Skip to content
LEGO City Undercover originally appeared on the Wii U back in 2013. Now that the console is becoming obsolete, LEGO and Telltale have decided to re-release the game on current-gen systems. I’m not a fan of games being re-released for an easy cash grab, but I’m willing to let this one slide.
Story: You are Police Officer Chase McCain, coming home to LEGO city after a big bust went wrong and he was sent away for two years. The Mayor was under pressure to bring Chase home since Rex Fury has escaped from prison and is unleashing a major crime wave across LEGO city. It’s Chase’s job with the help of rookie cops Frank Honey and Ellie Phillips, under the command of Chief of Police Marion Dunby, to take down the criminals involved and get Rex back behind bars where he belongs.
Gameplay: The game is very much like most LEGO games – collect studs, change costumes to do new abilities to progress through the game, build by holding the B/Circle button and collecting gold bricks, and so on. New to the game is the addition of collecting super bricks and normal bricks to help build at ‘build points’ across the city.
The game is set in an open world environment so you can drive, swim, fly in vehicles and use boats and other contraptions as you unlock them on your play-through. It feels like LEGO meets Grand Theft Auto which is a great substitute for younger players (seriously, if you get GTA for your kids to play, you are a terrible parent).
The gameplay is fun and perfect for kids especially those who enjoy the LEGO games, and although it feels a lot like previous games, it has a few more gadgets including the tablet to track criminals. I guess this feature was made for the Wii U game pad originally. Unfortunately, the game is only single-player which is rare for a LEGO Telltale title, even on the new systems.
Graphics: As I have not played the original Wii U version, I have no base for comparison, but as it did look decent for current gen-consoles I checked out a Youtube video to see the differences and I must admit, it got a very nice upgrade and polish for its re-release. I’m pleased this is the case since it feels less of a cash-in as a result. The game feels and looks new and not four years old, as the graphics are up to par with the other LEGO games released recently, such as LEGO Star Wars Force Awakens or LEGO Marvel Avengers.
Sound: Im glad to see that the latest LEGO games have voice actors, as it helps enjoy story elements more than having a bunch of mute humming/grumbling figures like in older games. It helps push the narrative forward, especially in titles which are not parody-based on already-seen movies. Sound effects are as good as they need to be, but what I do love is the soundtrack – mixing a 70s buddy cop movie-style track you would hear in things like Starsky and Hutch with sneaky clue-finding music that belongs in Sherlock Holmes or the Maltese falcon (when I hear this track I can only hear the song “Big Spender”!).
Overall, this is a fun game that’s perfect for kids and even adults. I like LEGO games, but after playing LEGO Worlds, all the other games seem pale in comparison.
Graphics: 8/10 – A great HD polish over the 4 year old original
Sound: 8/10 – Great fun voice overs with an enjoyable soundtrack
Gameplay: 6/10 – Very samey as most LEGO games but has a few changes
Enjoyment: 5.5/10 – The story has not much to it, but it’s a kids game and the voice actors keep it fun. However, I find LEGO games to get very boring and tiresome, and put them down before finishing them for a single time, so I can’t see anyone beating it to play again.
Overall score: 7/10 – Fun game especially for kids but more or less the same as most LEGO games apart from story characters and layout, buy if it looks of interest to you or your children.
Thanks to the Youtube channels featured for the gaming footage.
LEGO City Undercover is out now on PS4, Xbox One, Wii U, Nintendo Switch and PC, and click on the packshot for the full-size version.
Important info:
- Publisher: Warner Bros Interactive
- Players: single-player, co-op
- HDTV options: up to 1080p
- Sound: DTS 5.1
|
GRAPHICS SOUND GAMEPLAY ENJOYMENT |
8 8 6 5.5 |
| OVERALL | 7 |
Retro game fan, comic book reader, board game lover and film fanatic. I have loved videogames since I was 5 years old after visiting my first arcade, I have grown up with gaming since having my Atari 2600 then Commodore 64. I ended up building my own career crafting pixelised characters and have had the pleasure of meeting many of my retro gaming heroes who developed some of my absolute favourite games.