It seems the embargo just dropped, and it's pretty positive as a whole.
Reviews:
Canadian Online Gamers: 9.5
Cubed3: 9
Toronto Sun: 9
Eurogamer: 9
VentureBeat: 90
Game Informer: 8.5
IGN: 8
GameSpot: 8
Nintendo Life: 8
NintendoWorldReport: 8
Polygon: 7
Destructoid: 7
Metro GameCentral: 7
TheSixthAxis: 7
Edge: 5
Kotaku: Yes
Excerpts:
Reviews:
Canadian Online Gamers: 9.5
Cubed3: 9
Toronto Sun: 9
Eurogamer: 9
VentureBeat: 90
Game Informer: 8.5
IGN: 8
GameSpot: 8
Nintendo Life: 8
NintendoWorldReport: 8
Polygon: 7
Destructoid: 7
Metro GameCentral: 7
TheSixthAxis: 7
Edge: 5
Kotaku: Yes
Excerpts:
Eurogamer said:It may not have a big-name sci-fi or fantasy licence to hang its hat on, then, but it turns out Traveller's Tales has itself been working undercover for a while on that front, lurking behind the smokescreens of Gotham City and the galaxy far away as it evolved into an accomplished developer capable of charming players with a mixture of great writing, twinkling level design and laudable values that keep you coming back regardless. Lego City Undercover isn't ceaselessly brilliant - open-world games seldom are - but it's a fantastic example of what makes Traveller's Tales and TT Fusion such special developers, and the worst I can say is that it's occasionally only fun. And you know what? I'll take that wherever I can find it.
IGN said:A few other problems work against LEGO City Undercover. Loading times are not only too frequent but too long. It is not uncommon to endure several half-minute or minute loading screens within a very short timeframe. And nothing to mask this, whether through pre-loading or basically anything other than a horrifically dull white progression bar on the GamePad. Undercover isn’t exactly pushing cutting edge graphics, in fact it suffers from a somewhat inconsistent framerate, so the presence of this recurring issue is more than bothersome.
...
LEGO City Undercover is the best iteration of a very familiar experience, which is as reassuring or problematic as that might seem. The sheer scope of the overworld is impressive, as is the way Traveller’s Tales layered in its wide range of collectible goodies, which ensures hours upon hours of activity after the campaign ends, which should take the average player about 10 hours, accounting for some collectible fetching. Undercover’s story is an incredibly entertaining homage to countless movies and television shows, and manages to feature a very strong cast of characters – no small feat considering the game has no major license associated with it. Of course, rampant loading times, no co-op and a variety of other problems (loading times, routine gameplay) hold Undercover back from truly taking the next step for the larger LEGO franchise.
GameSpot said:By the time Lego City Undercover's story comes to an end, you have guided Chase through every action-movie circumstance imaginable, and have probably seen the "twists" coming a mile away. And that's perfectly OK. The game knows you know where it's going, and it has fun at its own expense. You can imagine the winks and nods of the voice actors as they deliver their lines; the comic relief is broad, Chase's line readings are beautifully, achingly sincere, and an Arnold Schwarzenegger soundalike sounds more like Arnie than Arnie ever did. There are bigger, more complex, more beautiful open-world games on the market. But none of them are this good at making you feel so young at heart.
Polygon said:Maintaining interest and consistency over the course of a massive, sprawling game like Lego City Undercover would be a challenge no matter what the target audience was. Considering it has to avoid the salacious scenes and hyper-violence used to spice its genre brethren, Lego City Undercover is pretty darned impressive. But it's hard not to be a disappointed that Lego City Undercover doesn't play more to Lego's strengths, trading the carnal for the creative or the wanton for wonder. Capturing the look of Lego is an impressive feat that didn't quite hold my attention. But capturing the feel of Lego? That would have been impossible to put down.
Edge said:A number of Undercover’s flaws won’t matter, however, to its target audience. For kids, this gigantic, gently challenging game offers the familiar stud collecting, furniture smashing and rudimentary puzzling of the Lego games writ large and sprinkled across a toy town of an open-world game. Only the more irritating driving missions will require the temporary recruitment of mum or dad. But for parents and adults, Undercover is a less inviting prospect, even with its satirical undertone. It’s a plastic facsimile of GTA – a game that was hardly humourless to begin with, and one that has already spawned a genre’s worth of more sophisticated rivals and clones.