A New Wave of Characters, Levels & Vehicles Expanding LEGO Dimensions Has Arrived

** A Geek Daddy received the featured products for free to review**

A new wave of expansion packs for Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment's popular LEGO Dimensions video game are now on store shelves.  Players can now expand their game playing experience by incorporating new characters and vehicles from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Sonic the Hedgehog, Gremlins, E.T. -- The Extra-Terrestrial and Adventure Time into their LEGO Dimensions adventures.

In addition to adding new characters, vehicles and locals to LEGO Dimensions, all the expansion packs in this latest wave feature Battle Arenas with competitive split-screen local gameplay for up to four players. LEGO minifigures included in the expansion packs also come with special golden Toy Tags which unlock a free play Adventure World of the corresponding entertainment brand, as well as a battle arena that can be reached through Vorton. Players can explore Adventure Worlds for Gremlins, and also play four exciting gameplay modes within the battle arenas, including Capture the Flag, Objective, Base Bash, and Tick, Tag, Boom!. Each arena comes with its own traps, defenses, and special powers that make every Battle Arena unique. Battles can be played competitively or cooperatively in multiple player configurations including 2 vs 2, 3 vs 1, and individually against the system AI to create fun for the whole family.

The Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Story Pack provides a complete movie-based gameplay experience that is full of secrets and surprises. It includes six action-packed levels and new LEGO Gateway bricks to build atop the LEGO Toy Pad.  Players can build the Newt Scamander LEGO minifigure and help him find his escaped magical creatures in New York City using a variety of spells, including and The pack will also come with the Niffler, which can be rebuilt into the Sinister Scorpion and Vicious Vulture. The Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Story Pack will be the exclusive LEGO construction toy offering this holiday for the exciting expansion of J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World.

Fans of J.K. Rowling's wizarding world can also add the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Fun Pack with a Tina Goldstein LEGO minifigure to their LEGO Dimensions collection. She can cast to help solve puzzles and to keep her safe from enemies. Players in need of rescue can build the Swooping Evil which can be rebuilt into the Brutal Bloom and Crawling Creeper.

Additionally a Sonic the Hedgehog Level Pack is now available where players can join Sonic and his friends in an epic battle against Eggman and Chaos. Spin into action speeding through iconic locations including Green Hill, Emerald Coast, and Labyrinth to collect all the Chaos Emeralds. Players can have the Sonic the Hedgehog LEGO minifigure use his Acrobat ability to swing off poles and avoid the Badniks, then use his famous grind rails move to make a quick escape.  The pack also includes a 3-in-1 Sonic Speedster which can be rebuilt into Blue Typhoon and Motobug, and a 3-in-1 The Tornado which can be rebuilt into Crabmeat and Eggcatcher.



The Gremlins Team Pack includes popular rivals Gizmo and Stripe LEGO minifigures. Each will unlock the Adventure World, where players can explore the Cinema, Clamp Industries, the High School, and so much more. Gizmo’s Combat Roll and Dash Attack abilities can be used to get him out of sticky situations and Stripe uses his claws with his Vine Cut ability. Players can rebuild the 3-in-1 R.C. Racer vehicle into the Gadget-o-matic and Scarlet Scorpion and the 3-in-1 Flash ‘n’ Finish into a Rampage Record Player and Stripe's Throne.

Phone home with the E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial Fun Pack! It includes an E.T. LEGO minifigure with Illumination and Fix-It abilities, as well as special Stealth and Telekinesis skills to make his way around the LEGO multiverse.  Players can build E.T.’s iconic Phone Home device, then rebuild it into the Mobile Uplink and Super-Charged Satellite for additional in-game abilities. With the corresponding Adventure World, players can build new experiences at Elliot’s house and in the suburbs, throughout the park and the forest, on the BMX trail, and even in E.T.’s spaceship.

An additional Adventure Time Fun Pack is being added to LEGO Dimensions in this new wave of expansion packs as well featuring a Marceline the Vampire Queen LEGO minifigure. Players can activate her Sonar Smash and Bolt Deflector abilities using the Marceline Axe Guitar to solve puzzles and battle enemies. They can also build and use Marceline’s Lunatic Amp to make some noise, and then rebuild it into the Shadow Scorpion and Heavy Metal Monster for extra in-game powers. This fun pack is being released as a Toys R Us exclusive in North America.

These additions are the seventh wave of expansion pack to enhance the game play experience since the video game was introduced. LEGO Dimensions can be played on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 computer entertainment systems, Xbox One, Xbox 360, and the Wii U system.  For more information, please visit lego.com/en-us/dimensions

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Giveaway

I've conjured up a great giveaway to enhance the excitement about the newest movie to delve into the wizarding world of J.K. Rowling. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them will whisk fans of Harry Potter back to that magical realm when the movie arrives at theaters across the United States on November 18, 2016, and I've partnered with The Hopping Bloggers to craft a very special giveaway! It is valued at $70 and includes the following:

• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Hardcover Book
• Harry Potter Coloring Book
• Collectible Quidditch Set
• Mischief Managed Cold Cup with Straw
• Golden Snitch Necklace

The year is 1926, and Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) has just completed a global excursion to find and document an extraordinary array of magical creatures. Arriving in New York for a brief stopover, he might have come and gone without incident, were it not for a No-Maj (American for Muggle) named Jacob, a misplaced magical case, and the escape of some of Newt's fantastic beasts, which could spell trouble for both the wizarding and No-Maj worlds.

Enter to win the Fantastic Beasts Prize Pack using the form below. GOOD LUCK!

Entry-Form

Items in prize pack are subject to availability. If no longer available, they will be replaced with something of equal or greater value.

Fantastic Beasts & Where To Find Them

Who else is looking forward to returning to the wizarding world of J.K. Rowling when Fantastic Beasts & Where To Find Them arrives at theaters across the United States on November 18, 2016?  Fan of the Harry Potter books and movies will find themselves transported back to this magical realm, but this time are visiting it decades before the birth of the famous boy wizard who became a world phenomenon within the Muggle --  people who lack any sort of magical ability -- community.  Fantastic Beasts & Where To Find Them was referred to as a Hogwarts School of Witchery & Wizardry text book in the Harry Potter book series and is the inspiration for this original movie which was scripted by J.K. Rowling and is her screenwriting debut.  To help get A Geek Daddy in the mood to go see Fantastic Beasts, Warner Brothers Pictures kindly provided me authentic recreations of the scarf and wand associated with the main character in the film, Newt Scamander.  I'm all ready now to conjure up a good time by going to see this film when it appears at movie theaters -- Accio Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them!

Fantastic Beasts & Where To Find Them takes place in 1926, and Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) has just completed a global excursion to find and document an extraordinary array of magical creatures. Arriving in New York for a brief stopover, he might have come and gone without incident, were it not for a No-Maj (American for Muggle) named Jacob, a misplaced magical case, and the escape of some of Newt's fantastic beasts, which could spell trouble for both the wizarding and No-Maj worlds.




For more information about the film, please visit fantasticbeasts.com

LEGO Dimensions Announces New Wave of Exciting Expansion Packs

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment has announced several new expansion packs for its popular LEGO Dimensions video game will be arriving at stores on November 18, 2016 just in time for the holiday shopping season.  For those of you who already own the LEGO Dimensions starter pack you'll be pleased to know that no updated master game software or new toy pad hardware will be needed to incorporate these expansion packs into your existing game play.  When you purchase the new expansion packs you'll find your new characters, accessories, and environments are fully compatible to mix-and-match with all those previously released for use within the LEGO Dimensions which utilizes LEGO toys to create a hybrid video game experience.

The upcoming expansion packs will introduce my son's favorite video game character, Sonic The Hedgehog, to LEGO Dimensions.  Characters from two iconic movies of my youth, E.T. and Gremlins, will also be joining the LEGO Dimensions cast of characters.  For those of you looking forward to the upcoming Harry Potter prequel Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them you'll be excited that LEGO Dimensions will be incorporating elements of the movie into the video game as well.  Plus all of these new expansion packs will include golden Toy Tags which unlock special, all new Battle Arenas.  These Battle Arenas will offer first-to-LEGO video games competitive split-screen gameplay for up to four players.  Each will have four gameplay modes and come with its own traps, special powers and interactive environments that make every Battle Arena unique.

The Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Story Pack will be the largest of the new expansion packs providing a complete movie-based gameplay experience with 6 levels and comes with new LEGO Gateway bricks to build the Magical Congress of the United States of America on top of the LEGO toy pad. Players can build a Newt Scamander LEGO minifigure and help him find his escaped magical creatures in New York City and use a variety of spells, including Diffindo, Reparo, and Lumos.  The pack will also come with a 3-in-1 Niffler which can be rebuilt into two other creatures from the movie, the Sinister Scorpion and Vicious Vulture.  A Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Fun Pack will also be available which will include a Tina Goldstein LEGO minifigure and a 3-in-1 Swooping Evil which can also be rebuilt into the Brutal Bloom and Crawling Creeper creatures from the movie.

The Sonic the Hedgehog Level Pack will allow players to race as the Blue Blur at lightening speeds through favorite locations from his previous SEGA video games including Green Hill, Emerald Coast, and Labyrinth.  The pack will include a Sonic the Hedgehog LEGO minifigure, a 3-in-1 Sonic Speedster, which can be rebuilt into the Blue Typhoon or Motobug, and a 3-in-1 The Tornado, which can also be rebuilt into Crabmeat or Eggcatcher.

The Gremlins Team Pack includes LEGO minifigures of Gizmo and Stripe. Gizmo's Combat Roll and Dash Attack abilities can be used to get him out of sticky situations and Stripe uses his claws and his Vine Cut ability.  Players can also rebuild the included 3-in-1 R.C. Racer vehicle into the Gadget-o-matic or Scarlet Scorpion and the 3-in-1 Flash 'n' Finish into a Rampage Record Player and Stripe's Throne.

Phone home with the E.T.: Extra-Terrestrial Fun Pack that includes an E.T. LEGO minifigure with Illumination and Fix-It abilities, as well as special Stealth and Telekinesis skills that can be used throughout the LEGO Dimensions multiverse.  Players can also build E.T.'s iconic Phone Home device, then rebuild it into the Mobile Uplink and Super-Charged Satellite for additional in-game abilities.

These all look to be great additions to the LEGO Dimensions video game! Which one is your favorite?  LEGO Dimensions is now available for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 computer entertainment systems, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii U.

History of Magic in North America

To help promote the newest movie set within J.K. Rowling's "wizarding world", Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them which is opening at U.S. theaters on November 18, 2016, the Harry Potter author is introducing four brand new short stories, one each day this week from Tuesday March 8 through Friday, March 11.  While the original Harry Potter saga was based in modern day Europe, Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them is set in 1920's era New York City.  These four new stories will provide some insight on this new setting within the wizarding world by looking at the history of magic in North America.

The four stories will provide readers with an overview of topics such as Ilvermorny (the Hogwarts school of the USA), Skin-Walkers (the first native American magic users), the  witch trials, and the Magical Congress of the United States of America (the New World's equivalent of the Ministry of Magic from the Harry Potter stories).

These stories will be available to read for FREE on the Pottermore.com website.  A new story on each of the four topics above will be released each morning at 9am EST.  For more information about the upcoming movie, visit FantasticBeasts.com.