It took me a considerable amount of restraint to not be distracted by every little sidequest, but I finally got around to beating the story of Lego Marvel Superheroes 2. Does this, in my opinion, match the greatness of the first game? I shall answer that very question in today's blog entry.
BACKGROUND: Lego games published by TT Games have been a constant in my gaming life since they started showing up in the mid-2000s. While I haven't played all of their games, I've picked up a respectable amount of the Lego titles TT Games have published over the years on various consoles (perhaps that's a blog entry for another time). As with the real life sets, the Lego games that immediately pique my interest are those tied to existing licensed IPs (eg. Star Wars, DC, Marvel, etc.). In 2013, TT Games released the first Lego Marvel Superheroes. If memory serves, I bought that game within the first week for the PS3, and I played the absolute shit out of it. That game remains at the Top 3 of my all-time favorite Lego games due to the amazing hub world with tons of shit to find, and the impressive roster of playable characters. Four years later, Lego Marvel 2 comes out. At the time, I didn't own a Switch yet, so I couldn't play it. However, I was intrigued with the premise, impressed with the characters they brought in, and astounded with the robust amount of DLC the devs put out for it post-release (for reference, Lego Marvel 1 had two DLC packs, which is underwhelming). Lego games go on sale periodically, so when this game went 50% off, I went and picked it up. PLOT: The story is rather basic (which is honestly most Lego games): Kang the Conqueror has, for some reason, become the time-traveler version of Brainiac. What this means is that he's gone and collected different areas across time and space and created an amalgamation of them called Chronopolis. Naturally, our intrepid heroes disagree, and the game revolves around undoing Kang's shenanigans. Of course, the appeal of most Lego game narratives isn't in the story itself, but the silliness in which it's told. Sure, the humor's more aimed at kids, but all the cutscenes and dialogue are amusing. Character interactions are silly, there are a lot of memorable movie/comic moments reenacted in a much sillier fashion, there's tons of visual gags... it's all just a fun time. Lego games, in essence, aren't the kind of game you take seriously; they are made for kids, after all. PRESENTATION: It looks like a Lego game. What do you want me to say? The art style, while it has evolved with the times to be more polished, hasn't changed all that much over the years. Go look at a classic Lego game by TT like Lego Star Wars: that's what it looks like, but in HD. This is not meant to be derisive; the aesthetic is part of the charm of these games. My only gripe is that the camera isn't all that great and you can't really move it around. Audio, for the most part, is satisfactory. The soundtrack is solid, but not really a standout. The voice acting is hit or miss, and it doesn't help that the volume goes wonky when there's talking (unsure if this is a problem exclusive to the Switch version, or something that exists across all versions of the game). It's nothing severe, however; these issues didn't really ruin the experience for me. GAMEPLAY: There's a saying that goes: "if you've played one Lego game, you've played them all". For the most part, this is true: most Lego games boil down to the same fundamentals. You control a character, you destroy and kill everything in your path, and you build shit to solve puzzles. Rinse and repeat for each level. If you're an older gamer, you may not see the appeal of this sub-genre, but I think that Lego games are one of the most therapeutic games to play. Nothing about playing Lego games is difficult: combat isn't complex, puzzles aren't hard, and there's virtually no penalty for death. If you're looking for a challenge, these games aren't for you, but if you just want to have a low-stress gaming session, Lego games are perfect. Now, just because Lego games are, at their core, all the same, doesn't mean Lego Marvel 2 (and other Lego games in general) have nothing unique to offer. For one, you have access to a massive roster of Marvel characters, each one with their own abilities that spice up combat and/or solve all sorts of puzzles. Despite not having the X-Men and Fantastic Four (which the first game had), Lego Marvel 2's roster still impressed me. There were plenty of instances where I went, "holy shit, I didn't expect this character to be on here!" If you're a hardcore Marvel fan like I am, I'm sure you'll be equally impressed. Another thing that impressed me about this game was the hub world. In Lego Marvel 1, your hub world was Manhattan, and boy was it massive. Not only was that hub packed to the brim with all sorts of sidequests to find, it was amazing as a Marvel fan to see a lot of key landmarks in the comics all in one place. Lego Marvel 2 manages to surpass that, which I thought was impossible. Chronopolis is a hodgepodge of different locations across both time and space, which means Lego Marvel 2's hub world not only contains Manhattan, but it's got places like Wakanda, Attilan, and even shit like the Old West. You can explore a wider variety of memorable Marvel landmarks (and timelines) than you ever could in the first game, and that blows my mind. If you're anything like me, you're gonna spend a lot of time just wandering around. As is tradition for every Lego game I play, I always go for 100%. As of this writing, I'm not quite there yet (I'm at 61%), but it looks like full completion isn't that much different from previous Lego games. You've got your standard issue collectible minikits (of which there are 10 per story level), unlockable characters and vehicles, side missions, and the unlockable cheats that expedite the completion process. Unique to the Lego Marvel games are the missions where you save Stan Lee (yes) from danger. Saving every instance of Stan Lee is required for completion, and nets you a Golden Brick (another classic Lego game collectible). Overall, nothing too difficult (except the races, which all suck across every Lego game), but it'll take you a while. VERDICT: Lego Marvel 2 manages to live up to (and, in some areas, surpass) the already-amazing first game, and is a worthy entry to the ever-growing pantheon of TT Games's Lego titles. Whether you're a Lego fan, a Marvel fan, both, or you're just looking for an fun, easy game that isn't gonna piss you off (for the most part), Lego Marvel 2 is worth a look. This game is on every current-gen console, as well as on Steam. If you're apprehensive, it goes on sale frequently: https://store.steampowered.com/app/647830/LEGO_Marvel_Super_Heroes_2/ - end -
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June 2024
Derryck
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