adults, humor, and a awesome coop system. Nothing approaches it that I have seen. This game will be a classic.
