Everyone loves LEGO - but as a child, while stacking our various interlocking inexpensive plastic pieces, little did we imagine the plot they held to take over the world.
Nowadays, LEGO has high street stores dedicated to them, interests in everything from movies to theme parks, and, most importantly, more deals with huge film and TV franchises than most of us can even imagine.
In just a few weeks time, the LEGO company will be putting their licensing deals to good use in their blockbuster-in-the-making, LEGO Dimensions. This, of course, is their foray into a Disney Infinity/Skylanders style of game, where physical figures and a digital game meet. With drop-in, drop-out co-op, and levels that wouldn't be out of place in a traditional LEGO game, the twist with LEGO Dimensions is that if you want to play as a certain character in the game, you'll need to plonk that figure on the base in real life, as we found out when we went hands-on a few weeks ago. Perhaps unusually for these sort of games, while there'll be a wide range of add-ons available, each of which adding a number of characters, vehicles and sometimes even levels to the game should you be so inclined, the main story mode in LEGO Dimensions will take you through each of the game's key franchises anyway, each tied into a boundary blurring storyline. So, with the weeks now ticking down, we thought we'd bring you a quick look at two of the levels you'll be playing through in the game - The Simpsons, and Midway Arcade.
Itchy and Scratchy on TV. What else!
Yes, LEGO Dimensions will give you the chance to build your way around a cell shaded brick version of Springfield, interacting with all the major characters you'd expect to see. And plenty you wouldn't. You see, while it'll maintain its own unique identity (mainly thanks to the art style), The Simpsons level, like all stages in LEGO Dimensions, will embrace the cross over of characters which make the title seem so appealing. As it so happens, the baddies in this stage aren't Mr Burns and Waylon Smithers, but rather Lord Business and The Joker (of course) who have invaded. A level pack will be available separately which includes a Homer figure, and a Simpsons Fun Pack, which includes Bart and Krusty minifigures will also be available to buy.
However, it's not only formerly-popular-but-now-dwindling-in-popularity shows that can be found in LEGO Dimensions, as the game also offers some more unusual fare. The Midway Arcade level is one of those, as it sees the dream team of Batman, Gandalf and WyldStyle, going all Tron on us and entering the world of videogames (namely classic titles, Super Sprint, Gauntlet, Defender and Robotron).
In the world of the Midway Arcade, in LEGO Dimensions. Everything's gone a bit Inception on us.
A level pack will also be available to augment this experience, including a retro gamer minifigure (not sure all retro gamers follow the blueprint) and an entire level containing 20 titles to beat.
The game will hit shelves, both virtual and physical on 29th September in a particularly broad scale. LEGODimensions will be available on Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS4, PS3 and even... wait for it... WiiU! No longer are Nintendo players left out of the release of a major title. Well, thinking about it, how many people out there have a Wii U? Apart from us.
