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Lego City Undercover: The Chase Begins

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Lego City Undercover:
The Chase Begins
Developer(s)TT Fusion
Publisher(s)Nintendo
Director(s)Nick Elms
Producer(s)Azusa Tajima
Masakazu Miyazaki
Rob Shepherd
Designer(s)Mike Bareham
Nolan Worthington
Programmer(s)Patrick Senior
Writer(s)Graham Goring
Mike Bareham
Composer(s)Simon Withenshaw
Suddi Raval
Paul Weir
Platform(s)Nintendo 3DS
Release
  • NA:April 21, 2013
  • EU:April 26, 2013
  • AU:April 27, 2013
Genre(s)Action-adventure
Mode(s)Single-player

Lego City Undercover: The Chase Beginsis anaction-adventurevideo gamedeveloped byTT Fusionand published byNintendofor theNintendo 3DS.It was released in April 2013.[1]The game is based on theLego Citybrand.It serves as a prequel toLego City Undercover.

Gameplay

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Lego City Undercover: The Chase Beginsis anopen-worldaction-adventuregame in which the player fights crime inLego Cityas police officer Chase McCain.[1][2]The player targets gangs by chasing after criminals, buildingLEGOobjects by breaking apart and repurposing other objects, and finding collectible items like outfits. The world is generally split into various sections which are locked off until the player defeats the boss of a gang in a certain section.[3]With each section, a new gang is introduced, and the player unlocks a new outfit which helps navigate the environment.[3][4]The missions usually involve fighting characters,platformingsections, andfetch quests.The player can drive vehicles across the map, and helicopters are used tofast travelbetween different locations.[5][6]

Plot

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Two years before the events ofLego City Undercover,Chase McCain, a rookie cop working for the Lego City Police Department, is tasked with arresting the city's most wanted man, Rex Fury. To find Rex, Chase must explore the city.

As far as story connections go, it was Chase who accidentally revealed that Natalia Kowalski, his girlfriend who previously worked as a news reporter turned out to be the secret witness in the Rex trial, which forced her to go under witness protection. As a result, Chase was eventually exiled from Lego City, but not before he attempted to fix his mistakes by pursuing Rex and the criminals that work for him. It also outlines how Chase managed to arrest Rex Fury. Furthermore, the game reveals that Mayor Gleeson, a character also featured in Lego City Undercover, was formerly the chief of police, and how Chief Dunby was just a deputy officer.

Development

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The game was announced during Nintendo's press conference atE3 2011on June 7, 2011, with the tentative nameLego City Stories.On January 17, 2013, the game was revealed to beLego City Undercover: The Chase Begins,and that it would be a prequel to the Wii U game.[citation needed]

Reception

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The game received "mixed" reviews according to thereview aggregationwebsiteMetacritic.[7]IGNcalled it a "decent" game that is marred by "a lot of fog, a lot of loading, no voice acting and a jarring framerate".[14]In Japan, where the game was ported for release on 5 March 2015,Famitsugave it a score of 32 out of 40.[10]

Chris Scullion ofOfficial Nintendo Magazinecommented on the amount of cutbacks from the Wii U sequel (Undercover), stating that "The Chase Beginshas far less funnier bones than Undercover. The silly jokes, clever spoofs and brilliant dialogue between the characters have been replaced with a handful of average cutscenes and loads of text-heavy dialogue which, while functional, are rarely amusing and never hilarious. Loading times were frustrating enough inLEGO City: Undercoverbut are even more infuriating here considering the game's running off a cartridge and is designed for handheld play. It's lacking visually, too. Thick fog (to hide having to render distant buildings) smothers the city and roads and pavements are far less crowded, making it feel like you're wandering around a post-apocalyptic LEGO City. The characters' faces don't move, making in-game cutscenes feel awkward and the frame rate is clunky if you're playing in 3D. It's technically impressive(ish), but not as fun or funny as the Wii U game. "[17]

Chris Vandergaag ofToronto Sungave the game three-and-a-half stars out of five, saying that it "might have too many imperfections to be the standout masterwork its console big brother was, and given the choice, you should play that one rather than this one. But it's still worth picking up and playing, especially if you love Lego, have younger children who need something to keep them busy in the car, or generally lean towards cute rather than blood-soaked."[21]Peter Nowak ofThe Globe and Mailgave it a similar score of seven out of ten, saying, "The repetition turns tedious when the goon fights take place almost every step of the way. These fights are not challenging in the least – even to kids – with McCain merely tossing the bad guys around for a while before cuffing them. I won some of the fights without even looking at the screen."[22]Liam Martin ofDigital Spygave it 3 out of 5 stars, commenting on the game's lack of appeal but praising the game's visuals and stating that, "Unfortunately, whereLEGO City Undercoverreferenced movies and used voice acting to great effect, hardware limitations have forced TT Fusion to keep spoken cutscenes to a minimum, something which ultimately detracts from the hilarity. Despite its flaws,LEGO City Undercover: The Chase Beginsis a charming release, packed with diverse missions, mostly impressive visuals and a great cast of characters. "[19]Chad Sapieha ofNational Postgave it a score of 5.5 out of 10, saying, "If you imagined the Wii U's excellentLego City Undercoverand the Nintendo 3DS'sLego City Undercover: The Chase Beginsas actor siblings, the former would beAlec Baldwinto the latter'sDaniel...NotStephen,and not evenWilliam...Daniel. "[23]However, Mike LeChevallier ofSlant Magazinegave it two stars out of five, saying, "With a full-bodied hike in attention to detail,The Chase Beginscould have been a satisfying alternative for Lego fans who haven't yet obtained a Wii U, or simply gamers who've been bellowing for a well-made 3DS addition to the franchise. Disappointingly, what they've been allotted is a tattered set of hand-me-down Lego blocks, mismatched and marked with the fingerpaint smudges of those who've grown up and moved on toMinecraft."[24]David Jenkins ofMetrogave it a score of three out of ten, saying, "The Wii U game was just a few flaws short of a minor classic, but this joyless companion piece is only a couple more problems shy of a complete disaster."[20]

On 12 September 2013, Nintendo announced that the game has sold 264,000 units in North America.[25]As of December 31, 2020, worldwide sales reached 2.04 million copies,[26]making it the34th best-selling game for the Nintendo 3DS.

References

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  1. ^abEast, Thomas (March 19, 2013)."LEGO City Undercover 3DS release date confirmed".Official Nintendo Magazine.Future plc.Archived fromthe originalon October 24, 2014.RetrievedMarch 20,2013.
  2. ^Kain, Erik."'LEGO City Undercover: The Chase Begins' Review (3DS) ".Forbes.RetrievedMay 9,2024.
  3. ^abGeorge, Richard (April 24, 2013)."LEGO City Undercover: The Chase Begins Review".IGN.RetrievedMay 9,2024.
  4. ^"Review: LEGO City Undercover: The Chase Begins".Destructoid.RetrievedMay 9,2024.
  5. ^Jenkins, David (April 25, 2013)."Lego City Undercover: The Chase Begins review – bricking it".Metro.RetrievedMay 9,2024.
  6. ^Miguel Concepcion (April 21, 2013)."Lego City Undercover: The Chase Begins review".gamesradar.RetrievedMay 9,2024.
  7. ^ab"LEGO City Undercover: The Chase Begins for 3DS Reviews".Metacritic.Red Ventures.Archivedfrom the original on March 18, 2022.RetrievedMarch 18,2022.
  8. ^Carter, Chris (April 23, 2013)."Review: LEGO City Undercover: The Chase Begins".Destructoid.Enthusiast Gaming.Archivedfrom the original on March 18, 2022.RetrievedMarch 18,2022.
  9. ^Whitehead, Dan (April 19, 2013)."Lego City Undercover: The Chase Begins review".Eurogamer.Gamer Network.Archivedfrom the original on September 17, 2014.RetrievedMarch 18,2022.
  10. ^ab"レゴシティ アンダーカバー チェイス ビギンズ".Famitsu(in Japanese).Enterbrain.Archivedfrom the original on March 18, 2022.RetrievedMarch 18,2022.
  11. ^Cork, Jeff (April 21, 2013)."Lego City Undercover [The Chase Begins] Review".Game Informer.GameStop.Archived fromthe originalon March 18, 2022.RetrievedMarch 18,2022.
  12. ^Schaller, Kevin (April 20, 2013)."LEGO City Undercover: The Chase Begins Review".GameRevolution.CraveOnline.Archivedfrom the original on August 26, 2022.RetrievedMarch 19,2022.
  13. ^Workman, Robert (May 4, 2013)."Review: Lego City Undercover Serves Up Adequate Justice On the Nintendo 3DS".GameZone.Archivedfrom the original on May 7, 2013.RetrievedMarch 19,2022.
  14. ^abGeorge, Richard (April 24, 2013)."LEGO City Undercover: The Chase Begins Review".IGN.Ziff Davis.Archivedfrom the original on March 18, 2022.RetrievedApril 24,2013.
  15. ^Mason, Mike (April 18, 2013)."LEGO City Undercover: The Chase Begins Review".Nintendo Life.Gamer Network.Archivedfrom the original on March 18, 2022.RetrievedApril 24,2013.
  16. ^Bonds, Curtis (April 20, 2013)."LEGO City Undercover: The Chase Begins".Nintendo World Report.NINWR, LLC.Archivedfrom the original on March 19, 2022.RetrievedMarch 19,2022.
  17. ^abScullion, Chris (April 29, 2013)."LEGO City Undercover: The Chase Begins review".Official Nintendo Magazine.Future plc. Archived fromthe originalon June 6, 2013.RetrievedMarch 18,2022.
  18. ^Rose, Mike (April 22, 2013)."Lego City Undercover: The Chase Begins".Pocket Gamer.Steel Media Ltd.Archivedfrom the original on January 25, 2022.RetrievedMarch 18,2022.
  19. ^abMartin, Liam (May 5, 2013)."LEGO City Undercover: The Chase Begins review: An inferior 3DS edition".Digital Spy.Hearst Communications.Archivedfrom the original on March 18, 2022.RetrievedMarch 18,2022.
  20. ^abJenkins, David (April 25, 2013)."Lego City Undercover: The Chase Begins review – bricking it".Metro.DMG Media.Archivedfrom the original on March 18, 2022.RetrievedMarch 18,2022.
  21. ^Vandergaag, Chris (May 1, 2013)."'Lego City Undercover: The Chase Begins' packs sizable fun into small package ".Toronto Sun.Postmedia Network.Archivedfrom the original on June 27, 2013.RetrievedMarch 18,2022.
  22. ^Nowak, Peter (April 22, 2013)."Lego City Undercover laugh lines missing in action on 3DS".The Globe and Mail.The Woodbridge Company.Archivedfrom the original on May 1, 2013.RetrievedMarch 18,2022.
  23. ^Sapieha, Chad (April 23, 2013)."Why does Lego City Undercover for 3DS remind us of Daniel Baldwin?".National Post.Postmedia Network.Archivedfrom the original on January 20, 2022.RetrievedMarch 18,2022.
  24. ^LeChavallier, Mike (April 29, 2013)."Review: Lego City Undercover: The Chase Begins".Slant Magazine.Slant Magazine LLC.Archivedfrom the original on March 18, 2022.RetrievedMarch 18,2022.
  25. ^Makuch, Eddie (September 12, 2013)."Pikmin 3 US sales reach 115,000 units".GameSpot.Red Ventures.Archivedfrom the original on August 24, 2019.RetrievedMarch 18,2022.
  26. ^2021CESAゲーム bạch thư (2021 CESA Games White Papers).Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association.2021.ISBN978-4-902346-43-5.
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