Little Big Middle-Earth: Lego Lord Of The Rings' World
Our world was not built with Lego figurines in mind. They are small, plasticine, and worrisomely edible, while we are almighty giants with colossal living rooms and all-consuming sofa cushions to match. In other words, pretty much everything dwarfs our favorite race of jaundiced, ear-less architects - regardless of mundanity. Tables, chairs, lamps - you name it. So what happens when we fling them into a world that even made cave trolls and gigantic tree people seem insignificant? Well, then we get Lego Lord of the Rings. It's something of a jarring mix, to say the least. But it also kinda, sorta somehow works. Venture past the break to see how.
Look at all those ant-sized armies scampering around majestic vistas and haunting underground holds. They're so incongruously adorable! And also surprisingly humorless - given the fact that they're only speaking pre-recorded lines from the movies. Then again, I spotted a couple slapstick gags in there, and the prancing pony circle tickled not only my funny bone, but my funny viscera and funny fluid-filled sacs as well.
The environments, meanwhile, also seem to have made the leap straight from the movies. They're not particularly Lego-y, but oh well. Lego Batman 2's weren't either, and it was still completely delightful. If nothing else, though, the scale of LLOTR seems even more impressive, so we could well be in for quite a treat. I - like pretty much everyone else who plays videogames - am a bit burnt-out on Tolkien's mythos, but if there's one way to pull me back in, it's probably making all my inner-child's Lego and Lord of the Rings-obsessed dreams come true.