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Platform: GC,
GBA, DS, PS2, PSP, PC, XB
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LEGO
Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
(Working
Title)
It’s
hard not to blame people for being skeptical about games that
incorporate major franchises into them.
Much of the time they wind up coming off as thinly veiled cash
cows as companies try to make a quick buck off of a popular name,
neglecting to put any decent gameplay into their title.
However, when LucasArts released LEGO Star Wars last year, it
really surprised a lot of people. It
had not one, but too major brands behind it (both Lego and Star
Wars), and the whole thing came together into a very fun package, if a
tad on the short side. Now
the publisher has announced a sequel that appears to be trying to
recapture the magic of the first game, while adding more content.
This
time around, LEGO Star Wars II’s story will circle around the original
Star Wars trilogy (A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of
the Jedi). Instead of being
a straight laced, paint by numbers retelling of these stories, though,
the game will go for a more comical approach to conveying its
narrative. However, just
like the first LEGO Star Wars, one of the most important aspects with
regards to presenting the game’s content in this sequel will be to
ensure that it is very family friendly, and that a wide range of age
groups can play this new game.
But as wonderful, fun, and all-inclusive as the original game was, a lot of people found the it to be too short. For the sequel, it looks like LucasArts is trying to address this by adding a |
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bunch more features.
For those who like customizing their characters
in games, there will be a Free Play mode, where players tweak out their
characters, swapping out LEGO body parts until one finds something that
they like. Initially, players will have 50 characters to choose from,
with up to 56 more available to those who still have their game save
from the original LEGO Star Wars. That
being said, there are quite a few possibilities available, as players
mix and match parts from over 100 different characters.
This sequel will also see the introduction of vehicles and animals that players can ride. In regards to the vehicles, it |
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appears that they will also be customizable
in the game’s Free Play
mode. No details as to
which vehicles from the Star Wars universe will be in the game have been
mentioned yet, but given the huge stable at developers’ disposal,
players should wind up with quite a few to choose from.
One
of the other complaints some had about the original game was that it was
too easy. In order to
address this for the sequel, LucasArts plans to include an advanced mode
for those who desire more of a challenge.
So
far, it looks like LucasArts wants to put a lot of effort into keeping
the core concept that made the original LEGO Star Wars a success, while
addressing criticisms leveled towards the game for this sequel.
If they hit the mark on all of these fronts, gamers could have
quite a treat on their hands when it comes out.
Mr. Nash February 17, 2006 |
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