LEGO Battles (Nintendo DS) - Review by Andrew

Introduction

Lego aren't the only traditional toy manufacturer desperately trying to get a slice of the lucrative electronic entertainment market and the last few years have seen several board games appear on various platforms, including the DS. The fact that they already have licensing agreements with some of the major studios have given them a convenient way to release higher profile titles and we've already seen games based on Star Wars, Indiana Jones and we'll even see Harry Potter get the Lego treatment soon. This game attempts to take on a genre rather than a franchise though so, what's it all about?

Gameplay

If you've ever played, or even encountered, an RTS before then you'll see that all the classic elements are here: the ability to move large units of soldiers, construct buildings and, most importantly, defend your resources and attack enemies. This framework has always been the basis of RTSs and while LEGO Battles is not nearly as involved as your latest strategy title, there are still enough chores to keep you occupied. There are a number of different ways you can attack the action but we'll concentrate on the Story Mode, which is probably best, as the other sections of the game remain locked until you work through this anyway. Your first chore here is to decide what to play as and, as with classic LEGO sets, you can opt for anything from Pirates to Spacemen although initially you only have a kind of medieval theme with a collection of Knights and Kings eager to follow your every order.

Each mission begins with a short briefing and objectives although these can be added to once you complete the first challenge. These generally involve locating an object or attacking enemy castles but it's also important to build a community to support your troops. This is simply a case of selecting the different colored LEGO bricks on the touch screen allowing you to build castles, barracks, barricades and mines (which will replenish your brick count). The levels themselves are a fine balancing act where it's essential you keep your eye on just about everything at once, as the enemy tend to creep up on you and losing your king means starting all over again.

As we've already mentioned, playing though the various missions opens up other areas of the game, one of which is the Free Play which allows you to play against custom made armies. This is a huge amount of fun and allows for a quick game should you lack the time to indulge in the more involved Story Mode. There's also an enjoyable Multiplayer, which utilizes all the various elements from the game and the fun really doesn't end there. There's a LEGO shop where you can 'buy' concept art, cut screens, and other goodies with your collected wealth and even a Conquests section which allows you to record your achievements such as Building 100 Towers or Completing all Alien Stories.

Controls

As with most games of this nature the d-pad is used to move around the play area but all the important interactions are made using the stylus. It's reasonably complicated initially but fortunately there is a tutorial available during the first level that, although a little wordy, is essential reading.

Graphics

Like your first Lego kit, the visuals here are basic but that's essential here as the layout is more about clarity that groundbreaking visuals. Fortunately the FMV cut-screen more than make up for this and feature the now famous Lego humor, the only brand of video games to actually make us laugh out loud.

Sound

The game's soundtrack is suitably epic with incidental music accompanying the actual levels. There are also some great sound effects and, for a change, they actually improve the overall enjoyment of the game.

Dual screen

All your orders and interactions are performed using the stylus and there's more than enough on-line help to aid you in your quests. Unfortunately, there are some problems here so the occasionally your intentions will not be mirrored by your troops leading to some minor frustrations. It's also pretty easy to lose members of your team, as they'll get lodged behind rocks and wall so it's essential to keep an eye on them.

Final comments

With over 70 levels there's enough gameplay here to keep even the most determined strategy fan occupied for some time and the fact that the developers have dropped the film tie-in (for a while anyway) and taken a fresh approach is a brave move which, for the most part, has paid off. Even once you have completed the main game there's still an enjoyable and immersive Multiplayer section, which really is what this type of game is made for. There is a downside because some of the controls can be a little quirky meaning that your troops won't always do what you have ordered them to but you will learn to deal with this as the game progresses. Overall, this is a great little RTS game and if this is a genre that you've previously ignored then this may be the time to give it a go

Pro: Great Cut Screens, Epic Soundtrack. Unlockables.
Con: Does Become a Little Repetitive.
Final score: 7.1

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