The combination of physical toys and media has been happening for a very long time, from action figures and cartoons in the '80s to toys and video games now, there has been synergy between the two. So it makes sense that one of the largest and most popular toy brands, LEGO, has had a ton of games with their brand. Interestingly enough, many of these titles come from branded LEGO sets, like Star Wars and Marvel, adding a third party to the mix. These games have evolved over the years but have a pretty consistent style and are always great for co-op. Here are the ten best, according to Metacritic.
10 10. LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7 (80)
The second LEGO Harry Potter game features the plotline from the final three books (and four movies). While the exact plotlines have been adjusted for comedic purposes and to allow co-op gameplay, the game does a good job of telling the stories it's based on. The game features 24 playable chapters (6 per movie) alongside a hub world featuring locations like Hogwarts, Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade. The game also features a small pile of characters from the Harry Potter universe and a variety of outfits for the main cast as well.
9 9. LEGO City Undercover (80)
LEGO City Undercover was originally a Wii U exclusive but the game got played by real people once it was brought to other consoles a few years later. It is one of the few traditional LEGO games that does not feature a licensed property, instead following the story of Chase McCain as he tries to take down the crime boss Rex Fury. While the game serves as a purchasable advertisement of the physical LEGO set of the same name, it contains the usual Traveller's Tales charm that makes these titles special.
8 8. LEGO Rock Band (80)
In a crossover that can only be explained by the music videogame craze at the time, the 2009 release LEGO Rock Band was a Rock Band game visualized by LEGO. While the main appeal of the game was to have music and gameplay aimed more towards younger children it was at the core a music game.
It was compatible with the instrument controllers already released for Rock Band but had options to remove certain aspects, like the kick pedal on the drums, to make it easier. The story mode featured the fake rockers from Rock Band 2 but they could be swapped out later.
7 7. LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures (80)
LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures is one of the earlier LEGO games, alongside Star Wars and Batman. It features the three original Indiana Jones movies, broken up into 18 playable levels. The game does not have any voice acting and does not have a massive open-world hub between levels but instead a smaller hub with fewer features. The game still has the classic LEGO humor and charm, often displayed through visual gags modifying the original movies it is based on. The game featured plenty of playable characters including all notable characters from the movies and plenty of unremarkable ones.
6 6. LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga (80)
If you think packaging old video games together and releasing them on new consoles is a recent trend you are mistaken. A year after LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy released on Xbox (and Xbox 360), PS2 and Gamecube, The Complete Saga featuring all six movies that existed at the time was released on Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii. The game combined two excellent LEGO videogames into one neat package with a massive collection of playable characters. The game also tells a better story than the prequel movies do, even without dialogue.
5 5. LEGO Batman: The Videogame (80)
LEGO Batman: The Videogame was the third different licensed property for the current run of LEGO games and the first to feature an "original story."
Obviously the story was based heavily on the comics but did not have movies to follow directly, unlike the other games. The game also featured an interesting role reversal, with the second half of the game telling the story again from the villains' perspective. It also features two hubs, the Batcave and Arkham Asylum.
4 4. LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes (81)
The sequel to the previous entry on this list, LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes is a perfect sequel, improving on the first game in nearly every aspect. The game features a traversable Gotham City for a hub world and brings in other characters from the DC Universe to help Batman take down the teamed up Joker and Lex Luthor. The game features an enjoyable romp through the DC roster and features excellent voice acting that adds to the experience, something not always true for LEGO games.
3 3. LEGO The Lord Of The Rings (82)
Based on the hit movies, based on the hit books, LEGO The Lord Of The Rings features the fellowships epic journey across Middle-Earth. The game features levels from every movie and an open-world hub in between missions that allow players to pick which part of the fellowship to play next when the party is split up. It also has some gameplay aspects not present in previous titles, like additional actions in combat and sneaking. Unfortunately, the game is not available digitally anywhere, alongside LEGO The Hobbit, most likely due to an expired licensing agreement.
2 2. LEGO Marvel Super Heroes (83)
With TT Games being owned by Warner Bros. it was assumed that getting Disney owned properties was not going to happen for LEGO games. However, that theory was proven wrong when LEGO Marvel Super Heroes came onto the scene. The title came out swinging, opting to not use the MCU films that had been released up to that point but to instead tell an "original" story that allowed for the inclusion of many, many Marvel characters to team up against Galactus.
The game happily embraced comic books and the campy nature of them creating one of the best entries in the series.
1 1. LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy (86)
It is ironic that the highest-rated LEGO game of all time is a game that was later packaged with another title and released for the same price but people really hate the prequels. The anticipation of this title was strong since the original LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game was well received but featured the Star Wars movies that everybody hated, especially in 2005 when it released. Having the LEGO humor combined with beloved stories leads to a great combination of nostalgia resulting in what is still considered the best LEGO game of all time.