During a tour of Warner Brothers’ booth at E3, I was treated to demos of a slew of Lego games.  First up, the reason I was there: Lego Marvel Super Heroes.  I have very high expectations for this game, particularly regarding the variety and individuality of the characters and the dynamics of the open world.  From my time with this game, it’s looking like both of these aspects are heading in the right direction. There will be around 120 playable characters, and they will be introduced early and frequently.  From the beginning of the game, you get to play as Captain America, Spider-Man, Thor, Iron Man, Human Torch, and others.  Characters keep rotating in to bolster your roster of heroes.  The open world provides another method of introducing characters.  Side quests scattered throughout Marvel’s version of New York City will introduce you to all sorts of characters from all over Marvel’s mythos.

Then we headed over to The Legend of Chima, a new game corresponding with the release of a new line of Lego toys.  You play as one of several tribes who gain their powers from a mystical source of energy called Chi.  It looked much like Lego’s other games, just a little toned down.  It seems like this game will skew even a little younger than Lego typically does.  I honestly don’t have a lot to say about this one.  I have a feeling this one will disappear in the midst of Lego’s other efforts.

Finally, I was treated to quite a surprise in Lego Friends.  This is a game marketed directly toward young girls.  I’ve played and reviewed games for this demographic before, and they can be pretty awful.  This was different.  Lego Friends successfully caters to girls while still managing to be a decent game.  Quite possibly even more than decent.  It has a lot of options and choices presented to your character, allowing you to explore different paths of study, jobs, and hobbies.  In order to buy new things, you need a job, but before that you need to go to school.  Throughout this, there are platforming elements as you take control of your pet and explore the city.  The best thing about the demo was listening to the developers talk about it.  It was clear how passionate they were about making a good, fun game for girls that encouraged them to make friends, be productive members of society, and enjoy gaming at the same time.