LEGO City Undercover

Genre: Open-World 3D Action-Platformer

Players: 1-2 Co-Op (Local Split-Screen)

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Review:

LEGO City Undercover was originally released in 2013 as a Wii U exclusive, one of very few major third-party exclusives to release on that platform that was widely praised, with this game taking elements of developer Traveller’s Tales’ well-established LEGO game formula and applying it to an Open World game comparable to franchises like Grand Theft Auto (though perhaps a closer analogue would be the beloved cult classic Simpsons Hit ‘N Run). This game wouldn’t remain exclusive to the Wii U forever, though – in 2017, it received an upgraded port on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. This newer release improved the visuals and added in a feature that many would argue should have been in the original release – Local Split-Screen Co-Op.

Where the Wii U version of the game ran at a 720p resolution, the Nintendo Switch version runs at 1080p in docked mode (720p in portable mode), along with improved lighting and improved textures compared to the original release, with both versions targeting 30FPS (with occasional dips) (Thanks to Digital Foundry for the numbers).

Surprisingly, this performance is about on par with the PlayStation 4 version of the game, with the PlayStation 4 version’s framerate jumping up to 60FPS in some specific areas, but mostly also remaining at 30FPS with a 1080p resolution. Outside of a few details like shadow resolution and reflection resolution, the Nintendo Switch version of the game is surprisingly close in appearance to other modern platforms

Of course, LEGO City Undercover was never really a graphical showpiece, with much of its world consisting of relatively low-poly people and structures, and even with this being the case, there’s still some noticeable pop-in here (though surprisingly this issue is slightly better in the Switch version than other versions). In other words, don’t go into this game expecting something on par with Grand Theft Auto V… or IV, for that matter.

The other element of the presentation here is the story, voice acting, and music, and all of these do an excellent job of building this game to be a delightful spoof of all manner of police films. The game’s protagonist, Chase McCain, is idolized by his fellow officers (well, at least one of them), despite being completely full of himself and having apparently leaked information that put an informant in danger. Meanwhile, the police chief is one of those gruff, angry types (who apparently also eats dozens of donuts at a time and almost slept through the meeting that he demanded everyone attend. And while you have this spoof playing out, it’s all to this 70s-style funky instrumental soundtrack that fits this game like a glove.

However, what I think works best here is probably the gameplay, which is quite possibly the closest that the Traveller’s Tales LEGO franchise has ever gotten to a truly great Open World game. There’s a lot of ground to cover, secrets to find, and vehicles to “commandeer” (because when a police officer steals a car, it’s not actually stealing!). Some of your exploration will be locked off by abilities that you gain access to as the game progresses, though thankfully you get these abilities at a pretty steady pace, so it doesn’t quite feel like exploring the world is pointless until you’ve completed the main campaign.

Really, my main complaint here is that so many of these abilities you gain are context-sensitive, and I really wish that the game gave players the freedom to use them whenever it suited them. Not too far into the game you get a grappling hook, but of course you can only use it in places you’re supposed to use a grappling hook. You get the ability to scan the area for criminals… but only when you receive a prompt to do so. I suppose it makes things easier, just do what the game tells you to do when it tells you, but… well, that removes some of the fun, doesn’t it?

The one other thing I’ll mention here before wrapping this up is the new Split-Screen Co-Op mode, and this works about as well as one could hope given that the original game was never designed for this. Players can freely explore the open world and don’t need to be near each other, and can drop-in and drop-out at will. The only issue is that adding a split-screen drops the framerate noticeably, but it’s still nice that it’s available for those who want to play with a friend.

So, to sum this all up, after years of LEGO games that felt like they were getting long in the tooth, LEGO City Undercover was a refreshingly different take on the well-established formula, and one of the franchise’s best stabs at an Open World game, and the Nintendo Switch version of the game is even better, and surprisingly close to parity with the versions on other more modern platforms. This still isn’t a perfect game, and there are areas that could have been done better, but overall this is an excellent Open World game, and an outstanding LEGO game.

tl;dr – LEGO City Undercover on Nintendo Switch is an excellent upgrade to what was previously a Wii U exclusive title, one of the best games in Traveller’s Tales’ family-friendly franchise of LEGO 3D Action-Platformers, and an excellent Open-World game. This police spoof is a joy to play, and while it definitely still has areas that need improvement, LEGO fans should consider this a must-play, and those looking for a good Open-World game on Nintendo Switch would do well to give this some consideration.

Grade: A-

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