Xboxist

Is Lego Universe Worth the Price of Admission?

Lego Universe is a massively multiplayer online game developed by NetDevil and using the LEGO license. Unlike the familiar Lego console games, this PC-based MMO allows players to free build structures on their own properties, and fight in quest-like missions in a sprawling game world. It has been compared to World of Warcraft, for kids, with LEGO blocks. And while we wait for indie game Minecraft to catch up to the ambitious vision of its creator, this might be the only place on PC where we can explore a multiplayer world with some degree of control over the shape of things that happen there.

Perhaps because it has been designed specifically for children, LEGO universe has been broadly ignored by the mainstream gaming press. Despite launching back in October, the title has only accumulated two Metacritic reviews, both of which were positive but not effusively so.

For a game directed mainly at kids, we are surprised that the publisher went with a subscription-based model. One of the major drawbacks to the game is that it costs $10 per month, or $90 a year for an online subscription, in addition to the initial cost of the game itself. It definitely seems like NetDevil is reaching a bit here, especially in a period of economic recession, where families are looking to cutback wherever possible. I might, for example, try to get my kids into Minecraft, which costs around $20, before I invested a lot more money into a game they might not even be that interested in.

Still, NetDevil and Lego hope they are on to something with long-term potential with Universe. Their strategy echoes the optimism of Electronic Arts CFO Erik Brown, who stated publicly last week that the company expects Star Wars: The Old Republic to have a ten year lifespan as a subscription MMO.

There might not be enough to do in Lego Universe to justify the high price of admission. The basic gameplay of LEGO Universe is similar to that of Lego Star Wars: The Video Game and Lego Indiana Jones. Its character creator allows even more character customization than those available in previous LEGO games. You can select a unique style for your minifigure, as well as a temporary and a custom name. New parts for customizing can be unlocked, bought, and earned as you progress throughout the game. Weapons, which can be bought from NPCs, dropped after defeating enemies, and earned from quests, determine your attack strength, attack speed, special abilities, imagination levels, shield levels, etc.

While playing, there are three major statistic bars: health, imagination, and shields. The health bar shows the player's current health. If a player loses all of their health, they become broken (or "Smashed") and must be rebuilt. There are three building modes found in-game: Quick Building, where you automatically construct a predetermined model by interacting with it; Modular Building, where you choose from a selection of modular collections of bricks to arrange into full models, such as rockets or cars; and Custom Building (or "Free Building"), where you have complete creative control of placing bricks.