LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars Review + GIVEAWAY

 Okay, dear readers, this post is going to reveal two (possibly) previously unknown facts about me;

1. I love to game. Love, love, love it and;

2. I have a thing for Star Wars

When the opportunity to review LEGO® Star Wars: The Clone Wars came to me, I simply couldn't pass it up. As a teenager, while other girls were doing whatever teen girls do, I was holed up with the guys drag racing, fighting magical creatures, saving princesses and shooting people on Play Station (1 + 2), Nintendo 64 (for the James Bond games) and Xbox or having movie marathons and watching things like Star Wars, so trying this new game out was a no brainer for me.

These days James and I have a Wii, but we also have three children so gaming has become a pass time we rarely get to enjoy. Gone are the realistic games where you kill people and see blood and limbs flying about the place as you do. Now, we have a shelf full of carefully selected family friendly games, even though Ellie has only just started playing Wii on occasion we felt it was important to only have available what we would allow the children to play.

Obviously, with a review I had to make time to sit down and play - for work - so, after some Wii problems, I finally got to indulge my love of all things controllers, on-screen adventure and Yoda.

Here's a little about the game:

'The beloved and critically acclaimed LEGO® Star Wars™ franchise is back and coming to homes around the world in 2011. The third sequel, LEGO Star Wars III:The Clone Wars, combines the epic stories and iconic characters from the Star Wars universe and hit animated TV series Star Wars: The Clone Wars™ with all new gameplay features. 

Players will enjoy brand new game mechanics allowing them to create, control and explore in a galaxy far, far away like never before.  Promising breathtaking visuals as well as new characters and levels, the game also features the signature tongue-in-cheek humor from the LEGO universe.  With over 20 story-based missions and 40 bonus levels spanning the entire Clone Wars era, LEGO Star Wars III:  The Clone Wars will allow fans to explore endlessly and laugh their way through the Star Wars galaxy in the most humorous, accessible and action-packed LEGO game to date.'

While I was a little rusty at first, I was soon Using the Force and getting my little LEGO self out of (and into) trouble.

Storm Troopers storm Sydney

This is the first LEGO game I have played and I just love it. The characters, in LEGO form, are adorably funny. Especially Chewbacca and Yoda, who were always my favourite characters in the movies.The form the characters take made it an easy decision for me to let Ellie have a go, whereas, had they been cartoon but more human I might have thought it not quite appropriate.

 The game is rated for 10+ but I am happy for her to sit with me from time to time and have a go. On her first attempt I saw improvement in her ability to control the game as she recognised the correlation between what she was doing with the Wii Remote and what was happening on screen. I could even say that she picked it up faster than I did initially (being old and all), but I won't...

Still stormin' Sydney

I love that there are puzzles to be solved which encourage you to think outside the box - it's not just a walk through and collect this or find that kind of game. You have to get creative and use your brain.

Another plus is that each level has little bits and pieces specifically for different characters, which means each level is different, interesting and challenging on subsequent run throughs.

And I am in love with the Lightsabers.

To win yourself a copy of LEGO Star Wars III:  The Clone Wars on Wii all you have to do is make sure you are a follower of my blog, and leave me a comment telling me who you'd like to see in LEGO form.

Entries close midnight April 20th 2011 (AEST, ie Sydney time) and will be drawn by Random.org. Please note, entry is only open to Australian residents and be sure I have your contact details in case you win!!

If the prize is not claimed within a week, this competition will be redrawn. 

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of LEGO Star Wars III:  The Clone Wars on Wii,  for review purposes courtesy of Activision. All opinions expressed are purely my own.