LucasArts today released some new information on its upcoming LEGO style Star Wars game,
LEGO Star Wars II: Original Trilogy. The information reveals how LucasArts and developer TT Games has used the original tales from the popular Star Wars film franchises to create some pretty amusing parodies. (you should also check out
these new screens
to get a visual on the game's tongue-in-cheek comedic moments).
A tongue-in-cheek take on a galaxy far, far away isn't all that far, far
away anymore. On Tuesday, September 12, LucasArts and TT Games unleash
LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy to stores everywhere on eight
different platforms. With the game all wrapped up now, what better topic
to discuss than the final third of the game, based on the events of Star
Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi?
"When I get my two-disc DVDs of each individual movie the same day the
game comes out, I'll be using that scene select feature to go straight
to the speeder bike chase," says David Perkinson, producer at LucasArts.
"At the time, those special effects were amazing - and to this day, it
holds up as one of the fastest, most exciting sequences in movie
history. And the developers at Traveller's Tales sure didn't let us down
when it came to adapting that scene to game form."
Found in the third of six Episode VI levels, Speeder Showdown is the
only stage in LEGO Star Wars II to combine vehicle-only segments (in
this case, zippy speeder bikes) with on-foot sections not unlike those
found in the original game - except for one thing, that is. "You sure
couldn't blast away at stormtroopers after building and hopping into an
AT-ST in LEGO Star Wars," says Jeffrey Gullett, assistant producer at
LucasArts. "That's one of the many great additions Traveller's Tales has
included this time that make the new game so much better. Well, that and
Gamorrean guards that start rocking out whenever you build a LEGO
jukebox in Jabba's Palace."
"I don't know," adds Perkinson. "I always feel a little guilty taking
those pigs to the slaughter while they're saluting the gods of rock.
Letting them attack - and they are one of the toughest non-boss
characters, I'll admit - and using Luke's Force choke on them seems much
more civilized to me."
"I just love that whole Jabba's Palace level in general," says Gullett.
"You've got such diversity in your party between Luke with his
lightsaber and new Jedi powers, Chewie with his bowcaster, the droids
and Leia in disguise, who can throw thermal detenators like the other
bounty hunters in the game whenever she's wearing her Boushh hat. Then
at the end of the level you throw Han into the mix as the whole gang
takes on the rancor. Well, the whole gang except for Leia...who's now in
her gold bikini as Jabba's slave."
Later on, Leia adds quite a bit of clothing as she joins Han, Chewbacca,
the droids and Wicket the Ewok for the land section of the Battle of
Endor. "It's one of the longest levels in the game," informs Gullett.
"It takes you all the way from the Ewok village to the shield bunker,
with plenty of scout troopers to blast, AT-STs to drive, and catapults
to fire along the way."
Your weapons get a little snazzier than catapults in the Emperor's
throne room, which presents an intriguing twist on the story depicted on
screen 23 years ago. "This was one of those moments where we had to sit
back and make a decision," explains Perkinson. "Do you suddenly turn a
two-player game into a one-player game for the sake of following the
story exactly? Or do you deviate slightly for the sake of better
gameplay? Since great gameplay is the most important thing for LEGO Star
Wars II, we opted for the latter. As a result, you'll see Vader revert
to his Anakin-like ways a little earlier than in the movie, as he helps
his son take down Palpatine in an epic lightsaber battle. We know this
might bother some diehard fans out there, but we think once they play
it, they'll agree that we made the right decision."
The game's final level, Into the Death Star, didn't involve such tough
choices in development - it just provided the chance for developers such
as Traveller's Tales' Will Thompson to reinterpret their favorite scene
from Return of the Jedi in game form. "I can still remember seeing the
space battle over Endor for the first time in the cinema - all those
waves of TIE fighters screaming towards the camera - and jumping back in
amazement!" enthuses the storyboard artist and character modeler. "It
was a delightful challenge helping to bring this scene to playable
fruition - but it had to be easier than using the screen-compositing
methods they had to use in the '80s! You certainly appreciate the time
and effort it must have taken to create those elaborate space battles."
And now that the game is complete, Perkinson appreciates something else
entirely: "I've developed a new appreciation for Ewoks."
Sound like fun? Look for the game beginning September 12th on a myriad of platforms including
the PlayStation 2, PSP, Xbox 360, Xbox, GameCube, Windows and hand-held versions developed by
Amaze Entertainment for Nintendo DS and Nintendo Game Boy Advance.
