A trilogy of Star Wars trilogies is being jammed into a single game as the Lego video games finally get the makeover theyve long needed.
Phoenix Point hands-on preview and interview – the next evolution of XCOM
Well get into the details later, but the gameplay reveal for the latest Lego Star Wars game resulted in one of the most satisfying nerdy moments weve ever experienced. The game was announced just before E3, when it was revealed it will be adapting all nine mainline Star Wars films (so not Rogue One or Solo). But its purpose is not only to wrap up the Skywalker ennealogy but to give the whole concept of Lego games a much-needed revamp. The first ever Lego movie game, back in 2005, was an adaptation of the three prequel films, so it only seems right that the next major evolutionary step should also come via Star Wars.
Advertisement
Advertisement
For over a decade now the Lego movie tie-ins have been almost the only quality, multiformat games suitable for all the family. They hit a peak with Lego Dimensions but the unsustainable nature of toys to life saw the concept quickly run out of steam, which meant that going back to the regular releases suddenly seemed very anticlimactic. Especially as they began to overegg their features list, with overly complex rules and abilities for characters and split-screen co-op that has become increasingly cluttered and frustrating – with 2018s Lego DC Super-Villains becoming almost unplayable at times.
There was a brief pretence that The Lego Movie 2 Videogame would right the ship, but it was even worse – and clearly just a repurposed version of Minecraft wannabe Lego Worlds. And so it has fallen to Star Wars to rejuvenate the concept. Were not clear how the ninth movie is going to work in terms of spoilers but we imagine itll probably be added in later as DLC, after the films release in cinemas. But although each movie can be selected from the main menu this doesnt set off the series of linear levels you might expect, but instead it transports you to what is essentially an open… galaxy.
Although were sure its all very compact in reality the fact that the first point of comparison is No Mans Sky gives an indication of just how convincing the impression of scale is – something thats certainly been missing from any of EAs Star Wars games so far. Were shown a map featuring multiple planets, but you can fly around in a spaceship in full 3D and there are randomly generated encounters with enemies that you have to fight off or escape from.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Each planet has multiple open world areas, with Tatooine having three separate zones: Lukes homestead, Mos Eisley, and Mos Espa (from the prequels). Apparently, the exact locations and characters available at any one time will depend on where you currently are in the movie timeline. You dont have to play the movie missions in order though, so it seems to just be a case of making sure Uncle Owen isnt on Tatooine when youre doing a Return of the Jedi mission.
We never actually saw a story mission though, just simpler fetch quests and escort missions – such as one where you need to do a favour for a Power Droid that only C-3PO can understand. These seem perfectly entertaining though, given how different the game looks with its new third person camera. The camera is now zoomed in much closer to the action and allows for not only free-aiming with a blaster but what seems to be a surprisingly involved combo system for melee combat.
Were not expecting Devil May Cry but it certainly looks more interesting that the previous one-button mashes all system, with enemies having health bars and damage numbers flying off them as you land a hit – almost like an action role-player. The use of the Force has similarly expanded and now instead of it just building Lego models automatically you can pick up individual objects and take them wherever you want or throw them at enemies, all of which is strangely reminiscent of Remedys Control.
There even seems to be influences from Zelda: Breath Of The Wild, with collectible bricks taking the place of Korok seeds as a reward for solving smaller environment puzzles or simply exploring and finding hidden areas.
Advertisement
You could argue that all of this shouldve happened years ago but even the graphics have been given a major upgrade, with everything on Tatooine looking weather-beaten and battle-damaged. All the characters having unique animations too, with C-3PO slowly falling apart until hes just walking about as a pair of robot legs. Some of the vehicles, sRead More – Source
