LEGO Video Games That Reviewed Better Than You Remember

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For many years, LEGO has delighted fans with both its classic building bricks and a wide variety of LEGO video games.

While Traveller’s Tales has created most of the LEGO video games, many other studios like Studio Gobo and Light Brick Studio have also made fantastic LEGO titles.

Many young gamers start with LEGO games, but as they grow older, they often move on to more complex, action-oriented games and don’t typically revisit the LEGO titles they once enjoyed, sometimes viewing them as less substantial.

Despite the many LEGO games released, several have aged remarkably well and received more positive reviews than people currently recall. They remain enjoyable thanks to their appealing visuals, entertaining single and cooperative gameplay, and distinctive elements.

8. LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game

TT Games’ Underrated Classic

Over the years, there have been many excellent LEGO Star Wars games, including LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga and LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars. However, the original LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game from 2005 remains surprisingly enjoyable even now.

TT Games’ first LEGO game, LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game, established the formula for all their LEGO titles that followed. It was easy to pick up and play, incredibly enjoyable, highly replayable, and featured fun local co-op gameplay.

While later LEGO Star Wars games offered more features and ways to play, the original still delighted millions of Star Wars fans and received generally positive reviews, often scoring between 7 and 8 out of 10.

I completely finished LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game when I was a kid, and it’s surprisingly fun to play even now. It’s a classic, straightforward LEGO game experience.

7. Bionicle Heroes

The Last Great Bionicle Game

During the early 2000s, Bionicle was a huge success for LEGO. It’s often said that this original LEGO line helped rescue the company from financial trouble and allowed it to grow into new areas like books, comics, animated movies, and video games.

Over the years, a number of Bionicle video games were made, but Bionicle Heroes is widely considered the best. It roughly follows the 2006 story where the Toa Inika try to save the island of Voya Nui from the evil Piraka.

Although Bionicle Heroes isn’t incredibly diverse in gameplay – it’s mostly a third-person shooter with a few puzzles – it generally received positive reviews, often scoring between 7 and 8 out of 10. The Nintendo DS version was typically rated higher than the versions for Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, and Wii.

As a big Bionicle fan, one of the best things about revisiting Bionicle Heroes is definitely seeing so many familiar faces and creatures! It’s awesome to play with characters like the creepy Visorak, the powerful Rahkshi, and the Vahki, plus even get to see Axonn and Brutaka, who were always two of the coolest titans in the Bionicle universe.

6. LEGO The Lord of the Rings

A Fun Romp Through Middle-Earth

2012 marked a turning point for LEGO video games. While they began experimenting with larger, more open game worlds, TT Games also made a significant change to their humor. Instead of relying on the usual silent, physical comedy, they started incorporating voice acting, beginning with both LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes and LEGO The Lord of the Rings. This change proved to be somewhat controversial among fans.

Even with the changes made, LEGO Lord of the Rings was very well-received, earning many positive reviews. Eurogamer, for example, gave it a 9 out of 10, praising it as both true to the original story and playfully humorous, with lots of interconnected features that made the game enjoyable.

The LEGO Lord of the Rings game features voice acting taken directly from Peter Jackson’s movies, but the developers, TT Games, still inject a lot of humor into the story. For example, there’s a funny moment where Frodo accidentally drops the One Ring into a cup of coffee, revealing the inscription on it.

Even if you’ve already finished the story, LEGO The Lord of the Rings is fun to play again. You can freely explore the world of Middle-earth, discover hidden locations, meet characters like Tom Bombadil, and complete extra quests for the people who live there.

5. LEGO Rock Band

Rock Band For Kids

In the early 2000s, games like Dance Dance Revolution and Guitar Hero were incredibly popular on home consoles. In 2009, the creators of Rock Band, Harmonix, tried to make the game more family-friendly by teaming up with LEGO to create LEGO Rock Band.

LEGO Rock Band, created by Harmonix and TT Fusion, plays much like other Rock Band games. You still hit notes as they come, but instead of realistic characters, you’ll play with LEGO minifigures, and the music has been made suitable for all ages.

I was surprised when LEGO Rock Band actually got better reviews than a lot of other LEGO games from around that time! I mean, it didn’t really change up the Rock Band formula too much, but it ended up with way more 8/10 scores than games like LEGO Indiana Jones 2. It’s kind of a hidden gem, honestly.

LEGO Rock Band is a really good game, particularly for kids who are new to rhythm games. It’s also just a lot of fun to play with friends, and it’s cool to see famous rock stars like Freddie Mercury reimagined as LEGO figures.

4. LEGO Jurassic World

Spared No Expense

Many popular movie franchises have become LEGO games, so it wasn’t surprising when Jurassic Park got the LEGO treatment with TT Fusion’s LEGO Jurassic World. The result was one of the most highly-rated LEGO games to date.

Similar to other LEGO games made after 2012, LEGO Jurassic World uses sound clips from the original Jurassic Park movies and Jurassic World. However, many of the actors from Jurassic World also recorded new dialogue specifically for the game.

LEGO Jurassic World offers gameplay similar to other LEGO titles, featuring easy-to-learn combat and puzzles. However, it’s unique because you can play as dinosaurs – and even create and customize your own hybrid dinosaurs – to explore the open worlds of Isla Nublar and Isla Sorna.

LEGO Jurassic World generally received good reviews, with many scores around 70 out of 100. More importantly, it quickly became popular with fans who loved both the original Jurassic Park movies and the newer Jurassic World films, and it’s still enjoyable to play almost 11 years after its release.

3. LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures

Lightning Striking Twice

The early LEGO video games based on Star Wars demonstrated the potential of adapting movies into LEGO games. However, it was LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures that proved this formula could be successfully applied to other popular film franchises.

While not as visually spectacular as LEGO Star Wars, LEGO Indiana Jones is still a really enjoyable game. It cleverly recreates the puzzles from the original Indiana Jones movies, focusing on the traps and challenges found in ancient temples, just like how Indiana Jones would solve them in the films.

The game also features exciting vehicle-based moments, like a thrilling chase for the Ark of the Covenant in Cairo, battling the Mark VIII tank in Hatay, and even riding elephants through India.

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Even though the new LEGO Indiana Jones game focused more on solving puzzles and felt more realistic than LEGO Star Wars, it was just as popular with both critics and players. GamePro, for example, gave it a 9 out of 10, calling it exactly what a devoted Indiana Jones fan would want.

2. Mata Nui Online Game

The Best Bionicle Game

Developer Templar Studios
Platforms PC
Release Date 2001

Okay, so there have been a bunch of Bionicle games over the years, and honestly, some are way better than others. But if I had to pick the best official one, hands down it’s the Mata Nui Online Game from 2001. It’s just a classic!

The online game MNOG was incredibly important during the first year of Bionicle. For a time, it was the only place fans could discover the story and world of Bionicle outside of the comics, which were only available in LEGO Magazine.

Players took on the roles of Takua, a Matoran destined to become a Toa of Light, and journeyed across the island of Mata Nui. They explored diverse areas themed around the elements, assisted the local villagers, and helped the heroic Toa Mata fight against the evil Makuta and his army of dangerous Rahi creatures.

Originally published as chapters on BIONICLE.com, MNOG was later re-released by Templar Studios in 2013. It won several awards from the Web Marketing Association and Summit Awards, and a well-received sequel, Mata Nui Online Game II: The Final Chronicle, followed in 2003.

1. LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean

The Most Underrated LEGO Game

Many LEGO video games have come out this century, and one often overlooked as being truly excellent is LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean.

Okay, so I just finished playing LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean, and honestly, it’s a ton of fun! As a big fan of the first four Pirates of the Caribbean movies, I was really impressed with how well the characters and humor translated into a LEGO game. It just works – the slapstick comedy of LEGO fits perfectly with the movies’ already funny moments. I enjoyed it from beginning to end!

Honestly, LEGO Pirates is just a blast – super simple and really fun to play. There’s a ton to do besides the main story, like using Sparrow’s compass to hunt for treasure, exploring underwater with some cool characters, and you can even unlock a level based on the original Disneyland Pirates of the Caribbean ride! It’s a great little game.

Even though some players felt the LEGO games were becoming repetitive when LEGO Pirates came out, it’s still an enjoyable game now. It was also well-received by critics, with Eurogamer giving it an 8 out of 10 and playfully comparing it to a blockbuster action movie produced by Jerry Bruckheimer.

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2026-01-11 02:42