The Learning Power of Legos Nothing hurts more than stepping on a Lego, or finding out that your parent sold all your Legos in a garage sale. Those two things are the worst things that can happen, ever. Unless you include the horrors of being gifted Mega Bloks instead of Legos, because adults don’t realize that there is a HUGE difference. At any Lego store there will be some amazing Lego display structure, and it leaves one to wonder if the employees were given a full day to simply build this, Eiffel tower, Chewbacca, or space ship. Nope, I assume that there is some fancy Lego building machine that does it all for them and steals all the fun out of working at a Lego store. Just like finding out that Santa doesn’t exist. Why did Lego feel like they needed this combination of K’nex and their own perfect work, The Lego block. Post Bionicle, Legos have not been the same. Anytime a new Lego set is bought, the buyer will see that there are too many unique pieces that can only be used to build the specific model bought.
So that buying Legos will become nothing more than the equivalent of putting together a piece of Ikea furniture. This leaves me wondering if they ever collaborate. Energy Saving Hacks: How to Keep Your House Warm This Winter Human Achievement Measured in Architecture Mobile Phone Size Evolution A History of Dad ToysTonight at midnight $465 worth of LEGO Dimensions product goes on sale. How much does one need to pay to have a good time? Let our buyer’s guide be your...guide. LEGO Dimensions, taken as the whole of the first series of starter and toy kits, is the priciest total game release of the year. Skylanders Superchargers kept launch releases relatively short and sweet, and Disney Infinity 3.0 is definitely playing the long Star Wars game. But not LEGO Dimensions. Along with the priciest starter kit (not counting Superchargers special Dark Editions), Warner Bros. is releasing a trio of Level Packs, two Team Packs and a whopping 15 different Fun Packs. What does that all mean?
(Prices may vary based on retailer and promotions)Now that we know the basics, what do you need to play? A single $99 starter kit for PlayStation 4, Xbox One or Wii U goes quite a long way. The kit includes the game itself; the game’s portal platform, which connects to your video game console via USB, as well as the bricks needed to construct it; three minifigures—Batman, Gandalf and Wildstyle; and a miniature Batmobile that can be rebuilt into three different configurations, as with all of the game’s accessories. With the starter kit you can experience the game’s complete single player (or local co-op) story mode from start to finish. There will be collectibles you cannot unlock due to them requiring a power the three included figures do not have, but the basic game is all there. The three minifigures will also grant access to three of LEGO Dimensions’ free-roaming Adventure Worlds, basically expansive themed playgrounds filled with challenges and secrets and fun.
The DC Comics, Lord of the Rings and LEGO Movie Adventure Worlds are accessible with just the starter kit. You don’t need to purchase every single toy in order to experience all of the in-game content available for LEGO Dimensions at launch. Just a little over half. To gain access to every Adventure World and special level along with the main story, you’ll need the following: The grand total for this complete content unlock is $285. Still a lot, but it’s no $465. What’s missing from the unlocking all the content list? If you go that route then only 12 Fun Packs stand between you and complete mastery of your LEGO domain. I know this, because that’s exactly how many kits are in my Amazon order. With five waves of sets scheduled between tomorrow and May of next year, not all content from LEGO Dimensions will be available at launch. The Doctor Who Level Pack arrives on November 3. Until then, no Doctor Who Adventure World for you. Same for Ghostbusters, the Level Pack of which is due out January 16.
And finally the Midway Arcade Level Pack isn’t arriving until March 15. If the inspired Midway Arcade level from the main game is any indication, untold riches await in the Adventure World. I’ve fielded many questions since running the game review earlier today about what sort of extended gameplay comes with each Level Kit. Between the three launch Level Kits—Back to the Future, Portal and The Simpsons—I averaged about a half hour of gameplay in the included levels. Mind you that’s without attempting to unlock secrets or gathering collectibles or hitting that bits goal. I’d say a dedicated player could squeeze an hour or so out of each. Generally there’s more to do in the figure-unlocked Adventure Worlds than in the Level Pack levels. Unfortunately for Portal, there is no corresponding Fun Pack, so the Level Pack is it. Here’s a brief rundown of the three. Portal: Chell returns to the Aperture Science testing facility to go another round with GLaDOS, aided by the mildly villainous in an adorable sort of way Wheatley.
The level is a series of testing chambers, culminating in a good-old Chell Vs. GLaDOS showdown. Easily my favorite of the three. Back To The Future: the level here follows the story of the movie in the most skipping stone of ways. We follow Marty from Doc Brown’s garage to the mall parking lot. From there we go to the past, where we’re immediately tasked with hooking up wires to the clock tower to power the DeLorean’s trip back. We make it back, and that’s it. The whole thing played out in under 20 minutes, so maybe that hour was a generous estimate for this set. Disappointing content, but great music. The Simpsons: Homer has to make it from home to a chili cooking contest, where he eats hallucinogenic peppers and goes on a vision quest. It’s trippy in a very Simpsons sort of way. I think I had more fun playing with Homer’s powers (belching and hulking out) and driving about the family’s pink car than playing through the story, but fun was definitely had. If you’re planning on getting a bunch or all of the sets, make sure you have a container for the extra bits.