First Wii U game! Hurray! This particular title I just got in a surprise Wii U bundle for Christmas from my very generous other half and boy was I glad to get it. Of course, this also means a lot more new incoming games for the backlog for this new format but they’re almost all going to be awesome Nintendo games so it’s all good.
I had seen this newer LEGO game in some reviews and such but was not too aware of what separated it from the others apart from being a Wii U exclusive so I went into this one fairly blind. Now having played it, I can say that the simplest comparison I can make for it is that it is Grand Theft LEGO. The majority of the game is spent going around a huge open world LEGO city as the hero Chase McCain who is on the hunt for his arch nemesis Rex Fury.
You can “steal” cars and drive around as you like (although you are actually commandeering them for Police use) and tackle any huge number of side quests and missions and such. But most of the main story missions take place in isolated separate maps referred to as “special assignments”. These are most similar to the traditional LEGO game levels where you must move through various screens by performing various tasks such as smashing things open to find bricks, building things from bricks, finding keys to open doors and using various different character’s special skills. But in this title, instead of separate changeable characters like a high jumper, a gunner, a small character, etc, Chase McCain has a number of disguises he can switch between which afford him different abilities such as robber, astronaut, fireman, farmer and so on. You acquire more of these as the game progresses and can access more and more areas both in the special assignments and in the open world.
This is the first LEGO game that I have played to have an actual original plot and characters and not just be a LEGOfication of an existing franchise. These new characters also have voice acting now so it feels much more like a fleshed out game rather than just a campy re-enactment of a different story. But thankfully, all the same wacky LEGO humour that made all the previous games so lovable and funny is still there which was of great relief to me. There is also a great number of pop culture and classic film references all over the place which I feel was put in for parents who play through the game with children as most of them are too old for anyone born this millennium to get. One particular gem was a construction worker who sounded very like a certain well known Austrian actor who would work the names of said actor’s well known films into as many of his lines as he could.
The Wii U game pad does have some extra features in this game making navigating the open world easier such as a handy world map, way points and communicator. It is also used in some mini games as a camera or listening device or search tool which help to mix things up a bit.
I found LEGO City Undercover to be a very charming and funny original adventure into the world of LEGO that expanded on the previous LEGO game framework greatly by adding an open world and original storyline. Great fun to play and it’s also a great glimpse back into childhood as you can clearly remember many different LEGO figures, brand, vehicles and pieces and how you used them all as a child in your very own LEGO city.
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