WillKirkby

From a friend at RockRaidersUnited: Hey Kevin, thank you for asking this important question! I really appreciate LEGO asking for feedback from its community. One of the reasons this company is far better than many others. The problems with LEGO games in this day and era are numerous. At the core, the games are little more than what I call "repetitive task syndrome", i.e., you repeat the same action over and over again with little to no motivation aside from trying to get to the end of the level or collect collectibles. It's a big problem in gaming, since we should be offering players an awesome experience that makes them feel fantastic and clever, but simply bashing up objects unfortunately doesn't really work. As I'm sure you're aware, LEGO's real meaning is to "Play Well", and I believe that The LEGO Group needs to seriously focus on the message presented by it's games. The LEGO Movie Videogame was a massive failure because the gameplay completely went against the messages presented in the movie (I can link you to a discussion I made about this if you wish). This is a big problem with TT Games and the recent MMO; they don't represent LEGO in a positive light, and come off more as just simply "toys" than the highly complex, yet simplified construction elements that have inspired generations of children to be creative. I honestly think that a LEGO game could score extremely high review marks if it was given the respect it deserves. What you guys need to focus on is building a game that respects and utilizes the message and value of LEGO. We understand that having LEGO elements is a very costly operation on the computer side. It's okay to take shortcuts there (simple 2D polys, locked cameras etc), but only if the gameplay can stand up. The third problem is that these games make the assumption that the player is an garish rapscallion. They constantly barf out advice and take away any of the challenge that is natural to the LEGO environment. Kids are not idiots. They are highly intelligent and creative puzzle solvers. You can see this demonstrated with your own product. That said, why does the game assume that they can barely hold the controller? I honestly think a good LEGO game needs to bring some level of challenge that's higher than "kill X guys" and "stand here and press button". I think a LEGO game which encapsulates the values of LEGO, to be creative and to keep trying, is ultimately what will bring the most success to you as a brand and as a message. If you look at the original Legend of Zelda, Spelunky, Braid, Fez and many other bold titles which kids regularly play, get challenged by and have fun, I think you will notice certain elements that current LEGO games lack which can only serve to improve the final product. The key is not to make your games as an accessory toy, but to make them complimentary to the LEGO sets, and make kids want to take what they learned in the game into their real LEGO bricks. This doesn't mean making LDD: The Video Game, but to find gameplay which will have a similar effect. Last Point: While IPs are fun to see as LEGO bricks, there comes a point where they appear to be formulaic and boring. I think LEGO needs to stick to its roots, stay with their original IPs such as Ninjago or Agents and to keep making games which are vastly different. As has been said, the classic LEGO games (Island etc) stand out because they had a lot of variety. The first LEGO Star Wars was okay, but it got repetitive quickly, despite the "additions" make to gameplay. I know I haven't really given an example of a specific game I'd like, but I think that's important. TLG should discuss and come to their own conclusion, based on the points we as a community bring forward to you guys. Not a specific theme, but things we think a game should and shouldn't have. I appreciate you reading through this, McJobless

Literally anything but what they're currently doing. I am so tired of the same engine and stale gameplay being used every time. I'd also say, make the gameplay faster. One of the things I loved about Lego Star Wars (2005) was the fact that I could speedrun the levels really quickly. Now it's a mind-numbing tedious ordeal of mandatory minigames that add nothing but frustration. Tell them to look at lego games from 1997-2004. Look at the variety and the fun. That's what I want to see more of.