Genre: Action
Developer: TT Fusion
Publisher: Nintendo

Lego City Undercover is just the most recent title to venture into the "surreal meets the real" realm, and like other titles that have attempted this approach-- Guardian War, LittleBigPlanet, and 3d Dot Game Heroes among them-- the payoff is tangible from the moment you start playing to the end. Although a lack of resolution is evident in spots, the game is full of stylistic contrast and sublime texture resolution.

Unlike nearly every contemporary triple-A game there is a distinct lack of the cliched, Hollywood-style "chanting women"-- at least until the very end of the game-- and into this welcome void comes some bombastic orchestral work somewhat reminiscent of Jun Senuoe's work in Sonic Adventure. Voice acting is stellar, and the game features a plethora of pleasing sound effects and ambient sounds as well.

Lego City Undercover is essentially two games in one: in the first game the player wanders and immense city, using various unlocked abilities to acquire an amazing plethora of collectibles. The second game involves playing various fixed-camera missions, reminiscent of the gameplay from the other Lego titles. The city design is the best designed open-world setting since Morrowind. The mission stages are well-paced and very polished, but aren't integrated at all with the ludonarrative potential of the city itself.

If the game's soundtrack is reminiscent of Sonic Adventure, then the gameplay is perhaps even moreso. Prior to this title's release, pundits were making Grand Theft Auto comparisons. But the action actually unfolds more like the aforementioned Yuji Naka release, except that the stages aren't as fun as those in Sonic Adventure, while the city setting between missions is much moreso. In general, Lego City Undercover is something of a gem; its release only a week away from Bioshock Infinite's will probably mean it gets largely overlooked though.