games, I've this unshakable feeling that...man, these are kind of all the same. Not much varies

from one to the next in terms of their core gameplay. Button-mashy combat, collect the

studs, solve basic puzzles...I mean, they change the structure, but in terms of what

you're doing?

It's always...kind of the same.

As pretty and massive as it may be? I don't know, I feel like it's...kind of the same.

And I'm not saying that's a bad thing. I'm just saying it's a thing. If you're a Marvel

fan, this game's gonna make your brain explode into a million LEGO pieces.

But if you've gotten tired of these games?

I don't know that this one, great as it is, is gonna change your mind.

Now, that said...seriously, this thing's gonna blow Marvel fans away. There are more than

150 playable characters from the Marvel universe. That's just...I mean, that's just insane.

From the X-Men to the Fantastic Four to the Avengers, oh and about 100 freaking others...this

is like a Marvel encyclopedia, but done in LEGO pieces.

And instead of reading it, you get to play it.

And I guess, if I sound at all negative about this game...I really don't mean to. Because

I had a good time with it. I think part of my problem is...I mean, I'm not really a big

Marvel fan, so all the sameness of the experience strikes me a bit more, I think. To be fair,

if this were LEGO Ninja Turtles, I'd probably be a lot less concerned about that sameness.

Like any LEGO title, it's really for fans of whatever franchise it's taking on.

I mean, I probably can't even appreciate this game's scale on a level that a big Marvel

fan would, but...holy crap, it's massive. Not only are you playing as characters from

different series, but you also have bad guys from different series. All mixed together,

just like a big Marvel pasta salad. Each mission starts off with you chasing after a bad guy,

and as the levels unfold, it's basically an elaborate chase scene...which is kind of cool.

Then again...I mean, am I crazy, or...that's all kind of the same, too? Yeah?

The puzzles are...certainly puzzles. Usually, it's just about which character has the right

ability, so you just switch to the right one and boom. You're golden. Not much thinking

involved. These games are more about mindless fun, and they are. I love smashing things

made from LEGO and then rebuilding them into more useful things...that LEGO whimsy never

gets old.

Even if the gameplay might.

One of my favorite LEGO games is actually LEGO City, because I think the LEGO gameplay

lends itself especially well to an open world, as opposed to linear missions. These LEGO

titles seem to be using that more and more to their advantage. Marvel Super Heroes has

its main missions, but there's also a hub world. You have a huge city to explore between

missions, packed with stuff to find and characters to unlock. And that really helps to break

up the monotony that can set in during the missions themselves.

Of course, it also helps that the game is so huge. There's always something new to find,

some kind of amazing Marvel character for fans to lose their mind over. And honestly,

it kind of makes me jealous. Had I grown up with Marvel comics, I'd be just as pumped

as you guys.

I'm just...I'm waiting for LEGO Ghostbusters. With bated breath.

So if you came here to hear a Marvel super fan freak out about this game...sorry. There

are plenty of people doing that. As someone who doesn't really know the characters, though...it's

easier to point out that, if you're not a huge fan, this game isn't for you. It's not

one of those games that transcends its franchise, you know? It's not so good that it doesn't

matter.

Because beneath all the Marvel love? It's just more of the same LEGO.

For better or worse.