iPhone/iPad, PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One Awaiting 2 more reviews Mixed or average reviews- based on 13 Ratings More Details and Credits » users found this helpful The LEGO Movie Videogame - Launch Trailer The LEGO Movie Videogame - Official Trailer Somewhere along the line, LEGO games on portables got really small. Older LEGO adventures on DS and PSP at least tried to recreate the large-scale action and exploration of their console big brothers, but more recent installments (like LEGO Marvel Superheroes) have streamlined the gameplay to the point where the portables feel like they’re getting a plastic brick shaft. The LEGO Movie Videogame on PS Vita and 3DS is no exception: its stripped-down gameplay and focus on bite-sized levels and timed achievements make it feel like a rushed, lesser version of the console experience. Like the console version, The LEGO Movie Videogame for 3DS and Vita follows the storyline of the movie exactly, only this time the action is divvied up into 45 mini-levels.
In theory, that makes a lot of sense on portable systems where you might not have 20 or 30 minutes to complete a single level and just want a quick burst of LEGO fun, but most levels go by so quickly that the desire to go back and replay them to explore further is ruined. Some levels can be completed in a couple of minutes, such as those love-’em-or-hate-’em falling sequences in which you have to maneuver the lovable star, Emmet, to avoid obstacles while plummeting through as many bonus pick-ups as possible. Others, like driving and mine-cart railed sequences can be so infuriating to get through in the first place that only completionists will want to load them up again. The action on 3DS and Vita is also shown from an overhead isometric perspective as opposed to the console versions’ closer, over-the-shoulder viewpoint. So, yay - not only are you playing on a smaller screen, but everything looks smaller, too. Otherwise, the gameplay is the regular entertaining LEGO formula of exploration (though more limited), smashing your surroundings into collectible studs, punching bad guys, and solving puzzles using each character’s unique abilities.
Emmet, for example, can fix machines with his wrench, and Wyldstyle is a Master Builder capable of assembling huge contraptions. And then there are the timed objectives, like beating a number of bad guys in a set amount of time to earn bonuses. I get why they’re here - they add variety and give you an extra reason to go back and replay a mission - but they seem counterintuitive to the laid-back, toybox approach of LEGO games. Suddenly you’re being prodded to hurry up, or worse, race to an objective, when what you really want to do is explore and experiment with the colorful plastic world around you. What’s most irritating about this portable version, though, is that you can actually die. As in, the kind of death that forces you to restart the level and try, try, again. In the console version, like most LEGO games, you’ll lose some studs when your health is depleted, but you can always jump right back up and continue from where you fell to pieces (literally). But the Vita and 3DS editions greet you with a “restart level” screen that puts you back at the start.
True, most of the levels aren’t terribly long to begin with, but the side effect is that the portable version is tougher. Accidentally fall off a platform? Get whacked to bits by a tough boss? Since portable editions tend to skew towards younger players, the increased difficulty on 3DS and Vita seems strange. The LEGO Movie Videogame naturally looks best on Vita given its power and higher resolution, while the 3DS version is more pixilated and has a lower framerate. Otherwise, the two are virtually identical, including the annoying touch-screen controls that make you tap the screen repeatedly to make Emmet jackhammer something or swirl your finger around to assemble objects. Most of these are optional, though, and you can substitute button presses or the control stick/D-pad to do the same things. The LEGO Movie Videogame manages to ride the charm of its hilarious source material, yet still reeks of movie tie-in-itis. The 3DS and Vita versions’ bite-sized chunks of gameplay make the overall experience feel less like a grand LEGO adventure and more like a series of mini-games and puzzles crammed into where the story should be.
There’s still a lot of fun to be had in wanton destruction and problem-solving, but this trip into LEGO-land feels too rushed to be awesome.3DS, iPhone/iPad, PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One Mixed or average reviews Mixed or average reviews- based on 98 Ratings See all 31 Critic Reviews See all 16 User Reviews Mixed or average reviews- based on 11 Ratings LEGO Marvel Super Heroes - Launch Trailer LEGO Marvel Super Heroes - E3 2013 Trailer Lego City Undercover: The Chase Begins is a sandbox-style action-adventure video game developed by TT Fusion, that was released on the Nintendo 3DS in April 2013.[1] Unlike previous Lego titles developed by Traveller's Tales, which have been based on various licenses, the game is based on the Lego City brand and was published by Nintendo. It serves as a prequel to Lego City Undercover. Set about 2 years before the events of Lego City Undercover, Chase McCain, a rookie cop working for the Lego City Police Department, has one objective in his mind: to put the most wanted man, Rex Fury, into jail.
As far as story connections go, it was Chase who accidentally revealed that Natalia Kowalski, who previously worked as a news reporter turned out to be the secret witness in the Rex trial, which forced her to go under witness protection. It also outlines how Chase managed to arrest Rex Fury. Furthermore, the game reveals that Mayor Gleeson, a character also featured in Lego City Undercover, was formerly the chief of police, and how Chief Dunby was just a common officer. The game was first announced during Nintendo's press conference at E3 2011 on 7 June 2011 with the tentative name Lego City Stories. On 17 January 2013, the game was revealed to be Lego City Undercover: The Chase Begins, and that it would be a prequel to the Wii U game. Lego City Undercover: The Chase Begins received mixed reviews with aggregate scores of 64% from GameRankings and 65/100 from Metacritic.[3] IGN gave it 6.3/10, calling it a "decent" game that is marred by "a lot of fog, a lot of loading, no voice acting and a jarring framerate".
Liam Martin of Digital Spy gave the game 3 out of 5 stars, commenting on the games lack of appeal but praising the game's visuals and stating that "Unfortunately, where LEGO City Undercover referenced movies and used voice acting to great effect, hardware limitations have forced TT Fusion to keep spoken cutscenes to a minimum, something which ultimately detracts from the hilarity. Despite its flaws, LEGO City Undercover: The Chase Begins is a charming release, packed with diverse missions, mostly impressive visuals and a great cast of characters." Chris Scullion of Official Nintendo Magazine gave the game 64% out of 100, commenting on the amount of cutbacks from the Wii U sequel (Undercover), stating that "The Chase Begins has far less funnier bones than Undercover. The silly jokes, clever spoofs and brilliant dialogue between the characters have been replaced with a handful of average cutscenes and loads of text-heavy dialogue which, while functional, are rarely amusing and never hilarious.