Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga

"My LEGOs can beat up your LEGOs."

Presentation:
I can't really think of anything outstanding about LSW's presentation, but on the other hand, I can't think of any real flaws. Maybe I just can't think...

Ever seen a LEGO set? Well, that's what the game looks like! The characters are all LEGO toys, but they have a full range of motion. On the technical side, the game runs pretty solid at 60 fps. Most of the graphics aren't high-poly textured wonders because they correctly emulate the LEGO toys! Once again, there are no big flaws to speak of.

The audio can be described the same way. The music is taken straight from the films' soundtrack, and the sound effects fit the game well. Characters grunt and jabber, lasers make laser-y sounds, and explosions explode. Once again, not really any flaws.

The game features numerous cutscenes, many of which are humorous. Though the characters never speak, you can always tell what is going on and you'll probably recognize a lot from the movies.

Game Play:
In LEGO Star Wars, the characters are divided into groups. Characters within a group usually have all the same abilities; in other words, the differences are usually only cosmetic. Jedi characters carry lightsabers, can jump high, and can use the force. Jump characters can jump the highest of all the characters. And so forth.

During the game, your party has all the character types necessary to complete the level. Levels are progressed through by defeating enemies, pressing switches, completing puzzles, etc.

Probably the best feature of the game play is the ability to play two-player co-op mode. This makes the game a lot more fun, since you must work together to finish levels.

Game play mechanics are generally decent, but the levels in which you pilot aircraft are very bad. The spaceships are hard to control and just a little too fast to really feel like you're playing and not just button-mashing. Thankfully, ship levels don't usually appear more than once every 5 or 6 stages.

The controls are simple and easy to use, but in a sense, disappointing. One of the biggest hype points for the Wii version was that you could control the lightsaber with the Wii remote. While that statement is technically true, the control is limited to simply swinging the remote in any direction to make the character attack, as opposed to controlling your lightsaber's actual movement and position. Swinging the remote has the same effect as pressing the B button.

Value:
LEGO Star Wars is loaded with extras. Each level has extra goals, like collecting a certain amount of LEGO money, finding secret bricks, and collecting all the pieces of a LEGO vehicle kit. Although that adds a lot more playing time, the game can still become boring. LSW has TONS of unlockables--characters, levels, vehicles, easter eggs--that you can buy with the LEGO money you collect in the levels. I would estimate the total play time needed to unlock all the levels and accomplish every objective to be about 75 hours. Yeah. So if you're trapped on a desert island with just this game, it'll be at least a few days before you have to do the exact same thing over again. The two-player co-op is a great value booster, and there's also a battle multiplayer mode.

Intangibles:
It's LEGOs... come on! This game has charm, and I can't remember the number of times I saw things in this video game that made me laugh or drop my jaw.

Overall:
If you like LEGOs, or Star Wars, or just funny games with loads of extras, this is the game for you.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 04/25/08

Game Release: Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga (US, 11/06/07)