Review: Lego City Undercover: The Chase Begins for 3DS

Whenever a big Lego game is released on consoles, you'll often find that a smaller and less feature-filled version will hit the handheld consoles at around the same time.

But Lego City Undercover: The Chase Begins bucks that trend, and brings a good portion of the Wii U game's massive open world over to the Nintendo 3DS.

There are a number of caveats to this, mind you. But, overall, this is an impressive release that you'll definitely want to pick up if you're enjoying the home console edition.

Previously on Lego City Undercover...

This prequel to the Wii U version puts you in the plastic square shoes of Chase McCain - currently a rookie police officer who's looking to work his way up the ranks and make a name for himself.

You're provided with a rather large city to roam around in, and given missions to complete throughout the streets. Think Grand Theft Auto for kids, and you're in the right ball park.

There's a huge amount of content to work your way through here, with different jobs to perform, criminals to stop, secrets to find, and buildings to piece together - and that's without even mentioning the lengthy main quest.

The city itself is rather glorious to behold on a 3DS screen, especially as it's filled with personality and wit. The story is fun to follow along with, and the jokes will raise a smile every now and again.

Best of all, this isn't simply a rough, cut-down port of the console version. It's a whole separate story that complements the Wii U game immensely.

Chasing status

That sizable city is a blessing, but it comes with some obvious limitations on the 3DS.

A thick fog means you can't see very far into the distance, and the number of pedestrians and cars about the place is minimal (no doubt due to the limited power of the console). It leaves the game feeling far more lifeless than the Wii U version.

The problems with the console version are also carried over to The Chase Begins. Fighting is too simplistic, the driving is too slow, and loading times are far too long.

But The Chase Begins also has its own issues. The camera is a nightmare, while some of the platforming sections are far too loose in their execution, such as swinging from flagpoles.

Of course, this is a game aimed at kids first and foremost, and as such it's still a winner as most children aren't even going to notice these issues for all the fun they're having exploring the vast world.

If you enjoyed the Wii U version, or you're a fan of the Lego games in general, you'll dig The Chase Begins too as it's essentially more of the same.