100% this game is one of the biggest masochists acts I've ever done in all my years playing videogames, the game is literally equipping a disguise and pressing B close to things, that's it, FIFTY TWO HOURS of that.

Everything else outside gameplay was kinda nice, I enjoyed the intro cutscene, some of the dialogs, sound, the atmosphere and graphics; gameplaywise, car handling and the jetpack, which the level designers forgot it existed so it was entertained to think of ways to skip entire sections to get collectables faster, also the color gun is a colorblind trap and even more of pain in the ass, get the cheatcode or the redbrick asap, it's on Uptown, Lego shop, you need the firefighter.

If you ignore the following:

-Lego Copaganda (obviously)
-Lego Workplace Harassment
-Lego Misogyny
-Lego Transphobia
-Lego Cultural Appropriation/Racist Stereotyping
-Often unfunny/predictable/lampshaded jokes
-Slow Restrictive Clunky Camera
-Frequent game crashes

this can actually be a surprisingly fun open-world collect-a-ton (once you reach post-game).

I am glad that I'm not the only one that substituted this as GTA at a time that I was not allowed to play the game, as the game is honestly a great sandbox game. I don't really remember anything about the story but the city and exploration is what makes this game so incredibly fun and why I played it so much. The area you can explore is honestly pretty huge and you have a lot of free reign to do and go wherever. There is also a lot of detail in the world, so its not lacking substance either in the areas that you can explore, and there are tons of sidequests and even a lot of one-off areas, and just overall a ton to do in the game if you really want to.

Not hugely into the LEGO games other than LEGO Jurassic World, but this was a pleasant surprise. It's a GTA-clone bringing to mind family-orientated predecessor Simpsons Hit & Run, but unlike that game (and even many other LEGO games), this has its own original story. Lots of the story beats riff off other action-adventure and/or crime films and it's written very well. Genuinely humourous too. I can't recall when I've laughed out loud this much playing a game.

It's standard LEGO game gameplay of using different character types to puzzle and combat your way through the story. It's fairly rewarding but simplistic. The driving is decent if not a little sluggish. Probably let down the most really by its very lacklustre soundtrack. Very boring and repetitive, and I think the inclusion of a radio, with instrumental tracks, could have been a really great addition.

LEGO games have always had a charm with large franchises like Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Harry Potter. While they were all easy, they were just plain fun for all ages and had humor for the grown-ups as well. Undercover is about as close as a kid-friendly Grand Theft Auto as you will get. Being the spiritual successor to LEGO Island from way back in the day, LEGO City actually has a very memorable cast of characters and a fun story. The city is full of life and there’s a lot to do here.

You play as Chase McCain, a LEGO City cop who has to bring Rex Fury back to jail, but it’s a bit more complicated than that. Chase goes undercover and works for various mob bosses to bring himself one step closer. In the meantime, his shaky love for Natalia Kowalski drives him further as he needs to find her father. My favorite character is Frank Honey. He’s the stupid comic relief for Chase and the dialog is just downright witty. The very first cutscene had me busting up laughing. Despite the child-friendly LEGO sheen, the game has humor towards adults. I honestly really enjoyed the lengthy story, but the gameplay satisfies as well.

The game consists of having several different disguises. From a cop to a fireman, astronaut, robber, miner, construction worker, and various others. Each of these has abilities you need to play through the story and find secret hidden Super Blocks, costumes, and vehicles. You will see an icon on the ground for the tool you need. A fireman can chop down boarded up doors, the robber can pry open doors, use his stethoscope to crack safes, and has a color changing gun. The cop has a grappling hook, the miner can use dynamite and break open boulders. Every disguise has a purpose and by the end of the game, you will be swapping them constantly to advance through the levels.

Now, the game is very easy and simple, but it’s still fun. Combat consists of just pressing Y and countering with X. You can throw enemies, but you need to cuff them with A once they are down. You can’t really die in the game, once you lose all four hearts you just respawn in the same spot with no penalties like all LEGO games. Combat just gets tedious because of how easy it is, but it’s broken up with lots of platforming. Advancing your way requires you to use your abilities, but there aren’t any hard puzzles in the game at all. You just open this safe, take this key here, pry open this door, gather required amount of superblocks, build this super build, and various other platforming shenanigans. Nothing really complicated, but it’s all just plain fun and relaxing.

When you’re not on missions you can drive around in dozens of vehicles, jack them from people a la Grand Theft Auto, drive around finding hidden items with your disguises, and that’s about it, but there are dozens of hours of gameplay…if you’re a completionist. Because the Wii U doesn’t have an achievement system you may blow through the main story and never look back. There are 450 Gold Bricks which are gained by doing various tasks around LEGO City, some people may not have that kind of patience.

What about the Wii U gamepad? There are some interesting ideas put into it like using it to scan the city for hidden bricks by holding it up to the TV, you can take screenshots, and use it as an audio scanner during the story. Your contacts will call you on your gamepad and they will appear and speak through it which is neat, but not necessary for gameplay. There’s no gamepad only play which will disappoint some.

This game is obviously geared toward kids, but adults who love platformers or even sandbox games will have a blast. The story has many references for adults like a Morgan Freeman sound-alike during the prison stage just like Shawshank Redemption. Towards the end of the game, a site foreman sounds like Arnold Schwarzenegger and uses his movie titles as puns. Kids wouldn’t get this, but parents would and it’s just hilarious. There are other funny story elements like the Italian mafia deals in ice cream instead of drugs, and a Starsky and Hutch type duo show up halfway through. It’s all very funny and has some characters that have more depth than violent AAA games for adults.

In the end, Undercover is just a fun relaxing game that doesn’t take itself seriously. It has solid mechanics, dozens of hours of gameplay, great graphics, and a lively city to play around in. The characters are memorable, and while there’s not much of a challenge, it’s just fun and full of solid gameplay.

This game saved my life.

I am 27.

My ex-wife and I have a daughter together, and adopted our son together. They are now both 4 years old.

When we were going through our separation, I found myself lost and miserable. I was self destructive. I got so mad one day from everything spiraling out of my control that I punched some concrete in a moment of overwhelming emotion. That caused me to break my 5th metacarpal in my right hand... my working hand... my games hand.. the hand that I held and carried my children to bed with.. The hand I desperately needed to make sure I could continue to provide.

After learning of the severity of my self-inflicted damage, I was borderline suicidal. Keep in mind that just a few months before this, I was the happiest man with no history of depression or anxiety. I have never had fits of rage, or been one to break down and cry, but I was in a low spot that just really buried me from being able to see the light on the other side.

Having nothing better to do, I searched for a game I could play, ONE HANDED while I recovered. I somehow stumbled upon this game and read some of the reviews. I decided that it had to be worth a shot... I must admit, I didn't beat the game, or play nearly as long as some of you. In fact, I may have only played this game a day or two.. With that being said, after doing so, I had a new found joy and hope for life. I was able to put behind me the pain and suffering that had been cast over me. I was able to experience other peoples joy and happiness. I was able to see the fruits of my "labor". I relaxed for 5 ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ minutes to this music long enough to realize that I was going to be okay.

After coming to that realization, I turned the game off, and I went back to work. It hurt my hand like hell but I was motivated. I stopped feeling so damn sorry for myself, and I became the father I needed to be in that moment, not the weak boy I was behaving as.

Today, I am close friend with my kids mother. We don't fight, or argue, or say hurtful things to each other. We are parents, and friends.

I now have 3 kids. My third child is, wait for it, ALSO 4 YEARS OLD. The woman I am with was going through a very similar situation at the time of my own separation, and we just stumbled in to each others life unexpectedly. We have been in a relationship for a year now, and are very happy together.

Moral of the story, you never know what life holds in store for you, and if I would have given up when all the odds were stacked against me, I wouldn't be where I am today. This silly little game helped me realize that.