Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga (360) - Review

What an inspired idea LucasArts and Traveller’s Tales had with the Lego Star Wars games; take one of the most loved movie series of all time, combine it with what is probably THE most popular children’s (big kids too) toys ever, and add in a healthy dose of humour.  The first two games (covering the new and original trilogies respectively) were big successes, so it must have seemed natural to combine them into one uber-game to drag in as much cash as possi…I mean, to give fans the ultimate Lego Star Wars game.

The big problem with these kinds of compilation titles, of course, is whether it’s worthwhile for those who have played the original games to bother purchasing them.  Both Lego Star Wars and Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy were brilliant games, combining charming (if basic) graphics and sound, with fun, old-school platformer/adventure gameplay and cute Lego aesthetics.

Naturally things have been updated a little here, and while the new game won’t tax your system, it at least looks next-gen enough that people still playing PS2s might be a little impressed.  The art direction is as fun as ever; watching Lego Darth Maul get cut in half and seeing his legs twitching around is just hilarious, and the ability to make your own character from various Lego parts should satisfy both the Lego and Star Wars geek inside you as you finally create the Darth Bobabacca of your twisted childhood dreams.

The best thing about this compilation is the fact that it is quite simply huge!  162 playable characters, 36 story-based missions, 20 bounty hunter levels, robust co-op gameplay, and multiple challenges and collectibles mean that this is a game you can keep in the drive for quite a long time; there’s always something new to do or find, and it is actually quite challenging to ‘complete’ the game, which is always nice.

That is, of course, assuming that you haven’t actually played either (or both) of the original Lego Star Wars titles.  Despite the addition of a couple of new levels and characters, this compilation is basically the exact same games with a slightly slicker coat of paint.  If you’ve played and completed the older games, it’s hard to justify Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga as a purchase, as there is nothing new enough on offer to drag you back through again unless you’re obsessive and/or compulsive.

The best analogy here would be to compare this with various sporting game series (such as FIFA, Madden, or what have you); if you absolutely love the games and are a completionist who must own each yearly addition, then you’ve probably already bought this latest entry and have no interest in my opinion anyway.  If you haven’t played either Lego Star Wars game, or even just one of them, then I have no problem recommending this as a brilliant piece of fun that you and a friend can enjoy for many hours of awesome gameplay and quirky graphics.

But if you don’t fulfil either of these criteria, then it’s going to be hard to recommend this game as a purchase; it’s not that you won’t have fun, it’s just that you’ve already had the exact same fun twice before.

If you’ve finished either of the original games making up this compilation, I’d definitely recommend a try before you buy approach; otherwise, there’s no reason not to go out and buy this right now.  Just remember that this isn’t a brand new game and adjust your thinking accordingly       

               

Graphics: 7/10 (Some great cutscenes and cute appearance, but hardly a technical masterpiece.)

Sound: 8/10 (All the great music from Star Wars combined with cute Lego sound effects…yes I’m aware that Lego doesn’t actually make sounds, but you know what I mean.)

Gameplay: 8/10 (Entertaining Co-op platforming and action with a tonne of variety, lots of collectibles, and some highly fun vehicle sections.)

Longevity: 5/10 (Add 4 if you’ve never played a Lego Star Wars game, leave it at 5 if you’ve played one, take 4 off if you’ve played them both.)

Overall: 7/10 (It’s hard to arrive at a proper score for a game made up of two games that have already been released.  So this final score isn’t going to take into account whether you’ve played the prior games or not; instead, the 7 is for the fact that the game is fun, but highly unoriginal.)

      

-Tim Sweeney

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Oooh rah, if my incredibly poor mathematics and lack of logic are telling me right, then my website has now officially been running for 5,000 years!

In all seriousness though, thank you everyone; this is a pretty huge milestone, and even if half my hits are from porn-bots or people looking for photos of naked TAFE students (seriously…), I still appreciate every that takes the time to check out my work, and I hope that there’s something interesting to read here for everybody.

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Thank you,

   

- Tim Sweeney