Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga [Wii]

It's a move worthy of George Lucas himself. After selling enough copies of the first two LEGO Star Wars games to choke a rancor, LucasArts has slapped both games on one disc, added a few extras, and re-released the games as a sort of "special edition." For those of you who've played the first two games, you'll need to be quite a fan to take the double dip on this one, but if you haven't experienced this goofy retelling of the classic saga, then you're in for a treat.

In an amazing bit of licensing synergy, this game is based on a toy line that's based on a movie series. It's broken up into six segments, one for each of the "Star Wars" films. Within each section, there are six chapters to play through. Most of the chapters are 3D platformers with a healthy mix of puzzle solving, but there's usually a vehicle-based stage within each film as well. The puzzle solving is all based around the various character classes (like Jedi, Sith, astromech and protocol droids, "blaster" characters, etc.) and their unique skills.

Considering its license, you'd be forgiven for writing the game off as kiddie shovelware, but you'd also be completely off base. LEGO Star Wars is one of the finest examples of a family game that we've ever encountered. The action is simple enough for youngsters to enjoy, but it's also fun enough for older players to get into as well. Although the game is extremely simple, there are enough bonus modes, hidden power-ups and unlockable characters to warrant repeat plays.

Another aspect of the game that will keep you interested is its sense of humor. As you might imagine, a game that allows to you control a blocky, plastic representation of Liam Neeson doesn't take itself too seriously. In between each chapter, cinema sequences retell the "Star Wars" story though frequently silly pantomime. Darth Vader's LEGO-ized confession to Luke in Empire still gets a chuckle out of me. The antics continue in-game with funny bits of animation like Lando's less-than-brutal melee attack against Princess Leia or Chewbacca's ability to pop the arms off of his enemies. There are also fun hidden areas in many stages including a go-kart track on Dagobah or Kamino's disco.