LEGO City Undercover
- April 4, 2017
- Traveller's Tales
- 35h median play time
With such a fun story, great gameplay, and the ability to enjoy with a friend or relative, you’re never short of having a good time.
In LEGO City Undercover, play as Chase McCain, a police officer going undercover to stop criminal Rex Fury. Explore the vast open-world of LEGO City, complete with 20 unique districts, various missions, movie references, and humorous content, for players of all ages to enjoy. The game features two-player co-op mode.
Reviews
- story665 mentions
- 34 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The story of "Lego City Undercover" is generally well-received, characterized by its humorous and engaging narrative that combines elements of classic cop films with a lighthearted, family-friendly tone. Players appreciate the original storyline featuring Chase McCain, which allows for a mix of comedic moments and action-packed missions, although some find the plot somewhat clichéd and the missions repetitive. While the main story is enjoyable, many reviews note that it constitutes only a fraction of the overall gameplay, with a significant amount of content available post-story completion.
“The story is engaging and the city is a joy to explore.”
“The story is unique, unlike other LEGO games, and this game uses one of LEGO's properties rather than a license like Star Wars or Harry Potter.”
“The story is fantastic, and it doesn't glitch as much as the other reviews say it does.”
“The story is mediocre at best, but the game itself is fun enough and has a decent amount of references and easter eggs to keep it enjoyable.”
“The story is simply a story that is used to set up the game itself.”
“The story is short, about 20 hours, but filled with humor and very entertaining, and afterwards there is still lots to explore and enjoy in the open world, everywhere there are things to do and it never gets boring.”
- humor199 mentions
- 99 % positive mentions
- -1 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The humor in "Lego City Undercover" is widely praised for its clever writing, engaging characters, and a mix of child-friendly jokes and adult references that appeal to a broad audience. Players appreciate the game's lighthearted tone, with many noting that the cutscenes and dialogue often elicit genuine laughter. While some feel the humor may not reach the heights of previous Lego titles, it remains a standout feature that enhances the overall fun and charm of the game.
“The humor is peak.”
“The game is packed with clever references, funny one-liners, and plenty of tongue-in-cheek humor that's sure to make you smile.”
“The story is hilarious and there's plenty of wacky random stuff to get up to, especially for someone like my fiancé who interacts with everything she sees in the world.”
“The humor falls flat and feels forced, lacking any real wit or charm.”
“I expected more clever jokes, but most of the humor is just juvenile and predictable.”
“The attempts at humor often miss the mark, leaving me more cringed than amused.”
- gameplay183 mentions
- 31 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this title is a mix of classic LEGO mechanics and new features, offering a vibrant open-world experience filled with humor and engaging puzzles. While many players appreciate the nostalgic elements and varied character abilities, some criticize the combat as repetitive and the mechanics as occasionally frustrating. Overall, the gameplay is generally enjoyable, though opinions vary on its depth and execution.
“The gameplay is very fun, and it revives some nostalgic feelings.”
“With its vibrant open-world setting, dynamic gameplay mechanics, and charming humor, it's sure to captivate players of all ages.”
“The gameplay is simple yet engaging, with plenty of puzzles to solve and obstacles to overcome.”
“The ideas and mechanics borrowed from these other titles are toned down and are never executed well.”
“Gameplay is stale, repetitive, and boring.”
“Absolute horrible gameplay.”
- graphics113 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 70 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the nostalgic charm and improved visuals compared to older versions, while others criticize the overall quality as outdated and plagued by bugs, particularly on certain graphics cards. Many users note that the game runs better on consoles than on PC, especially for those with AMD graphics cards, which often experience issues during cutscenes. Overall, while some find the graphics enjoyable and fitting for a LEGO game, others feel they fall short of modern standards.
“I have a lot of nostalgia with this game and it was nice to revisit it with better graphics on PC; this is a must-have game if you're a LEGO fan!”
“The graphics are beautiful, and the voice acting is a treat to listen to.”
“The graphics are truly incredible, and each level is designed perfectly with the right amount of fun and trickery.”
“Graphics are awful for its time (even movie video games look better), gameplay is not fun, story and characters are bland, keyboard controls don't work well at all, puzzles swap on whims between being too handholdy and not telling you anything, etc. I had high hopes, and this game was quite disappointing.”
“Don't let the screenshots fool you, the graphics are basically the same visuals as the Wii U version, aka a 2013 game and really don't hold up when played at 1080p.”
“Graphics issues in all cutscenes for newer AMD graphics cards.”
- optimization52 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 48 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received largely negative feedback, with many players reporting frequent crashes, lag, and stuttering, particularly on PC. While some users found temporary fixes, such as adjusting launch options or using community mods, the overall consensus is that the game is poorly optimized for modern hardware, leading to inconsistent performance. Despite these issues, a few players noted satisfactory performance on higher-end systems, suggesting that experiences may vary significantly based on individual setups.
“I had some performance issues, but they were fixed by adding -maxfps 0 to the startup options from within Steam, which was an easy fix.”
“I highly recommend installing the community mod Lego City Recovered by Kaldaien as it fixes a bug with fullscreen mode and increases the multi-threaded performance.”
“This game is extremely good; I guess it could use some optimization, but otherwise, I'd say it's extremely free of bugs. I think I've only once experienced something that caused the game to freeze, and even that was only for half a minute.”
“Very bad performance and constant crashes.”
“The worst performance out of any LEGO games.”
“Performance suffers badly as this game was not designed for modern PC architectures.”
- stability51 mentions
- 4 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 96 % negative mentions
The stability of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting frequent bugs, crashes, and glitches, particularly in the PC version. While some users have experienced smooth gameplay without significant issues, others have noted that the game can freeze or crash often, especially during open-world segments or specific missions. Overall, the consensus suggests that while the game is enjoyable, its stability is a concern, particularly for those playing on PC.
“Runs great, and just plain fun!”
“Great game, very fun, no glitches like people say.”
“A buggy mess that never should have been ported to PC.”
“Some trophies do not unlock like chapter trophies (can't unlock them later unless replaying...), some videos can have buggy green bars and the game can randomly crash.”
“Port is awful, constant freezes, borderline unplayable.”
- music37 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its energetic and engaging quality, enhancing the overall experience with memorable tracks that fit the game's humorous and adventurous tone. However, some players noted a lack of music during exploration and driving, which detracted from the immersion at times. Overall, the soundtrack is considered one of the game's highlights, contributing significantly to its appeal.
“The music is one of the best I've ever heard in a game and the open world has a lot to do for more than 50 hours of gameplay.”
“The music had such good energy to it but wasn't overly thump-thump-thump like most action soundtracks in games are.”
“I will also praise the original soundtrack for not only having some great tunes but also helping to create one of the greatest finale sequences ever in a Lego game with such a climactic and outstanding track to end the game with.”
“Only thing I didn't exactly like is the fact there is no music at all if you are just cruising through the city while getting to certain places or just driving around in search of collectibles.”
“Other than the sound effects themselves and people talking, there is literally no music even though I have it set to be on, so it's best to have something else on in the background for those times especially.”
“My biggest gripe is the lack of music when driving around or even walking around - which is like 80% of the game.”
- grinding32 mentions
- 3 % positive mentions
- 19 % neutral mentions
- 78 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding the process of collecting items and completing side content to be tedious and repetitive, especially for completionists. While some enjoy the open world and the variety of activities, the overwhelming amount of collectibles and the lack of efficient navigation tools contribute to a frustrating experience for many. Overall, players suggest that achieving 100% completion requires significant time investment and can feel more like a chore than an enjoyable challenge.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“It's a tedious grind if you're a completionist like myself.”
“The achievements are easy but tedious.”
“There is a lot of grinding involved in order to complete the game 100%, getting a lot of different collectibles over and over.”
- replayability18 mentions
- 28 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
Overall, the game offers a mixed experience in terms of replayability. Many players appreciate the ability to revisit chapters, unlock new characters, and engage in side quests, contributing to a satisfying exploration of the game world. However, some users feel that the replay value is limited, particularly regarding the main story missions, suggesting that while there are enjoyable elements to revisit, the overall replayability may not be as high as expected.
“As you progress through the story, the individual chapters will become accessible and replayable, allowing you to go back and collect everything.”
“Wittily written and charismatically voice acted, cleverly designed gameplay, a bright bustling city to explore, and tons of replayability with things to discover.”
“There are tons of things to find, like more playable characters, plenty of side quests, and all sorts of other unlockables that really make this a satisfying game to progress in.”
“I don't think replayability is that high, because aside from a few 'special assignments,' you can't replay the rest of the story sequences.”
“This game is nice; it reminds me of my childhood, but it can lack replayability. I'll play this every now and then.”
“So much replayability, even after doing the whole 18-hour game storyline.”
- emotional10 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find "Lego City Undercover" to be a deeply emotional experience, with moments that evoke genuine feelings, such as the impactful revelation of a character's tragic backstory. Unlike other modern Lego games that often undermine emotional scenes with humor, this game effectively balances its original story with humor while allowing poignant moments to resonate. The heartfelt narrative, particularly in the final chapter, leaves a lasting impression, even on those who typically do not express strong emotions.
“This game is drop-dead gorgeous; I've never played such a grand and emotional game before. The part where it was revealed that Joe Bobbington the Second's wife was killed really made me cry.”
“However, since Undercover has an original story, the jokes feel more at home and even set them aside for the more emotional scenes in the game.”
“When I completed chapter 15 (the final chapter), I almost shed a tear at the end credits scene because of how beautiful this game truly is.”
- character development2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its strong character development, with well-designed characters that avoid becoming annoying or forgettable, contributing positively to the overall experience.
“The game has good character development, without anyone becoming annoying, grating, or forgettable.”
“The game also features additional character designs by Hunter Roberson and Rhett Deal.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Many users express frustration with the current trend of excessive microtransactions and unnecessary DLC in games, making it increasingly difficult to find titles that offer substantial content without these monetization tactics.
“These days, it is harder to find games with content like this since a lot of games tend to either throw in tons of microtransactions or pointless DLC.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is generally well-received, with players expressing enjoyment and appreciation for its immersive qualities.
“Overall, this game has a captivating atmosphere, and I really enjoy playing it.”
“The immersive environment and attention to detail create a truly enchanting atmosphere.”
“The game's atmosphere is hauntingly beautiful, drawing you into its world.”
Critic Reviews
Lego City Undercover PS4 Review – Not A Big Improvement Over The Wii U Version
Lego City Undercover is a comical, open-world adventure set in a Lego world that doesn’t borrow from other franchises. Despite the warts, it's easy to get yourself lost in its whacky tale.
60%LEGO City Undercover Review - PS4
A bit more love and attention would have seen the PS4 version of Lego City Undercover receive the commendation it deserves, but its unresolved shady past has caught up with it.
65%LEGO City Undercover Review
With such a fun story, great gameplay, and the ability to enjoy with a friend or relative, you’re never short of having a good time.
85%