As with all the other long, epic movies from Hollywood, the first two installments of The Hobbit trilogy get the LEGO treatment. Picking up right where the Lord of the Rings left off, the game features the plot of the movies but in their own comedic, LEGO twist that creates a fun adventure for people of all ages.
However, the audience may be limited for this kind of game, and can prove to be incredibly tedious especially for those that experienced LEGO games in the past.
LEGO The Hobbit
PlayStation 3 Review
Developer: Traveller's Tales
Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Release Date: April 8th, 2014
Average retail price: Currently $39.99 on Amazon
Also available on: PS4, Vita, Wii U, 3DS, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC
Reviewer's background: The only other LEGO game I've played from beginning to end was LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes for the Nintendo Wii, while I dabbled in the LOTR game for a couple hours on the Vita.
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LEGO games always have two different bullet points in every adventure. It's always easy to pick up and play with a group of people, and there's always a ton of objects to destroy and collect various pieces of money and items to build other things to continue your quest.
If you haven't played a LEGO adventure game before, it's a pretty simple concept. Players control various characters on a large-scale map that includes side quests or objectives in previous missions. But for those that want to just go on the journey, the narrator continues onward once the player heads into a new field of play by following the blue-orbed road.
Each mission has various tasks to complete, and the player's goal is to use a multitude of characters from The Hobbit to advance. This could include somebody's unique weapon to hit a target, or destroy a cracked wall, or building a three-person totem pole for the fourth player to climb up and advance.
While the game is fun is spurts, it's extremely monotonous for those that desire an extended play through. Puzzles don't require a lot of thinking, but there are some that aren't as obvious as the developers intended it to be. With no aid to solve some puzzles, it could leave some players frustrated and headed toward a YouTube clip to look at how to complete it.
It doesn't take long to gather loot and pieces to complete certain obstacles. A few longer runs in the main overworld before heading into a mission should be more than enough to hold you through the adventure.
With no background with watching The Hobbit movies, I have no idea how true they hold to the movies. But I found some parts being a tad confusing, as they altered things slightly to create a much smoother game from beginning to end.
I didn't do many side quests, just enough to see how much the add on to the game. Some of them are fun to complete, but these could be tedious as well for those that want to save them until the very end.
The good news is the game is completely glitch-free on the PS3. Some folks have reported freezing or other various oddities, but my copy played perfectly throughout. I didn't have any trouble collecting items or advancing in the game. I can't say anything for the other editions of the game.
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The good: This was a lot better than the Vita version of The Lord of the Rings that I played. The obvious humor added to the long story keeps it from being just a boring movie transferred into a video game. Those that haven't watched the first two movies of The Hobbit may be a little bit lost in storytelling, but it makes more sense further in the game. For a LEGO game, the graphics are polished and it's extremely easy to get a friend to join in and play at anytime.
The bad: It's incredibly tedious, and more of the same from other LEGO games. Those that have played the LOTR version know exactly what they're getting into. Puzzles tend to get repetitive and so do the side quests. If the story doesn't capture your attention, there isn't any reason to come back.
Recommendation: This game is strictly for those who love the LEGO series and for kids that may not understand the movies. There's a lot of value here for those that plan to play this in short bursts. This adventure is pretty long and is already $10 less than it's launch price on Amazon. For a LEGO game, it looks fantastic on the PS3.
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