Lego Star Wars has an alluring appeal for players of all ages. Travellers Tales' ability to convert classic scenarios from the two film trilogies into a comical, and playable, format has made the series a tremendous hit. To no surprise, LucasArts has opted to cover this ground once again in a more collective format with the forthcoming Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and the Nintendo Wii.

Those thinking "Wow, another quickie cash-in" may want to put that negative thought on hold. Yes, the games will feature content from previous Lego Star Wars games, spanning from the discovery of young Anakin Skywalker in The Phantom Menace all the way through to the fall of the Empire in Return of the Jedi. However, the development team has been working hard on fleshing out the project, making it feel more like the absolute whole rather than just half of a series.

Complete Saga marks the debut of the Lego Star Wars franchise on the PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii. Both versions will have exclusive features. The Wii version incorporates motion-controlled gameplay. While this may not satisfy the desire for a full-blown lightsaber simulation, it should suffice until it comes around. The PlayStation 3 version, like the Xbox 360 version, will showcase high-resolution visuals on stage details and Lego characters, giving everything a nice, glossy sheen. Furthermore, PS3 and 360 owners can log in to their online networks (PlayStation Network or Xbox Live Arcade, respectively) and play co-op with friends in a simple "drop-in, drop-out" fashion.

Along with the individual enhancements for each version, Travellers Tales has opted to throw in several bonus missions. Many of the scenarios from previous games return here, along with bonus scenes and rooms that illuminate the Star Wars experience. The "Gunship Cavalry" and "Mos Espa Podrace" stages have also been retooled for more free-roaming activity, rather than just going down a straightforward path. Hopefully, Travellers will find a way to fuse these scenarios into online play. Competitive pod-racing would kick a great deal of Jawa butt. Fans of the newer trilogy should also take pleasure in the bonus Jango Fett bounty hunter missions, with ten in all to finish. Can criminals be brought to justice with a Lego-built blaster? This game provides ample opportunity to find out.

Continue...