Topic: LEGO The Hobbit Preview

[Steel Diver]

The journey was unexpected, this game wasn’t.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/preview/36984/lego-the-hobbit-preview

Following the success of many LEGO games, including LEGO The Lord of the Rings, comes LEGO The Hobbit. The game tells the story of the first two Hobbit movies, An Unexpected Journey and The Desolation of Smaug, which are both based on the J.R.R. Tolkien book The Hobbit. LEGO The Hobbit allows players to take a journey through Tolkien’s fantasy world, albeit a slightly more blocky version of it.

Many staples of the LEGO video game franchise still exist within The Hobbit. Numerous collectibles and characters to play as are definitely expected in this “unexpected journey,” however there are some new features to freshen up the formula. Many of the playable characters this time around are the various dwarves who join the hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, in his quest to retrieve a special treasure protected by the dragon Smaug. Along with the dwarves comes a new element of gameplay, that allows players to team up with the dwarves in combo moves. This “buddy up” system lets you to control multiple dwarves in tandem for unique attacks. These are especially handy, and necessary, for boss fights.Those who have played The LEGO Movie: The Video Game, will recognize the building sequences from that game incorporated into The Hobbit. Players are tasked with completing builds by picking the correct pieces, similar to how one builds a LEGO set in real life. These events allow you to collect large amounts of studs, which can then be used to buy more unlockables.

Fans of previous LEGO titles, going all the way back to the original LEGO Star Wars, will be happy to know this, like almost every other console LEGO game, features local co-op play. That means you never have to journey alone while exploring the world of Middle Earth. If you haven’t played a LEGO game recently, you may not be aware that they now feature voice-acting. No longer are the mini-figure characters bound to yelps and groans, instead they have fully-voiced dialog. This, coupled with many locations from the movies, should make for an immersive version of the story of The Hobbit, filled to the brim with typical LEGO humor.

LEGO The Hobbit arrives on April 8 in the US and 11 in Europe. It will be available on both the Wii U and 3DS, although the 3DS version will most likely differ significantly from the home console version, like past LEGO handheld games.