The LEGO games hold a special place in the hearts of a lot of people. They managed to introduce a lot of classic franchises like Pirates of the Caribbean and Indiana Jones to younger generations through summarized storytelling, slapstick humor, and engaging gameplay.
Of all of the properties that Lego has adapted it is almost unanimously agreed that the LEGO Star Wars games are the best in the entire LEGO video game series. LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga is a game that has created fond memories for many players, and has made countless new fans for the franchise. There are even some moments that many believe the games did better than the movies.
10 Qui-Gon Jinn & Obi-Wan's Relationship Is Handled Better
The relationship between Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi in The Phantom Menace didn't amount to much because the film never gave them time to truly interact. The early LEGO games had absolutely no dialogue and characters interacted through grunts and actions. This meant that LEGO Qui-Gon was an exasperated mentor watching as LEGO Obi-Wan tried to be a cool Jedi and constantly failing.
Examples include Obi-Wan attempting a double front flip and landing on his face, or failing to activate his lightsaber while Qui-Gon easily handles a threat. This dynamic made the pair much more interesting to watch than in the film.
9 Obi-Wan & Anakin's Relationship Has More Thematic Weight
The last two films of the prequel trilogy had more time to focus on Obi-Wan and Anakin's relationship as teacher and student, setting up Anakin's turn to the dark side and their final confrontation that would happen decades later. The LEGO adaptations did not do much to change this overall, but thanks to their changes to The Phantom Menace, a new thematic weight is added.
Obi-Wan seems to overlook a lot of Anakin's signs of turning to the dark side because Obi-Wan himself acted brashly when he was a Padawan. It takes some inferring due to the game's lack of dialogue, but the signs are there.
8 The Imperial Spy Is More Dedicated To The Job
The Imperial Spy is ultimately the reason that the unlikely team of Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Ben Kenobi, and Chewbacca have to hurry away from Tatooine. It showed that the Empire always had eyes on the heroes, however nothing really comes of the Imperial Spy in the original film.
In the game, however, the Imperial Spy is a lot more dedicated to his mission, following the team off Tatooine, all the way up to their medal ceremony at the end where he is ultimately caught. It's a minor detail, but a humorous bit of fan service that helps the game's story be more than just a retread of the film.
7 Obi-Wan's Flourish After Defeating Grievous Is Great
A smaller point, but a great example of what makes the LEGO games so engrossing. There was always room for a joke or character moment. This moment in particular comes at the end of the famous Obi-Wan vs. General Grievous battle. The combat is fast-paced and intense, and ends with Obi-Wan grabbing a blaster and shooting Grievous in the heart, as he does in the movie.
As opposed to tossing the blaster condescendingly, however, LEGO Obi-Wan does an action hero flourish by blowing at the smoke on the barrel of the blaster. It probably wouldn't have gone well with fans if it happened in the movie, but in the game, it's a great little touch of character.
6 The "I Am Your Father" Scene Is Hilarious
So many of the Star Wars franchise's most iconic moments come from spoken dialogue, with the most famous being Darth Vader telling Luke "No, I am your father." The moment was so instantly iconic that it was mimicked by popular culture for decades.
When it came time to recreate this scene in the LEGO game, Traveler's Tales leaned on its strengths of quick humor to get by. After Darth Vader cuts Luke's hand, Vader puts his lightsaber away and pulls out a wedding photo of himself and a pregnant Padmé while pointing at Luke. It's a very funny change in tone to the original, especially as Luke still reacts in horror and disbelief.
5 Obi-Wan vs. Anakin Is Much More Intense When Playable
The final confrontation between Obi-Wan and Anakin in Revenge of the Sith is controversial among fans. Some thought that it was an excellent blow-off for their troubled relationship, while others felt that it was forced and the CGI was distracting.
The LEGO game turns this into a chase mission where the player— controlling Obi-Wan— must avoid lava, dodge obstacles, and fight Anakin all at the same time. As another great touch, if there is a second player on this mission, they take control of Anakin and the mission effectively becomes a head-to-head battle.
4 Players Get To Experience Luke's Training In Real-Time
During the Empire Strikes Back portion of LEGO Star Wars, things proceed as they do in the film with attack on the Hoth base and everyone escaping, and Luke heading to the Dagobah system. In the film, Luke's training under Yoda is largely glossed over, with the story cutting away to focus on what Han, Leia, and Chewbacca are doing while Luke trains.
In the game, however, the player gets to train Luke up themselves, with many puzzles requiring use of the Force which Luke can only do with Yoda on his back. With two players, one player controls Yoda and has to guide the other through the different puzzles.
3 Luke Is Hilarious As A Jedi Master
Luke's growth into a Jedi master in Return of the Jedi is a big deal in that film. It shows how much he's grown from the timid farmhand he was in A New Hope. Now, he is handling the most dangerous situations with poise and confidence. In LEGO form, this change is still present— but continuing the trend of Jedi being more comedic in LEGO form, Luke has a lot more fun with his Jedi status.
The best example of this is when the group are captured by Jabba the Hutt and are about to be fed to the Sarlacc. Luke starts jumping high into the air and doing a number of goofy tricks while he waits for R2-D2 to throw his lightsaber.
2 The Imperial Soldiers Have More Personality
It is easy to forgive the stormtroopers feeling like faceless drones in an army as they are literally clones, but there are a number of imperials in the films who just don't seem to have a lot of personality compared to the other characters. The LEGO games fix this by effectively turning these characters into comic relief.
It may be a little out of character for soldiers of the oppressive Empire to sleep on the job, engage in idle chit-chat, or embrace each other out of fear of Darth Vader, but there's no denying these little moments make the Imperial forces a lot more interesting to see whenever they are on screen.
1 The Birth Of Darth Vader is More Intimidating
The infamous "No!" scene at the end of Revenge of the Sith, designed to punctuate Vader's new role as a tragic figure than just a villain, has been derided as laughably out of character by a lot of the fanbase. Due to the lack of voices in the early LEGO games, the developers went with something else entirely.
Once Anakin is fully transformed into Darth Vader, instead of becoming sad he is overcome with rage and destroys everything in the room. Being in LEGO, it isn't a particularly harrowing scene, but regardless it is a much more intimidating moment for someone who is often considered the quintessential sci-fi villain.