LEGO City Undercover: The Chase Begins

 3DS
User Score
6.7

Mixed or average reviews- based on 82 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 44 out of 82
  2. Mixed: 20 out of 82
  3. Negative: 18 out of 82
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  1. nintendork23
    Jan 8, 2015
    3
    Didnt like it. The ending was crap. But the open world aspect was pretty neat. I recommend getting Lego City Undercover for Wii U instead of this crappy prequel story.
  2. Ukrainian_Gamer
    Apr 23, 2013
    7
    This game is very well done. It ambitiously attempts to recreate the large open-world experience which was seen in the Wii U game and does so quite well. I do have a few complaints about the game however. The loading screens; they are few and far apart but when you do get them, they take entirely too long. The combat; all the combat is in this game is "press X to win" which I am not a fanThis game is very well done. It ambitiously attempts to recreate the large open-world experience which was seen in the Wii U game and does so quite well. I do have a few complaints about the game however. The loading screens; they are few and far apart but when you do get them, they take entirely too long. The combat; all the combat is in this game is "press X to win" which I am not a fan of although I realize one of this game's primary demographics is children, so I can't get too upset about that. The vehicle controls; the vehicles in this game are rather wild, difficult to handle, and turn too abruptly which takes a while to adapt to. And finally, the disappointing lack of voice acting; The voice acting in the cut scenes of the game is very well done, but throughout the other 98% of the game when the characters are communicating there is only on-screen text and no voice which leaves the character interaction feeling somewhat empty. Other than those minor problems, Lego City Undercover: The Chase Begins is a solid, extremely entertaining game if you are looking for some light-hearted humorous game time.… Expand
  3. Aaronz77
    Apr 21, 2013
    9
    Game play is fantastic. Sandbox world is on par with LEGO Batman 2: DC super heroes. Missions and driving vehicles is kid friendly and fun. My only complaint is the circle pad response feels a little slow when moving character around. Overall a solid release from TT Games.
  4. lahjaunelmia
    Apr 21, 2013
    10
    Wow this game is so awesome. It is portable lego on the go. I really recommend you to buy this game. GOTY 2013 for me. I've already played it for like 12 hours and wow and I'm not even close to bored
  5. DarthSidious63
    Apr 28, 2013
    4
    Once again the 3DS gets yet another mediocre Lego game. Granted no one expects it to be the same as the Wii U version but the 3DS can do better than this shallow game. This game has a lot of fog much like the N64 games but its over 15 years late and such technical issues should have been dealt with.
  6. Zodiackiller
    May 3, 2013
    9
    Okay so the draw distance isn't that great and most dialogue is in text, but the game is fun. I have the wii u version and while that game is indeed better I ask this, what do you expect? This game has a lot of charm and fun to be had if you can get over its minor shortcomings. Plus it was released at a cheaper price than most other 3ds games when first released, although I don't know whyOkay so the draw distance isn't that great and most dialogue is in text, but the game is fun. I have the wii u version and while that game is indeed better I ask this, what do you expect? This game has a lot of charm and fun to be had if you can get over its minor shortcomings. Plus it was released at a cheaper price than most other 3ds games when first released, although I don't know why because IMO it would have been a worthy purchase even at full price.… Expand
  7. GoombaJMR
    Jul 4, 2015
    6
    A prequel game to the Wii U game - it does an okay job telling the story of how things came to be, but the technical side of this game was rather poorly handled. I'd have to say that while the game can be fun at times, the flow and fluidity of the fun is interrupted very often with long loading screens, low quality (quality itself) music, and lag present in most all areas. I've gottenA prequel game to the Wii U game - it does an okay job telling the story of how things came to be, but the technical side of this game was rather poorly handled. I'd have to say that while the game can be fun at times, the flow and fluidity of the fun is interrupted very often with long loading screens, low quality (quality itself) music, and lag present in most all areas. I've gotten through 12-15 missions so far (7 hours ish) and it's definitely going to require some willpower to finish. However, it's not exactly a bad game either, so if you're a lego fan looking for a good lego game - this one won't disappoint you too badly.

    Gameplay: 7/10
    Story: 7/10
    Music: 6.5/10
    Presentation: 5/10
    Length: 8.5/10
    Overall: 6.5/10    … Expand
  8. sonyfanloco
    Jun 20, 2014
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. es un buen juego de lego en todo toma aspectos de grand theft auto y muchos de su versión de wii u la historia me gusto pero lo que degrada al juego son sus tiempos de carga despues no hay voces y videos son pocos aparte de que ambienta ser para niños un poco luego fácilmente ganas pero tambien es para otras personas desde luego… Expand
  9. OrtweinInfinity
    Aug 1, 2014
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Lego City is a nice game in terms of what you get to do as a player, but the game has fatal flaws. The missions are too straight forward and easy to complete with no real puzzle or challenge, meaning- anyone can complete the game within a few days if they really wanted to. Combat with the criminals is lacking, you can easily overpower them while other oncoming criminals don't bother to attack unless you are not currently fighting anyone. Also, vehicle control is very fast-paced and difficult, leading to frequent crashes. Unlockables are too easy to obtain- some merely "hidden" on top of buildings or in a random box that you would destroy to get coins. I am not a fan of on-screen text with no voice because it is easy to miss the conversations of characters. Lastly, the loading time is ridiculously long and boring. Though it gives tips on game play, after a few loading screens, you won't need any more tips, and then you just wait. Overall, I find LEGO City Undercover as an intriguing game, with some downsides that limit a fun game play experience.… Expand
  10. DBPirate1129
    Jan 11, 2015
    3
    I'm honestly not sure why I was expecting much when it came to The Chase Begins. Maybe it was because LEGO City Undercover on the Wii U was fantastic or something? I have no idea.

    There's many problems with the game. First problem: the open world. I would rather the game not even try to recreate the vast city in the Wii U version because this one just...fails. The loading times are much    I'm honestly not sure why I was expecting much when it came to The Chase Begins. Maybe it was because LEGO City Undercover on the Wii U was fantastic or something? I have no idea.

    There's many problems with the game. First problem: the open world. I would rather the game not even try to recreate the vast city in the Wii U version because this one just...fails. The loading times are much longer here than they were in Undercover and the fog is pretty distracting. Because of the 3DS' capabilities, almost everything is either "under construction" or blocked off.

    Second problem: the story. There are so many things in the Wii U version that are completely trashed here. Rex Fury using a lawn mower as his escape vehicle? He jumps onto a moving car here. Rex Fury getting arrested on a bridge? He gets arrested in front of a bank. Chase not knowing how to use a Color Gun? He knows how to here (keep in mind this is a prequel). There's just so much wrong with the story.

    Third problem: dialogue. LEGO City Undercover had talking, why can't this one? The 3DS can handle it, just look at Kid Icarus: Uprising! It's a shame dialogue boxes had to even be put in here. Fourth problem: emotion. This is a problem every single handheld LEGO game has. You can never get emotionally involved. Apparently, the characters aren't getting emotionally involved either as their mouths never move outside of the cutscenes and they just use the same voice clips over and over.

    Fifth problem: fun factor. LEGO City Undercover on the Wii U was a fun game. It was one of the most fun games I've played in years. Chase Begins take it all out, buries it in a hole somewhere, and makes it boring. Driving around the city is no longer fun. It is a series of loading times and fog in the distance. Sixth problem: music. All of the music is ripped from the console version and placed into this one. Also, there is no music unless you're fighting or driving.

    Overall, LEGO City Undercover: The Chase Begins is only a game for gamers that are in denial that the Wii U version is better. Can we get the console LEGO team at TT Games working on handheld games, please?    … Expand
  11. Kingofdanerds
    Nov 11, 2016
    8
    This game was pretty good under any standards. It's like playing a Lego kid friendly GTA game. There is so many game mechanics for each of your character disguises, they probably needed to add not as much mechanics. 8/10.
  12. Wnnex
    Jun 2, 2020
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. As this game was a classic for when I was bored, the campaign seemed fairly advanced for a 3DS game. It also featured many places you get to unlock and you are able to see (as you progress) different cars for different areas, so they are not all repeated. Although some of the characters voice lines did not even play (or that there was any in the first place) it still made the campaign decently good for its time and I still fun to this day.… Expand
  13. DrPebba
    May 16, 2021
    6
    its surpsising that his is a sort of open world in a 3ds, the world is really big for what it is, and i really like to explore the city, the problem is that the world is flat and you cant to anything, the graphucs look really bad even for a 3ds game, the driving is kinda odd, i dont like that you cant repeat missions, cause the main story its probably the best part of the game, and youits surpsising that his is a sort of open world in a 3ds, the world is really big for what it is, and i really like to explore the city, the problem is that the world is flat and you cant to anything, the graphucs look really bad even for a 3ds game, the driving is kinda odd, i dont like that you cant repeat missions, cause the main story its probably the best part of the game, and you cant make the missions again, the vehicules and character to unlock are way to expensive, i could barely buy anything with the little ammount of coins the games gives you, and you cant replay missions so you cant get coins easy. the main story can be fun, but the game has a lot of flaws, but well its a port of a great game as the original lego city undercover so dont expect much.… Expand
  14. William11111
    Jun 1, 2021
    8
    Decent prequel to Lego City Undercover!
    The story was on point! The graphics were good, especially for a handheld console like the 3DS! The only problem I had with the game is that the Lego City world is just not as interesting as the Wii U version, I just cant put my finger on why.
  15. thunderclan44
    Aug 20, 2021
    9
    Don’t listen to these bad reviews, I played the first game and wanted to play the prequel. The game is different from the original but still has a great open world, great graphics, and somehow runs at around 30fps still, I would definitely recommend this game if you liked the original game. The devs did a good job on this game :)
  16. NoNemu
    Apr 2, 2022
    8
    I know this game is trash, but it was my first open world game, I ever played in my whole life. It's feels great to got a huge world to explore .As I was a child I remember playing it and got packed by this freedom.
  17. pikachu713
    Sep 16, 2022
    7
    it is a good lego game for 3ds, but it has really bad graphics, small fps and you can't see far. it has strange car gameplay. but company is tipical lego game
  18. DoktarioMyst
    Oct 13, 2022
    0
    - de collectibles zijn alleen de "pak me" soort

    + de game heeft bazen. het enige dat de console versie niet heeft (buiten de final boss) +/- de raket abilety is automated - deze game heeft geen levels. enkel en alleen de overwereld conclusie: de map wordt niet alleen hergebruikt maar ook uitgebreid in de console versie. de collectibles zijn saai. de bazen is het enige dat de    - de collectibles zijn alleen de "pak me" soort

    + de game heeft bazen. het enige dat de console versie niet heeft (buiten de final boss)

    +/- de raket abilety is automated

    - deze game heeft geen levels. enkel en alleen de overwereld

    conclusie:
    de map wordt niet alleen hergebruikt maar ook uitgebreid in de console versie. de collectibles zijn saai. de bazen is het enige dat de game beter doet dan de console versie    … Expand
  19. mattsgonnamine
    Oct 23, 2022
    6
    Ah lego city undercover, whether you played the original on wii u or the remasters you cannot deny that that games was a masterpiece. The charm that that game exuded was immeasurable and they used the console to it's fullest. On the 3ds though, it barely works. I played through the game and found myself unable to fo back for months all because of long loading times, that on the originalAh lego city undercover, whether you played the original on wii u or the remasters you cannot deny that that games was a masterpiece. The charm that that game exuded was immeasurable and they used the console to it's fullest. On the 3ds though, it barely works. I played through the game and found myself unable to fo back for months all because of long loading times, that on the original 3ds, are over a minute long and there are major pop in, slowdown and fog effects that greatly affect immersion.

    Lego City Undercover: The Chase Begins is an open world game (I know, on the 3ds, impressive) where you take on the role of rookie police officer Chase McCain where you detain all the trouble making crooks terrorizing Lego City including the big boss Rex Fury, all the while figuring out how to best get Natalia Kowalski, Chase's love interest. However the most egregious thing that the chase begins doesn't do well is the traditional lego charm, there are less than 10 fully voice-acted cutscenes and and that takes away from the jokes that aren't voice acted, along with no new major reoccurring characters leads to a recipe for a worse game than the original.

    I've ripped on this game long enough, time to sing it's praises, the graphics in this game can be INCREDIBLE at times, specifically the building scenes, those look almost HD. The 3d effect is used pretty well in most cases (apart from when you have something too close to the foreground) and the animated cutscenes are no joke either. I mentioned the long loading times earlier but the main story is structured in a way that they never get in the way during story missions. Each area has its own criminal gang wreaking havoc on an area of lego city and its up to you to stop them. The game also does a great job at sprucing up the side missions. You know those binoculars you would drive into or smash in the home console version, that's now a mission to take a postcard. While I miss the car chase quests the loading times would make me hate them. Some streets and iconic buildings have more to them now like the car garage and the red brick road from the console one, those now have missions and cars driving through them.

    The worst problem is the fact that once you beat the game, there is no way to replay levels, you have to restart the game which is just kinda bad design. Also there are builds that don't give you anything other than a completion percentage that doesn't give you anything at 100% either. This game is an odd one with the freedom it gives you along with the restraints, the costume ones and the car graphics are understandable but the absurd loading times and fog really throw me off. Couple that with a lackluster final boss that feels like all the others and an ending that i did not feel like was over until the credits rolled and all you have me with is disappointed. All in all it is an interesting and impressive for the system. If you love Lego games than you should definitely give it a try, if not than stay FAR AWAY.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

50
#50 Best 3DS Game of 2013
21
#21 Most Discussed 3DS Game of 2013
26
#26 Most Shared 3DS Game of 2013

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
62

Mixed or average reviews - based on 44 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 44
  2. Mixed: 36 out of 44
  3. Negative: 2 out of 44
  1. Level7.nu
    Sep 10, 2013
    50
    The Chase Begins makes an effort of being like the Lego City game for the Wii U. Sadly it is quite obvious that the 3DS can’t realise the LEGO universe as well. The city is in itself nice but empty and desolate. Discovering secrets is still as fun as always but the lack of personality and humour halts the Lego games otherwise great sense of immersion.
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  2. Gaming Nexus
    Jun 10, 2013
    70
    There's plenty to do in LEGO City Undercover: The Chase Begins, but a lot of it feels like padding for a somewhat disappointing story that will really only appeal to kids.
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  3. Critical Hit
    May 30, 2013
    65
    While technically impressive that so much can be done on the 3DS, Chase Begins covers familiar territory far too soon, the missing touches from the Wii U glaringly obvious.
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