LEGO STAR WARS II
LucasArts, PS2/Xbox/Nintendo DS/PSP/Game Boy/Game Cube, $29.99-$49.99
Admit it–fooled by the family-friendly visuals and unlikely licensing tie-in, you slept on last year’s most underappreciated arcade blaster. Thankfully, like a bolt of Force lightning to the groin, this star-studded sequel (featuring over 50 favorite signature characters ranging from Luke to Ponda Baba) will shock formerly apathetic audiences into attention. Alone, or with help from a friend (who can instantly jump in to tag-team the saga), would-be do-gooders reprise the greatest battles from the original cinematic trilogy. Emphasizing straightforward shootouts and lightsaber-swinging excitement, expect frantic engagements that let you don Darth Vader’s helmet and choke block-headed enemies into submission or rip off limbs as an angry Chewbacca. Even doper, you can take the wheel of playable vehicles like AT-AT walkers and X-Wing gunships, so you can instantly trash Tatooine or do it big during the Death Star trench run. While somewhat shallow and hardly the most sophisticated entry into the franchise’s canon, you can nonetheless count on having a good time blowing holes in blocky, rampaging Stormtroopers. Signature attacks for each character extend replay value, as does support for mixing and matching individual body parts to create your own customized hero. Albeit an incremental improvement on the original, and by no means revolutionary, the title offers strangely addictive delights for gamers of all ages. Scott Steinberg
www.lucasarts.com

Love: Hero roster, level design, vehicles
Hate: No online multiplayer, lacks depth
Final Word: The empire strikes back!