Review: 'Lego City' builds fun for Wii U

Nintendo says its upcoming Wii U gaming console will cost $300 for a basic version. It will launch on Nov. 18 in the U.S., in time for the holidays. (Sept. 13)
FILE - In this Sept. 13, 2012 photo, Reggie Fils-Aime, president and chief operating officer of Nintendo of America, discusses the upcoming Wii U gaming console, in New York. Much like the iPad, the curvey GamePad features a touchscreen that can be manipulated with the simple tap or swipe of a finger, but it's surrounded by the kinds of buttons, bumpers, thumbsticks and triggers that are traditionally found on a modern-day game controller. The gaming console will start at $300 and go on sale in the U.S. on Sunday, Nov. 18, in time for the holidays, the company said. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)
FILE - In this June 7, 2012 publicity file photo provided by Nintendo, Pete Wentz, left, and guests get an exclusive preview of Nintendo's Wii U during E3 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Nintendo,Todd Williamson)
FILE - In this June 5, 2012 file photo, an attendee plays a video game using Nintendo's Wii U controller at E3 2012 in Los Angeles. Nintendo unleashed 23 games for its upcoming console featuring a touchscreen controller at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3, the gaming industry's annual trade show. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
FILE - In this June 5, 2012 publicity file photo provided by Nintendo of America, Katsuya Eguchi, Producer of Software Development for Nintendo, shows off "Luigi's Ghost Mansion," one of 12 attractions in Nintendo Land, an upcoming game for the new Wii U home console, during the Nintendo All-Access Presentation at E3 2012 in Los Angeles. The Wii U GamePad controller makes asymmetric gameplay possible by allowing for multiple experiences in the same game at the same time. (AP Photo/Nintendo of America, Vince Bucci, File)
FILE - In this June 5, 2012 publicity file photo provided by Nintendo of America, Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo of America's President and Chief Operating Officer, left, tests out an interactive feature of "ZombiU," an upcoming Ubisoft game for the Wii U console, during the Nintendo All-Access Presentation at E3 2012 in Los Angeles. Using facial recognition, the feature transforms the player into a gruesome zombie. (AP Photo/Nintendo of America, Vince Bucci, File)
FILE - In this June 5, 2012 file photo, Reggie Fils-Aime, president and CEO of Nintendo America, Inc., presents the Wii U as the next-generation game console at the Nintendo All-Access presentation at E3 2012 in Los Angeles. It can scan zombies, replace a TV remote, open a window into virtual worlds and shoot ninja stars across a living room. It's the Wii U GamePad, the 10-by-5-inch touchscreen controller for the successor to the Wii out Sunday, Nov. 18, 2012, and if you ask the brains behind the "Super Mario Bros." about it, they say it's going to change the way video games are made and played. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)
This publicity photo provided by Nintendo/TT Fusion shows a scene from the video game, “Lego City Undercover." (AP Photo/Nintendo/TT Fusion)

Nintendo says its upcoming Wii U gaming console will cost $300 for a basic version. It will launch on Nov. 18 in the U.S., in time for the holidays. (Sept. 13)

Nintendo says its upcoming Wii U gaming console will cost $300 for a basic version. It will launch on Nov. 18 in the U.S., in time for the holidays. (Sept. 13)
FILE - In this Sept. 13, 2012 photo, Reggie Fils-Aime, president and chief operating officer of Nintendo of America, discusses the upcoming Wii U gaming console, in New York. Much like the iPad, the curvey GamePad features a touchscreen that can be manipulated with the simple tap or swipe of a finger, but it's surrounded by the kinds of buttons, bumpers, thumbsticks and triggers that are traditionally found on a modern-day game controller. The gaming console will start at $300 and go on sale in the U.S. on Sunday, Nov. 18, in time for the holidays, the company said. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)
FILE - In this June 7, 2012 publicity file photo provided by Nintendo, Pete Wentz, left, and guests get an exclusive preview of Nintendo's Wii U during E3 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Nintendo,Todd Williamson)
FILE - In this June 5, 2012 file photo, an attendee plays a video game using Nintendo's Wii U controller at E3 2012 in Los Angeles. Nintendo unleashed 23 games for its upcoming console featuring a touchscreen controller at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3, the gaming industry's annual trade show. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
FILE - In this June 5, 2012 publicity file photo provided by Nintendo of America, Katsuya Eguchi, Producer of Software Development for Nintendo, shows off "Luigi's Ghost Mansion," one of 12 attractions in Nintendo Land, an upcoming game for the new Wii U home console, during the Nintendo All-Access Presentation at E3 2012 in Los Angeles. The Wii U GamePad controller makes asymmetric gameplay possible by allowing for multiple experiences in the same game at the same time. (AP Photo/Nintendo of America, Vince Bucci, File)
FILE - In this June 5, 2012 publicity file photo provided by Nintendo of America, Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo of America's President and Chief Operating Officer, left, tests out an interactive feature of "ZombiU," an upcoming Ubisoft game for the Wii U console, during the Nintendo All-Access Presentation at E3 2012 in Los Angeles. Using facial recognition, the feature transforms the player into a gruesome zombie. (AP Photo/Nintendo of America, Vince Bucci, File)
FILE - In this June 5, 2012 file photo, Reggie Fils-Aime, president and CEO of Nintendo America, Inc., presents the Wii U as the next-generation game console at the Nintendo All-Access presentation at E3 2012 in Los Angeles. It can scan zombies, replace a TV remote, open a window into virtual worlds and shoot ninja stars across a living room. It's the Wii U GamePad, the 10-by-5-inch touchscreen controller for the successor to the Wii out Sunday, Nov. 18, 2012, and if you ask the brains behind the "Super Mario Bros." about it, they say it's going to change the way video games are made and played. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)
This publicity photo provided by Nintendo/TT Fusion shows a scene from the video game, “Lego City Undercover." (AP Photo/Nintendo/TT Fusion)

Over the past eight years, those cute little people — minifigs, as they're known — have virtually traveled to Middle-earth, Hogwarts, Gotham City and a galaxy far, far away in video games developed by TT Games. The minifigs are finally coming home in their latest adventure, an open-world action game created exclusively for 's U.

"Lego City Undercover" forgoes the wizardry and intergalactic wonder of big-budget franchises for something much more simple: a good old-fashioned police romp set in sprawling Lego City, a diverse metropolis where cars are made out of colorful plastic bricks and residents have interchangeable heads.

As undercover officer Chase McCain, players must seamlessly switch between multiple disguises with different abilities to hunt down Lego City lawbreakers. For example, when dressed as a farmer, McCain can water plants that blossom into vines that can be climbed. If he's imitating a burglar, his crowbar can crack open doors. There's even an astronaut suit.

The game's zany writing and voice acting alternate between corny and hilarious. ("I'll come back and give you my insurance details later!" McCain yells after smashing into other cars.) While youngsters might enjoy "Lego City" the most, there's plenty here for adults who grew up with "Grand Theft Auto," including sendups of "Goodfellas" and "The Shawshank Redemption."

McCain can get behind the wheel of more than 100 vehicles: cars, trucks, boats and helicopters. He can also ride horses, pigs and, at one point, a dinosaur. Outside of the story missions that take McCain inside such Lego City locales as the museum and prison, there are enough side pursuits for even the most obsessive gamers, from capturing aliens to painting bricks.

There are also lots and lots of bricks to pick up.

Just like the "Lego" games that have come before "Lego City," there are millions of studs spread across the world that can be traded in for customizable characters and vehicles. "Lego City" adds superbricks to the mix. These collectibles can be cashed in to craft superbuilds like helipads and stunt ramps.

"Lego City" employs the touch screen of the Wii U GamePad as a police scanner and communicator. It's mostly used to pinpoint locations on the interactive map, but it can also do stuff like spot bad guys through walls, listen in on conversations and snap photos of crimes. It's a neat touch but ultimately feels gimmicky and not integral to the overall experience.

The game's biggest flaw is its mind-numbingly long loading screens that feature nothing more than a spinning police badge and some funky wah-chickah-wah-wah background music. It was a blockheaded decision not to extend the game's charms with some title cards, images or anything — ANYTHING! — other than just a rotating graphic.

Despite that annoyance and a complete lack of any multiplayer mode, there's still a load of fun to be had with "Lego City." It's a must-own for Wii U owners and Lego fans. The developers at TT Games have created a fantastical toy world that proves there's really no place like home. Three stars out of four.

___

Online:

http://legocityu.nintendo.com/

___

Follow AP Entertainment Writer Derrik J. Lang on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/derrikjlang