Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga (2007)
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Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga Game Review
Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga is a 2007 action-adventure video game developed by Traveller’s Tales. I played the PC version. It’s a very good game.
This game was released in 2007 and it’s not really an original game. It was a compilation of the two previous games that tackled the prequel trilogy and the original trilogy respectively. These two games were put into this one package with some new levels and interesting additions. This idea worked and the game was a huge seller while also receiving very strong reviews. I prefer the Lego Harry Potter games over this one both as a bigger fan of that franchise and the gameplay in those games, but this was still a very good entry in the series that I enjoyed quite a bit.
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The hub world in the game is Mos Eisley Cantina. This is where you can purchase additional characters, bricks and even cheats, but more on those cheats later. The hub world is intuitive and fantastic as you can easily access every level that you need. The game was and still remains very easy to roam around and immensely accessible. You can play it in whichever order you want and that level of freedom was admirable.
You need to progress through each level and find these gold bricks of which there are 160. Needless to say, these Lego games are perfect for completionists such as myself, so I’ve had an absolute blast finding every single one of its bricks and other collectibles to reach that elusive 100%. 120 of these bricks are found in the main levels while the others can either be purchased or found in some fun bonus levels.
Every level contains three gold bricks. One is for completing the level in story mode, the second is for achieving “True Jedi”, and the third is achieved after collecting all ten blue minikits. These minikits are the most entertaining element to this game as it was so much fun finding them. They are usually placed in the best hidden places that are not easy to access. How you access the locked doors is through the help of other characters. For example, robots like C-3PO can open certain doors while dark characters like Darth Vader can open others. Inside, there can be a further mechanism or a simple puzzle to be solved in order to get that minikits. Most of these puzzles are not too difficult nor too easy, which I appreciated.
The game has 160 playable characters in what is truly a staggering number. But most of these can be put into distinct categories: we have the Jedi, who use the force to repair objects or attack enemies, there are dark characters who open those special red-hued objects or doors, there is R2-D2 who can hover to those secluded areas, there are characters that have a grappling hook and can climb buildings and there are of course great jumpers like Jar Jar Binks, who are indispensable to reach those higher platforms. The combination of Jar Jar, Darth Vader and R2-D2 was the best one for me personally.
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So yes, those minikits were my favorite collectibles to seek out, but there is also an additional gold brick that can be obtained after successfully beating the same level with a timer and with the added blue minikits spread across the level. These levels were short, breezy and a whole lot of fun. There are also red power bricks and those are hidden inside each level in very well hidden areas and usually guarded by a puzzle of sorts. This was a terrific idea as well, but above all else these red bricks were crucial as they would open a certain cheat that you can purchase to help you continue the game literally in easier mode.
The most important cheat to obtain is most definitely the magnet that collects coins for you. Collecting coins is necessary to get that elusive “True Jedi” and the corresponding gold brick. I found this mechanic very annoying as the enemies would constantly kill you and make you lose on your well-earned coins. Falling into pits would lead to losing them with no opportunity to get them back. This made playing the earlier levels extremely frustrating, but thankfully after the magnet and the additional double score cheat, it became less cumbersome and the game opened itself up for more enjoyment and fun.
The story in Lego Star Wars is just repeated from all six movies through these cutscenes that are just fine. Gone was the humor from those Lego HP games and I really missed that comedic tone. But thankfully, there was no dialogue and some humorous exchanges did happen, but not nearly enough as I’d wanted. The game has a pretty good sound and of course its soundtrack from the movies is iconic and frequently elevating the levels to an epic status.
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Graphically, the game did not age all that well in backgrounds that are at times quite unpolished and dated. The character designs are also too simple. But for the most part it looked pretty good and the world building is fantastic. Most of the levels are very well designed and a couple of them set in palaces were a delight to behold in architecture and level design. But I have to say that I really disliked the shooting levels that were a bit too difficult to control and orient. They were suitably frenetic, but not fun to play at all. This is a very lengthy game if you strive to finish it properly, which I appreciated. I also found the controls to be mostly pretty good. I just wished that those waves of enemies were less annoying and that the boss fights were more memorable.
Overall, Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga has a great soundtrack, but somewhat pedestrian graphics. The level design and world building are strong, but the shooting levels were immensely frustrating. The game is at its best when you buy some cheats and pursue full completion as the collectibles are so fun to seek out and the levels are easy enough when you know what you are doing. It’s, thus, a flawed, but very well designed and fun Lego game.
My Rating – 4.1
Best Lego Star Wars Characters:
1. Darth Vader
2. General Grievous
3. Jar Jar Binks
4. R2-D2
5. Jango Fett
Ranking Lego Star Wars Gameplay Elements:
1. Collecting Minikits
2. Collecting Blue Minikits
3. Finding Red Power Bricks
4. Finishing Levels
5. Obtaining True Jedi