by Jayden Leggett, Editor

To remind everyone why LEGO is still cool even after all these years, LEGO Marvel Super Heroes recently hit the shelves. But the question must be asked: Does the world really need another LEGO game? Well, dear readers, I can assure you that the answer is a huge, resounding “EXCELSIOR!” Uh, I mean “Yes”!

Taking place within a very LEGO version of the Marvel Universe, we learn that Doctor Doom has teamed up with Loki and amassed a team of super villains to help him “collect” (steal) cosmic bricks in order to build his ultimate weapon, “Doctor Doom’s Doom Ray Of Doom”. Meanwhile, Nick Fury and the rest of S.H.I.E.L.D. have formed their own all-star team of super heroes with the hopes of thwarting Doom’s dastardly plans… of doom.

Anybody who has ever played just about any LEGO game before will automatically know how to play LEGO Marvel Super Heroes. Players smash their way through LEGO objects and enemies, build LEGO constructions to overcome obstacles, and use their character’s unique abilities to solve the various puzzles and defeat particular bosses and enemies.

While this sounds basic enough, I simply can not stress just how fun it is to kick some brick as your favourite Marvel super hero. In the first level titled “Sand Central Station”, Iron Man and Hulk must defeat Abomination and the Sandman, who have taken over Grand Central Station. Iron Man must use his repulsor blasts and explosive missiles to clear out various shiny metallic LEGO pieces, while the over-sized Hulk “Big Fig” (a first for the LEGO game franchise) uses his incredible strength to clear out large obstacles and pummel Abomination into submission. Later in the level Spider-Man also joins the fray, to add his Spider-Sense and web-slinging abilities into the mix.

Thus each level continues in the same vein. Take control of several different characters (from an enormous roster of over 100), exploit their unique abilities to clear obstacles, and smash out the end of level boss in order to save the day, collecting as many LEGO studs (the game’s currency) as you can along the way.

There are just so many reasons why this game is so darn fun. The level of personality given to each LEGO character is astounding, and I defy anybody to not find at least one of these guys endearing in their own way. Whether it be the way Spider-Man can web-swing around the landscape to his heart’s content, or Hulk’s hilarious pummelling of his defenceless rag-doll enemies, or Mr. Fantastic’s many elongated and frankly ridiculous transformations into useful objects such as a screwdriver, each one of these guys is just oozing with personality.

Drastically helping to bring your favourite Marvel super heroes to life are the brilliant vocalisations that are brought into effect during the many cutscenes and cinematic sequences. Thor’s mighty Asgardian accent and almost pompous delivery of his lines, Iron Man’s cocky demeanour, Spider-Man’s sarcastic teenaged attitude and Hulk’s angry yelling all beautifully match the cartoonish scripted scenarios and classic LEGO humour that these games are well-known for.

In terms of production values, the graphics, music and sounds are all top-notch. Bright and vivid landscapes are brought to life in spectacular fashion complete with a bold and brilliant array of colours, and I love the way that every LEGO character has a shiny plastic surface that reflects the light. The musical pieces of the various levels are very reminiscent of the recent Marvel movies and are suitably heroic in tone, with dramatic orchestral scores being used to wonderful effect. And the sounds, whether it be laser fire, the plastic rattles of LEGO objects being destroyed and reconstructed, or the classic “snikt” and slash of Wolverine’s claws are all excellently produced for this game.

Remaining true to typical LEGO game fashion, LEGO Marvel Super Heroes boasts a huge amount of re-playability and lasting appeal. In addition to the “proper” game levels, a central open-world hub of New York City (complete with the always present and fully accessible S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier) is available for players to explore and come back to once they have unlocked new characters and abilities, in order to compete in the various races and challenges that are available as a means of obtaining special gold LEGO bricks. Believe me when I say that there is an enormous amount of things to unlock and collect in this game, so completists can rest assured that they will be entertained by LEGO Marvel Super Heroes for many an hour indeed.

The game isn’t all sunshine and lollipops though, as it occasionally suffers from excruciatingly long load times. Sure, you should expect that before each level there will be a period of time that you must wait before you can play, but during the New York hub level I found that descending on the elevator into the main cockpit of the S.H.I.E.L.D Helicarrier often results in various waiting times, sometimes short and tolerable, and other times super-long (I even thought that the game had crashed at one point, due to the lengthy amount of time that I was waiting). Also, even when replaying the levels in Free Play mode, I found that I was unable to skip the cinematics, however I suspect that these are a mask for the loading times, and hence relate to my initial (and pretty much my only) complaint with the game. Thankfully these long loading times don’t occur all that often.

In a nutshell, LEGO Marvel Super Heroes is an incredibly fun and addictive game for young or old (especially if you have a buddy to play co-op with). Fans of LEGO and Marvel alike will find plenty of fan service here, and those who like a lot of bang for their buck will be kept entertained for hours upon hours. If you have never had any interest in a LEGO game before, chances are that there won’t be anything here that will change your mind, but for the rest of you, LEGO Marvel Super Heroes is a more-than-worthy addition to your gaming collection. LEGO Avengers, Assemble!

Rating:

ComicsOnline gives LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 4.5 out of 5 S.H.I.E.L.D Helicarriers filled to the brim with LEGO studs.

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