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Eurogamer: Lego City could blow the franchise wide open/save the WiiU [Dont port beg]

A

axisofweevils

Holy crap! Today's real megaton is that more than two people can have the same first name.
Lock if old.

This has got me even more hyped for the game. I've quoted selectively, see the full article here - http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2...nd-might-just-save-the-wii-u-into-the-bargain

The Lego series has always had a sharp edge of parody, but freed from specific franchises Lego City Undercover is like a kid in a sweet shop, plucking references and spoofs from across the pop culture spectrum. There's a cutscene that riffs on Goodfellas with pinpoint accuracy, while one level takes The Shawshank Redemption as its starting point. The Lego City police station, meanwhile, counts Lego versions of Starsky and Hutch, Dirty Harry, Columbo and even Sherlock Holmes among its employees.
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There are some new gameplay elements, such as collectible bricks left behind when you smash the scenery. These can be saved up to create Super Builds - large structures that perform specific functions in the City. A story mission might need you to build a bridge, for example, or you can use them to erect spawn points for the many vehicles you amass.

How many? Over 100 playable vehicles is the official count, including helicopters, tractors and everything in between. In a nice touch, you can choose the colour of the vehicle before it's delivered, so if you hanker after a bright pink police motorbike, you're in luck. There are also 65 of the aforementioned Super Builds to find, 450 gold bricks and 40 red power-up bricks to earn, and 290 disguises for Chase, granting him new abilities. The city itself matches the game for sheer scale, a shimmering and inviting place, with generous draw distances and silky smooth visuals. It's a gorgeous and massive game.
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The result is a game that contains all the hallmarks that have made the Lego games so popular, with comfortably familiar mechanics and gameplay systems, but the canvas is much broader and feels subtly different. The Wii U game pad is used shrewdly, doubling as map screen, communicator and detective gadget as the situation demands. In one of the most impressive features, you can hold it up and scan a real time wireframe version of the city, not just on the screen but for a full 360 degrees around you.
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Work began in 2010, and various prototypes were tried and rejected. The traditional fixed camera from the other Lego games was quickly abandoned. At one point there was going to be a Sim City style construction element. By 2011, the game was taking its current shape. "That's when Nintendo came to see us," Loz recalls. "They brought the Wii U with them, with the new game pad. We could instantly see it was a perfect match. All the design guys were like 'Oh my god, the things we can do with this'. It just seemed to fit perfectly."


Even so, the ambitions for the game far outstripped anything either of the TT studios had worked on before, with the open world structure requiring considerable reinvention. "The streaming," says Loz of the game's biggest technical challenge. "Creating a city, obviously you have to stream. You're constantly hitting the disc. The amount of stuff we had to have in memory, that was difficult. We had to rewrite the way all the Lego bits were processed because we have a lot more Lego than we're used to in any one area. God, there were loads of things that needed to be done. New physics engine. Not just new vehicles but the whole traffic system, which is really difficult for a city. Pedestrians. So many things had to be written from scratch. All the voice acting. It was hard."
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It's certainly a great showcase for the beleaguered Wii U, which has lost one of its key exclusives in recent weeks. The controversial delay of Rayman Legends, and its escape to multi-format waters, now makes Lego City Undercover the console's big mass market hope for a spring sales boost.

"It's great," says Loz, utterly unphased by the prospect of providing Nintendo's first blockbuster release of the year. "We're obviously really pleased with the game. If it wasn't very good then we'd probably feel under pressure, but it's our best Lego game and that's really saying something. We're really chuffed. It's the best game on the Wii U." There's not much competition for that accolade at the moment, but don't be surprised if that boast still rings true in five years time.
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D

Deleted member 125677

Unconfirmed Member
Looks fun and really good! We need more humorous sandbox games.

One more reason to buy a Wii U, noted. Now gimme dat Holiday line-up at E3, Nintendo, and we're good to go.
 
S

speedpop

Has problems recognising girls
This game was going to be the bee's knees since it was officially announced. Going to be a lot of fun.
 
D

DXB-KNIGHT

Member
I didn't like the past Lego games but this game might change my mind, its original not based on a franchise with an open world that includes different Lego vehicles to try,
I'm eagerly waiting XD
 
H

Hanmik

Member
@MUWANdo said:
Yeah, except for co-op.
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no coop in a Lego game..? haven´t followed this game (outside of watching the awesome funny trailers), but that sounds.. ehh like a strange thing (unless the gameplay doesn´t allow for coop, because it tries to be Lego-GTA).
 
S

SmokyDave

Member
This does look like a cracker. Might need to buy a Wii-U just to play it.

Hanmik said:
no coop in a Lego game..? haven´t followed this game (outside of watching the awesome funny trailers), but that sounds.. ehh like a strange thing (unless the gameplay doesn´t allow for coop, because it tries to be Lego-GTA).
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Or because the controls don't translate well to a wiimote.
 
Christopher

Christopher

Member
It looks ok but are we that starved for a game on the Wii u that this could "save" it ?

Ill wait and see more videos when it's almost released
 
R

rockx4

Member
This game does look amazingly fun, I just have so many games I'm buying in March. Not sure I'll have time, but It's definitely on my list.
 
D

DrWong

Member
TT Fusion: LEGO City Undercover Could Take 40-50 Hours To Beat Fully:
There are so many vehicles, characters and missions. There’s so much content in the game already – you’re talking 40-50 hours to get 100%, it’s difficult to imagine what we could put in. We wouldn’t rule it out, but it’d have to be the right thing to fit with the rest of the game.

...Initially in the San Francisco area at the start of the game you’re really focused on the story, but as you get more abilities you’ll see things that had locked icons before that you couldn’t use, and now you can. That’ll encourage you to explore and use those different game mechanics and abilities.
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T

TheGreatMightyPoo

Banned
iwatalegonintendodirect.jpg
 
A

Aostia

El Capitan Todd
Jackano said:
It's strange, at last E3 I read nothing but bad reviews about it. Seems the hopes of the technical issues to be solved are met and the game seems to gain some hype.
I will check out it again then.
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it was a rough build, with a lot of aliasing, bad framerate issues and popup everywhere
Now (I've played it but you can read a lot of feedbacks on various online magazines and websites) it has improved technically, while a quick test on the go as the E3, hadn't the chance to try the irony of the game, the vastity of the city, some of the Gamepad uses and so on.
That said, let's see reviews how will be, of course.
 
B

Busty

Banned
I'm surprised that no one has done a GTA esque LEGO game before now. If any IP was ripe for such treatment it's LEGO.

Warners should get cracking on a LEGO, GTA style open world game set in the DC Universe.

It's certainly a great showcase for the beleaguered Wii U, which has lost one of its key exclusives in recent weeks. The controversial delay of Rayman Legends, and its escape to multi-format waters, now makes Lego City Undercover the console's big mass market hope for a spring sales boost.
Click to expand...

At this point Nintendo should at double down on the 'family playing together' market with the WiiU and concentrate solely on that.
 
A

Always-honest

Banned
Any comments on how the game looks.
I was a bit worried about aliassing. There was a lot of it in the early screens and gameplay.


Game looks like a LOT of fun. Especially since my son is crazy about lego.
 
Y

Yagharek

Member
Can't wait for this one. I love the stupid humour in the trailers so far, much more so than more serious games that have been popular in recent years.

I am over the moon that the screen tearing in early trailers has been fixed too. It means I'll be able to play it without getting a migraine.
 
D

Data West

coaches in the WNBA
all the open world games, bro

also this game ain't saving a system. it might be cool and it'll probably do ok, but it ain't saving shit.
 
T

TheGreatMightyPoo

Banned
Anyone else think it's perfect timing for this game and Monster Hunter U to come out for the system???

I mean, those two games alone(if you choose to play them) will last tons of hours/maybe weeks/maybe months and then the games should start appearing.

Yeah, they could have used a game or two like this at launch but I am glad they didn't rush this particular robust game.
 
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