The Force is still strong with LEGO Star Wars

Last summer TT Games' LEGO Jurassic World reinvigorated a beloved movie tie-in franchise in much the same way as its movie inspiration brought ageing dinosaurs back into the lives of the touch screen generation.

Now LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens builds (pun intended) on the success of a rejuvenated Star Wars saga.

Like its blockbusting silver screen counterpart. The Force Awakens LEGO videogame trades on a heavy dose of nostalgia and your enjoyment will be predicated on how eager you're prepared to embrace it. Spoiler! I loved JJ Abrams' space opera and that translates to this witty wonder, too.

It's a faithful adaptation of The Force Awakens unlike EA's Star Wars Battlefront, which was released in the lead up to the Star Wars sequel last December. Battlefront features Jakku, but decades before the events of the movie. I was a critic of Star Wars Battlefront at launch and promised myself I wouldn't buy it! Now it's the game I play the most. Because PEW! PEW! PEW!

TT Games' latest LEGO opus opens during the climactic Battle of Endor from Return of the Jedi! What? I hear you cry. Well, it's a prologue reprising LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy. However, there's a fun boss battle with Emperor Palpatine before fans embark on an adventure with new heroes Rey and Finn as they search for Luke Skywalker with the villainous Kylo Ren and First Order in deadly pursuit.



The game sticks to a tried and tested formula of collecting studs and gold bricks, which detractors might argue skews too young for seasoned gamers. However, you'll be missing out on gaming's equivalent of PIXAR and developer TT Games has added a new cover system mechanic that results in spectacular skirmishes akin to Gears of War. Dogfights evoke the adrenalin-filled Rogue Squadron. TT Games should be hired to reboot the feted series.

The original cast of The Force Awakens have recorded additional dialogue and it's a hoot! For example, Harrison Ford requests "Wookie cookies" for his Millennium Falcon co-pilot pal, Chewie, and there's a satirical nod to Ford's on-set injury. John Williams' soundtrack is deftly mixed into proceedings without ever being jarring.

The Force Awakens narrative is stretched to breaking point, even with the inclusion of short stories taken from the wider Star Wars universe including how C-3PO ended up with that red arm, and may have been better suited to LEGO Dimensions if Disney Infinity had been mothballed sooner. However, that's churlish given how much fun this is. It's the closest to a fully open world game, populated by delightful minifigures, we've seen.

A treat for LEGO and Star Wars fans alike. It's the perfect time to revisit The Force Awakens. That's no mean feat for a franchise that began not so long ago in 2005.

**** out of *****

Special thanks to WB Games for providing a PS4 review code.

LEGO Dimensions gets Ghostbusters level pack

Move aside Disney Infinity and Skylanders. There's a new toys-to-life king in town in the form of LEGO Dimensions.

Those Ghostbusters are entering the fray alongside Doctor Who, Batman, Scooby-Doo and many more!



Given TT Games' pedigree, exemplified by the studio's LEGO Jurassic World, best start saving for those 14 level packs now.

LEGO Dimensions is released 29th September.

Doctor Who and more confirmed for LEGO Dimensions

Start saving brick fans!

Doctor Who, Portal 2, Jurassic World, The Simpsons and Scooby-Doo are appearing on LEGO's toys-to-life portal this September. They will be joining Back to the Future, DC Comics, LEGO Movie and The Lord of the Rings.



LEGO Dimensions isn't pulling any punches. Imagine the Doctor with Marty McFly, Batman and Chell as his companions aboard the TARDIS.

Disney Infinity 3.0 will have the force on its side this year. Star Wars makes its debut and there'll be a tie-in with The Force Awakens. However, it's not LEGO is it?

LEGO Dimensions brings toys-to-life in September

Activision's Skylanders ignited the toy-to-life craze and Disney and Nintendo followed with Infinity and Amiibo respectively. Now there's LEGO Dimensions vying for your living room space.

“When kids play with Lego bricks, they build beyond the singular brands, intermixing all of their favourite characters and universes, and we have come up with a way for players to experience that in games,” said Jon Burton, creative director of developer, TT Games, in a press release. “Now for the first time in a videogame, Lego fans can play in the virtual world and in the real world – combining everything without restrictions.”

“Imagine putting Lego Gollum from The Lord of the Rings behind the wheel of the Lego Delorean in New Ninjago City – the creative play is endless.”

A $99.99 "Starter Pack" will launch on September 27th in the US (September 29th in the UK) for Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4 and Wii U. The game leverages LEGO's original and licensed properties including Back to the Future, The Lord of the Rings and DC Comics. Doubtlessly Harry Potter will join the fray in a future update.

Given Marvel and Star Wars are both owned by Disney, there may be a conflict of interest bringing those characters to LEGO's toys-to-life franchise. This does pose a compelling question. What if you could scan a custom LEGO minifig into the game? May be Boba Fett's helmet on Iron Man's body holding Darth Maul's infamous double-bladed lightsaber.

Will you be trading-in your Skylanders, Disney Infinity and Amiibo collections for LEGO Dimensions this September? Let me know in the comments below.