Lego games were not a new thing even before the Lego Star Wars games came about, beforehand the Lego video games were completely original and not based on popular movie properties like they are today, while each of those games vary in quality, they weren't bringing in the money the lego company expected. Then in 2005, Video Game Company Travelers Tales would come into the picture to breathe new life into the Lego games and give them the tried and true established formula that most players are familiar with nowadays. These games would be based on blockbuster movie franchises and the first of these franchises that would get the Lego treatment would be none other than Star Wars. Two games were released in 2005 and 2006 respectively based on the prequel and original trilogy in two separate packages. In 2007, Travelers Tales would combine the two Lego games in one package, hence creating The Complete Saga which not only holds up to this very day, but is a gold standard in what a Lego video game should be.
All the stories in the game are based on the movies that were made in the Star Wars saga thus far at the time of its release. The thing that makes the Lego versions different from the movies is the style of humor and the ability to poke fun at itself by making characters do wacky out of context things. The great thing is that it never gets dull or repetitive as the humor and the storylines from the actual movies are balanced greatly so it can entertain kids but also give adults some fun in remembering how they felt when watching the star wars movies when they were younger. The feel for this game would inspire future Lego games to follow the same formula but there is something magical about this game in particular that felt like the right balance of silly yet sophisticated.
The Lego Star Wars games in some ways practically invented the gameplay that many similar Lego games would attempt to copy to recapture, but the way Lego Star Wars did somehow manages to be irreplaceable and manages to capture that wow factor that many other games can’t quite reach. There are two ways of playing, there is the campaign story mode where you play the actual stories with the characters you are given and then there is Free Play where you can play as any character including the enemies when purchased or unlocked. Certain characters will be able to get past certain obstacles and sometimes there will be hidden collectibles that if found will give the player big rewards. The platforming is easy but it's still very fun and well laid out that anyone of any age can enjoy. Even though many other Lego games would come along and try to reinvent the formula, Lego Star Wars The Complete Saga perfected the Lego video game formula in a way that keeps this game fun and even timeless.
The graphics are pretty dang good for the time even when future Lego games would come out with even flashier graphics. The way it captures Star Wars in a Lego environment was impressive for its time and it feels great to further explore environments that were made popular in the blockbuster films. Almost everything is made of Legos and the colors match the right kind of feel to make it to be made authentic to the Star Wars Franchise. The cutscenes are also a lot of fun even without the addition of dialogue, characters are decently expressive and the visual funny moments are guaranteed to get a chuckle out of the player. These graphics hold up today and will still manage to delight old fans as well as newcomers.
The music was composed by Adam Hay and David Whittaker, even though the majority of tunes are ripped from the score from the movies which were originally composed by the great John Williams. It's no wonder they decided to keep the music for the movies and use them in this game because it would be crazy not to include these memorable tunes as this Star wars related product would be naked without them.
This game set a bar for many other Lego Video Games that would follow. The passion and dedication to making this particular Lego game a game to remember lives on through many generations of gamers young and old. Everything from the gameplay to the ripped music to even graphics that hold up to this very day makes this a strong start for Lego Video games and still remains to be one of if not the best Lego video game that has ever come out of the Lego brand. Travelers Tales would have much more to explore in taking popular properties and making them into Legofied Video games but many would most definitely agree that their take on Star Wars is so far one of the best.
(Final Grade: A-)