Review: Lego: The Hobbit

Reclaim the Lost Kingdom brick by brick! Join Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf, Thorin and his company of Dwarves in an epic adventure across Middle-earth to recapture the Lonely Mountain in the most expansive LEGO game to date.

Pros:

• Graphics are much the same as in previous titles, Looking really good with some great Lego animation.
• Soundtrack is lifted from the film as are the voices, Keeping it all close to the films in every way. The voices help players connect with the game.
• Aside from the usual smash items and collect studs methods of games past, Lego Hobbit introduces a loot system. When smashing certain things, flashing items will fall out that you can stockpile away. You use these pieces in and around the hub world to build shortcuts,new tools etc. Its a nice new addition that you can see will be used in future Lego games as it gives the game a lot more for the player to do.
• New buddy up system where you can pick a mate up and perform powerful moves or use each other to reach higher ledges. Not just limited to one person, You can buddy up with two other players to get even higher.
• Mini games are present and can be stand alone in the hub world, Or they can be in the levels themselves. Majority of the time its a Guitar Hero style press the right button at the right time system.
• Controls remain unchanged so players of old will slide right into it where as new players will be able to quickly pick up the pad and get stuck in.
• Tutorial tablets/tombstones will pop up from time to time and give player tips on what to do.
• All characters have a stronger secondary attack by pressing and holding the circle/B button. The attack or move takes a short time to charge but delivers a hell of a wallop.
• Diverse cast of characters from the film who are all unique in there own way. You can still do the traditional hold Triangle/Y to select a particular character. Otherwise it still works in terms of swapping between close proximity characters.
• As well as using the loot to build stuff, You can also trade your loot with merchants in the hub world to get rarer materials/loot.
• The main hub is a huge vast area that expands as you progress through the story. Here you can earn studs,find the elusive game changing red bricks for stud multipliers, find mini games,build things and trade some loot with merchants. A handy blue stud trail will guide you to your next story mission so you will never get lost.
• Following the same method in Lego The Movie game, You build special items where you have to guess the missing piece by selecting it from a circle of pieces, Guess right and guess fast to keep a high stud multiplier bonus. Guess wrong or take too long and watch your bonus shrink. Now though it should be noted, You can speed up the build with a button press.
• Unlock side quests by finishing the main story quests. Side quests as usual can be found in the hub world.
• Usual Lego game traditions are in here like red brick multipliers, create your own Lego character, LTH influenced mini kit detectors.
• Drop in and out local multiplayer.

Cons:

• You still cannot skip the first time watching of FMV sequences.
• No online play still.
• Awkward camera angles and scenery getting in the way.
• Screen tearing and juddering in places, Particularly levels with loads of action in the background.
• Levels can feel either too busy or too quiet. By that I mean it could have more items to smash and less enemies or it could be the opposite.
• Random freezes and lockups on the PS3 version.
• Doesnt have as much Lego humour as we come to expect.

In Summary, Not a lot has changed since the last Lego outing. A few new features but with a game set alongside the trilogy of Films with only two in the game at the moment, Fans will not like the fact you have to wait for the third part to be released as DLC. We do not know if its free or chargeable DLC yet either. Lego fans will still enjoy the game as will new players as its a classic Lego game that we have come to love. It has its good points and it has its bad points but at the end of the day ts worth a play through for Fans.