LEGO Star Wars - The Video Game

How have I had this game for almost three weeks now and *not* talked about it in my blog yet? After being given a link by someone on one of the BBs I read, I discovered the LEGO Star Wars Game. Now, before you click on that link (too late?), let me warn you about how addicting this game is. I am NOT a gamer, in any way, shape, form, or fashion. It has also been a source of constant consternation to my husband, as he has repeatedly tried to get me interested in any of a wide variety of games, be they PC, Nintendo, or Playstation. I wouldn't necessarily call him a gamer either, but he is rather attached to his baseball and basketball games. It's just something he enjoys, and he wanted to share that joy with me, despite my clear lack of enthusiasm (much like me encouraging him to read books....). So, imagine his surprise the day he comes home and I point him to this website and say, "I think I want this game." You probably could have knocked him over with a feather. After perusing the site himself, he insisted that we go out that very weekend and pick it up. No argument here.

I was honestly afraid I wouldn't like it. Remember, I'm not a gamer. No reason to mention my adoration of Pac-Man and the like. Heck, I still miss some of the games we had on our Commodore64! They had this version of pinball.... *ahem* Anyway! I loved playing games on the Nintendo and the SuperNintendo. Super Mario Brothers, Bubble Bobble, and Tetris *still* rank as favorites to this day. But since then, none of the games (at least, none that I've ever seen/heard of/played) have ever interested me. It doesn't help that some of the few that did, like Spyro, make me motion sick to a certain extent, so I cannot play them for long. Most frustrating! So here we are, about to spend money on a game that I may or may not like (and no, I didn't download the demo); no worries, though, because DH is bound to like it, so it won't be a waste of money. Just more time he spends on the computer instead of with me. I figure it won't be gory, but will it be too violent? (How you can make LEGOs overly violent, I'm not entirely certain, but I am sure that someone has/will manage one day.) Will the movement of the "camera" be too much for me, like some other games I've tried? Will it just be really boring (to me)? Will it be too hard, or too easy, or too cheesy, or too childish, or....

Nope, nope, nope. We load it up, plug in the controller, and off we go. And it is so unbelievably fun! It is *exactly* my kind of game. I don't think they could have designed a more appropriate game for me if I had given them my precise specifications. I'm sure for any serious gamer, it is a piece of cake. (In case you were wondering, I believe "real" gamers refer to it as a platform game.) They guy who wrote the help guide said that he could complete it in "a few hours." Well, good for him. Instead, we've enjoyed playing it a chapter or two at a time.

Note the key word there: we. Yes, DH and I are playing it together. How nice of it to come with a two-player option, no? Once I saw how fun it was, we went out the next day to get a second controller. We do have our own "single" games going, but it's way more fun playing as a team, and many of the tasks are easier as well. We're both genuinely sorry when we can't play it on any given night. I had to stop playing during Luke's naps because I would get frustrated that he would wake up when I was in the middle of a level! LOL It's just that much fun. I think DH is having just as much (if not more) fun watching me play, and enjoy playing, as he is playing himself. Apparently, I am a novelty. It's certainly a side of me he doesn't see often.

Which is why stopping before the end of the game has been so hard! See, the game is broken down into sections based on each episode of the prequel trilogy. Each episode is broken into several chapters. We have finished all of the chapters in Episodes I and II. Obviously, Episode III will have spoilers in it, but I didn't figure that it would have anything serious or major in it, right? The movie isn't out yet, don't want to ruin it. Lucas is famous for keeping the details of his scripts secret. But then, I heard that the novelization for Revenge of the Sith is out now. This makes no sense to me. It is a book based on the movie, so I imagine it follows the story pretty well. (Gee, ya think?) And I've seen how particular elements of the other episodes have been handled. Hmm.... this could be dangerous. Some events obviously have to happen, and I've run across a few other spoilers already. I don't really want to know any more than I already do before I see the film. So we cautiously start Chapter 1 of Episode III. It was fun. I'm glad we played it. If it is *any* indication of what that scene in the film really looks like, then it will be breathtakingly awesome!

And I now refuse to play any more. Too great a risk of learning too much. And I now have no idea of what to do with my evenings. I feel like I'm wandering around lost. I miss playing so much! DH and I have taken to watching each other play our individual games (which we didn't get very far on once we started playing jointly), but it just isn't the same. I won't go so far as to say that my life no longer has meaning, but my nights sure do seem boring now after Luke goes to bed.

Three more weeks until Episode III makes its theatrical debut to the general public. Probably an additional week until my parents can come visit. Looks like four weeks total before DH and I get an evening to ourselves to see it. I'll try to make it that long.

And a voice echos in her head: "Do, or do not. There is no try."

Currently feeling: obsessed