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LEGO HOBBIT REVIEW
Writing a Lego review is like making love to a beautiful woman. You can rush through it, just doing the main campaign and a few of the side missions (if you know what I mean). Or you can take your time by fully immersing yourself in the experience, savouring the subtleties whilst exploring the landscape (from The High Pass through the Misty Mountains to the deep forests of Mirkwood).
Let’s put innuendos aside for one moment because there is actually a point to this. I played through the campaign within a few hours, did some of the extra stuff around Middle Earth and started to write my review. I struggled though, because I both liked and disliked it at that moment. I didn’t know what angle to approach it from. To be honest it felt like an unfinished game and I felt torn.
I didn’t like what I had written though, so I kept playing the game until I had completed it (which is something I now do with every Lego game). It was during this time, while trying to grind out another Platinum trophy and being ably abetted by my 8 year old son, that the true magic of this game sunk in. A Lego game is something to take your time with, a bit like… err… never mind.
It is true to say that the campaign left me a little disappointed. It felt unfinished. By now it’s well known that the game covers the films and that we are only two films into the Hobbit trilogy, but even so the end of the campaign was still jarring. It’s not something I have ever experienced with a Lego game before and it just didn’t feel right.
I spent quite a while trying to rationalise this, too. I mean Tt had sort of done it before with the Lego Harry Potter games, but that was somehow different. Maybe it was because seven films was clearly too much for one game and it was always going to be split in two. Also the timing seemed to be better, with Years 1-4 being released just before the final film and Years 5-7 just after.
Bear in mind too that the Lego video game legacy is littered with other trilogies, all of which have been released as one game. Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Pirates of the Caribbean, Lord of the Rings; they all felt complete. This one just stops in a “To Be Continued” sort of way. In this instance knowing it’s going to happen doesn’t seem to make it any less annoying.
HOWEVER, the campaign is still very good. The basic Lego elements are there but yet again Tt have built upon previous iterations to deliver gameplay which is both familiar and new. You will find yourself crashing through levels, smashing everything in your path. You will destroy, collect, build, fight and puzzle your way though the various levels that make up the story.
The fundamentals are all there, but like modern cuisine it comes with a few subtle twists. Along with the usual ‘collect coins’ shenanigans you now have to also collect materials (from carrots and wood, to jewels and gold). Building certain objects will require you to have enough of these materials to complete the task. If you don’t have enough then you need to do more foraging.
Luckily the levels make it very easy to get the items you need, although some of the side missions around Middle Earth will require a bit more thinking. For example to unlock one character you need to have 500 carrots in your inventory. It’s easy enough once you figure out how to do it, but at the time it seemed quite a daunting, arduous task.
It should come as no surprise to hear that The Hobbit is very similar to The Lord of the Rings. On top of the campaign you do get this enormous expanse of Middle Earth to also explore, just like in Lego LotR. This is where the grinding starts if you, like me, want to fully complete the game. It is also where the most fun is to be had, and where that feeling of ‘a short game’ dissipates.
Like Lord of the Rings you will need to find and collect Mithril bricks. You then take these bricks to the smithy for him to forge Mithril items. However you will also need plenty of those other materials I mentioned before and so hence why this game is a bit more of a grind than before. There is a shortcut within the game that allows you to buy these items but they’re not cheap. Cue those coin multiplier Red Bricks.
To get the Red Bricks, though, you will usually need to forge a Mithril item. You see where this is going? It’s not quite a Catch 22, but you will need to get those multiplier bricks nice and early so make sure you target them carefully. This will also mean you will need to go careful on using the carrots and wood and diamonds and things.
Two of my usual grumbles did raise their heads again. For some reason there is still no online co-op option, and in terms of a 21st century video game I can’t quite understand this. Traveller's Tales must have their reason; perhaps there just isn’t the demand for it. I’m sure my son would like to play with the other kids in his class, though. Camera angles are also jolty on occasions.
That said, overall I liked Lego The Hobbit (eventually). The campaign’s abrupt finish did feel weird but I think this is something we will have to get used to now. We are running out of nostalgic, usable film trilogies. Playing the game to completion makes the game feel full, so please don’t judge it on just the campaign. You see, playing Lego The Hobbit is like… well… you know. ;¬)
8/10
Writing a Lego review is like making love to a beautiful woman. You can rush through it, just doing the main campaign and a few of the side missions (if you know what I mean). Or you can take your time by fully immersing yourself in the experience, savouring the subtleties whilst exploring the landscape (from The High Pass through the Misty Mountains to the deep forests of Mirkwood).
Let’s put innuendos aside for one moment because there is actually a point to this. I played through the campaign within a few hours, did some of the extra stuff around Middle Earth and started to write my review. I struggled though, because I both liked and disliked it at that moment. I didn’t know what angle to approach it from. To be honest it felt like an unfinished game and I felt torn.
I didn’t like what I had written though, so I kept playing the game until I had completed it (which is something I now do with every Lego game). It was during this time, while trying to grind out another Platinum trophy and being ably abetted by my 8 year old son, that the true magic of this game sunk in. A Lego game is something to take your time with, a bit like… err… never mind.
It is true to say that the campaign left me a little disappointed. It felt unfinished. By now it’s well known that the game covers the films and that we are only two films into the Hobbit trilogy, but even so the end of the campaign was still jarring. It’s not something I have ever experienced with a Lego game before and it just didn’t feel right.
I spent quite a while trying to rationalise this, too. I mean Tt had sort of done it before with the Lego Harry Potter games, but that was somehow different. Maybe it was because seven films was clearly too much for one game and it was always going to be split in two. Also the timing seemed to be better, with Years 1-4 being released just before the final film and Years 5-7 just after.
Bear in mind too that the Lego video game legacy is littered with other trilogies, all of which have been released as one game. Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Pirates of the Caribbean, Lord of the Rings; they all felt complete. This one just stops in a “To Be Continued” sort of way. In this instance knowing it’s going to happen doesn’t seem to make it any less annoying.
HOWEVER, the campaign is still very good. The basic Lego elements are there but yet again Tt have built upon previous iterations to deliver gameplay which is both familiar and new. You will find yourself crashing through levels, smashing everything in your path. You will destroy, collect, build, fight and puzzle your way though the various levels that make up the story.
The fundamentals are all there, but like modern cuisine it comes with a few subtle twists. Along with the usual ‘collect coins’ shenanigans you now have to also collect materials (from carrots and wood, to jewels and gold). Building certain objects will require you to have enough of these materials to complete the task. If you don’t have enough then you need to do more foraging.
Luckily the levels make it very easy to get the items you need, although some of the side missions around Middle Earth will require a bit more thinking. For example to unlock one character you need to have 500 carrots in your inventory. It’s easy enough once you figure out how to do it, but at the time it seemed quite a daunting, arduous task.
It should come as no surprise to hear that The Hobbit is very similar to The Lord of the Rings. On top of the campaign you do get this enormous expanse of Middle Earth to also explore, just like in Lego LotR. This is where the grinding starts if you, like me, want to fully complete the game. It is also where the most fun is to be had, and where that feeling of ‘a short game’ dissipates.
Like Lord of the Rings you will need to find and collect Mithril bricks. You then take these bricks to the smithy for him to forge Mithril items. However you will also need plenty of those other materials I mentioned before and so hence why this game is a bit more of a grind than before. There is a shortcut within the game that allows you to buy these items but they’re not cheap. Cue those coin multiplier Red Bricks.
To get the Red Bricks, though, you will usually need to forge a Mithril item. You see where this is going? It’s not quite a Catch 22, but you will need to get those multiplier bricks nice and early so make sure you target them carefully. This will also mean you will need to go careful on using the carrots and wood and diamonds and things.
Two of my usual grumbles did raise their heads again. For some reason there is still no online co-op option, and in terms of a 21st century video game I can’t quite understand this. Traveller's Tales must have their reason; perhaps there just isn’t the demand for it. I’m sure my son would like to play with the other kids in his class, though. Camera angles are also jolty on occasions.
That said, overall I liked Lego The Hobbit (eventually). The campaign’s abrupt finish did feel weird but I think this is something we will have to get used to now. We are running out of nostalgic, usable film trilogies. Playing the game to completion makes the game feel full, so please don’t judge it on just the campaign. You see, playing Lego The Hobbit is like… well… you know. ;¬)
8/10
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LEGO HOBBIT REVIEW
Writing a Lego review is like making love to a beautiful woman. You can rush through it, just doing the main campaign and a few of the side missions (if you know what I mean). Or you can take your time by fully immersing yourself in the experience, savouring the subtleties whilst exploring the landscape (from The High Pass through the Misty Mountains to the deep forests of Mirkwood).
Let’s put innuendos aside for one moment because there is actually a point to this. I played through the campaign within a few hours, did some of the extra stuff around Middle Earth and started to write my review. I struggled though, because I both liked and disliked it at that moment. I didn’t know what angle to approach it from. To be honest it felt like an unfinished game and I felt torn.
I didn’t like what I had written though, so I kept playing the game until I had completed it (which is something I now do with every Lego game). It was during this time, while trying to grind out another Platinum trophy and being ably abetted by my 8 year old son, that the true magic of this game sunk in. A Lego game is something to take your time with, a bit like… err… never mind.
It is true to say that the campaign left me a little disappointed. It felt unfinished. By now it’s well known that the game covers the films and that we are only two films into the Hobbit trilogy, but even so the end of the campaign was still jarring. It’s not something I have ever experienced with a Lego game before and it just didn’t feel right.
I spent quite a while trying to rationalise this, too. I mean Tt had sort of done it before with the Lego Harry Potter games, but that was somehow different. Maybe it was because seven films was clearly too much for one game and it was always going to be split in two. Also the timing seemed to be better, with Years 1-4 being released just before the final film and Years 5-7 just after.
Bear in mind too that the Lego video game legacy is littered with other trilogies, all of which have been released as one game. Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Pirates of the Caribbean, Lord of the Rings; they all felt complete. This one just stops in a “To Be Continued” sort of way. In this instance knowing it’s going to happen doesn’t seem to make it any less annoying.
HOWEVER, the campaign is still very good. The basic Lego elements are there but yet again Tt have built upon previous iterations to deliver gameplay which is both familiar and new. You will find yourself crashing through levels, smashing everything in your path. You will destroy, collect, build, fight and puzzle your way though the various levels that make up the story.
The fundamentals are all there, but like modern cuisine it comes with a few subtle twists. Along with the usual ‘collect coins’ shenanigans you now have to also collect materials (from carrots and wood, to jewels and gold). Building certain objects will require you to have enough of these materials to complete the task. If you don’t have enough then you need to do more foraging.
Luckily the levels make it very easy to get the items you need, although some of the side missions around Middle Earth will require a bit more thinking. For example to unlock one character you need to have 500 carrots in your inventory. It’s easy enough once you figure out how to do it, but at the time it seemed quite a daunting, arduous task.
It should come as no surprise to hear that The Hobbit is very similar to The Lord of the Rings. On top of the campaign you do get this enormous expanse of Middle Earth to also explore, just like in Lego LotR. This is where the grinding starts if you, like me, want to fully complete the game. It is also where the most fun is to be had, and where that feeling of ‘a short game’ dissipates.
Like Lord of the Rings you will need to find and collect Mithril bricks. You then take these bricks to the smithy for him to forge Mithril items. However you will also need plenty of those other materials I mentioned before and so hence why this game is a bit more of a grind than before. There is a shortcut within the game that allows you to buy these items but they’re not cheap. Cue those coin multiplier Red Bricks.
To get the Red Bricks, though, you will usually need to forge a Mithril item. You see where this is going? It’s not quite a Catch 22, but you will need to get those multiplier bricks nice and early so make sure you target them carefully. This will also mean you will need to go careful on using the carrots and wood and diamonds and things.
Two of my usual grumbles did raise their heads again. For some reason there is still no online co-op option, and in terms of a 21st century video game I can’t quite understand this. Traveller's Tales must have their reason; perhaps there just isn’t the demand for it. I’m sure my son would like to play with the other kids in his class, though. Camera angles are also jolty on occasions.
That said, overall I liked Lego The Hobbit (eventually). The campaign’s abrupt finish did feel weird but I think this is something we will have to get used to now. We are running out of nostalgic, usable film trilogies. Playing the game to completion makes the game feel full, so please don’t judge it on just the campaign. You see, playing Lego The Hobbit is like… well… you know. ;¬)
8/10
Writing a Lego review is like making love to a beautiful woman. You can rush through it, just doing the main campaign and a few of the side missions (if you know what I mean). Or you can take your time by fully immersing yourself in the experience, savouring the subtleties whilst exploring the landscape (from The High Pass through the Misty Mountains to the deep forests of Mirkwood).
Let’s put innuendos aside for one moment because there is actually a point to this. I played through the campaign within a few hours, did some of the extra stuff around Middle Earth and started to write my review. I struggled though, because I both liked and disliked it at that moment. I didn’t know what angle to approach it from. To be honest it felt like an unfinished game and I felt torn.
I didn’t like what I had written though, so I kept playing the game until I had completed it (which is something I now do with every Lego game). It was during this time, while trying to grind out another Platinum trophy and being ably abetted by my 8 year old son, that the true magic of this game sunk in. A Lego game is something to take your time with, a bit like… err… never mind.
It is true to say that the campaign left me a little disappointed. It felt unfinished. By now it’s well known that the game covers the films and that we are only two films into the Hobbit trilogy, but even so the end of the campaign was still jarring. It’s not something I have ever experienced with a Lego game before and it just didn’t feel right.
I spent quite a while trying to rationalise this, too. I mean Tt had sort of done it before with the Lego Harry Potter games, but that was somehow different. Maybe it was because seven films was clearly too much for one game and it was always going to be split in two. Also the timing seemed to be better, with Years 1-4 being released just before the final film and Years 5-7 just after.
Bear in mind too that the Lego video game legacy is littered with other trilogies, all of which have been released as one game. Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Pirates of the Caribbean, Lord of the Rings; they all felt complete. This one just stops in a “To Be Continued” sort of way. In this instance knowing it’s going to happen doesn’t seem to make it any less annoying.
HOWEVER, the campaign is still very good. The basic Lego elements are there but yet again Tt have built upon previous iterations to deliver gameplay which is both familiar and new. You will find yourself crashing through levels, smashing everything in your path. You will destroy, collect, build, fight and puzzle your way though the various levels that make up the story.
The fundamentals are all there, but like modern cuisine it comes with a few subtle twists. Along with the usual ‘collect coins’ shenanigans you now have to also collect materials (from carrots and wood, to jewels and gold). Building certain objects will require you to have enough of these materials to complete the task. If you don’t have enough then you need to do more foraging.
Luckily the levels make it very easy to get the items you need, although some of the side missions around Middle Earth will require a bit more thinking. For example to unlock one character you need to have 500 carrots in your inventory. It’s easy enough once you figure out how to do it, but at the time it seemed quite a daunting, arduous task.
It should come as no surprise to hear that The Hobbit is very similar to The Lord of the Rings. On top of the campaign you do get this enormous expanse of Middle Earth to also explore, just like in Lego LotR. This is where the grinding starts if you, like me, want to fully complete the game. It is also where the most fun is to be had, and where that feeling of ‘a short game’ dissipates.
Like Lord of the Rings you will need to find and collect Mithril bricks. You then take these bricks to the smithy for him to forge Mithril items. However you will also need plenty of those other materials I mentioned before and so hence why this game is a bit more of a grind than before. There is a shortcut within the game that allows you to buy these items but they’re not cheap. Cue those coin multiplier Red Bricks.
To get the Red Bricks, though, you will usually need to forge a Mithril item. You see where this is going? It’s not quite a Catch 22, but you will need to get those multiplier bricks nice and early so make sure you target them carefully. This will also mean you will need to go careful on using the carrots and wood and diamonds and things.
Two of my usual grumbles did raise their heads again. For some reason there is still no online co-op option, and in terms of a 21st century video game I can’t quite understand this. Traveller's Tales must have their reason; perhaps there just isn’t the demand for it. I’m sure my son would like to play with the other kids in his class, though. Camera angles are also jolty on occasions.
That said, overall I liked Lego The Hobbit (eventually). The campaign’s abrupt finish did feel weird but I think this is something we will have to get used to now. We are running out of nostalgic, usable film trilogies. Playing the game to completion makes the game feel full, so please don’t judge it on just the campaign. You see, playing Lego The Hobbit is like… well… you know. ;¬)
8/10