![]() ![]() However, without a string of franchise characters to labor under TT Games can flex their creative muscle without restraint. ![]() Although the main city is more fleshed out and larger than the hub worlds we are used to in these games and the various missions are more entwined with the City world, this is still very much a Lego game. Now, before I get carried away, the game itself isn’t a million miles from the recent Lego Batman 2 and Lego Lord of the Rings offerings. Something that fits well with Lego’s peaceful values of “an emphasis on free play and encouraging the imagination, and no modern warfare or violence.” While there are some police-related encounters that require a degree of force the general tendency here is to arrest and restrain rather than dispatch. This also steers proceedings away from violence and fisticuffs. Playing Lego City Undercover was like discovering this play-mate in electronic fashion. So, in my household at least, the steady development of our Lego City’s Fire/Police and Ambulance services, places to live and work as well as all manner of civic services has been the enduring theme of our brick play. Lego City has always been a place to play long term, rather than visit for a particular adventure. There’s a good reason why the physical Lego City kits endure longer than movie themed offerings that come and go. Lego City Undercover revels in its Lego-ness, rather than the familiarity of a particular movie or super hero. Rather than building something for Batman, Luke Skywalker, Indie or Legolas here I found myself wanting to explore, break and build for the sheer joy of those studded little bricks. Freed from being overshadowed by heavily freighted intellectual property (with its own limits and benefits) the game connects to the simple joy of Lego kits I remember from when I was young. In a family setting, it’s hugely sentimental - in a good way I think and much more than the Lego games tied to particular movie franchises. While this is understandable, Lego City Undercover is a game I found myself judging with a more personal yardstick. There will be many reviews that compare Lego City Undercover to other Lego video-games, and action adventure games in general, and then apply their usual scoring systems. Free of its movie responsibilities Lego City Undercover can simply revel in its Lego-ness. The stars align for the first system exclusive, franchise free Lego game. ![]()
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