Star Wars: The New Droid Army (USA) - GBA

In Star Wars Episode II: The New Droid Army the Clone Wars are raging, and the Jedi Council has gotten word that a dangerous new battle droid has been seen on Tatooine. The Council has sent young Jedi Anakin Skywalker to investigate.

This game has two important things going for it: the graphics--with 3-D polygons, smooth animation, and vibrant colors--are top-notch, and the sound effects, including snippets of music from the movies, are impressive for the GBA’s tiny speaker. Hearing the hum of the lightsaber, the twang of laser shots, and--perhaps most impressive--the creepy guffaws of the Tusken Raiders brought a tear to my eye.

But while the sights and sounds of The New Droid Army are impressive, the gameplay is a mixed bag. As young Anakin, you run around, slicing up stuff with your lightsaber. And then you slice some more, and then a bit more. You do have certain Force powers that add to gameplay (moving quickly, jumping really high, becoming invisible, healing wounds, etc.), but not enough to completely relieve the tedium. The biggest flaw though is the lack of character interaction. While you will often need to talk with people to gather information, not all people can talk, so most characters are merely window-dressing. Worse, there is no battery save option in the game. This is a good-looking game that falls well short of classic status. --Bryan Karsh

• EAN Barcode : 785138321233