Review: LEGO Star Wars

Game Boy Advance
Reviewed by Mark Isaacson

We've already taken a close look at Lego Star Wars on the major consoles, so now it's time to have a look at this handheld rendition.

Being a GBA title, the first thing to note is the change in presentation. There are many limits to what a GBA game can do, and developers Griptonite Games have done a bang up job to work around the limitations and bring as much of the console brother to the handheld as possible.

Graphically the game plays in an isometric perspective, something two previous Star Wars titles (Jedi Power Battles and Episode II: The New Droid Army) used fairly well. Here it's just as effective, and thanks to an easy to get used to control system, it plays well. Some areas are very well detailed, and again it's the Lego style that gives the game it's likeable charm.

Credit to the team, they've put as much as they could into the handheld adventure. Unfortunately there's no co-op mode, but all the levels, characters and most of the bonus items, etc. have been shrunk down and included here. Not to mention a nice rendition of the Star Wars score and the usual sounds we've come to expect from such a game.

All in all, Lego Star Wars is just as good as its Xbox/PS2/PC variants. While a few things have been sacrificed due to the limited space on the cartridge, what's here is a solid adventure and a well developed game in all.

BOTTOM LINE

It just goes to show that, being arguably the best Star Wars and Lego game to ever be released on the GBA, this was a very good move by LucasArts.

SCORE

82/100