Techtite's Nintendo DS Reviews!

"It might not have the same diversity as the disc-based game systems, yet this is a fantastic portable version of the game with some nice DS exclusives to keep you busy."

---from the review

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Sidebar :

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Pros: Far superior and bug-free than the prior Lego Star Wars DS game, "The Original Saga."

Cons:  Only 6 levels per "Episode" means that many levels have been omitted from the more complete Xbox 360/Ps2/Wii versions. Some might also not like the "adaptations" the levels have gone through to make them more DS-friendly (see the review for more on this).

No sidebar comments for this review. Yet...

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Feel free to contribute. As always, review submissions are accepted!

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Lego Star Wars:

The Complete Saga

Click picture to order this game (DS)

A Techtite Review

The hardest sales pitch is a game that follows after a flawed game in the series. You may have noticed the prior Lego Star Wars game for the Nintendo DS (Lego Star Wars: The Original Trilogy) in the bargain bin. This is not without reason, with lots of bugs and very little in the way of effort to make a DS worthy Lego title. Well, forget all that, because not only is Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga a superior Lego title, it's actually one of the most enjoyable third-party DS games I ever played.

Mind you; DS gamers have been used to making compromises. No little DS card is going to hold the complete goodness of a game originally made for DVD-compatible, disc-based game systems. Yet that's what's so surprising about this game. They made sacrifices, though for the most part they are forgivable. For example: the game designers realize that the smaller screen of the DS means less resolution, and that means a more linear, side-scroller type of control is needed. Yet this is a 3D game. So what do they do? They fix the camera so that you are moving through the 3D hallway, much like a side scrolling platform game, yet with the same 3D goodness of the original game. This sounds pretty complicated if you don't know what I'm talking about, though the bottom line is: this game is graphically stunning, by DS standards.

It also utilizes the DS' features admirably. The touchscreen is used for your force powers, though ingeniously so. Nobody likes to play a game that is mostly played via the control pad, only to juggle that stylus at the same time, for whenever it is used. So the "force powers" do not require the stylus. They only require the rubbing of your thumb on the touch screen, in a circular motion that allows you to, in essence, "use the force" with your thumb. It sounds simple, and that's what makes it a fun added feature. Every time you can use the force in the game, just rub the touchpad and things start happening. It's this sort of fluid control scheme that divides the best DS games from the worst DS games.

Adding to the DS-exclusive fun, are DS-themed mini games. Most of these are, to be honest, hardly worth the price of admission if you've already played Lego Star Wars on a tabletop system, like the Nintendo Wii. They're still fun to play, however, and are all in theme with the game. Meanwhile; other extras that were available in the original versions of Lego Star Wars are also available, which are purchased with "studs" (small Legos) you collect throughout the game. You can collect characters, mini-kits (mostly replicas of actual Star Wars Lego kits off-the-shelf), and power-ups, like a treasure multipier. In addition; completing levels earns you gold bricks, which open a curious additional "extra" when they are all collected.

In short this is a fantastic DS adaptation of the original game. The only exception, to some extent: there are fewer levels. Only five levels are available of each "Episode" in Star Wars lore. In addition; the levels that are included are very abridged. It's not exactly "Cliff's Notes" Star Wars, though it's clear to see that there have been a few sacrifices in the way of game size, to fit the game on one little DS card. Then again; when you look at the amount of the game they were able to include at all, it's pretty amazing how "complete" this Complete Saga is. It's all in how you look at a glass that's half full...and half empty.

For me; I'll stick with the half-full perspective. Lego Star Wars was always harmless fun, and on the DS, with the "Thumb force powers" and the additional mini-games, it is even more so. People who already played the game on a tabletop game system might not want to shelve more money out for the DS version. If you're looking for a good portable game for an extended car trip, however, you can't go wrong with this game.

---Techtite