I don't like most video games. Getting me engaged in some arbitrary plot while making me hamfist my way through an overly complicated set of controls is difficult enough when it's in a topic area I'm interested in—and usually impossible otherwise. Simply put, most video games offer very little (usually no) payout for the investment of time and effort they require.
But ... I watched the trailer for the LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy game last week and was damned amused. So, I downloaded the demo onto the Xbox 360 and I'm actually quite tickled with it.
Bonus 1: the game doesn't try to impress me with characters. It's all recycled, so there's no akward dialog in the beginning of the game where the creators try to give me insight into the protagonist's (usually exaggerated) personality.
Bonus 2: it's got easy controls. About half of the whole Xbox 360 control is ever in play, which is just about right. Steep learning curves can kiss my ass.
Bonus 3: it's got a damned good sense of humor. This is exactly what got me interested in this game in the first place, and it's why I'm actually spent time playing the demo. The guys at Tt Games don't seem to take themselves nearly as seriously as most video game creators—which is a good thing, because most video game creators are so full of themselves they're practically bursting.
I mean, come on—how serious can a game be when Darth Vader has LEGO peg holes in the backs of his kneeless legs?
I played the Vista version yesterday at IDF. It was a lot of fun. The great thing is that it is a good wholesome killing game. Instead of subjecting my 3 year old to the blood and death of Halo, he can watch cute little plastic men explode into coins when killed. Grandma will be happier.
I particularly like the part where a plastic Han Solo disintegrates Greedo's entire torso in the bar at Mos Eisley. All that's left are a plastic head and plastic limbs.