Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars

[Buzz Bumble]

Here's the micro-preview from the latest issue of JB Hi-Fi's freebie Stack magazine ...

Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars
There is something strangely addictive about Lego Star Wars games. They're skewed at a much younger, family-oriented audience, but even mature players enjoy the benefits of compelling gameplay set in a universe most of us are familiar with. Lego Star Wars III is the largest Lego Star Wars game so far, and features events set between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. The game will also include characters from the CGI Cartoon Network series. Expect epic battle scnes and space fights with up to 300 Legos appearing on screen at the same time.

Release Date: 31 March, 2011.

PS3 / PSP / 360 / Wii / DS / PC

Now I just have to wait 18 months for them to make the Mac version (which won't run on my old Mac) ... except they won't bother telling anyone it's coming until the week before release, so you're always wondering whether you should buy the Windows version while it's available in case they don't make a Mac one!

[AaronDB94]

Really looking forward to getting this game on PSP....hope it's as good as the last two

[Buzz Bumble]

Here are a couple of reviews of Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars.

NZGamer.com has a fairly long review of the PlayStation 3 version (rated 8/10) and this one is from the TimeOut section of Thursday's NZ Herald (7 April, 2011) ...

Lego Star Wars III - The Clone Wars
PlayStation 3 (also Xbox 360, Wii, NDS) (PG)

4 stars out of 5

The latest in a long line of Lego-based titles, Lego Star Wars III - The Clone Wars is based on the animated telly series, and puts players into a tried-and-true forumla of good laughs, huge amounts of gameplay and the need to almost endlessly revisit levels to vomplete collectable goals.

The epic battles against wave upon wave of murderous robtos are intense, all the while players collect enough studs to earn "True Jedi" status.

You can switch between various characters, including some from the Clone Wars spin-off. And one of the most entertaining aspects for "proper" Star Wars fans is the chance to chop Jar Jar Binks with a lightsabre, watch him respawn and do it again. That's replay value.

As with most Lego games, the best value is in two-player action, with some strategy-required set pieces that require co-op work to avoid ending up as a pile of dismembered bricks. There are also some entertaining space missions while graphically, the environments have improved, making better use of the lighting effects and frame rates high and stable even during epic on-screen scraps with numerous enemies.

Verdict: Though not offering anything different to stave off Lego game boredom, it's a good title and a worthwhile purchase for those who enjoy the addictive quest for collectables.

Matt Greenop

As well as the versions listed in this review, there are also versions for the new Nintendo 3DS and PSP. There will likely be a Mac version later too, but these are done by a different company and they only announce games a week or so before release.