Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy

In a level based on Dagobah from The Empire Strikes Back, Luke Skywalker is fighting an enemy snake in Dagobah with his lightsaber. Lego studs and the droid R2-D2 are visible in the background.

Lego Star Wars II's gameplay is from a third-person perspective, and takes place in a 3D game world that contains objects, environments, and characters designed to resemble Lego pieces. Its gameplay – a combination of the action-adventure, platform,[1] and sometimes puzzle[2] genres – shares elements with that of Lego Star Wars: The Video Game (2005).[1] While Lego Star Wars followed the events of the Prequel Trilogy: The Phantom Menace (1999), Attack of the Clones (2002), and Revenge of the Sith (2005), Lego Star Wars II is based on the Original Trilogy: A New Hope (1977), The Empire Strikes Back (1980), and Return of the Jedi (1983). The game comically retells the trilogy's events using cutscenes without dialogue.[3][4][5][6] The player assumes the roles of the films' characters, each of whom possesses specific weapons and abilities.[7] At any time, a second player can join the game, by activating a second controller.[3] During gameplay, players can collect Lego studs – small, disk-shaped objects, which serve as the game's currency. The player has a health meter, which is displayed on the game's heads-up display. The player's health is represented by four hearts; when these hearts are depleted, the player dies, and a small amount of their studs bounce away. However, they instantly respawn and can often re-collect the lost studs.[3]

The game's central location is the Mos Eisley cantina, a spaceport bar on the planet Tatooine.[3] At the counter, the player may use their Lego studs to purchase characters, vehicles, gameplay hints and extras, or activate cheat codes.[8][9] In a small area outside the cantina, players may view collected vehicles.[10] The game is broken into levels, which are accessed from the cantina;[7] each film is represented by six levels,[11] representing key locations and scenes in that film. The locations include Hoth, Bespin, Dagobah, Tatooine, the Death Star, and Endor.[7] The game also features bonus levels.[11] During play, the player defeats enemies, builds objects out of Lego bricks,[7] and drives vehicles.[12] Certain levels are played entirely while piloting vehicles, including a TIE fighter, a Snowspeeder, and the Millennium Falcon. Levels must first be played in Story Mode. This unlocks the next level as well as a Free Play mode for the recently completed level. Gameplay is identical in the two modes. However, Story Mode restricts playable characters to those followed in the film scenes the levels are based on, while Free Play-offers all those unlocked.[7] Levels can be replayed in either mode to collect studs and secret items.[13]

Three types of secret items are available: gold bricks, minikits, and power bricks. Within each level is hidden one power brick. When a power brick is collected, its corresponding extra, such as invincibility or stud multipliers, becomes available for purchase. Each level also contains ten hidden minikits, that is, ten pieces of a Star Wars vehicle.[14] When all ten have been collected, the player is awarded a gold brick.[15] Collecting a certain number of gold bricks unlocks free rewards, such as a spigot that spews out studs. Gold bricks are also awarded when levels are completed, and when a predefined number of studs is accumulated in a level; ninety-nine gold bricks are available.[14] The vehicles represented by the minikits are displayed outside the cantina. As each vehicle is completed (all ten minikits collected), it becomes available for play in a bonus level.[15]

Lego Star Wars II was created by the Cheshire game developer Traveller's Tales.[30] LucasArts – busy with other projects – had deferred publishing of Lego Star Wars to Eidos Interactive, but regained the "necessary resources" to publish its sequel alongside TT Games Publishing.[17][31] Lego Star Wars II was created for Microsoft Windows, OS X, Xbox, GameCube, PlayStation 2, Game Boy Advance (GBA), Nintendo DS, PlayStation Portable (PSP), and Xbox 360. Differences exist between platforms: the DS and GBA versions have some different playable characters than the other versions, and the DS and PSP versions support a "Wireless Lobby" for multiplayer gameplay.[16]

Lego Star Wars II uses a modified Lego Star Wars engine.[32] However, many gameplay improvements were made over its predecessor, most notably camera angles and movement.[27] Camera movement in co-op was a specific point of concern, as LucasArts received critical feedback from fans over this issue. Traveller's Tales looked to expand upon the concept of levels completed entirely in vehicles. These "vehicle levels" were explored more thoroughly in Lego Star Wars II than in its predecessor.[33] In response to complaints from fans, LucasArts and Traveller's Tales granted the ability to build bricks to all non-droid characters.[34] Character customization, an entirely new concept, was considered a significant improvement over the original game,[33] and is one of three features highlighted on the game's final back cover.[35] Tom Stone, director at Traveller's Tales, stated of the various improvements made over the original game:

We were surprised and, of course, delighted that the original game was played and enjoyed by so many people ... And with all of the new improvements and features along with the Original Trilogy we're implementing into Lego Star Wars II, we're confident that the new game has what it takes to entertain even more gamers than before.[33]

The designers attempted to recreate the films' characters and events in a "cute" way. Assistant producer Jeff Gullet said that, in the game's recreation of a Return of the Jedi scene where Luke Skywalker "jumps off the plank ... and somersaults onto the skiff", Skywalker "performs an all-out acrobatic routine with all sorts of jumps from the plank. It's hilarious". LucasArts producer David Perkinson said, "unless you've got the heart of the Emperor, you are going to chuckle at many of [the characters] the first time you see them – you just have to. They're so darn cute!"[6]

A version of Lego Star Wars II was also published by THQ for mobile phones.

On 2 February 2006, images of the game were leaked to the Internet. However, they were quickly removed, and LucasArts, if telephoned, did not confirm or deny the game's development.[30] The game was formally announced on 10 February, at American International Toy Fair 2006.[36] A preview was later hosted at Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) 2006.[37] Because the original Lego Star Wars had been well received commercially and critically,[38] selling 3.3 million copies by March 2006 and winning several awards,[33] its sequel was highly anticipated both by fans of the original game[5] and by video game publications such as IGN[37] and GameSpot.[39] Shortly before the game's release, promotions were set up at chain stores across the United States, including Toys "R" Us, Wal-Mart, Target, Best Buy, GameStop, and Circuit City.[5]

In Europe, Lego Star Wars II was released on 11 September 2006, for PC,[40] Xbox,[41] GameCube,[42] Game Boy Advance,[43] DS,[44] and Xbox 360;[45] on 15 September for PlayStation 2;[46] and on 10 November for PSP.[47] The game's North American release fell on 12 September for all platforms, coinciding with the release of the individual two-disc DVD releases of the films on which it was based.[48] The game's Australian release fell on 15 September for all platforms, but the Xbox 360 version was not released in this region. The OS X version of the game was released on 4 May 2007.[49] The PlayStation 2 and Nintendo DS versions were the only versions that saw release in Japan, which occurred on 2 November 2006.[44][46] The game received a rating of E10+ from the Entertainment Software Rating Board (for "cartoon violence" and "crude humor"),[17] 3+ from PEGI,[50] and A from CERO.[44][46]

A mobile phone adaptation of the game was developed by Universomo and published by THQ.[51] It was released on 5 January 2007.[52] Several gameplay features – such as two-dimensional graphics, limited character selection, and coverage only of the film Star Wars – distinguish this version of the game from the versions for other platforms.[51][53] Lego Star Wars and Lego Star Wars II were later compiled in Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga, developed by Traveller's Tales and published by LucasArts. The Complete Saga incorporated improvements from the sequel into the original game,[54] and expanded the Mos Eisley cantina to allow access to both games' levels. It was created for Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, and DS. It was released on 6 November 2007.[55]

Upon release, Lego Star Wars II was positively received by critics,[4][5] who praised its portrayal of the films' characters and events. Nintendo Power staff writer Chris Shepperd claimed that "[t]he adorable Lego adaptations also led to some hilarious story moments: the 'I am your father' scene from The Empire Strikes Back is priceless".[13] Reviewers from GameSpy, 1Up.com, GameSpot, IGN, and PlayStation: The Official Magazine offered similar opinions.[3][7][65][93][101] Shepperd and Variety's Ben Fritz called the game "adorable".[102] In reviews of the Xbox 360 version, Official Xbox Magazine praised the game's "off-kilter humor",[2] and Electronic Gaming Monthly stated that "[y]ou have to give credit to the brilliant blockhead who forced this awesome yet fundamentally bizarro idea on LucasArts."[76] Jeff Bell, corporate vice president of global marketing for Microsoft, commended Lego Star Wars II for expanding the range of consumers for the Xbox 360, noting its family-friendly appeal.[5]

The game was praised as a result of reviewers' preference of the original trilogy over the prequel trilogy. Andrew Reiner of Game Informer said that "comparing [the prequel trilogy] to the films in the original trilogy is similar to comparing Jar Jar Binks to Han Solo".[1] Shepperd praised the level design of Lego Star Wars II, and called its predecessor's environments "sterile".[13] These views were echoed by reviewers from 1Up.com, Variety, GameSpot, GameSpy, Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine (for the PlayStation 2), and BusinessWeek.[102][3][7][48][65][99]

Critics were divided on the game's level of difficulty. Fritz claimed that, though Lego Star Wars II provided only a "short journey", it was "loads of fun".[102] GameSpot's Ryan Davis estimated that it could be completed in six hours, but praised its bonus content.[3] GameSpy and 1Up.com's reviewers thought similarly.[7][65] A review by USA Today's Brett Molina claimed that "[t]he game's difficulty is balanced well enough so kids won't feel too frustrated while older gamers will still find a solid challenge" and gave the game an overall score of 8 out of 10.[103] Official Xbox Magazine's review praised its "weird puzzles".[2] IGN's Jeremy Dunham and Reiner were more critical of the perceived low difficulty.[1][93]

Critics disliked the game's Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS versions. Davis believed that the Game Boy Advance version could be completed in two hours.[78] GameSpy staff writer Phil Theobald bemoaned this version's poor controls, easy levels, and vehicle-piloting sections. He concluded that "for goodness sake, [one should] buy one of the [home] console versions".[85] Theobald, Davis, and IGN's Craig Harris criticized the high number of glitches in the DS version.[77][84][91]

• LucasArts at the Wayback Machine (archived 2 June 2007)
• Electronic Arts at the Wayback Machine (archived 13 May 2013)
• Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy on Wookieepedia, a Star Wars wiki
• Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy at MobyGames