I picked Lego Star Wars - The Complete Saga up at the end of June as a little treat for myself. Having played a few "serious" games that sapped away time and days, I felt I wanted to play something light hearted. It was only £8 and being a big fan of Star Wars and playing with Lego as a child it did draw me in. I thought it would be movie to video game trash but I was hugely mistaken. My niece loves this game and I'm sure my nephew will too.
I would sum the game up as a lazy Sunday afternoon. A James Bond marathon on ITV. Yes we have seen it a thousand times but we still find enjoyment from it. Lego Star Wars is the same. Its highly enjoyable, pokes fun at itself during the cut scenes and is pretty addictive at times. Age is not an issue as children and adults can pick this title up and find it easy and straight forward to play, in fact you will probably find they play it better than you, which is a source of major frustration. With a mix of character only episodes or vehicle episodes (these are excellent) there is plenty to do and each have their own mix of puzzles and fight scenes.
Having the full score (yes the full score) of all six movies is brilliant and enhanced my enjoyment further. I found myself playing the game as it was played out on the silver screen. When Luke fires the torpedo and flies of straight away from the Death Star, I instinctively did the same! Or when the Millennium Falcon evades the Imperial Fleet, you find yourself pulling the same maneuvers along with the score! Each Episode is broken into 6 chapters and you get to play the major highlights and turning points of those movies.
In terms of extra's there is plenty with the opportunity to buy extra characters or make 2 of your own, upgrades/power ups which can be used during the game with no detriment to completing a level or chapter, helpful hints or items (such as gold bricks) which help you complete the game to 100% completion. Each level has a certain amount of replay value but can at times become monotonous. A big part of the game is collecting not only lego studs (the games money) but also mini kits. These allow you to build vehicles that can be used in different levels. There is also a challenge mode which allows you to go back to a chapter and collect 10 blue mini kits in the quickest time possible. This I feel was the only let down of Lego Star Wars. There was no variation in the challenges and proved to be a source of boredom. The online feature is fun to but really only in the vehicle parts
I enjoyed it for a Sunday's afternoon gaming and is a bargain for the size of the levels and extra's you get.