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This thread has been linked to the game 'Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga'.
"Begun the Clone War Has!" remarked Master Yoda in Attack of the Clones (still the most poorly titles Star Wars film of all time). The little green guy wasn't kidding either.
Despite initially missing the war out in its entirety between the second and third movie, George Lucas eventually covered this epic part of Star Wars history in a (currently) three season animated series, which actually turned out to be far better than any of the three movies about the rise of Vader.
So it was only natural that, after covering the two trilogies, the next LEGO Star Wars game looked to this series for inspiration. But did it managed to build (ho ho) on the success of the earlier games?
Well firstly, if you're a kid or happen to be pretty poor at video games then this is the title to pick up. It doesn't so much hold your hand as lift you on it's back and give you a piggyback to the nearest level exit.
LEGO games have always been about exploring the surroundings, collecting studs and solving puzzles. The first two are still very much alive in LEGO Star Wars III, but the hand holding kills off any grey matter you'd normally need to use to make it through a level.
That's not to say the game doesn't have its merits. The graphics are pretty good for a handheld and 3D is actually used fairly well, with levels tweeked and redesigned to allow for exploring the 3D environment. Reflecting enemy fire with a lightsaber is far easier in 3D and even finding studs and passages are improved by the extra dimension.
The standard collecting of characters to play in the free game mode is also present here and there are loads of different LEGO people to collect, some more useful than others (I'm looking at you JarJar). It's still a thrill to get a new character though as you play through the main game and more can be bought with collected studs.
Any Jedi characters will also let you use Force powers by drawing/copying shapes on the screen. It's an odd and sometimes unforgiving attempt to use the touchscreen, though it does add some variety to the game. At times you'll be longing for the option to use buttons instead though.
Mixing things up from the usual format are the occassional levels set in space with dogfighting or a task to destroy a certain target. While these are welcome and the control works well, evading missiles can be a real pain.
Standard levels, though, seem rather uninspired compared to previous games. Perhaps because they're smaller or the story is shorter, I don't know, but whatever it is, they are just not quite as interesting.
There are also some minigames in the form of arcade cabinets that can be unlocked by playing the levels in free play or completing tasks in the main game. These are worth getting as they're pretty fun and increase the longevity of the game.
While LEGO Star Wars III has some bad points, not least that it's very easy to play through, the collecting and building aspect and finding hidden items or unlocking minigames makes it all worthwhile, especially if you can find it at £15 or around that price.
7/10
Despite initially missing the war out in its entirety between the second and third movie, George Lucas eventually covered this epic part of Star Wars history in a (currently) three season animated series, which actually turned out to be far better than any of the three movies about the rise of Vader.
So it was only natural that, after covering the two trilogies, the next LEGO Star Wars game looked to this series for inspiration. But did it managed to build (ho ho) on the success of the earlier games?
Well firstly, if you're a kid or happen to be pretty poor at video games then this is the title to pick up. It doesn't so much hold your hand as lift you on it's back and give you a piggyback to the nearest level exit.
LEGO games have always been about exploring the surroundings, collecting studs and solving puzzles. The first two are still very much alive in LEGO Star Wars III, but the hand holding kills off any grey matter you'd normally need to use to make it through a level.
That's not to say the game doesn't have its merits. The graphics are pretty good for a handheld and 3D is actually used fairly well, with levels tweeked and redesigned to allow for exploring the 3D environment. Reflecting enemy fire with a lightsaber is far easier in 3D and even finding studs and passages are improved by the extra dimension.
The standard collecting of characters to play in the free game mode is also present here and there are loads of different LEGO people to collect, some more useful than others (I'm looking at you JarJar). It's still a thrill to get a new character though as you play through the main game and more can be bought with collected studs.
Any Jedi characters will also let you use Force powers by drawing/copying shapes on the screen. It's an odd and sometimes unforgiving attempt to use the touchscreen, though it does add some variety to the game. At times you'll be longing for the option to use buttons instead though.
Mixing things up from the usual format are the occassional levels set in space with dogfighting or a task to destroy a certain target. While these are welcome and the control works well, evading missiles can be a real pain.
Standard levels, though, seem rather uninspired compared to previous games. Perhaps because they're smaller or the story is shorter, I don't know, but whatever it is, they are just not quite as interesting.
There are also some minigames in the form of arcade cabinets that can be unlocked by playing the levels in free play or completing tasks in the main game. These are worth getting as they're pretty fun and increase the longevity of the game.
While LEGO Star Wars III has some bad points, not least that it's very easy to play through, the collecting and building aspect and finding hidden items or unlocking minigames makes it all worthwhile, especially if you can find it at £15 or around that price.
7/10
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"Begun the Clone War Has!" remarked Master Yoda in Attack of the Clones (still the most poorly titles Star Wars film of all time). The little green guy wasn't kidding either.
Despite initially missing the war out in its entirety between the second and third movie, George Lucas eventually covered this epic part of Star Wars history in a (currently) three season animated series, which actually turned out to be far better than any of the three movies about the rise of Vader.
So it was only natural that, after covering the two trilogies, the next LEGO Star Wars game looked to this series for inspiration. But did it managed to build (ho ho) on the success of the earlier games?
Well firstly, if you're a kid or happen to be pretty poor at video games then this is the title to pick up. It doesn't so much hold your hand as lift you on it's back and give you a piggyback to the nearest level exit.
LEGO games have always been about exploring the surroundings, collecting studs and solving puzzles. The first two are still very much alive in LEGO Star Wars III, but the hand holding kills off any grey matter you'd normally need to use to make it through a level.
That's not to say the game doesn't have its merits. The graphics are pretty good for a handheld and 3D is actually used fairly well, with levels tweeked and redesigned to allow for exploring the 3D environment. Reflecting enemy fire with a lightsaber is far easier in 3D and even finding studs and passages are improved by the extra dimension.
The standard collecting of characters to play in the free game mode is also present here and there are loads of different LEGO people to collect, some more useful than others (I'm looking at you JarJar). It's still a thrill to get a new character though as you play through the main game and more can be bought with collected studs.
Any Jedi characters will also let you use Force powers by drawing/copying shapes on the screen. It's an odd and sometimes unforgiving attempt to use the touchscreen, though it does add some variety to the game. At times you'll be longing for the option to use buttons instead though.
Mixing things up from the usual format are the occassional levels set in space with dogfighting or a task to destroy a certain target. While these are welcome and the control works well, evading missiles can be a real pain.
Standard levels, though, seem rather uninspired compared to previous games. Perhaps because they're smaller or the story is shorter, I don't know, but whatever it is, they are just not quite as interesting.
There are also some minigames in the form of arcade cabinets that can be unlocked by playing the levels in free play or completing tasks in the main game. These are worth getting as they're pretty fun and increase the longevity of the game.
While LEGO Star Wars III has some bad points, not least that it's very easy to play through, the collecting and building aspect and finding hidden items or unlocking minigames makes it all worthwhile, especially if you can find it at £15 or around that price.
7/10
Despite initially missing the war out in its entirety between the second and third movie, George Lucas eventually covered this epic part of Star Wars history in a (currently) three season animated series, which actually turned out to be far better than any of the three movies about the rise of Vader.
So it was only natural that, after covering the two trilogies, the next LEGO Star Wars game looked to this series for inspiration. But did it managed to build (ho ho) on the success of the earlier games?
Well firstly, if you're a kid or happen to be pretty poor at video games then this is the title to pick up. It doesn't so much hold your hand as lift you on it's back and give you a piggyback to the nearest level exit.
LEGO games have always been about exploring the surroundings, collecting studs and solving puzzles. The first two are still very much alive in LEGO Star Wars III, but the hand holding kills off any grey matter you'd normally need to use to make it through a level.
That's not to say the game doesn't have its merits. The graphics are pretty good for a handheld and 3D is actually used fairly well, with levels tweeked and redesigned to allow for exploring the 3D environment. Reflecting enemy fire with a lightsaber is far easier in 3D and even finding studs and passages are improved by the extra dimension.
The standard collecting of characters to play in the free game mode is also present here and there are loads of different LEGO people to collect, some more useful than others (I'm looking at you JarJar). It's still a thrill to get a new character though as you play through the main game and more can be bought with collected studs.
Any Jedi characters will also let you use Force powers by drawing/copying shapes on the screen. It's an odd and sometimes unforgiving attempt to use the touchscreen, though it does add some variety to the game. At times you'll be longing for the option to use buttons instead though.
Mixing things up from the usual format are the occassional levels set in space with dogfighting or a task to destroy a certain target. While these are welcome and the control works well, evading missiles can be a real pain.
Standard levels, though, seem rather uninspired compared to previous games. Perhaps because they're smaller or the story is shorter, I don't know, but whatever it is, they are just not quite as interesting.
There are also some minigames in the form of arcade cabinets that can be unlocked by playing the levels in free play or completing tasks in the main game. These are worth getting as they're pretty fun and increase the longevity of the game.
While LEGO Star Wars III has some bad points, not least that it's very easy to play through, the collecting and building aspect and finding hidden items or unlocking minigames makes it all worthwhile, especially if you can find it at £15 or around that price.
7/10