Lego Star Wars II is one of those games that you can't put down! All around fun, and a bit of comedy for kicks!
The cut scenes in Lego Star Wars II are brilliant. They were able to keep the story intact, while adding a bit of Lego fun to the mix. We all know what happens in the original trilogy, and being able to put a new element of fun on it definitely worked to their advantage. Plus, who doesn't love seeing a star destroyer in Lego form!?
They made a few new improvements to game play since the first game, that I think enhance the fun. Most noticeably, characters have specialized melee attacks. Who doesn't love seeing Chewy rip arms off of Stormtroopers? I know I do! Leia also slaps the heck out of people, so don't get in her way! Also, all characters that are not droids can assemble Lego pieces now, with the exception of the ones that take Jedi Powers of course. Jedi powers are fantastic. Choking someone out with Darth Vader, or electrocuting someone with the Emperor is a great way to relieve stress.
Your AI partner still has its issues though. The biggest gripe that I have is that your companion can not kill anyone. To make matters worse, they are usually getting in the way of your battling. Half the time, when you aren't blasting Stormtroopers, or slicing them up with your light saber, you are hitting the others. And speaking of light sabers, hitting an enemy can be a pain sometimes. It looks like you are doing this fantastic light saber dance, while enemies shoot you at will.
Achievements aren't too hard to get either. Several can be achieved by playing through the game the first time. Obviously, you will have to spend a bit more time to get through 100% of the game, but it's worth it for 180 gamer points. The hardest achievements to get would have to be the undefeated ones. Free playing is the best way to get them, but the levels with vehicles are a pain.
The replay value of Lego Star Wars II is pretty darn good. They have placed canisters and red bricks in places that you can see the first time around, but have to go back and play again in free play to get. Brilliant move, and it actually turns out to be quite fun. The extra mini-games can be a bit annoying, and collecting 1,000,000 Lego studs in under a certain amount of time, can be quite frustrating. Other than that, Lego Star Wars II kept drawing me back in, and I was happy to oblige.
Overall, Lego Star Wars II is a great game for all ages, and definitely lives up to the Star Wars tradition. So, what are you waiting for, go play it!