This is what I did for an hour and a half instead of working on my JavaScript final.

I regret nothing.

Let me start by saying that, despite the numerous flaws, I enjoy the Tt games.

 

Now, let me continue by saying I'm getting sick of them. It's really beginning to feel like shovelware at this point. Anyway, let's get to it.

 

*cracks knuckles*

 

To make things easier, I'm gonna organize by genre.

 

 

RTS

 

I've long said that Rock Raiders is my favorite LEGO video game so let's start with real-time strategy. RR is by no means perfect. Quite frankly, I feel there is a lot of wasted potential with this title. What I feel set Rock Riaders apart as a RTS was the focus on base-building more than combat (like most of your RTS titles). With fighting RTS's, you're racing against the clock to try and beat the enemy to your high-tier units and such. RR was nice because it was a bit more laid-back which also made it accessible to a younger audience. In a console-dominated market, RTS isn't as strong of a choice to be sure (though the argument could be made that such a laid-back RTS could potentially work okay with a controller). At the same time however, there's no denying that there's still an audience for it. Rock Raiders United and all the mods for RR are proof of that.

 

An RTS that capitalizes more on resources gathering a base-building would immediately grab my attention. Fitting themes for such could include another "mining" one like RR or Power Miners, an outer space one like Life on Mars/Mars Mission, arctic, medieval, or dinosaurs.

 

 

Point-and-Click

 

Though many probably never think of it much as such, both MNOLG titles were point-and-click adventure games as well as revered classics. P&C's are also more popular now thanks to heavy-hitting titles like TellTale's The Walking Dead, The Wolf Among Us, and even older titles like Tales of Monkey Island. A good P&C that takes TellTale's lead and puts enough love into the story instead of just being a tedious string of use-the-thing-with-the-thing puzzles could do well I imagine. It could also do well for most any LEGO theme I imagine. Still, Johnny Thunder/Adventures comes to mind as does Hero Factory.

 

 

Racing

 

I've never been that big of a racing game fan, but I've still managed to accumulate a fair share. LEGO Racers was amazing with LEGO Racers 2 being less-so I feel. LR2 felt to me like little more than a reskin of just about any other kart racer out there. The only thing "LEGO" about it that I can remember was building the vehicle(s). The power-ups weren't that exciting, the open world exploration was boring to me, and the "campaign" was uninteresting. The first game seemed tighter and more focused. It also did something unique that I've yet to see in any other kart racer: building the power-ups. It is probably the single thing I missed most while playing LR2. Instead of just getting a random power-up you could actually choose from several color-coded classes (offense, shield, speed, and hazard) to fit your strategy. You could then either use it right away or hold off and collect white bricks to make it more powerful and change the effect; this was a nice bit of risk/reward.

 

My suggestions for a new racer would be to bring back the non-random buildable power-ups. What I'd really like to see is for this to be taken one step further. Instead of just picking a color and then making it more powerful, make it so we can mix-and-match different power-up classes for new power-ups/effects. Offense/shield could give you a drone that hovers around you and blasts racers who get too close. Hazard/speed could leave a trap that makes a racer zoom forward but with their steering locked (potentially sending them off an edge, onto a longer path, or into some other environmental hazard). Also keeping with the LEGO theme, a custom track builder with online sharing support would be a major plus. I must also mention Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed (the best kart racer available IMO) because of the difficulty levels. The game is very accessible to younger players on easier difficulties, but at higher difficulties it becomes extremely skill-based and you have to rely on well-timed boosts from power-slides and stunts making it great for older players who are looking for depth. Finally, not only does a kart racer work with any theme, it benefits by including multiple themes. Seeing Duncan Bulk zooming right alongside Darth Vader, Johnny Thunder, Mazeka, and the Ninjago ninjas would be a dream come true for me. And let's not forget, I'm not a big fan of racing games.

 

 

Role-Playing Game

 

I haven't a whole lot to say about RPGs in this regard, despite being my favorite game genre. What really makes an RPG good is having enough depth and complexity which typically include a lot of numbers and dialogue, something I feel wouldn't mesh well with with the younger target demographic LEGO would want to make their games available for. Obviously, if LEGO were to make an RPG, it would need to be using a theme that has a significant world behind it like Bioncle.

 

On a side note however, turn-based JRPGs like Final Fantasy and Pokemon are a different matter entirely. Cthulhu Saves the World is still to this day one of my favorite games. I could easily see Hero Factory, Legends of Chima, or Ninjago lending themselves to this specific genre.

 

 

MMOs

 

I don't play MMOs because every single one I've ever tried I've never liked (except maybe POTCO, but I was just dinging around anyway). I feel like there's a great MMO out there just waiting for me, but I don't feel like it'll ever be a LEGO one for demographic reasons (unless a convincing Bionicle one was made).

 

 

MOBAs

 

No.

 

 

Minecraft Clone

 

Also no.

 

 

Side-Scrolling Platformers

 

I look at games like Terraria and Starbound and I can't help but feel that these would make great for a LEGO-themed game. At the end of the day though, you've still just got a Terraria/Starbound clone. There are other side-scrollers though and it's not the most complex or restraining genre to figure out. I don't feel like I need to say anything much about the matter.

 

 

Puzzle

 

It seems to me that if you're making a puzzle game in today's world and you're not designing it primarily for browsers and iDevices (and it isn't first-person like Portal, Antichamber, or Quantum Conundrum), you're wasting your time.

 

 

Turn-Based Strategy

 

I feel like a good turn-based strategy game with enough depth for me to enjoy it faces the demographic problem again. All I've got to say is this: XCOM: Enemy Within is phenomenal.

 

 

First/Third Person Shooters

 

I found Bionicle Heroes to be way too repetitive, so much so that I never finished it. This could be another case of the demographic clash, especially since many younger players probably can't grasp those kinds of controls that well (which would explain Heroes' generous auto-aim). A shame, really. I could sure go for some Half-Life Bonkles.

 

 

Adventure

 

I've saved the most ambiguous and pigeon-hole-able genre for last. For me though, the best examples of good adventure games include titles like Rayman 2/3, Legend of Zelda/Darksiders, Beyond Good and Evil, and the console version of Spider-Man 2. Particularly Darksiders and Spider-Man for their move combos/spectacle fighter-esque combat. Again, Chima, Ninjago, Hero Factory, Bionicle would all lend themselves.

 

That's all I got for now. More later maybe.

 

Takuma Nuva

Source: What LEGO Videogames would you like to see?