Playable Characters: X-wing
The final chapter in A New Hope is, as you might imagine, the assault on the Death Star. The first portion of this level is seen from a near top-down view, as you maneuver your X-wing across the battle station's surface, shooting down TIE fighters and dodging enemy fire. You will occasionally encounter force fields that block your path. To get past them, you must destroy the shields' generators by finding a bomb dispenser. Flying over the dispenser allows you to drag a bomb behind your ship and deliver it to the generators. Your X-wing is capable of pulling off a few advanced moves like loops, barrel rolls, and 180¿ turns.
The second half of the stage is the familiar run down the Death Star's trench. The viewpoint shifts to the traditional behind-the-X-wing view. Once you outrun Darth Vader and his TIE fighter escorts, you have to drop some proton torpedoes into the vulnerable exhaust port. In this game, the port is protected by a shield, so "blowing this thing and going home" won't be as simple as it was in the movie.
LEGO Star Wars II treats ships just like it treats characters. That is, when you play as a ship in the story mode, you can then unlock it to play in other levels. Once you gain access to a few new vehicles, you'll want to replay this stage and explore areas that the X-wing can't get to. Other confirmed ships that you can play as are Y-wings, A-wings, snowspeeders, TIE fighters, Imperial shuttles, and the Millennium Falcon.
If this early peek is anything to go by, it looks like LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy is going to be even better than its predecessor. Next month, we will take a closer look at the next third of the game, the part based on The Empire Strikes Back. We'll also have a look at the game's new create-a-character mode. Be sure to check it out.
