When the first LEGO Star Wars: The Prequel Trilogy came out, I was skeptical at first, but was soon blown away by what I thought was the best Star Wars game ever, even better than the movies they were based on. When they said they had part two coming out using the Original Trilogy, I waited with anticipation, and with a bit of hesitation. Would they be able to capture lightning in a bottle again? Would this be just as good or even better than the first game?

In two words: Heck Yeah!

LEGO Star Wars 2 picks up where the first one ended, in a very familiar bar in the most famous “wretched hive of scum and villainy.” In other words, at the Mos Eisely cantina. Just as in the first game, the cantina will be your starting point for all your adventures. It’s divided into sections, each one representing one of the episodes. Your first stop is Episode One, with the empire running down the famous Corellian Corvette. You run through the stage just like the first scene in the movie, as a Rebel Fleet Trooper blowing up everything in sight. Once you finish this stage, you have access to all the other movies, just like in the first game.

Gameplay is exactly the same as the first, and is just as easy to pick up and run with. Graphics, sound, all of it is equally satisfying as the first game. And, to the relief and joy of the die-hard fans (me included), they stay as close to the original version of the movie, not the ‘remastered’ ones. Which means that HAN SHOOTS FIRST! Using music from the original soundtracks helps create a very authentic environment. And of course there is still the satisfaction of watching the little LEGO guys blow apart into little LEGO pieces.

One of the best features of the game is your ability to bring over your collection of characters from the original game. This means that instead of 60 or so characters to pick from, you can have about 130-some characters to choose from. You can run Han Solo and General Grievous around if you choose. Personally, my favorite tag team is Boba Fett and Darth Maul.

So what’s new and different with this one? There are new bonus missions for starters, like bounty hunter runs, timed runs, and such. Also, each level completion gives you a gold brick. Collect enough gold bricks and you’ll be able to access LEGO World, which I found to be perfect for stress relief. There’s just something relaxing about blowing a tree into smithereens for money. The opportunity to drive vehicles like AT-STs and Tie Bombers make you feel like you’re in that galaxy far, far away. Finally there is the character customization screen, where you can put together almost endless combinations of parts to make… Pink Bikini Maul! Really!

And if you played the first game, you’ll remember each character had special moves specific to him or her. The same holds true with this game. For example, Chewbacca rips off the arms of opponents and beats them with them. Slave Leia stuns anyone around her when she does her little dance move.

A great deal of love and creativity went into this game. And as a fan girl and purist, I’m glad it did. Most of the time the sequels aren’t as good as the original, just like the movies. But LEGO Star Wars 2: The Original Trilogy is just as good, maybe even better than the original.

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