Star Wars: Lethal Alliance
Score: 70% ESRB: Teen Publisher: Ubisoft Entertainment Developer: Ubisoft Montreal Media: UMD/1 Players: 1 - 2 (Ad-Hoc) Genre: Action/ Third Person Shooter
Graphics & Sound: I’ll readily admit that the Star Wars license is usually enough to get me interested in a game. It is part of the reason I was stuck on Galaxies for a better part of two years and the only reason I played through Bounty Hunter. But, for every two Holiday Special - quality games there is usually an Empire Strikes Back like Republic Commando or Knights of the Old Republic. Star Wars: Lethal Alliance is the latest game to carry the Star Wars license and, although it isn’t a Holiday Special, it isn’t too far from a Phantom Menace. Lethal Alliance looks good. The game may not feel a whole lot like Star Wars at times, but it certainly looks the part. All of the planets look exactly like they do in the movies, from the traffic-filled, sleek industrial streets of Coruscant to the dusty, backwater planet of Tatoonie. Rianna and the rest of the cast look great, especially for a PSP game. Animation is smooth, though there are some noticeable clipping problems – which is to be expected. Except for Force Commander, I can’t think of a Star Wars game that hasn’t done a great job with sound. Familiar John Williams tracks from all six movies pop up in different places as do familiar sounds. The one area I wasn’t impressed with was voice acting. Rianna sounds okay, but Kyle usually sounds disinterested and Leia comes off as kind of a… well, let’s keep this “G” rated and say, “Not a nice person.”
Gameplay: You are Rianna Saren, a Twi’lek mercenary and another member of the ever-growing list of people who stole the plans for the Death Star. In a welcome change of pace, Rianna isn’t a Jedi nor does she discover Force abilities in some massive plot twist. Instead she, like Han Solo, is the real backbone of the Rebel Alliance. Rianna is joined in her adventure by Zeeo, a floating droid with just as many uses as an R2 unit. Star Wars: Lethal Alliance doesn’t cover any new ground as far as third-person shooters go. Rianna runs around levels shooting everything that shoots at her while solving rudimentary puzzles, avoiding traps and… well, that’s about it. Things get a little more interesting when Zeeo checks in during team-up abilities. Zeeo can fly at enemies and knock them down or be used as a shield. Rianna can also use Zeeo as a stepping stone for platform-jumping puzzles and in the occasional chase sequence. Levels are bare and are basically an excuse to take you through notable locales in the Star Wars universe. You start out on Coruscant and eventually work your way to exotic locales like Tatoonie and Mustafar. You’ll also come across notable characters like Princess Leia and Kyle Katarn, but for the most part Lethal Alliance is surprisingly light on the Star Wars. On one hand, it is refreshing to see other hands at play in the universe, but at the same time, it doesn’t feel right and it is hard to take some of the secondary villains seriously. Multiplayer feels tacked on. You and one other person run around killing each other and trying to collect items. The map selection isn’t that great and the mode isn’t all that fun to begin with, so it doesn’t add much to replay value.
Difficulty: Star Wars: Lethal Alliance offers three difficulty levels. Easy is, well, easy. You take very little damage from shots, to the point that you are nearly indestructible. The only areas that will likely give you a problem are the platforming areas, though this is – as you’ll read in a few sentences -- more a problem with mechanics. The only real difference between Normal and Hard is how much damage you take. Once again, the more challenging parts are a result of mechanical flaws.
Game Mechanics: I still don’t get why more developers don’t implement locked camera systems on the PSP considering the lack of a second analog stick. While the camera isn’t terrible, it is still pretty bad. The shoulder buttons don’t work for quick camera changes, especially, as in the case of Star Wars: Lethal Alliance, when they are also used for targeting. The double-duty pulled by the shoulder buttons wasn’t as problematic as I originally thought they would be, but it can still be a pain in some instances. Worse than the camera problems is the control. After almost two years, I’m a little more comfortable with the analog nub, but not when my character acts like a jackrabbit hopped up on Red Bull. I get that Rianna is supposed to be quick, but she’s a little too quick; to the point where she can run off the side of a platform with the slightest touch of the nub. Her diving jumps aren’t all that comforting either. With Rianna, every jump is an adventure. Lethal Alliance suffers from lengthy load times, even for a PSP game. Nearly every function is preceded by a load time of at least 30 seconds, whether it is a level, a save or the title screen. The load screens are so annoying that you’ll debate saving between levels to avoid extra load times. Star Wars: Lethal Alliance isn’t a complete disaster and does provide a few fleeting moments of fun. If it weren’t for the flawed mechanics, it probably would have been more fun. As it is, it is just a so-so third-person shooter sporting the Star Wars license.
-Starscream, GameVortex Communications AKA Ricky Tucker
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