We have a teeny tiny bit of a weakness for Toys to Life games here at Everybody Plays - heaving boxes of Skylanders and Disney Infinity figures line the office, while we've amassed quite a collection of Lego Dimensions bits and pieces too.
But unlike Skylanders, which prefers to release a substantial new game every year, LEGO Dimensions is taking a much more incremental approach, choosing to enter its second year by showering fans with extra levels and packs every few months instead. With a whole host of new franchises for the game revealed at last month's E3 trade show, Warner Bros. have given us a much better idea of when we should expect each new batch of add-ons and extras to drop - and what we'll be getting.
We've already got Wave Six pencilled in for September, which will bring with it Mission Impossible, new Ghostbusters and A Team goodies, but what about after that? What could make up Wave 7, and when might it hit? Well wonder no longer - it's coming this November, and it's bringing with it a whole host of awesome packs.
Mr T, Adventure Time's Finn and Mrs. Ghostbusters are amongst the new faces for the second year of LEGO Dimensions
So, let's take a look at what Wave 7 has on offer.
Story Packs
We worry how much these Story Packs will set you back though, considering a single level Level Pack retails for £30+...
For Harry Potter fans, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them gets it's own Story Pack. Essentially a Level Pack on steroids, Story Packs not only come with a whopping six lighthearted levels to play through - they also come with the LEGO pieces you'll need to create a brand new portal top, too. Helping you turn your existing LEGO Gateway portal into the Magical Congress of the United States of America (MACUSA), as featured in the film, the pack also comes with a minifig of famed Magizoologist Newt Scamander, as you help him track down his escaped magical creatures in New York, with a variety of spells at his disposal (Diffindo, Reparo and Lumos for the Harry Potter nerds out there). Alongside Newton, you'll also have a Lego version of the rat-like Niffler, which can be rebuilt into the Sinister Scorpion and Vicious Vulture - all of which will let you ride through the streets of the Big Apple in the most inconspicuous way possible, we're sure.
Level Packs
One step down from a Story Pack, Level Packs bundle one minifig, two vehicles, and also get you access to a brand new story-driven level, themed around that character/property. Wave 7 will be bringing with it one of the most anticipated of all the Level Packs - Sonic.
LEGO Sonic isn't as peculiar looking as we were expecting, actually.
Everyone's favourite blue blur has been immortalised (or at least, plasticised) in minifig form in the Sonic The Hedgehog Level Pack - a level that mashes up iconic Sonic stages such as Green Hill, Emerald Coast, Labyrinth and many more, and sees Sonic racing at lightning speeds, swinging off poles with his Acrobat ability, and grinding rails to make a quick escape from the Badniks, Dr. Robotnik's robotic army. Alongside a Lego minifigure of Sonic himself, you'll also get two rather cool vehicles - the Sonic Speedster car (made famous in the incredible SEGA All Stars Racing), which can be rebuilt into the Blue Typoon and Motobug; and Tails' trademark Tornado plane, transformable into the iconic Crabmeat robot enemy, and Eggcatcher. That mini-Tornado is particularly tasty looking...
Team Packs
Stripping out the extra level, but giving you an extra character for your trouble, Team Packs bundle together two vehicles and two minifigs - and Wave 7 adds one of them.
LEGO Dimensions Series 2 is really ramping up the 80s appeal
For LEGO Dimensions Series 2, developers TT Games are really upping the 80s ante - and one of the bigger 80s hits to get a LEGO make-over is Gremlins in the form of the Gremlins Team Pack. Bundling the popular fuzzy rivals Gizmo and Stripe as LEGO minifigures, each with their own distinct moves and abilities, Gizmo comes packing a Combat Roll and Dash Attack - great for getting him out of sticky situations - while Stripe's Vine Cut is sure to come in handy, as it was an ability previously exclusive to some of the Jurassic Park characters. The pack also comes with two vehicles - the RC Racer which can be rebuilt into the Gadget-o-matic and Scarlet Scorpion and the Flash 'n' Finish, which transforms into the Rampage Record Player and Stripe's Throne.
Fun Packs
Bundling just one character and one vehicle, fun packs may add less stuff - but they're also the cheapest of them all. Wave 7 will bring with it three new fun packs.
A second Fantastic Beasts-themed pack, this time a Fun Pack, will add Newton's wife, the witch Tina Goldstein, wielding the water-shooting spell Aguamenti for solving puzzles, and Protego to create a magical shield to keep her safe from enemy fire. Her steed of choice is the Swooping Evil, a brand new butterfly-like beast, who can then be rebuilt into the Brutal Bloom and Crawling Creeper.
Man, ET looks happy
Meanwhile, the alien best remembered for his starring role in BT adverts, ET gets his own Fun Pack, complete with ET minifig, who in-game will have the Illumination and Fix-It abilities, as well as Stealth and Telekinesis skills - making him a heck of a useful alien to have around as you explore the LEGO Dimensions multiverses. He comes with his iconic Phone Home device, which can be rebuilt into the Mobile Uplink and Super-Charged Satellite too.
Will the Lunatic Amp be rideable though, that's the most important question!
Finally, Cartoon Network hit Adventure Time brings up the rear, with the Adventure Time Fun Pack. Coming with a Marceline the Vampire Queen minifigure, whose trademark Axe Guitar grants her the Sonar Smash and Bolt Deflector abilities to solve puzzles and battle enemies, Marceline's Lunatic Amp can be used to "make some noise", before being rebuilt into the Shadow Scorpion and Heavy Metal Monster for extra skills and abilities.
Every pack, whether they be Level, Fun, Team or Story also gets you access to that franchise's free-form Adventure World too, packed with random quests, favourite characters and oodles of collectables to hunt down. New for waves six to nine of Lego Dimensions expansion packs, each Adventure World will also have an unlockable Battle Arena inside, accessible via a special golden Toy Tag included with each new add-on. These Battle Arenas open up LEGO Dimensions for some four player action, letting you all duke it out over a few different modes - each Battle Arena is themed too, and comes with it's "own traps, special powers and interactive environments".
All of these packs will be hitting the Playstation 3, Playstation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One and Wii U on the 18th November, although the Adventure Time pack will be exclusive to Argos for a time after launch. With two more waves of toys still to be announced - waves eight and nine - make sure you keep checking back for more LEGO Dimensions news in the coming months! For now, check out the brand new trailer below:
