Rudy
03-16-2014, 07:34 AM
I’ve played and watched a lot of Lego video games with my kids. Some of have been fantastic with many being fun. Most use the same formula with a few twists. The original games did not have screen tearing so you had to share the same screen with your co-op partner. Later games had screen tearing, open world hubs and eventually real voice acting instead of grunts. All games have humour and puzzles and smashing. I don’t care about online so that component does not factor into the score. I will list the PS3 Metacritic score for all the Lego games below (Wii U for City).
Personally my favourite Lego games are the ones based on movies. Reliving the scenes while you play, the cut scenes and music are the best parts of the game. These games were meant for co-op so Lego City Undercover will take a huge hit in my rankings. If you weren’t based on a movie you take a hit as well. Lastly the open world hubs may be enjoyable for those looking for a less linear approach and want that open world feel but after a while they feel tedious. I prefer the simple hub where I go to the board I want to play. Lastly, games that featured driving boards where you were always in a car or boat may get downgraded. Those sections aren’t as much fun imo.
THE ELITE
1. Lego Indiana Jones 1 (M.77).
The original was the first Lego game we ever played and it holds a dear place in my heart within the Lego universe. Perhaps nostalgia is over-rating this game but it starts at #1. Being able to replay the original trilogy was a blast and the Indy character himself along with his whip were a blast. One of the best things about this game was the hunt for hidden areas that had treasure chests and not all of these hidden areas were only accessible in free play. I think this game is still the best when it comes to exploring the environment in search for things rather than simply requiring special abilities to capture it all.
2. Lego Pirates of the Caribbean (M.73).
This game was an absolute blast. It was great to replay the movies and the huge ensemble cast with a great variety of abilities was a huge hit. It was great having more than two characters available in boards as well. This game was fresh and fun the whole way through. An absolute must buy for Pirates fans. A small hub with a traditional interface to access the game was nice.
3. Lego Lord of the Rings (M.82).
This game is very similar to Lego Pirates and I’d rank it above Pirates if it wasn’t for the open world hub. With a huge cast of characters (better than Pirates) with many unique abilities at your disposal the game is always fresh and enjoyable. Along with truly great cut scenes, real voices and dialogue from the movies, and great boards to play this game is a no-brainer for LOTR fans. There are tons of loveable characters in LOTR that make it great and the movie tie-ins are top notch. At times you had more than two characters including a handful of co-op sections where you get split up and tackle separate areas. It gets downgraded though for an open world hub. Parts of the hub are great and set off movie scenes like the lighting of the beacons. There are lots of cool things to do and collect but it’s also very large and travelling to all the locations can be tedious. Tons of collectibles though.
THE NORMAL LEGO EXPERIENCE
4. Lego Marvel Super Heroes (M.82).
We have only begun this game. Unfortunately my son isn’t as in to super heroes and so we have been sidetracked and haven’t gotten back to it. A ton of super heroes are in this game. I loved the mini boss fight between Hulk and Abomination early on. Seeing Wolverine in the game was fun. There is no movie tie-in so this game has more of a mindless fun aspect but I need to play it more. I certainly enjoyed what we played so far.
5. Lego Star Wars: Complete Saga (M.80).
This encompassed the first six movies and was fun. I love movie tie-ins and I loved Star Wars but for some reason this game just didn’t feel as fun as Lego Pirates or LOTR. It had a lot going for it but the characters weren’t as diverse and using the force wasn’t as fun.
6. Lego Batman 1 (M.75) & 2 (M.81).
I did not enjoy these games as much as others and I can’t remember the differences so I’ll just lump them together. No movie tie-in, overly dark and overly reliant on different suits. Flying suit, magnet suits, etc. Batman uses a different utility belt and doesn’t change into new suits every other day in the comics or movies! The driving boards were not a favourite of mine.
7. Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars (M.76)
We never finished this game. It was Star Wars but based off the animated show. Not bad but it didn’t hold our interests. My kids just aren’t Star Wars fans like I was.
THE WEAK
8. Lego Indiana Jones 2 (M.70).
This game disappointed. It was the first game to use an open world hub and while interesting at first it didn’t add to the experience and actually made the game worse. It had the movie tie-ins including the lousy fourth movie but it just wasn’t nearly as fun as the first game.
9. Lego City Undercover (M.80 Wii U only).
Some will cringe with this low ranking but let me explain. There is no movie tie in or cool characters. The entire game is based off of Lego City which isn’t that exciting for me. The entire game is an open world hub (it’s huge!) almost resembling a GTA style game where you pick your missions although they are still linear. That’s another demerit. But mostly this game had NO CO-OP! What were you thinking?! Lego games are best played together and our family quit playing this early on because we didn’t find it that interesting and couldn’t play it together.
THE AWFUL
10. Lego Harry Potter 1 (years 1-4 M.79) & 2 (years 5-7 M.76).
We are not Harry Potter fans or haters and have only seen a couple movies which we did like although didn’t love. We got the first game because we have generally liked all the Lego games but this game was a snoozefest. I couldn’t believe how boring it was. A lot of what you have to do requires the use of your wand and magic which was uber boringly done. Unless you are huge Potter fans I suggest avoid at all costs.
INCOMPLETE/HAVEN’T PLAYED
My family appears burnt out on the Lego games now. I’m not sure how many more we will get but these games may peak our interest.
Lego Movie Videogame (M.82): We enjoyed the movie so this could be fun.
Lego Hobbit (NA): We loved Lego LOTR but the cast of characters is MUCH better than what is offered in the Hobbit. The movies were better too so I don’t know how much we would love this game, especially since it’s only based on the first two movies. It should have waited for the trilogy to be completed.
Personally my favourite Lego games are the ones based on movies. Reliving the scenes while you play, the cut scenes and music are the best parts of the game. These games were meant for co-op so Lego City Undercover will take a huge hit in my rankings. If you weren’t based on a movie you take a hit as well. Lastly the open world hubs may be enjoyable for those looking for a less linear approach and want that open world feel but after a while they feel tedious. I prefer the simple hub where I go to the board I want to play. Lastly, games that featured driving boards where you were always in a car or boat may get downgraded. Those sections aren’t as much fun imo.
THE ELITE
1. Lego Indiana Jones 1 (M.77).
The original was the first Lego game we ever played and it holds a dear place in my heart within the Lego universe. Perhaps nostalgia is over-rating this game but it starts at #1. Being able to replay the original trilogy was a blast and the Indy character himself along with his whip were a blast. One of the best things about this game was the hunt for hidden areas that had treasure chests and not all of these hidden areas were only accessible in free play. I think this game is still the best when it comes to exploring the environment in search for things rather than simply requiring special abilities to capture it all.
2. Lego Pirates of the Caribbean (M.73).
This game was an absolute blast. It was great to replay the movies and the huge ensemble cast with a great variety of abilities was a huge hit. It was great having more than two characters available in boards as well. This game was fresh and fun the whole way through. An absolute must buy for Pirates fans. A small hub with a traditional interface to access the game was nice.
3. Lego Lord of the Rings (M.82).
This game is very similar to Lego Pirates and I’d rank it above Pirates if it wasn’t for the open world hub. With a huge cast of characters (better than Pirates) with many unique abilities at your disposal the game is always fresh and enjoyable. Along with truly great cut scenes, real voices and dialogue from the movies, and great boards to play this game is a no-brainer for LOTR fans. There are tons of loveable characters in LOTR that make it great and the movie tie-ins are top notch. At times you had more than two characters including a handful of co-op sections where you get split up and tackle separate areas. It gets downgraded though for an open world hub. Parts of the hub are great and set off movie scenes like the lighting of the beacons. There are lots of cool things to do and collect but it’s also very large and travelling to all the locations can be tedious. Tons of collectibles though.
THE NORMAL LEGO EXPERIENCE
4. Lego Marvel Super Heroes (M.82).
We have only begun this game. Unfortunately my son isn’t as in to super heroes and so we have been sidetracked and haven’t gotten back to it. A ton of super heroes are in this game. I loved the mini boss fight between Hulk and Abomination early on. Seeing Wolverine in the game was fun. There is no movie tie-in so this game has more of a mindless fun aspect but I need to play it more. I certainly enjoyed what we played so far.
5. Lego Star Wars: Complete Saga (M.80).
This encompassed the first six movies and was fun. I love movie tie-ins and I loved Star Wars but for some reason this game just didn’t feel as fun as Lego Pirates or LOTR. It had a lot going for it but the characters weren’t as diverse and using the force wasn’t as fun.
6. Lego Batman 1 (M.75) & 2 (M.81).
I did not enjoy these games as much as others and I can’t remember the differences so I’ll just lump them together. No movie tie-in, overly dark and overly reliant on different suits. Flying suit, magnet suits, etc. Batman uses a different utility belt and doesn’t change into new suits every other day in the comics or movies! The driving boards were not a favourite of mine.
7. Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars (M.76)
We never finished this game. It was Star Wars but based off the animated show. Not bad but it didn’t hold our interests. My kids just aren’t Star Wars fans like I was.
THE WEAK
8. Lego Indiana Jones 2 (M.70).
This game disappointed. It was the first game to use an open world hub and while interesting at first it didn’t add to the experience and actually made the game worse. It had the movie tie-ins including the lousy fourth movie but it just wasn’t nearly as fun as the first game.
9. Lego City Undercover (M.80 Wii U only).
Some will cringe with this low ranking but let me explain. There is no movie tie in or cool characters. The entire game is based off of Lego City which isn’t that exciting for me. The entire game is an open world hub (it’s huge!) almost resembling a GTA style game where you pick your missions although they are still linear. That’s another demerit. But mostly this game had NO CO-OP! What were you thinking?! Lego games are best played together and our family quit playing this early on because we didn’t find it that interesting and couldn’t play it together.
THE AWFUL
10. Lego Harry Potter 1 (years 1-4 M.79) & 2 (years 5-7 M.76).
We are not Harry Potter fans or haters and have only seen a couple movies which we did like although didn’t love. We got the first game because we have generally liked all the Lego games but this game was a snoozefest. I couldn’t believe how boring it was. A lot of what you have to do requires the use of your wand and magic which was uber boringly done. Unless you are huge Potter fans I suggest avoid at all costs.
INCOMPLETE/HAVEN’T PLAYED
My family appears burnt out on the Lego games now. I’m not sure how many more we will get but these games may peak our interest.
Lego Movie Videogame (M.82): We enjoyed the movie so this could be fun.
Lego Hobbit (NA): We loved Lego LOTR but the cast of characters is MUCH better than what is offered in the Hobbit. The movies were better too so I don’t know how much we would love this game, especially since it’s only based on the first two movies. It should have waited for the trilogy to be completed.