Could We Get A LEGO Halo Game? Here's What 343 Says The head of the Halo brand, Bonnie Ross, recently talked about all the crazy ideas 343 is working on and ruminating about, and one of the things that Microsoft and 343 are considering is a LEGO game based on Halo. In an article by Fast Company, Bonnie Ross explained in the interview that they're looking to expand beyond just first-person shooters, action figures, web series and television shows (one of which is reportedly being developed for Showtime by Steven Spielberg), saying that a Halo property set within the LEGO universe could be possible... I would say that when we first started the franchise, the thought of doing, like, a LEGO Halo game was not something that our core fans thought was interesting, whereas now we're getting requests for that. Ross repeatedly mentions throughout the interview that they're looking at Star Wars and other large brands in which to try to build success for Halo as a consumer product and not just a successful video game series.
This even includes having 343 Industries redesign weapons and vehicles so that they can be marketed easier as kids toys or possibly LEGO pieces. Any core fan of the series is probably cringing really hard right now, and I can't blame you. Very few franchises have been able to make the crossover from one market sector to the next. In fact, in the interview with Fast Company, they talked to the head of the toy consulting firm, Klosters Trading Corporation, who mentioned that no video game comes up on their radar when it comes to toy merchandising. The toys just don't make that much money. I'm curious where Activision's Skylanders fits into all of this because it's another billion dollar franchise like Call of Duty, but that's beside the point. Ross, however, really wants to grow Halo beyond just games. Instead of trying to mirror successful large brands like Star Wars or Harry Potter, they might want to first look at getting the Halo games back on track by looking at long-running, successful video game franchises like Super Mario Bros., Battlefield, Call of Duty, Resident Evil and The Legend of Zelda before trying to pursue toys, TV shows and a potential LEGO spinoff.
Microsoft has become way too bogged down in trying to make Halo relevant again instead of trying to make Halo fun again. Ross even admits that the more recent Halo games have become lost in their own lore, and the focus on fun gameplay has been put on the back burner to tell stories that people just aren't all that interested in when they pick up the game. In the early days Bungie wrapped the Halo lore around compelling and innovative gameplay; these days 343 is trying to wrap mediocre gameplay around a story too big for them to tell in a comprehensive manner. After the poor opening sales of Halo 5, they'll really need to get back on track with making sure they don't lose their gaming audience while chasing casuals, kids, and collectors. But who knows, maybe a LEGO game based on Halo could be the shot in the arm they need to reinvigorate the franchise.Mega Bloks Halo: The triple-A Lego ripoff that never came to beBut that looked surprisingly good Back in 2010, Microsoft and Mega Brands teamed up to release Halo Mega Bloks, a set of construction toys based on Xbox's flagship shooter.
That wasn't the extent of the partnership, though. While Halo was delving into the toy world, Mega Brands planned to enter the video game market. Footage of Mega Bloks Halo has recently surfaced, a Lego-like game with triple-A ambitions. It was in development by n-Space, an Orlando-based studio that went out of business last March. While n-Space had a lot of titles to its credit, it never really had a standout hit. Most of its work was licensed stuff, a lot of it on 3DS. Mega Bloks Halo (while still a licensed property) reportedly had the scope to be n-Space's biggest undertaking. Youtube channel PtoPOnline uploaded this prototype playthrough and detailed what was known about Mega Bloks Halo, which was codenamed "Haggar" at the time. It was in development for the majority of 2013, ran on Unreal 3, and was set for release on Xbox 360. The Lego influences are apparent in the aesthetic, the collecting studs, and the family-friendly semi-violence. But, there looks to have been plenty to set it apart, like the behind-the-back third-person view and fact that it's actually a shooter.
What's probably most interesting about Mega Bloks Halo was how much variation it's said to have had. Every weapon from Halo was usable, vehicles were present and fully customizable, there was local cooperative play, and there was even a Horde-like "Besieged" mode that was included independent of the campaign. But, alas, it wasn't meant to be. No one can say with certainty why Microsoft scrapped Mega Bloks Halo. A leading theory is that it wanted to push Xbox One and releasing a Halo title on Xbox 360 would've been regressive. That's all conjecture, though. All that's really known is that Microsoft stopped production after almost a year of development. But if Microsoft wants to revive the project, the building blocks are already there. Mega Bloks Halo | Unreleased by N-Space (2013) [YouTube] You are logged out. #third-person shooterACTIVE THREADSREADER COMMENTS LOADING BELOW... Please login (or) make a quick account (free)to view and post comments. Here's what the previews are saying about Mass Effect Andromeda
Lego Dimensions – at last Sonic can be in a successful game again! Gremlins, The Goonies, E.T. Beetlejuice, Knight Rider, and Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them are all being added to Lego Dimensions. Not only is Lego Sonic The Hedgehog real but Warner Bros. are promising the addition of 16 new licences to Lego Dimensions, more than even the trailer below shows. According to their stated three-year plan there is no Lego Dimensions 2 this year, so if you’ve got the original game and Toy Pad you don’t need anything more than whatever toy pack takes your fancy. As before, the packs will launch in waves, with pictures of the first one having leaked this morning. This will include a Ghostbusters Story Pack (the biggest and most expensive addition, that’s almost equivalent to a new game), Adventure Time and Mission: Impossible Level Packs (smaller story levels equivalent to those released last year), Harry Potter and Adventure Time Team Packs (two new vehicles and figures), and an A-Team Fun Pack (just one figure and vehicle).
Those will launch on September 30, and then after that there’ll be new packs based on Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them, The Lego Batman Movie, The Goonies, Sonic The Hedgehog, Teen Titans Go!, Lego City Undercover, Knight Rider, The Powerpuff Girls, Gremlins, Beetlejuice, and E.T. There’s no hint of what kinds of packs the others will be, except that Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them will also have a Story Pack. Overall, that will bring the total number of release waves to nine, with all the toys being fully compatible so that you can, for example, have Sonic riding around in K.I.T.T. from Knight Rider. Lego Dimensions – Gizmo from Gremlins will be released in a later wave Also new will be Battle Arenas, which offer ‘competitive split-screen local gameplay for up to four players’. These are unlocked by any new minifgure released from now on, as part of the Adventure World hub that’s unique to each brand. Apparently arenas have four different gameplay modes and their ‘own traps, special powers and interactive environments’.