The Lego Licensed Property Video Games Phenomenon (Part 1)

So let's talk for a brief moment about one of modern gaming's most persistent video game franchises...or series...or genres (I'm not even sure what to consider these games considering they are from the same developer, but they feature many different IPs in their repertoire.)  We'll call it a franchise for now and dub it the "Lego Video Games Licensed Property Franchise."

In the past 10 years, Lego video games have been on the rise and, no one really knows why.  This year's release of Lego: Marvel's Avengers will make the 20th Licensed Property (LP) Lego Video Game release since their debut in 2005.  I mean, they're decent games yes, but why make every single franchise into a Lego version of itself and marketing it as such (probably to milk every penny they can out of the franchises before they die or are forgotten, but that's none of my business.  So I guess the best place to begin would be at the beginning, and it just so happens that I began my Lego video game journey at the beginning as well.

Keep in mind though, we are just going to go over the licensed properties that Lego has turned into video games, as the real Lego games are a story for another article.  Also, in homage to the Lego games, I will be breaking up this article into two parts, 10 games per part, as the Lego games have a tendency to break themselves apart for no good reason.

Lego Star Wars: The Video Game

Star Wars was the first LP to receive a Lego storytelling, and it was also the first Lego game I ever played (including the non-LPs).  Lego Star Wars was an instant success, winning the hearts of the gamers that played the game, the gamers that loved lego, and the gamers that loved Star Wars alike.  It was the perfect winning combination, featuring the first 3 episodes (A Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith) in a new, comical and legoey, way.  

Screenshot from "Lego Star Wars: The Video Game"

The game also features easter eggs and extras that are extremely fun to play with (characters as silhouettes, moustaches, silly blasters, and every lightsaber turning purple.)  The mechanics that were introduced in this game forced the players to build things that would help them and let them progress in the game using lego pieces and the force to build or move new lego objects.  The story is told in the same way that the first three films were, but adds elements that appeal to a younger audience, as that is what the lego games are marketed towards.  

It is also a very different take than the films, due to the fact that there is absolutely no dialogue in the game, and the story is told entirely by grunts and noises made by the mouth, as well as body movement and facial expressions, which is very unique and very well done.  In all respects, this game was a fantastic first attempt and introduction into the world of lego as a video game, and this formula was applied to the next game in the series.

Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy

Everything that was featured in the original Lego Star Wars game was applied to the original trilogy as well, bringing fans of the old trilogy into the frey as well.  This game featured the latter three episodes (A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi), and essentially used the same formula as the first Lego Star Wars Game.  

Screenshot from "Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy"

After all, if it ain't broke, don't fix it right?  This was a fantastic sequel to what Traveller's Tales (TT) did with the first game and was also loved by the fans and respected as a fantastic Lego game.  The game also made more comical innovations than the first, attempting to be funnier in every way than the last, which was both a good and bad thing.  Like its predecessor, this game also features no dialogue whatsoever, re-telling some of the most memorable moments in the entire Star Wars universe in a completely different way, but keeping the core elements intact.

Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga

This is where things begin to turn south.  The first two games were such fantastic hits, that TT decided to mesh both games in one within a year of the latter's release.  Granted, this was the first time that the former had a chance to shine on the new PS3 and Xbox 360 consoles, however, I feel that a compilation of the two games wasn't exactly needed at the time.  

Screenshot from "Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga"

The transition was just happening between the last and current generation consoles, and demand wasn't exactly high for re-releases yet.  This just felt like a cash grab on the part of TT, considering how well the first two games did by themselves, they expected the combination of the two for modern day consoles to be a smash hit.  This was indeed the case, as once again, the Lego game sold many copies and kept interest in the Lego genre high.  

This cash grab would be the trend in some of the next Lego games, as the interest for Lego games was definitely there, and TT wanted to take advantage however they could.

Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures

This was TT's first attempt at a new LP, and with a new LP comes a new opportunity for a cash grab.  However, I will give them credit where it is due, experimentation with a new LP is somewhat of a risk, especially jumping from Star Wars to Indiana Jones.  

Screenshot from "Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures"

However, it worked well for TT and it proved to be a good decision.  However, I will discredit them by implying there will be another Indiana Jones game by only featuring the first three stories in the franchise (Raiders of the Lost Ark, Temple of Doom, and the Last Crusade).  It feels like they could have just as easily fit Kingdom of the Crystal Skull in to finish the series, especially because this game was available for the PS3 and Xbox 360.  

However, they chose to go another route that will be discussed later.  Similar to the Lego Star Wars games, this title did not have dialogue and featured funny extras that were quickly becoming a staple in the Lego games.  This game had more of the same Lego elements; the comical style, the collections, as well as the loyalty to the original story.  

Lego Batman: The Video Game

Screenshot from "Lego Batman: The Video Game"

TT was beginning to experiment more with the LPs that they could get their hands on, and while that was admirable, it gave them more opportunities for cash grabs.  Batman was definitely a shoo-in to make money due to being the first superhero Lego title, as well as TT's reputation beginning to build due to the previous 4 titles and the success of Lego Indiana Jones.  

There really isn't much to say about Lego Batman other than it was the first Lego video game to feature more than 3 episodes, having 3 episodes each for the hero and villain stories respectively.  TT was finally starting to utilize the technology they had with the PS3 and Xbox 360, which really isn't much of an innovation.  Aside from the increase in content, Lego Batman is just like any other Lego game, just with DC characters.

Lego Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues

Screenshot from "Lego Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues"

Similar to the way Lego Star Wars went down, Lego Indiana Jones 2 followed suit almost exactly with what Lego Indiana Jones 1 brought to the table, making it another cash grab.  Instead of simply including Kingdom of the Crystal Skull in the first game, which most likely could have been done due to the current technology of the systems, they decided to split it into 3 parts and make it a trilogy of its own in this game.  Basically, this game was Lego Indiana Jones: The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull the Video Game, which is truly unfortunate.

Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4

Screenshot from "Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4"

TT was still splitting up their games with no good reason other than to make more of a profit, but the gamers were still eating it all up.  Apparently there was still a charm to the same old formula with different characters.  I admit, I liked Lego Star Wars and Lego Batman, strictly because I hadn't tired myself with playing too many of the Lego games.  However, that may have been the secret behind the success.  At this point, TT had Lego Indiana Jones, Lego Batman, and Lego Star Wars as well as their newest, Lego Harry Potter.  

By appealing to all of the fanbases they could, they could get those fans involved and have them play the games that they wanted whilst keeping the same formula.  TT definitely had an ingenious plan by not changing much whilst making just enough differences to appeal to a mass audience, and that was the beginning of what was happening here.

Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars

Screenshot from "Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars"

Just when we thought we were done with Lego Star Wars, they had to make a game about the clone wars.  To me, this seems like another attempt at a cash grab considering that there was no real want for a clone wars video game.  It was clear now that TT wanted as much money as possible and will milk everything out of the franchises that they had created in order to do so.  

Their next step was to get any lore that they could while doing as little research as possible for said lore and make it into a game.  The Clone Wars was perfect for such a desire, as they were short 30 minute episodes and didn't have very many seasons at the time of the games release.  To me, this game was extremely unnecessary, especially because it didn't differentiate at all from Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga at all (excluding the story).

Lego Pirates of the Caribbean

Screenshot from "Lego Pirates of the Caribbean"

If the recent cash grabs from TT weren't enough, Pirates of the Caribbean was almost an insult to gamers who liked this genre.  Not only did this game feature an insanely less amount of content than its recent predecessors, but it's main reason for release was to promote the Pirates of the Caribbean movie that was being release that same year, as it features that movie in the game as a playable episode.  TT was beginning to sink to a new low, but people were blind to it because they could play as a Lego Captain Jack Sparrow.

Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-7

Screenshot from "Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-7"

Suffering from the same thing that Lego Star Wars and Lego Indiana Jones did, this game was unnecessarily split into two and only exists to complete the story of Harry Potter form.  I'm getting a little bit tired of talking about Lego sequels...

Part 2 of this article will be coming out at some point soon, and at the end of it I will be discussing why the Lego genre of video games are as appealing as they are, so stay tuned for that. Thanks for reading everyone!