200th(ish) Blog Post: VGSR: LEGO (TT Games Series)

OK so this technically isn't the 200th blog post that I have done as my last one was the one. I didn't celebrate it because I was running out of time due to family matters. But I'm now back and blog posts will now run as normal. So for my 200th blog post, I decided that since the last one was about LEGO models that I built, this one will be around the many games that TT games have developed with LEGO inside the game (not literally but you know what I mean). So let's get to it:

Please be aware that the list is in alphabetical order of the year that each game was released (example: Bionicle Heroes and Star Wars 2 were both released in 2006 so BH goes first as B comes before S in the alphabet). Also LEGO Universe and LEGO Creationary were not made by TT Games during this time, so they won't count and these are not the first ever LEGO games to be made as there were 25 others before these making Batman 2 not the first LEGO game to feature voice acting (that was first introduced in LEGO Island). I'm also not counting the LEGO Battles games as I have not played them and have no intention to in the future.

Star Wars: The Videogame:

Being the first LEGO game of this era (the 26th LEGO game overall), this one was based on the somewhat, terrible prequel trilogy that no one liked. It was tied into the movie release of Revenge of the Sith and was actually pretty good. Each character had their own abilities (all lightsaber guys have different forms of using the force, droids can open doors, guys with blasters can use hooks and small guys can fit through small gaps). It was a very good game at the time and was TT Game's starting point into making more LEGO games. 9/10

Bionicle Heroes:

Now in my defence, I only played a little bit of this game as I (at the time) wasn't used to third person perspectives in video games. But anyway, This Bionicle game is based around the 2006 story arc, but is not in any way, part of it as its contains various Bionicle villains from previous years (such as Bohrok). I didn't like the game as it didn't feel LEGOish and was a desperate attempt from TT games to make a game that was better than Bionicle: The Game. Its a shame, but at least they tried. 7/10

Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy:

In the sequel to TT game's first LEGO game, this one continues the fun by doing the less terrible trilogy of the franchise. With the addition of the gameplay from the last game, the co-op has been improved and can now be seen in a much bigger area, certain objects can be moved by the characters, a new vehcile mechanic is introduced, and headgear dispensers allow the option to use stealth in areas like the Death Star. I quite liked this game as it was based on the more successful part of the franchise and its very fun and is possibly better than the first game. 9/10


Star Wars: The Complete Saga:

So in an attempt to see how a game would look on the seventh generation, this game was released for PS3, Xbox 360, Wii and Nintendo DS. It combines the last two games by merging them together to make it entirely possible to play both games in one. Most of the levels from the previous games are here, but with new gameplay mechanics that make them fresh again. Plus a few more levels are added such as the chase for the assassin in Attack of the Clones and the space battle in The Phantom Menace. While I do find that the game is mostly recycled, at least people can play them on seventh generation consoles so there's not really anything new other than new gameplay mechanics for the prequel levels. 8/10


Batman: The Videogame:

Now the Dark Knight himself, takes the LEGO treatment. This game is the first to have an original story that can be seen either in the perspective of the Dynamic Duo or the villains. The villains have split themselves up into 3 groups each one being lead by Joker, Riddler and Penguin who each one ultimately wants to wreak havoc all over Gotham, but in different ways. As this is a new franchise for TT games to work on, it shows the same gameplay as before, but with the addition of various suits for Batman and Robin and new abilities for all the characters, this game is another fresh out of the bag, LEGO game that may get better over time. 9/10


Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures:

Another new franchise to work on, Indiana Jones is another iconic franchise that has been worked on quite well with a whole set of new mechanics to try out with the famous adventurer in his original adventures. Its very fun and enjoyable, but does suffer with the same gameplay as with other LEGO games, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. Still, its a good game regardless. 9/10


Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues:

Serving as a continuation of the last game, this game features redesigned levels for the original adventures and also includes the 4th film, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. It offers a unusual verison of a spilt screen which works far better than before and also has a level creator for anyone to create a level with IJ mechanics. The good stuff about this game was the new co-op modification and the level creator. The rest just (in my opinion) sucked. The levels were very short, the hub worlds are a complete mess and the whole game was focused more on the worst film than the others (with the original 3 adventures having only 1 hub world and the 4th film having 3 based on certain scenes) which in my opinion, makes this the worst LEGO game to date. 6/10


Rock Band:

Now this is what I call a crossover with a very popular and iconic toy and a very popular video game. Like with all Rock Band games, you have to use instrumental controllers to play the songs. You can do long or short versions of each song and at various points during the campaign mode, you can do out of the blue, concerts, music videos and more. I find this game to be a break from the usual LEGO gameplay and with it being released the same year as IJ 2, this makes up for what that very bad game was. I do however question the song choices that are in here as they all seem to be child friendly, random and most youngsters won't know them as well as I did. Never the less, the game is still the best LEGO game so far. 9/10


Harry Potter: Years 1-4:

Now while this game offers new mechanics for the characters (as with all LEGO games), this also smacks EA right in the face as it makes their Harry Potter games, suck more than what they already are. The hub world can now be incorporated into the story as you learn new abilities and spells. You can explore Hogwarts and Diagon Alley as seen in the first 4 Harry Potter films and books. This is a great game that just shows how a game based on a hugely popular franchise, can be developed without all the shortness and terrible gameplay that EA do in their version of the Harry Potter games so well done TT Games. 9/10


Harry Potter: Years 5-7:

Please click here for an in depth look at the game.


Pirates of the Caribbean: The Videogame:

Now here's a pirate game that you may like. What makes this game different to the Indiana Jones games (apart from the obvious) is that it evenly focuses on all four films and has one hub world that in time, evolves and gets bigger (Port Royale that is). It does have the usual gameplay as with previous LEGO games, but can be seen as more funnier and better than the actual films themselves. This game is about average for the LEGO games. Apart from it being a new franchise for TT Games to work on, it doesn't show anything too new or interesting. Nevertheless, its still fun and enjoyable. 8/10


Star Wars III: The Clone Wars:

After hearing about the television show sucking and also the franchise, slowly but steadily dying, I lost all hope when this game came along, however the game itself changed my mind completely. The game has 2 hub worlds that are used by either the Republic or the Dark Side which players can get to via a shooting gallery. As well as this, all the levels are based on scenes from various episodes of the show and also the film (with one being based on a scene from Attack of the Clones which looks like a redeveloped level from the first game). It also has a new war based strategy mode where the player's side must destroy and take over the opposition which works quite well. This game is the best Star Wars game in the series so far with many new mechanics that make it fresh and new again. 9/10 (by the way, this technically is the 4th game in the series, not the 3rd).


Batman 2: DC Superheroes:

Please click here for an in depth look at the game.

So overall, this era of LEGO games has seen its good and bad sides, but with more games on the way (LEGO City Undercover and LEGO Lord of the Rings mainly), we can expect some great stuff and as long as TT games are making the games, we'll all be fine. 9/10 overall.