The Lego Licensed Property Video Games Phenomenon (Part 2)

So I decided I wanted to finish this thing before we hit February, so here we go.  The exciting conclusion of my analysis of the Lego LP video games phenomenon, starting from where we left off on the last article, which was Lego Harry Potter Years 1-4.

Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes

Screenshot from "Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes"

This is an interesting one, as it is the perfect combination of a simple Lego money grab while at the same time, trying to change the formula up just a tad.  While the basic formula of making things out of lego pieces, collecting studs, and collecting minikits were the same, Lego Batman 2 was the first Lego LP game to feature both dialogue and an open explorable world.  

This would be more impressive to me if this game wasn't the 11th in it's franchise, however, beggars can't be choosers.  The video game community was finally getting changes to the same old stale Lego formula, and these were changes for the better to be sure.  This game also had a very in-depth plot to it, so I have to give it credit where it is due.  This game is definitely one of the better ones in the Lego LP franchise.

Lego Lord of the Rings

Screenshot from "Lego Lord of the Rings"

Thank the lord (of the rings) that we are almost done with sequels! (get it? haha).  There's only one more sequel we have to cover in this entire analysis and this one obviously isn't it.  But the lord of the rings is the latest LP to fall victim to the lego overhaul, and the gameplay is quite similar to that seen in the Lego Harry Potter games.  

Basically, nothing is changed from Lego Batman 2 other than the story is obviously changed to Lord of the Rings.  These games are beginning to have a pattern of having 1-1.5 small innovations to the formula every x amount of games and then just riding the formula out until it is worn out and cannot be ridden anymore.  That's Lego Lord of the Rings.

Lego City Undercover

Screenshot from "Lego City Undercover"

Now here's an interesting one.  Exclusively for the Wii U, Lego City Undercover is technically considered an LP due to it's involvement with many generic Lego characters, as well as having a story.  You can not count this game if you want, but considering the performance and overall enjoyablility of this game, I decided to feature it.  

Despite this game re-using mostly the same formula as it's predecessors, this game had no outside help from any licenses or any other products.  The only thing marketing this game was itself, and it did very well for itself.  Despite not having any familiar characters from any franchise, this game was absolutely massive and proved that TT could create its own world and work its way to making a good game.  For that, I definitely have to give them credit.

Lego Marvel Superheroes

Screenshot from "Lego Marvel Superheroes"

Aaaaannnd....we're back to LPs.  However, that may not be a bad thing.  With the massive world experience they had gained during the development of Lego City Undercover, TT now had the power to bring more ingredients to their formula, and they came up with something great.  Lego Marvel Superheroes is my personal favorite Lego game, strictly because of the sheer size of the game.  In this game, there are so many characters, levels, and collectibles that it is simply unreal.  

You can play as nearly any Marvel character and there is an incredible accuracy to the Marvel comics and lore.  The Lego games were finally starting to leave their stale formula behind, and actually had a formula that was worth playing over and over, simply because they had so much to do just like regular legos in real life.  This game made me fall in love with the Lego franchise all over again, and I enjoyed myself immensely with this game.

Lego The Lego Movie The Lego Video Game Lego (The Lego Movie Video Game)

Screenshot from "The Lego Movie Video Game"

Sorry I just thought that title was too funny to pass up.  So this game was made to be a game of a movie of a real life thing that these games were originally based upon (I'm confused.)  But just like any video game of any movie, it was junk.  Because the game was restricted to a movie story, it couldn't explore anything like it should have.  

Especially when that movie was restricting what you could watch with legos.  This is all very confusing, but let me put it in simpler terms.  You have the open world of legos, which you can play with at your leisure right? Well then the Lego Movie comes out and shows you a linear storyline of what to do with legos.  Now you are watching a medium in which you can use less imagination than that of when you were building with the actual legos, but it is still the same subject matter right? (I hope I've still got you.) 

Now the game for this movie comes out, and it takes you on an even more linear story through the world of lego, so much so that it shouldn't even be called Lego anymore.  This is because you are using such a small amount of your imagination to even play it. (sigh).  That was hard.  Bottom line is it sucked.

Lego The Hobbit

Screenshot from "Lego The Hobbit"

Ok, I know I said that there was only one more sequel in this analysis, and this isn't it, but technically the Hobbit isn't a sequel, it's a prequel (take that xD).  At this point, Lego is starting to get a little bit heavy on the lore due to it's failure with the Lego The Lego Movie The Lego Video Game Lego Video Game, however, they overindulge a little bit in this one.  

This game is another trip down the Harry Potter Lego lane, however, this time the game assumes you know the entire Hobbit story by heart.  This makes the plot feel a little disjointed at times.  Coupled with the fact that it is the same recycled formula over again with no real additional content or funny bits, this game just feels very stale.

Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham

Screenshot from "Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham"

So here's the final sequel I was talking so much about! I'm not really sure where I sit with this game, because it takes everything that was great about Lego Marvel Superheroes and puts it into DC form.  It was a great game to be sure, however, it still falls victim to the stale and mundane formula overdose that Lego has been doing to so many of its games.  

Another reason I'm not sure that I like this game is the fact that this game isn't a Lego Batman game, it's a Lego DC game, but due to the previous success of Lego Batman, the name would be bound to make more money.  I'll give credit where it is due however, that this game definitely delivered a lot more than I was expecting it to, and for that I have to commend it.

Lego Jurassic World

Screenshot from "Lego Jurassic World"

This LP falls victim to the same thing I mentioned previously with the Lego The Lego Movie The Lego Video Game Lego Video Game Video Game in that this takes literally all of the fun out of both the movie and the Legos themselves.  

There is literally nothing to gain from playing this game if you liked the movie and liked either Legos or playing any other Lego game.  I would definitely consider this the worst raw Lego game on the market, and I'll explain why I said raw later.  This game shouldn't even exist in my opinion, let's just move on.

Lego Dimensions

This one is going to take a while *cracks knuckles*.  So, in theory, this game would sound amazing.  Taking literally every LP that Lego can get their hands on and putting them in one game.  This includes, but is not limited to, Back to the Future, Doctor Who, The Lego Movie, DC, Ghostbusters, Portal, Scooby-Doo!, Lord of the Rings, Simpsons, and many more.  In fact, when I first heard about the game, I was insanely excited.  

Screenshot from "Lego Dimensions"

I couldn't wait to play as the Doctor sitting next to Bart Simpson and Marty McFly in a Lego version of the Delorean.  However, all of this hype came at a price, literally.  The game is Disney Infinity style, which means it comes with figures you have to take off and on a portal to activate.  The game with the entire portal set is $80 american, and if that is not enough, the game only comes with three figures.  For each of the games mentioned, you have to pay $20 to get that set.  So in order to get every set in the game, plus the game itself, it would be $645 american.  

That's truly insane!  If you didn't think that any of this stuff that I was talking about before was a cash grab on the part of TT and Lego, and if you only believe one thing I say throughout this entire thing...it is that THIS IS A CASH GRAB! In fact, this is the worst case of cash grabbing I have seen in a long time.  

Screenshot from "Lego Dimensions"

This kind of pricing, especially for this kind of expansion for this kind of game is unacceptable.  I may have said that Lego Jurassic World was the worst raw Lego game of all time, however, this is the worst Lego game of all time strictly due to it's pricing.  This game had so much potential and had so many things going for it, but greedy corporations took advantage, just like what Disney did with Disney Infinity.  

This kind of gamemaking truly makes me sick and makes me hate my favorite medium sometimes.  Lego is trying to take its business strategy for its Lego sets, which works because it is an expansion of the imagination, into video game form and it makes me sick.  There is a difference between Lego as a hard form of its own medium, and Lego as a type of video game.  (sigh) rant over.

Lego Marvel's Avengers

Cover for "Lego Marvel's Avengers"

So I'm not sure what to hope for in this game.  By the time this article gets posted, this game will be due to come out in about a week, so let me analyze how it can go.  Being the first Lego LP game to release since the release of Lego Dimensions, and since Lego Marvel Superheroes pretty much nailed down a lot of the Marvel stuff, I believe that this game is going to suffer from the same fate as Lego Batman 3, as the formula will start to get outdated and stale as well as the medium getting stale as well.  

This may be a clever marketing ploy as well, as Marvel characters aren't seen in any form in Lego Dimensions.  Only time will tell if Lego Marvel's Avengers can be of any good to the Lego video game franchise or the gamers.

So What Does All This Mean?

This article was made in efforts to analyze how the Lego LP Video Game Franchise is so popular.  After analyzing every video game in the franchise, I think I have my answer.  Fanbase.  As fans of Lego, and fans of the particular sets of medium that Lego is portraying in these games, the fans will pick up these games just because they are enjoyable and a new twist on their favorite franchises.  

However, when they begin to get stale (around the third installment) the franchise will be dropped in favor of a new LP.  Knowing this formula, Lego will draw everything out as much as possible to get the most possible profit (I.E, separating franchises into 1 or 2 games, making collaborative games, using the same formula until it is just starting to reach staleness, etc.)  Lego knows how to make money, and they are using their techniques to win at the video game industry.  

As video gamers, we don't have to take this.  Remember that we have the power to buy what we want and not buy what we don't.  If we don't buy a product, the producer will realize that it is no longer in demand, and while the Lego games are fun, they are becoming extremely unfair to the gamers (namely Lego Dimensions).  Just some food for thought for you the next time you go out to buy a Lego game. 

If you have any extra input you'd like to add on any of the games mentioned on the first or second part of this article, feel free to let me know! Thanks for reading!