Lego Marvel Super Heroes is all that fans of Marvel Heroes could wish for. The last title from Traveller's Tales is a fun game that's achieved the perfect balance between the world of comics and the little yellow figures. The main mode in Lego Marvel Super Heroes is the story mode, which is well known by players of the usual Lego games. In it, you move around closed scenarios – albeit very wide ones – and you advance by solving puzzles and killing enemies. If you can also collect parts and other foreign objects along the way, then you'll enjoy some surprises. Unlike other Lego games where, despite a low level of difficulty, you sometimes have to think a little to get to the next stage, in Lego Marvel Super Heroes, the way forward is very clearly laid out. The game tells you almost all the time what to do to next, either through messages ("You need a large character to break through this door") or with really obvious indicators such as Spider-Man's 'spider sense'.
Despite this simplicity, the game is very entertaining, as each phase is very well designed with fully destructible classic scenarios and the resources to access different areas. Besides the classic repetition levels that let you unlock new characters or areas, other highlights include an open world where you can carry out short missions or simply get the chance to explore the city with your favorite characters. The greatest success of Lego Marvel Super Heroes is how Traveller's Tales has managed to convey the essence of each cartoon character in the form of a Lego doll. Each superpower of each character is very successfully shown: they're very similar to the comic book heroes and, in turn, they're very well adapted to the typical mechanics of these games. For example, Hulk can transform into Bruce Banner and vice versa, and his destructive power is above average; Spider-Man has various ways in which he can use his webs, and the Black Widow, in addition to being skilled in combat, is the team "scheduler" and the one who can solve puzzles.
Of course, all these powers are illustrated with Lego's great sense of humor, but a sense of humor that's also respectful of the characteristics of each character in the comics and movies. The graphics engine in the Lego games shows its age. What seemed great to us a few years ago is now limited to simply being eye-catching. But do you need more of a thinking game for all ages? The Marvel characters are not only well designed in terms of their powers, but their physical resemblance to the originals is also remarkable. Physically bigger characters, such as the villains Galactus or The Sandman, offer some of the most spectacular moments in Lego Marvel Super Heroes. The way in which New York has been recreated is also remarkable, and it functions like an open world scenario. If you've ever walked through the city of skyscrapers, you'll be able to recognize buildings and some of the famous sights, all converted, of course, into a Lego style. The sound guys have also done a good job, with more than acceptable dubbing (although I continue to enjoy the Lego games undubbed), as well as a soundtrack that draws on themes that have been composed for the various films of the Marvel stable.
Traveller's Tales has done it again: they've taken a very popular franchise and managed to transform it into Lego, resulting in a tremendously fun game. Maybe the Lego Marvel Super Heroes game isn't very challenging, but the respect shown for Marvel, the great sense of humor, and the variety of characters and levels make it perfectly entertaining to play, no matter what your age or skills with the controls . Open-world New York City including Stan Lee himself Plenty of funny moments to keep the laughter up Monotonous level design and mission format Strange A.I. actions during open-world play Imagine being a young kid playing with his or her favorite superhero action figures. Iron Man soaring through the air, defending the floor of the bedroom from the tyranny of Doctor Doom, while Wolverine and Sabretooth duke it out on the dresser. To the child, the floor is the streets of a big city, the dresser a skyscraper, and every sound-effect explosion from the kid's mouth is a real rocket crashing into a building.
Lego Marvel Super Heroes feels like it's come right from the mind of that imaginative child, creating a superhero story worthy of afternoon playtime.Taking a cue from Lego City Undercover, Lego Marvel Super Heroes encases its adventure in an open-world replica of New York City bulging at the seams with things to do (and things to destroy for some coveted Lego coins). There’s no rush in starting a mission; once your destination is set and you gain control, the Lego world is your oyster. After skydiving off of the SHIELD Helicarrier to reach the city (one of the coolest parts of the game, by the way), you can take Lego Iron Man for a quick jet through the skyline or take hold of Doctor Doom (once you unlock him, of course) and wreak havoc on some unsuspecting citizens in Central Park."...a superhero story worthy of afternoon playtime."That being said, the fun of exploring the open world doesn’t exactly translate to the story missions. Each plays out virtually the same way: fight a wave of enemies, construct a switch or platform to advance, fight another wave of enemies, more construction, fight a boss, ad infinitum.
Monotony abounds during the story, to the point where it felt more like a tutorial for the abilities you’ll use in the open world. Boss battles, which are to a one entertaining, are the light at the end of the tunnel to this repetitive gameplay; it's just a shame the drudgery leading up to these epic fights weighs them down.Thankfully, trademark Lego charm makes it all more bearable, and the laughs are heightened by some clever comedy bits. You’ll smile as The Thing constantly gets interrupted during his catch phrase. Walk into Deadpool’s room on the Helicarrier and you’ll enjoy the glimpse at his insanity. Even the many Easter eggs will make you laugh, like a passerby on the street who exclaims “Something about that big rainbow road in the sky…it makes me want to race!” then wonders why no one knows what he’s talking about. These instances--especially moments in which you'll have to save Mr. Stan Lee himself--fill Lego Marvel with personality, and it works every time.You'll face plenty of iconic villains in Lego Marvel Super Heroes, but the biggest one you'll encounter (sorry, Galactus) is one that has plagued video games forever: The Dreaded Technical Problem!
First, while walking through the city streets, you’ll notice that the NPC AI has no clear direction or boundaries. Many times during the adventure an intersection will fill up with pedestrians that somehow get stuck under cars in the middle of the street. It’s as if they all became Nostra-Lego, predicted some kind of superhero mayhem, and assumed crash positions under cars before anything actually happened. None of it made sense."Lego Marvel Super Heroes couldn’t slay all of its technical villains..."Even worse than pre-mayhem mayhem are the moments where heroes would glitch into the environment, getting stuck on something and running around without actually moving. Most of the time another hero is able to break the offending piece and the level can continue, but this behavior can still hamstring your enjoyment. At one point toward the beginning of a level, Lego Wolverine stuck to an unbreakable gate, requiring an ultra-frustrating level restart.Lego Marvel Super Heroes couldn’t slay all of its technical villains, but there’s plenty of fun to be had despite those shortcomings.