Legos may just be my favorite thing on the whole planet. You can create practically anything with them, and nowadays every franchise and their cat has their own line of Legos. And thanks to whoever decided that videogames based on Legos sounded like a cash register opening, every major franchise seems to have their own Lego video game.
Traveller’s Tales has been the sole producer of good Lego games since 2005 with the first Lego Star Wars game and has titles in “Indiana Jones,” “Harry Potter,” “Pirates of the Caribbean,” “Lord of the Rings,” DC Comics, and Marvel Comics. In fact, they’ve only made Lego games since 2008. This could have gotten boring or tired, but luckily Traveller’s Tales know what they’re doing and properly evolve a franchise over time instead of wallowing in the same three square feet of ground, hoping to strike gold again. I am looking at you, “Assassin’s Creed.” “Lego City Undercover” is nothing but evolution.
For the first time in franchise history, a Lego game is finally fully voiced, rather than relying totally upon mime (like most of the games) or dialogue mixed with mime (such as “Lego Batman 2” and “Lego Lord of the Rings”). And the result is one of the funniest damn games I’ve ever played. The Lego games were good for a chuckle here and there before, but “Undercover” really stepped up their game with some great humor going on.
And since this game isn’t based on any specific Lego set, this gave Traveller’s Tales the freedom to go nuts with decades of Lego history to work with. The game is a sandbox title and takes place in Lego City, that one place the Lego people have been making sets of since forever. It stars Chase McCain, an undercover cop returning to the city after a few years spent abroad (probably visiting relatives in MegaBlox City) and sent on the hunt after notorious criminal mastermind Rex Fury. Assisting Chase in his hunt is the endearing and diverse cast of the LCPD who provide Chase with gadgets, disguises, leads, and side-splitting dialogue.
The game makes use of various disguises that Chase can switch in and out of to complete missions, solve puzzles, and explore Lego City. This isn’t a half-assed sandbox either; Lego City is a huge playground filled with little secrets and hidden treasures to find. There’s actually very little wrong with the game. There’s an annoying amount of handholding going on, but it’s just as easily ignored.
The driving mechanics are really strange. Sharp turns are very easy to pull off while gradual turns are impossible to make. Then there are the load times. They stink, but they are by no means a deal breaker. Newcomers to the franchise will be treated to the best title in the series so far. If you’re a fan of the Lego series of games, “Undercover” is a must buy, even if that means you don’t already have a Wii U. This is a god-send for the Wii U, which is in desperate need of content at the moment. “Lego City Undercover” is the best game for the platform so far and one of the best released this year.
