LEGO Marvel Super Heroes - a review

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CressAlbane
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LEGO Marvel Super Heroes - a review

Post by CressAlbane »

So, I was writing a Steam review for this game, and it ended up being 819 characters over the (hidden) limit. Sigh. Here it is.

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LEGO and TT Produce an Excellent Installment
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   By now, you've probably played at least one of the LEGO games, whether it was LEGO Star Wars back in the beginning or one of the other many LEGO partnerships.  The games follow a typically simple hack 'n slash beat-em-up style augmented with playful LEGO characters from whichever IP you happen to be inside.  Over the years, the core gameplay - an easy combination of button mashing combat, simple puzzles that rely on the abilities of different characters, a bit of silly humor - has remained relatively unchanged.
   How does LEGO Marvel Super Heroes (Marvel Heroes from here on) stand out in the crowd of LEGO games?  Let's investigate.  To start with, Marvel Heroes manages to mostly do away with one of the series' most common downsides: lack of character variation.   There are only so many ways to design a blaster character, Jedi Knight, or Batman costume, after all, and copy-and-paste reskins have cut down on the excitement of finding characters in previous LEGO games.  Luckily, Marvel Heroes taps into the wide array of heroes and villains in the Marvel universe and provides a lot of distinct, interesting characters.  While hardcore fans are likely to find at least one of their favorites unfortunately absent (It was Nightcrawler for me), all of Marvel's big names (Spider-Man, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, Wolverine, etc.) are present.  With groups like the X-Men and Spider-Man's many foes, the developers obviously worked hard to create distinct playstyles and uses for each character.  While a few simple reskins are still present (a plethora of Iron Man suits comes to mind), the characters in this game are each a unique experience.
   Marvel Heroes also performs strongly with its overworld hub.  Improving on the city and world found in titles like LEGO Batman 2 and LEGO Lord of the Rings, Marvel Heroes' New York is large, bustling, and fun to explore.  It's also chock-full of sidequests and fun racing minigames.  However, after doing about ten quests, it becomes a bit tedious, since there is very little variation in quest types and progression is very hand-holding with quest markers.  Flying controls are little-changed from LEGO Batman 2; however, they work quite well and are a bit more responsive.   Aside from lackluster side missions, though, the overworld hub is great fun to explore and interact with.  
   Marvel Heroes also shines in a few other areas that don't require much explanation.  Graphics are better than ever, although light shining from LEGO faces is a bit intense at times.  In more moody environments, though, Marvel Heroes looks almost beautiful.  Sound is done well again, with no jarring sound effects.  Voice acting appears once again in this game, and it ties in humor and gives characters a more recognizable identity.  At times, however, it is hard to tell which character is talking, and the only subtitle option is large and annoying.  And of course, there are only so many sound bites for the pedestrians in the city (Although, there are a few homages to past games; one reference to the old Spider-Man 2 nearly brought tears to my eyes.  Sniff.).  Finally, co-op is at a series best, with fixed splitscreen finally being added, removing annoying camera troubles present in other games, and controller support working flawlessly.
   Let's now examine what Marvel Heroes doesn't do quite as well.  The story levels are lackluster difficulty-wise - the LEGO formula only has so many possibilities for puzzles.  While boss fights are not quite as annoying as in previous LEGO games and stand out well, the rest of the game maintains the LEGO style of beating up hordes of foes and wading through smashable LEGO objects.  While this may not be a bore to those new to LEGO games, it can get a bit old for people returning as LEGO veterans.
   One other area of underperformance is combat.  Marvel Heroes barely improves on the button-mashing of other entries in the series.  While some characters can alternate between ranged attacks and melee combos, it is difficult to choose which to use, especially since the game heavily leans towards melee attacks when the target is nearby, even though ranged attacks are often more powerful.  And although there is no shortage of neat special moves for various characters, combat is so easy that there is no reason to explore each character's fighting style aside from role-playing.

   In summary, Marvel Heroes is a great installment in the LEGO series with a few small flaws.  If you've enjoyed the simplicity of other LEGO games, or if you're a hardcore Marvel Comics fan, this game is definitely a buy.  And perhaps if you've played other LEGO games and are looking for a rejuvenation, give this one a try.  You won't regret it.
  Excelsior!

 Final Score: 8/10 - a good buy for at least one playthrough, if not hours of fun.
Anybody here have this game? Any comments on the review? Thoughts in general? Meanings of life?
kinetosimpetus
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Re: LEGO Marvel Super Heroes - a review

Post by kinetosimpetus »

Dont have it, but want it. It's on steam? Great, there goes my paycheck... Which reminds me... off to the good things thread!
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