It’s hard to believe now, but during the late 90s, the Lego company faced an enormous struggle to stay relevant and profitable as children turned elsewhere for entertainment. Now, however, the Danish toy outfit has established itself as a cultural giant built not just from little bricks, but from licensed toys, animated feature films and, of course, video games. The unique, symbiotic connection between key brands like Star Wars, physical Lego playsets and the hugely successful Lego series of games was always going to lead toward a “toys-to-life” title. In this genre, created by Activision’s Skylanders series, special action figures can be placed on a USB portal, which then renders them into the on-screen action (using a rather unglamorous technology close to that which sees an Oyster card open a Tube station’s gate). The only surprise is that it’s taken so long for Dimensions to arrive. Created by Traveller’s Tales, the team behind many of the recent Lego video games, Dimensions’ design takes on a fundamentally similar form to its forbearers.
It’s a third-person action-adventure where gameplay centres on light combat and environmental puzzle solving, with switches, levers and locked doors serving as Dimension’s core currency of interaction. But while it’s conventional, it is certainly not mediocre. Lego Dimensions offers a hugely captivating world filled with character and considered design. The wit that this studio has brought to its previous titles is immediately evident in the setting. Thanks to the dimension-plundering efforts of an archetypical super villain played by Gary Oldman, the game’s cast of protagonists – opening with the Batman, Gandalf and Lego Movie characters included in the starter pack – are forced to protect a series of high-profile fictional worlds. The result sees the protagonists, locations and lore of The Wizard of Oz, Doctor Who, The Simpsons and more mixed and mashed into a series of entertaining levels. The environments are detailed and imaginative, playing home to well-designed puzzles that reward single and cooperative play with near equal grace.
The quality of writing and knack for comedy shines through. Whether it’s Batman’s frustrated attempt to comprehend a Tardis, or confusion about right and wrong on the Yellow Brick Road, Dimensions knows how to raise a smile. There are odd glitches to be found, and perhaps the value of the boss battle is slightly overstated throughout the game. Predominantly, though, Dimensions is tremendous fun. But what of those physical toys? In Dimensions they are, of course, built from Lego, taking the form of characters and vehicles. The starter pack includes the required Toy Pad platform, the three aforementioned character figures, and one vehicle; a diminutive Lego Batmobile. Very quickly, the unique strength of Lego reveals itself. While other toys-to-life games like Skylanders and Disney Infinity have mostly provided players with static action figures, this is a game that wants you to really play with the toys. In fact, the opening starts with putting the controller aside and building a portal on the Toy Pad.
Later models are reconstructed to track progress and reflect upgrades in game, and throughout, you’re never far from the next moment you switch thumbsticks for bricks. But with the toys also comes Dimension’s capacity to irritate. Unavailable areas, hidden items and other concealed elements lurk in each and every level. Many can only be accessed by certain characters or vehicles not included in the starter pack, which must be purchased in the real world for real money. Although this is a standard feature of this genre, it’s still a bridge between the physical and virtual that most parents could probably do without – especially as the extra sets do not come cheap. Available in various arrangements that each provide new Lego models and game content – including entire new missions and levels in some cases – the packs are certainly of a quality equal to the base game. But it is Dimension’s habit of constantly suggesting the introduction of these new elements that is bound to put pressure on parental wallets.
Buying a new pack does make revisiting a level rewarding, and arguably lends longevity to the experience. But one thing is clear; the completist will have to spend hundreds of pounds to experience Dimensions in its entirety. The base game, though, remains superb – the ways Dimensions harnesses what Lego does best to blend the tangible with the digital is consistently delightful. Dimensions may be the best Lego game yet, but like the sweets at the supermarket counter, or those tantalising extras in the latest free-to-play smartphone game, it might prove most talented when it comes to causing friction between parent and child.PS3/PS4/Wii U/Xbox 360/Xbox One (version tested); LEGO Digital Designer, or LDD, is a free computer program produced by the LEGO Group as a part of LEGO Design byME.[2] It is available for Mac and Windows platforms. The program allows users to build models using virtual LEGO bricks, in a computer-aided design like manner. Until January 16, 2012, these could be uploaded, along with instructions and a box design, to the LEGO Design byME website, from where the models could be ordered for delivery as a real, packaged set.
Users can also take screenshots of their models and store the models on their computer in an . On January 21, 2016, LEGO announced the project had been defunded, and would not receive additional updates. In March 2016, a new updated version, 4.3.9, was uploaded. The program features a palette of bricks and pieces in different colours that can be used to build any model imaginable. Only a subset of the bricks made by LEGO are available for use in regular mode. The more comprehensive LDD Extended mode allows any brick to be put in any color, but these were not available through the Design byMe service. There is also a mode for viewing in which screenshots can be taken and the model can be "exploded". A third mode automatically generates building instructions to an .html file. LEGO Digital Designer was one of the modeling programs to create THE LEGO MOVIE. On November 9, 2011, Lego announced that the Design byMe service was going to end on January 16, 2012 due to its failure to meet quality expectations and for being too complex.