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The Lego Movie 2: The Video Game – Review

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The Lego Movie 2: The Video Game – Review

 

The Lego Movie 2 Videogame is available on PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC

 

Now, I didn’t intend on reviewing this game, it’s a Lego game and it’s not one of the big mainstream titles to have been released over the past 6 months, but after playing the first couple of ‘levels’ I felt I needed to say something.

The Lego Movie 2: The Video Game was developed by TT Fusion and published by Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment and is a tie-in game to the recently released The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part.

I’ve enjoyed almost every Lego game I’ve played, from Lego Star Wars to Lego Pirates of the Caribbean, but the first The Lego Movie game was the first I wasn’t too keen on. Whilst it had decent levels and a good hub world, i didn’t enjoy the movement of the characters or the fact that its cut-scenes were just clips from the movie inserted in, changing the game style completely, however, The Lego Movie 2 videogame is an all new level of bad.

The one good thing I’ll admit is the fact that it doesn’t just insert scenes from the film into the game, it does try to create its own narrative, but that is also its downfall. It seems this game can’t decide whether it wants to be a movie tie-in game of its own unique individual game and, unfortunately, it doesn’t do either.

The movement system in this game is the same as the system from the first Lego Movie game, which i expected, but it seems to have not been improved upon at all. It also takes the common ‘running’ mechanic from previous Lego games, where you slowly move until you’ve been moving long enough for the game to realise you want to be running. There’s no sprint button, and no way to move faster unless using a vehicle.

I also have an issue with the cast for this game and the decisions the developers made concerning voice acting. Whilst some cut-scenes use voices from the movie, others will only featuring grunts and sighs (much like the first Lego games – i.e. Star Wars) but then there will be moments when the characters talk to each other and some of the voice actors don’t even sound like the original movie actors. An example of this is Unikitty, the voice in the game sounds so different to Alison Brie in the movies, that it completely took me out of the experience.

One of the other mechanics in this game which has frustrated me is the fact that you now collect bricks from the items you break. This was first introduced in the Lego City Undercover game, and you would use these bricks to build certain objects that would help you progress through the levels. This is incredibly different to recent Lego games (Lego Marvel Superheroes 2 and Lego DC Super-villains) where you’d break an object and be able to rebuild it to the certain item the game has been built around you needing, therefore removing the issue of having to break almost everything in order to make sure you have the bricks you need. Whilst I recognise that having this mechanic in place is more suitable for the ‘master builder’ theme of the Movies, it feels a bit shoe-horned in and an unnecessary complication.

My final point is the fact that there seems to be no ‘official’ levels. At the moment, all I have played has been one continual level, moving through event to event with no aim of collecting all the studs or mini-kits, something that Lego games are known for, and for me, this takes away a lot of the fun. I don’t know when a level has finished and I have nothing to aim for during that level. Whilst this can be seen as a way to make the game more free-flowing and linear, i really think it detracts from what Lego games have been, collectathons.

I’ll try and push through with the game, and maybe it’ll pay off. But the differences between previous games and the movie itself may be too much. This game is a long-shot away from TT‘s previous Lego entries, Lego Incredibles and Lego DC Super-Villains, and I can only hope that their next project returns to the brilliantly crafted worlds they’re known for creating.

The Lego Movie 2: The Video Game – 2/5

The Lego Movie 2 – Can The Sequel Build On The Success?

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The Lego Movie 2 – Can The Sequel Build On The Success?

The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part stars Chris Pratt as Emmet (Right) and Elizabeth Banks as Wyldstyle (Left)

 

The Lego Movie should never have been a success. It was a feature length animated movie about a toy. A toy that was quite expensive and a lot of kids demand to have. Because of this, a lot of people saw The Lego Movie as just an elongated advert that would brainwash their children into wanting more Lego, and yes, why it may have done that, it was also a success in itself. Receiving praise from critics and fans alike, The Lego Movie raked in a massive $469 million worldwide and spawned a couple of spin-offs: The Lego Batman Movie and The Lego Ninjago Movie. Whilst the latter wasn’t as successful, the Lego Movie Universe was in full swing by the time it’s sequel, The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, finally hit cinemas 5 years after the original.

The story picks up after the Duplo invasion that ended the first movie, whilst our characters go about their new daily lives, a scout from the SiStar System arrives and takes captive the bulk of our heroes including Wyldstyle and Batman, leaving Emmet to go out into space and try to bring them home.

Although a seemingly simple plot at the start, towards the end of the movie the film does take a few narrative turns that might confuse a few of the younger members in the audience. But that’s not to say that they won’t have a good time. The film itself spreads the simple message of sharing and equality, something which all children (and some adults) should pay close attention to, especially in a world which is quickly becoming more divided.

Unlike the first Lego Movie, which featured more nods to the adults leading to a more well-rounded family movie, the sequel seems to be aiming more towards the younger demographic and sometimes that does hurt the movie. Some jokes seem overly simple and rely a lot on jokes previously set-up in the first feature. Not only that but the increase in musical numbers turns this movie more into a musical than a standard animated feature. Where The Lego Movie only featured ‘Everything is Awesome’, The Lego Movie 2 now features multiple songs including the new number ‘catchy song’ which is exactly what it says on the tin (honestly, if that song is not stuck inside your head when you leave the cinema, then you must have fallen asleep).

On the technical side, the film is incredibly animated. Down to the little details of scratches and fingerprints on certain Lego bricks to show that they are part of a real universe. It’s these kinds of details that make the Lego Universe different to other animated movies as it adds a sense of realism, and makes you believe that your own Lego figures could be living their own unique lives in this reality.

Finally, the cast of this movie once again do a stellar job. Returning actors such as Elizabeth Banks (Wyldstyle), Alison Brie (UniKitty) and Will Arnett (Batman) bring life to their characters once again, but the main focus is on Chris Pratt who returns as Emmet but also has his role as newcomer Rex Dangervest. The fact that Pratt can deliver both of these roles to such a high standard whilst effectively having a conversation with himself for the majority of the films run time is incredible and really shows the acting range that this man has. The other newcomers to the sequel include Tiffany Haddish as Queen Watevra Wa’Nabi and Stephanie Beatriz as General Mayhem and they do a great job, but they are pushed aside by the scene-stealing Richard Ayoade who plays a small role as Ice Cream Cone (literally an ice cream come with a face).

Overall, If you’ve enjoyed the previous Lego movies you will enjoy this one. Whilst it may not reach the same heights as the first, the references to pop culture (including some nice Batman and Marvel nods), brilliant art style and wholesome plot make this a worthwhile film for any member of the family, not matter what age.

 

The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part – 4/5