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As the name suggests, Lego City Undercover doesn't just see Chase in the role of police officer. He will also have access to a number of disguises to help him along the way, and each of these offers extra abilities. Currently the most exciting of these is a thief who is able to break and enter to reach new areas. (We're still holding our collective breath for a '50s Don persona who puts Duplo horses' heads in Lego beds.)
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During the execution of his duties Chase also makes use of Lego City's vehicles. As an upstanding member of the LCPD Chase is less inclined to simply 'borrow' other people's transport than his open world brethren. His restrained conscience does little to limit his transport options though, with more than a hundred different Lego automobiles and aircraft promised to help in the war on mini-figures in stripy shirts.
The GamePad acts as a real-time GPS map to track criminals...
Key among Lego City U's additions to the series will be its use of the Wii U GamePad. Acting as a real-time GPS map to track criminals, it will also offer a direct link to police dispatch and the ubiquitous 'scanner'. We understand this feature's popularity; holding up the tablet to scan the telly for criminals is an interesting use, but we can't help but feel that developers are struggling a little finding a function for the new device. As is all too often the case, Nintendo seem to have suggested an idea, and everyone has simply followed suit. That's not to belittle what Lego City Undercover does; it's just that we were hoping to see some more imagination.
No Lego game would be complete without some element of construction. Building small structures to gain access to new areas has been a theme throughout the series, but the GamePad does present an exciting opportunity to do more. Certainly there will be times when a task demands that you construct a specific object, but we'd like to see this mechanic pushed further. If we could custom build cars or mix up Chase's disguise with a swift fumble of the touchscreen, it would add a lot to the game.
Lego City Undercover is filled with the franchise's familiar humour and charm, but it will be interesting to see just how this translates to an open world with an original story. Losing the draw of a licence and the co-op that made games like Lego Star Wars so appealing to kids may allow TT Fusion more creative freedom, but we're not sure it will win the same audience. All the same, the prospect of running free though Lego City has gotten us excited.
