Begun these Clone Wars have.
Things start off fairly promising, with the game offering up a deft recreation of the climactic battle in the Geonosian arena from Episode II: Attack of the Clones. As always, the animated cutscenes are a pleasure to watch, melding the classic Star Wars iconography and style with the chunky, agreeable Lego characters. Whereas the visuals of past games in the series were colourful, albeit simple, The Clone Wars represents what just might be the apex of the concept; both intellectual properties are represented absolutely flawlessly, with each stubby plastic Lego-person and glowing lightsaber recreated with equal accuracy and aplomb. While past games in the series always did justice to the core idea, The Clone Wars boasts a range of improved effects and a bigger sense of spectacle; the game engine faithfully renders epic battles featuring dozens of characters with little-to-no dip in the frame rate, and many of the levels are respectably open, deftly conveying the scale of the most memorable Star Wars skirmishes. The marrying of such impeccable visuals with note-perfect samples of John Williams’ inimitable themes and the series’ unmistakable effects makes The Clone Wars a treat for the senses.
What a shame, then, that Traveller’s Tales and LucasArts have failed to alleviate the repetitiveness and shallowness of the series’ core design. The aforementioned battle of Geonosis, for example, requires players to switch between three playable characters in order to conquer the monsters of the arena. Taking down the savage beasts requires them to be stunned using Padme Amidala’s chain, which in turn allows the Jedi characters to leap onto the creatures’ backs to effect a savage lightsaber attack. The problem with the game’s design is that it pummels its ideas into the ground through repetition; by the third time a player switches characters, goes through the same motions, and sees the simple animation play out, they will likely have had quite enough. Unfortunately, the early encounter on Geonosis is just a tease of what is to come. Opening a simple force-field door onboard a Separatist Cruiser requires players to activate what seems like an endless series of switches, inducing head-numbing boredom in the process and almost stifling any sense of fun derived from the act of collecting the innumerable trinkets or partaking the simple, enjoyable combat or platforming.
Many of the series' most vivid locales have been faithfully recreated.
Only partially offsetting the game’s rote design is the developer’s decision to open up its mechanics to include some ambitious attempts at real-time strategising. Certain levels see players in command of the battlefield, using resources to build bases and destroy those of the enemy; while such distractions are fun in the short term and do much to inject some much-needed depth to the series, they too wear out their welcome by virtue of some frustrating mechanics and muddy, overused objectives which see you destroying a series of identical targets. Speaking of frustration, The Clone Wars represents a step-up in terms of difficulty when compared with its predecessors; for perhaps the first time in a Lego title, the puzzles are oftentimes obtuse and maddening on account of poor signposting and an unhelpful camera system. While hardly a challenging game overall, The Clone Wars may be the first Lego title which necessitates some parental assistance. Luckily, the co-operative functionality, which is accommodates both local and online play, is as slick as ever, enabling more experienced players to guide the experience for their partners-in-play. To its credit, The Clone Wars is a generous game, boasting an enviable amount of content by way of its innumerable hidden treasures and post-game unlockables. If the gameplay on offer is to your liking, there is no reason why The Clone Wars will not remain in constant rotation.
While it is tempting to excuse rote mechanics and repetitive objectives by pigeon-holing The Clone Wars as a game for children, the truth is that even younger and more inexperienced gamers deserve a little more from their entertainment; it is a significant shame that such a charming, gorgeous game should be so mundane to play, so utterly mediocre and unambitious in what it asks of its players. The worlds of Lego and Star Wars, so rich and vibrant, deserve games which test the imaginations of players over and above their ability to gather collectibles and hit switches. Where past games in the series could contentedly coast along on their novelty and personality, The Clone Wars bears the burden of increased scrutiny and comes up slightly short. It is nowhere near a terrible game, but one which is not terribly exciting outside of its surface trappings. If Traveller's Tales is to recapture gamers' attentions with the forthcoming Lego Pirates of the Caribbean, then we think it would do well to contemplate a fundamental overhaul of the series' core design.
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