Video Game Review: Lego Star Wars - The Complete Saga for Wii

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Fun, creative levels built around Star Wars

Cons: A few overly hard levels, a few issues with characters

The Bottom Line: 

Collect Lego studs

In galaxy far away

Through all six movies

Work Your Way Through the Entire Star Wars Saga Lego Brick by Lego Brick

I normally don’t do movie based video games, but I am hooked on the Lego series.  They are way too much fun and contain so many levels you can spend hours playing them.  And that’s one reason why I don’t get through them very fast since my time spent playing the Wii is sporadic at best.  Recently, I’ve been making my way through Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga, and I’ve been enjoying it.

For those who aren’t familiar with the Lego series, they recreate movies, but with Lego characters and sets.  So in this case, you are playing through all six movies from the Star Wars franchise.  Each of the six movies gets six different levels.  The game is designed for one or two players, and you must work your way through collecting Lego pieces (called studs) and solving puzzles by building or destroying things.  Occasionally, one part will require a certain character to get through (some doors can only be opened by R2-D2 or C-3PO, for example, while other places require a Jedi).  You can switch to that character or your partner can do that part, depending on whether you are playing by yourself or with someone.

There are multiple goals to the game, which requires playing each level multiple times.  The first time through, you play in story mode, and you play as characters who were in that scene.  Once you have done that, you can go back and play in freeplay, which allows you a greater variety of characters that you’ve unlocked from other levels or bought with the Lego studs you’ve collected along the way.  Why would you do this?  Because there are 10 Lego canisters hidden in each level, and it often takes all the types of characters to find them.  There are also red power blocks hidden in each level that give you cheats to get through the levels faster - once you've unlocked them with the studs you've collected.

Some of the levels do involve vehicles.  These are my least favorites because I have more trouble using the controls.  However, actually defeating the Death Star more than makes up for that.

Frankly, one reason I love this game is how much fun it is to play as these characters I love from the movies.  I’ve got to admit I do see the appeal of the movie based video game after playing this game.

The controls are fairly straightforward.  You use the normal Wiimote plus the Nunchuck.  The joystick on the Nunchuck moves your character, and the various buttons do other things.  Within a couple of minutes, my fingers are moving on their own, and I’m not even thinking about what they are doing as I try to work my way to safety.  In a fun use of the remote, you can wave it around to activate and swing a light saber if you are playing with a character that carries one.

The graphics are fine, although they won’t impress the serious gamer.  They are a bit on the cartoony side, but then again, you are controlling and fighting Lego characters.  It’s hardly a surprise.  I never find the graphics a distraction as I play.

The music and sound effects pull stuff from the movie soundtracks, so any fan of the movies will love them right away.  And there are special cues to help you notice approaching danger.

Of course, these games aren’t just a walk in the park.  You can be killed by the bad guys you have to fight.  Most of the time, the only real consequence is losing studs you’ve collected.  You come back where you were and continue.  And, in a detail I love about these games, you get as many lives as it takes to complete the level.  So there’s no almost finishing and then being destroyed by the final enemy no matter how many times you play.

Of course, a few of the levels are harder than they need to be.  Despite having infinite lives, trying to get through them can still be an exercise in frustration.

I’ve played through the game solo.  What I’ve noticed is the overabundance of characters who follow you around.  Sometimes there can be four or five members of your party, and that means they get in the way as you are trying to do something, especially fight a group of bad guys.  Also, when switching characters, you have to be right next to them, and that creates problems with the large group of characters around you.  On the other hand, I have noticed a couple of levels where the second player would get bored since the only character they could play with doesn’t have much they can do.  Irritants?  Yes, but minor ones.

All told, Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga is another fun game for Wii.  May the force be with you as you play.