STACK #212 June 2022

GAMING REVIEWS

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LEGO STAR WARS: THE SKYWALKER SAGA

ACTION ADVENTURE MULTIPLAYER

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Billed as the biggest LEGO game yet, it’s impossible to quibble with the claim – look at the size of that thing! All nine mainline Star Wars films feature, in abridged, just-the-highlights five-level takes. Kicking off, you can go for the first episode of any of the three trilogies. Once played through, the level unlocks for free play, and this is where serious collectors can get busy. Not surprisingly, collectibles are

and we get new things. This includes everything from obvious graphical embellishments to subtle gameplay improvements, and the big one: revamped combat. LEGO games have always depended on different character abilities to tackle various challenges, from climbing to melting stuff, blowing things up to – in this case – using the Force. It’s more structured now, with the Holoprojector hub compiling characters into specific capability categories – hero, villain, and such. There are also light RPG elements, with the abilities of each character category being upgradable. A LEGO game wouldn’t be a LEGO game without some fun, often dad-jokey humour. Sometimes like a collision between Star Wars and Mel Brooks’ genius spoof Spaceballs , there's a lot of love in these gags, and deep appreciation for Star Wars lore. If you’re a gamer who worships at the twin altars of LEGO and Star Wars then you really don’t want to miss this huge, continually rewarding toy box of classic space opera delights. AF

THE SPACE BETWEEN Ace fun is had in the space bits between worlds. You can use them as a way to simply get from A to B, or get from obliteration of stud asteroids to mining Kyber bricks to chasing space outlaws or taking on various race challenges. distracted by various challenges that range

abundant, with 1166 new Kyber bricks (similar to gold bricks in previous games) to collect just the beginning. As usual, some you’ll easily trip over, while others will have you scratching your bonce as to how to nab them. Then there are character unlocks – some 300-plus – plus assorted spacecraft, minikits and also datacards, which, when combined with hard-earned in-game currency, are basically your classic red bricks. We were promised new things,

NINTENDO SWITCH SPORTS

SPORTS MULTIPLAYER

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16 years ago, Wii Sports put gaming on the map for many who’d previously never got involved. Now the concept returns in updated form as Nintendo Switch Sports , aiming to get us all up off our bottoms once again.

If you ever encountered Wii Sports then you’ll feel at home here. The look is very

similar, just in higher resolution, and the presentation is as slick as ever. Nintendo Switch Sports mixes

PLAYING FAIR AND SQUARE

is bang on, with its extra motion capabilities over the classic Wiimote allowing for finer control in many instances, offering a more natural feel to playing sports in your loungeroom. Online play is the biggest difference, and Nintendo Switch Sports saves a lot of the good stuff for the ‘Play Globally’ mode, in which participation wins points that can unlock costumes, emotes and other cool bits and bobs for your customisable in-game character. We’d been hoping that Nintendo would revisit their Sports series on Switch, and the result is much what you’d expect – and that’s a good thing (other than the odd sore arm)! It’s a brilliantly enjoyable party game that all can get involved with, plus if you’re alone you can still join in with others thanks to the online options. Just don’t forget to tighten those wrist straps! AF

things up with a handful of sports from the Wii Sports era, plus some new additions, delivering us tennis and bowling, plus volleyball, badminton, football/soccer and chambara, a fun swordplay entry. Golf is slated to be added via a free update later this year. If you’re new to the concept of getting sporty in front of the telly, each activity has a brief but helpful tutorial that will have you swinging, rolling, lobbing, spiking, stabbing and/or kicking in no time. The Joy-Con controller’s responsiveness

Events take place in a sporting precinct known as Spocco Square, with players given three gameplay options in ‘Play Globally’, ‘Play Locally’ and ‘Play with Friends’. The first and last have options for one to two players online, while up to four can get active playing locally.

12 JUNE 2022

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