Make no mistake: this new Lego Star Wars title is going to
tread much the same ground as the previous two titles, as it is at
heart just the two previous games smooshed together into one. (At a
full retail price.) But Lego Star Wars was a simple, joyful
game that lent itself to frequent playthroughs, with or without a
drop-in co-player, so visiting the two trilogies again isn't an awful
thing, especially since much of the content has been upgraded,
tweaked, or recombined.

Custom minifig avatars, for example, can now use parts from both
trilogies to make hybrids that stitch the two sagas together. (A Lando
Binks, for example.) The drop-in play will now work online, something
sorely lacking on the last versions, especially on Xbox Live. New
levels will appear here and there, the first announced being the Zam
Wessell chase from Episode 2.

And the Wii version will take advantage of the "first lightsaber
simulation" available on the Wii, or at least the first official one.
Unfortunately, while wielding a lightsaber or building Lego
contraptions with the Wiimote will be more effective than doing so
with a traditional controller—it actually works faster than it
does on other consoles—swinging the saber around still only
triggers pre-chosen animations. There is no one-to-one movement
mapping between your Wiimote and the lightsaber.

Of course, I had to ask Lucasarts: When are we going to get our
next chance to use a lightsaber on the Wii? Chris, their main
PR man, shared a glance with the others in the room, and then
guardedly offered that we can expect some more news "potentially this
year." So no lightsaber duels before Christmas, for sure, but we might
at least know something more simulation-like is coming.

While The Complete Saga is coming for both the 360, PS3, and
Wii (and portables eventually, although developed by a different
partner with a new engine), only the PS3 supports 1080p rendering.
When asked if it were a technical limitation in the 360 that prevented
the same resolution, no one in the room knew for sure.

Contact information for this author is not available.