I've been a long-time buyer and player of the Lego games- in some cases, just for myself, and in other cases, purchasing for the day when I would have my own "mini-me" to play with.
Once my son did come along, we've tried various games in the series with varying degrees of success.
That changed a couple weeks ago when I grabbed Lego City Undercover. We've been absolutely addicted to this open world Lego game that's offered us around 30 hours of gameplay and only an overall 40% completion so far.
Unlike some of their other games, there's tons to do outside of missions, and rather than relying on licensed superheroes, you swap between various "undercover costumes" to gain the abilities you need to accomplish tasks or discover secrets.
With no license to adhere to, LCU really opens up, and instead of being a worry for gamers, should be embraced. The humor is perhaps the best its been and the freedom a joy.
LCU is, like many of their games, ideal for family play. As standard, there's split screen play, and a real joy has been listening to my 5 year old audibly work out the next steps needed as he works his way through a story mission or puzzle. 90% of the puzzles and challenges have been done perfectly for young gamers, but those 10% that fall outside that zone also vary between "a challenge for youngsters," and "what were they thinking when they designed this in a game geared for kids".
Atop that, there are occasional camera issues that can make LCU frustrating for young ones without much gaming experience, and even for those that have been gaming for a long time.
But overall, these issues are minimal, and if a parent is playing with their child, that maybe 10% of issues can be worked out easily.
This is a wonderful game, one that promotes family play by dishing out fun for gamers new and experienced alike, as well as taking the time to introduce new concepts slowly and gently, teaching some critical thinking skills to the youngsters.
An excellent purchase.