An Ode to ‘Lego Star Wars: The Video Game’

With the second Lego movie recently hitting theaters, I thought of another one of my favorite combos: Legos and Star Wars. I have no carpentry skills whatsoever, and if you told me to build a birdhouse, I would fail epically. However, even at a young age, I was a Lego connoisseur and could create anything that crossed my path. I was obsessed with Legos and Star Wars, and even built the Lego Millenium Falcon all by myself. You can envision my excitement when I found out there would be a Lego Star Wars video game. Game on bro.

When I first found out about Lego Star Wars: The Video Game I was ecstatic. It would be the perfect blend of the loves of my life at the time. Now imagine the pain that came with that when I realized it was initially released on the Xbox and PS2, but not on the Gamecube. Oh, the agony. I was crushed, and had to hear the other neighborhood kids bragging about their Lego Star Wars experience on the bus. I heard how fun it was and had to have it. Finally, much to my excitement, the game was released on Gamecube months later. I finally had my chance.

I couldn’t contain myself when I loaded up the game. I had waited months for this moment. Immediately I was hooked. Beating the first level with my brother at my side was an incredible experience, and we realized this was jus the beginning. Not only could you play a bunch of levels in episodes one through three, but you could also explore Dexter’s Diner as well! Dexter’s Diner was the perfect place to have as the Lego Star Wars hub. I spent so much time there buying characters and cheats, attacking random people, and breaking every item I could to add to my stud count.

The game was a humorous take on the Star Wars story, and I loved every aspect of it. The cutscenes were all great and I thoroughly enjoyed the vehicle-specific levels. Another excellent feature was the free play. This game had so much replay value, as there was so much to go back to and unlock at each level. You would go back to find all the minikits, which would build a cool spaceship that would dock outside of the diner hub. These minikits also gave loads of studs, which helped in the quest to buy everything possible from Dexter.

Lego Star Wars: The Video Game is one of the first games that I ever beat to completion. It took me hours upon hours to do it, but I unlocked everything I possibly could in that game. It probably sounds weird, but that was such a great feeling of achievement at the time. There was nothing more I could accomplish in that game; it was over for me. This left me feeling both extremely satisfied but also upset at the same time. It was a bittersweet feeling. It was an incredible game that I had craved for so long, and now it would never be the same again.

I have since ventured into other Lego video games, but they have never felt the same to me. I played Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy, but it didn’t live up to the original. How could it? I played Lego Batman and the Lego Harry Potter games (I still need to play Lego Indiana Jones), but none of them got me hooked like the original Lego Star Wars. Maybe it has to do with growing up, but I will never forget that gameplay experience. It is a game that I will forever cherish, and I am very appreciative for it being made in the first place. Thank you for coming along this journey with me. May the force be with you, brick by brick.