A lot of effort went in to upgrading the series' graphics for The Complete Saga. The only caveat to that being that the Xbox 360 version of Lego Star Wars II looks the same, but there is a substantial upgrade over the GameCube and PS2 versions. Everything looks shiny and new. The Lego blocks look as if you could reach out and grab them. The environments are incredibly well contrived and look like they could have been pulled directly from a Lego Star Wars play set. There is no shuttering or lag. Generally, this game looks about as good as it possibly could.

The sound effects and music are perfect, but that shouldn't be a surprise. After all, the game is published by LucasArts. Accordingly, the light saber sounds, the beeps and blips from droids, and the music themes are authentic and powerful. Running The Complete Saga through a seven speaker surround system will give you great results. In addition to the great sound, the game controls really well too. Keep in mind though that the titles were made for a fan base of varying abilities. Subsequently, the controls are rather simplistic. This will make the games too easy for hardcore gamers, but breezing through a puzzle-laden platformer in 10 to 15 hours is always fun anyway.

Simplicity and ease of use will be a godsend for the rest of you, however. You'll have to do a lot of jumping throughout the titles, and thankfully you won't have to repeat any section too many times. My only real gripe with the simplistic control scheme is the lack of force powers. I would like to have had a lot more control over their use, and also have many more weapon combinations at my disposal. In their defense, TT Games has expanded the amount of force powers that you can use, but there still aren't nearly enough useful ones for my taste. It would be great if there were an advanced control option that could be selected for more experienced gamers. Unfortunately, you'll typically use force powers to complete puzzles and you'll resort to button mashing the action button to do away with the weak minions of the Republic. The controls may be too simple for many gamers, so beware. However, the games are generally fun regardless of the difficulty.

These titles are true classics from the last generation. They have been skillfully upgraded by the folks at TT Games to give us the definitive edition. The graphics are crisp, the sounds and music are authentic, the unlockable content is broad and deep, and the cuteness factor is off the charts. This game is not for everyone, but it is quite good. Fans of either Star Wars or Lego will love these games. The puzzles that you will encounter are not particularly challenging, but they are fun. This really is the perfect set of games that the whole family can enjoy. Besides, who couldn't use another Star Wars title?

By Jonathan Marx
CCC Freelance Writer

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