The Orange Box has started a trend! Ever since EA announced it was going to shove five supreme games into one lovely little package, the whole industry seems to have jumped on board. Okay, so that’s an outright lie, but it is true in one respect: Lego Star Wars. After wooing the world, the popular, familyfriendly jaunt seems to have found a place in everyone’s heart. The innocence it emits ensures loved ones can curl up next to a scenic fire knowing that there’s very little chance they’ll be offended. This is why Activision, after looking into its crystal ball, decided to re-release both titles (featuring both trilogies) together as one – all the while imagining the smell of crisp pound notes.

Before we go off on a tangent, let’s get back to the world of bricks and sci-fi. By now, we’re sure it’s common knowledge just why the series has been so successful. Everyone loves Star Wars, everyone loves Lego, and making sure the glue in between comes in the shape of a good sense of humour is spot-on. More importantly, though, it ties in perfectly with the rabid passion the majority of Star Wars fans have when it comes to seeing famous scenes replicated. Anyone who says they’re not bothered about a Lego Darth Vader telling a Lego Luke Skywalker he’s his father is a liar. Because of this, if you know of such a fiend, you have our permission to string them up in the middle of your nearest town centre and hurl tomatoes at them!

Ultimately, though, you already know all of this. Lego Star Wars II came out over a year ago, so just what is the point of this collaboration? Simple – new content, baby! Be it levels, characters or online co-op, Traveller’s Tales has sat down and enhanced the set rather than just stuck two finished games together. While it’s certainly not enough to lure you back in – unless you’re so desperate to play through it again over Live with a friend in Russia that insomnia has set in – anyone who’s always wanted to take this bad boy home, or those who pick it up on a whim, will be most satisfied with the additional extras. It’s also a pleasure to see the original game running in high definition. Sure, the chosen style is never going to be able to completely knock your socks off (we still don’t understand how such a thing would actually ever come to pass) but there’s a pleasant sheen to it all, and each famous face looks far more like Lego than they used to. Irrelevant, yes! Necessary, indeed!

Unfortunately, no matter how much it’s been shined up, Lego Star Wars continues to suffer because of its basic and straightforward structure. We don’t want to start mouthing off about children’s games because it’s blindingly obvious why an adult would pick this up and giggle their way through it. The key difference between the two demographics is that while a kid won’t get fed up after a while, you can bet your ass a ‘grown-up’ will. There’s only so long you can mash the X button before sighing a little, and the only real saviour from complete boredom is the familiarity of the settings. If the comedy angle had been worked into the game more, rather than reserved for cutscenes, the appeal could have worked on an even greater level. So be prepared to forcefully work your way through a level, laugh at the end of it, get a slight burst of energy and decide to play on before remembering why you were going to stop.

In the same vein, hopping in a vehicle remains borderline useless. Hoth at the start of Empire Strikes Back is particularly frustrating, as both the controls and odd level design team up to confuse your brain. It’s a formidable double team, and one we hoped would have been eradicated; alas, it hasn’t!

However, these problems have always existed in the Lego Star Wars canon, and if you feel confident that you can put up with them, The Complete Saga is quite the offering. You get two games, each with new content, can play online as Obi-Wan Kenobi and be called all manner of things, as well as re-jip II for Achievement Points if you’ve already played it. Yes it can be mind-numbingly boring, but it also has the potential to be rather fun and charming, too.

Simon Miller