Hello Enthusiasts,
As I mentioned in my discussion comparing Lego to Minecraft (which can be found here), Lego is one of the most successful toy brands of all time, and they have released several video games that reflect their toy's unique features. Today I will be reviewing one such title, the 2013 game Lego Marvel Super Heroes, which was originally released for PS3/XBOX 360/ Wii U/PC, but was also released for the current gen of systems.
This title is an open-world action/adventure game. The game follows several Marvel Heroes as they work through several villains and disasters occurring in New York City, which is a fairly vast open map. As our heroes progress, many of these situations point to the work of Dr. Doom and Loki, both of which are in a satellite above earth. The heroes are then tasked with taking down the villains, only to find that there might be something far worse on the horizon.
A lot of you are probably thinking that this is a Lego game, so it's gonna be pretty childish and not fit for a more mature player. You are half right, the game's humor can be childish at times, with slapstick humor and jokes about Tony Stark being caught with his pants down. However, this is a game for all audiences, not just children. As previously mentioned, the map for this game is pretty massive, with several hidden areas that open up additional levels (with Deadpool as the narrator). The selection of characters in the game is also baffling, with 155 different heroes and villains to roam around as. Since the movie came out after Iron Man 3 some of the characters reflect their cinematic universe counterpart, while other's don't. There are also plenty of collectibles and vehicles to unlock as the game progresses, from a fire truck to Ghost Rider's bike. Some of the puzzles in the game can take a few tries to get through as well, so completing the game 100% is no easy task. I've completed more difficult games (most of the games I've reviewed) in less time, which just shows the amount of effort this game will require. To expedite the process of unlocking everything, the game does offer split-screen co-op, both in the missions and in free-roaming New York City.
The game had received some criticism in the past for frame-rate issues, but it always ran wonderfully for me, so I consider it's operation as a game as a positive. The controls are easy to get down, including the mechanics for flying, which is a load of fun in New York. The game rewards you both for flying around as well as taking to the streets as you will find secret areas when doing either. Some characters will swing from webs (you can guess which ones) instead of flying, and large characters like the Hulk and the Thing will run faster on the ground than a normal character. This is, of course, separate from the vehicles I had mentioned earlier, which offers an even wider variety for traveling. All of this means that there are several ways to traverse the urban landscape, which only adds to the enjoyment.
The downside to this game is that, despite it's best efforts, it can get a little repetitive. I really don't know how this could be avoided, as it is something that can be said of just about every Lego game. The puzzles can sometimes be a little predictable or the same system will be used to solve a few of them, which can get a little old. Even though this isn't an issue specific to this game, it is something I hope the people at Lego are working to resolve. The collecting of studs (the currency in Lego video games) can also be a bit tedious, especially considering how many you'll need to unlock every character. It think it would have been a bit more fun if there were more options to collect studs, or if the characters cost a bit less, as some characters would require as much as 1 million studs. To compare, a cheap character will cost 15,000 or 25,000 studs, which is quite a difference.
Reasonably, there are very few changes that could really be made to this game to make it better, it's already pretty great. Its flaws are small in comparison to its strengths, of which there are plenty. I can easily recommend this game for players both young and old, you'll likely get a kick out of it regardless.
I give Lego Marvel Super Heroes a 9 out of 10.
Sincerely,
The Bored Enthusiast
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