We're going to make a prediction. LEGO Star Wars will be one of the surprises of 2005. By the end of the year, it
will be on a number of "Best of…" lists, and we'll all be wondering how they pulled it off. We don't say this lightly,
but we got a good glimpse at the title recently, and it was impressive. The characters actually look and feel like
toys, with a low center of gravity that eerily adds to the fun.
The setting of the title covers all three prequels. Doesn't that seem ambitious for a double-licensed game? We were
treated to a level from the first scene of the first movie, and it was surprisingly faithful to the source. From the
environments, to the Jedi moves, to the sequence of events — all of it was on display. It just so happens, everyone
looked like a LEGO. Hey, we're not prejudiced.
LEGO Star Wars was designed to be played by adults and kids, so there will probably be some payoffs. But we couldn't
see any. All we saw was a game that played like a toy. The demo-guy switched between characters in real-time, as he
sabred his way through droids. One second he was Yoda, the next he was Anakin. If he wasn't happy using these
characters in the specific level, he could pause the game, choose from any of the other unlocked characters and port
them in. This would be taboo in almost any other game, but it just felt right in LEGO Star Wars.
You call us crazy now, but you'll see…
