I've played, like, two good movie games in
the last decade.
I've already played two this year.
There's South Park: The Stick Of Truth, and
there's this.
The LEGO Movie Video Game.
Hey, maybe this is the turn of the tide.
Maybe movie games are gonna start being awesome.
I mean, that would be awesome.
'Cause this one's awesome.
Not sure why I keep saying awesome, but...it
feels awesome.
So I actually reviewed this game on the PlayStation
3 about a month ago.
But since then, I've actually seen the movie.
And I've got to tell you...just a great movie.
Actually, I was gonna say awesome, but...that
joke's over.
And coming back to it after seeing the movie,
I'm even more impressed with the game.
I mean, this is how you do a game based on
a movie.
It captures the vibe, it tells the story,
and it does it really well.
In fact, it's kind of crazy how well it tells
the story.
Playing this game really feels like you're
playing through the movie.
It goes scene by scene, turning major moments
from the film into playable levels in the
game.
And they picked the right scenes, too.
Emmet's long fall into the abyss, the big
escape in the Old West...you get to play them,
in the game.
And since it's all tied together with actual
video from the movie, it really brings the
whole experience together.
The LEGO Movie Video Game is just that—the
movie, as a game.
Of course, it starts with the presentation.
The game looks beautiful, and it does a great
job recreating locations from the film.
And again, you're getting a lot of video and
music from the movie.
So much so that...it sort of changes the game's
tone.
I mean, most LEGO games use cut scenes to
inject that LEGO humor into the given series.
We've seen it in everything from Harry Potter
to Star Wars.
That quirky charm that comes from the LEGO
games.
But this one doesn't have it.
As a movie game, it's not reimagining characters
as LEGO.
The movie already is LEGO.
So again, it does feel a bit different from
most of the LEGO games.
While it may differ in tone, it's very familiar
in terms of gameplay.
This is another classically LEGO video game.
You beat up enemies, you collect studs, you
make new things from LEGO bricks.
Occasionally, you solve a puzzle.
I mean, it's mostly the same simple gameplay
we've come to expect from the LEGO games.
But where it sets itself apart...is its focus.
Where some lean toward combat, this one's
more focused...on LEGO.
See, in The LEGO Movie Video Game...virtually
everything on the screen is made from LEGO
bricks.
It's not like the other games, where it's
only certain objects made from LEGO.
In this one, everything's LEGO.
And a lot of it can be destroyed.
So perhaps more than any of the previous LEGO
games, this one feels like a truly LEGO game.
There are bricks and studs all over the place,
and you're constantly building new things.
And one of the central gameplay elements are
these crazy super builds.
Some characters can actually highlight a bunch
of objects, and then tear them apart and throw
the pieces into a huge LEGO whirlwind.
And these whirlwinds create crazy new LEGO
stuff.
Obviously another area where the game mimics
the film, but it also plays into the emphasis
on creation.
I mean, playing this kind of LEGO game after...some
of the Marvel games, for example...it's obviously
got the same gameplay elements, but it's about
the proportion of those elements.
Of course, on the other hand...it's also a
much smaller game than, say, LEGO Marvel Super
Heroes.
Although each world has its own little hub
level, it's nowhere near the size of the open
world parts of LEGO Marvel Super Heroes or
LEGO City: Undercover.
It's a more linear, more streamlined game.
But at the same time, there's still a lot
of content.
Tons of characters to unlock, and swap between...freaking
Batman.
And of course, you can always go back and
replay levels with new characters, which is
awesome.
And there's that word again.
Awesome.
It's something movie games rarely are.
But this one bucks the trend.
I had an awesome time playing the PS3 version,
and I had just as much fun replaying it on
the Xbox 360.
Sure, all the same complaints you might have
about the LEGO games will still apply here.
The tedium, the simplicity, the technical
issues...but for what is primarily a kids
game, let alone a movie game...everything
is awesome.
In The LEGO Movie Video Game.
It's like if GoldenEye had more Duplo.
