Going undergound
While it might seem an unusual sort of game to attach the LEGO license to, Rock Raiders is actually a pretty decent little strategy experience which adds up to a lot of fun for the whole family. It's very different to the likes of LEGO Racers or LEGO Batman and is instead a sort of real-time strategy game which doesn't insult the intelligence of junior fans and instead makes for an intriguing time. The idea here is that you are in charge of a group of underground LEGO adventurers and must guide them through a series of story-based missions. These include things like finding stranded members of the gang, finding bases lost in rockfalls and building up your own so that you develop new vehicles. There are RPG elements here in the way that you can advance your characters by learning new abilities as becoming a demolitions expert or the ability to pilot a new vehicle, while there are also numerous impressive cutscenes to move the story along. Rock Raiders is far from perfect as a game, but it is certainly bold enough to warrant closer inspection. It lacks the overt humor and sheer bravado of other titles using the license, and has a much darker feel to it, which might put off younger fans, but if you're more interested in the gameplay itself, then there's much to enjoy here. The missions are varied and rarely less than compelling, with a good level of challenge to keep you playing. The visuals are a bit on the dark side, but that's only to be expected given the game's nature, although the cutscenes are more impressive. Overall, an interesting experience, if not quite a classic.
