LEGO Expands Play To A New Dimension

My kids always enjoy playing with either LEGO building blocks or one of the various video games they have that are inspired by the toys like LEGO: Marvel Super Heroes. Hey I'll admit it I love playing with all things LEGO too!  So we were excited to hear the news that LEGO is introducing a new video game that will merge virtual and physical play this September.  Called LEGO Dimensions, the toy company promises to break the rules of traditional gaming to merge physical LEGO brick building with interactive console gameplay in a manner only imaginable in the universe of LEGO entertainment.

Taking a cue from the popular blockbuster hit THE LEGO MOVIE, this new gaming system has a story that merges our real life world with the fantastic LEGO worlds of our imagination.  LEGO announced its new gaming system through releasing a humorous video that portrays the creation of a magical vortex that connects real life to a dimension of LEGO worlds.

When a mysterious and powerful vortex suddenly appears in various LEGO worlds, different characters from DC Comics, The Lord of the Rings and The LEGO Movie are swept away. To save their friends, Batman, Gandalf and Wyldstyle bravely jump into the vortex and quickly find themselves fighting to save all of LEGO humanity.

Let creativity be the guide to a building and gaming adventure – journey through unexpected worlds and team-up with unlikely allies on the quest to defeat the evil Lord Vortech. Play with different minifigures from different worlds together in one LEGO videogame, and use each other’s vehicles and gadgets in a way never before possible. LEGO Bad Cop driving the DeLorean Time Machine…why not?! The LEGO Ninjago Masters of Spinjitsu fighting alongside Wonder Woman...yes, please! Get ready to break the rules, because the only rule with LEGO Dimensions is that there are no rules. #BreakTheRules

The concept for this new game isn't entirely new though, it is essentially following in the footsteps of ACTIVISION's popular ground-breaking SKYLANDERS which allows players to purchase physical action figures and than immerse the toys they've collected into their video game play.  DISNEY recently followed the Skylanders model with the release of their own Infinity video gaming platform.  Based upon the popularity, and profitability, of combining physical and virtual play elements, LEGO has now joined in on this video game trend.  It will be interesting to see how LEGO puts its own spin on this trend and the quality of its product versus that of Disney Infinity and Activision's Skylanders.

LEGO Dimensions is being developed by TT Games and published by Warner Bros. Interactive.  It will be available for Xbox One and Xbox 360 from Microsoft, Sony's Playstation 4 and Playstation 3, and Nintendo's Wii U entertainment systems and will combine many of the LEGO licensed properties together including DC Comics, The Lord of the Rings, The LEGO Movie, The Wizard of Oz, LEGO Ninjago, and Back to the Future.  Characters from additional fan-favorite LEGO worlds will be introduced in future upgrades and editions of the game.

Beginning September 27, 2015 the LEGO Dimensions  video game will be available in a Starter Pack along with the LEGO Toy Pad, which allows players to transport special LEGO minifigures and other LEGO vehicles and objects into the games, bricks to build the LEGO Gateway, three LEGO minifigures (Batman from DC Comics / Gandalf from The Lord of the Rings / Wyldstyle from The LEGO Movie) plus the LEGO Batmobile.  Additional expansion packs can than be purchased to provide new buildable characters, vehicles, tools, gadgets, mission-based levels and unique in-game content.  Expansion packs that will be available at the release of LEGO Dimensions or later on within 2015 include a Back to the Future Level Pack with a LEGO Marty McFly minifigure, a LEGO Ninjago Team Pack with Kai and Cole minifigures, DC Comics Fun Packs with Wonder Woman and Cyborg minifigures, The LEGO Movie fun packs with Emmet, Bad Cop, Benny and Unikitty characters, and a The Wizard of Oz Fun Pack with a Wicked Witch of the West minifigure.  LEGO plans on having further waves or expansion packs released regularly following the launch of LEGO Dimensions.

"When kids play with LEGO bricks, they build beyond the singular brands, intermixing all of their favorite characters and universes, and we have come up with a way for players to experience that in games," said Jon Burton, Founder and Creative Director, TT Games in a press release sent to A Geek Daddy Blog.  "Now for the first time in a video game, LEGO fans can play in the virtual world and in the real world -- combining everything without restrictions.  Imagine putting LEGO Gollum from The Lord of the Rings behind the wheel of the LEGO Delorean in New Ninjago City - the creative play is endless."

One brand that probably won't appear in LEGO Dimensions that was included in The LEGO Movie unfortunately is Star Wars as this video game system is a direct competitor to Disney Infinity.  One of my kids favorite video games is Disney Infinity but it does have some weaknesses that it appears LEGO is looking to exploit.  While offering numerous characters to expand into its game, Disney Infinity really limits the structured game play and uses for add-on characters (for example Anna from FROZEN can't play in the Marvel Avengers levels or Sorcerer Mickey can only play in the build it yourself Toy Box worlds) while LEGO Dimensions promises that gamers will be able to use everything interchangeably, anywhere through the game - with no limitations.  Another Disney Infinity limitation has been its difficulties with backwards compatibility as consumers needed to buy a new a new figure platform to access its second edition updated game and lost the ability to access content from its first edition offerings.  LEGO Dimensions has also promised that the LEGO Toy Pad, LEGO Gateway, and the video game found in its initial Starter Pack will offer endless opportunities to customize player's experiences for year's to come and in a dig at Disney proclaims "future expansion pack purchases will continue to work with the Starter Pack, even in the fall of next year -- no compatibility chart necessary."

Now my kids have really enjoyed the Disney Infinity video games and we have purchased characters to play on it ranging from Baymax to The Incredible Hulk to Woody from Toy Story which have resulted in some great hours of family fun.  We're actually planning on buying the next expansion of Disney Infinity when it arrives presumably in the Fall of 2015 and hopefully with a Star Wars theme based on our satisfaction with it.  That being said, we've also been somewhat under-whelmed by Disney Infinity as it has failed to fully live up to its potential by lacking in providing greater detail in its backgrounds and environments, the ability to fully interchange all of its characters in any aspect of game play, and to provide more structured and enhanced developer provided levels for players to use all their characters in rather than making people DIY through the Toy Box features. Note the Toy Box feature is a lot of fun and very good but most people can't produce the same level of quality through it as that provided by professional video game developers - sort of like youtube is fun to watch but I wouldn't replace viewing television networks for it. It will be interesting to see how LEGO Dimensions lives up to its promises and how it actually plays once it is available in September. 

Hopefully continued competition between Skylanders, Disney Infinity, and LEGO Dimensions will prompt improvements in each game to the benefit of their players.  I know my kids are looking forward to playing ALL these video games - and yes once again I'll admit I am too!

#breaktherules

Win a Fun T-shirt Courtesy of SHIRTS.COM

You have to admit no matter how old ... or young ... a person is a fun t-shirt is a staple for any wardrobe.  Unless enjoying a vacation and looking for a cool souvenir, shopping for t-shirts at stores unfortunately often can be a real drag as it is  difficult to find that awesome perfect shirt you really want when you want it because you're not lucky enough to stumble upon an eye catching design, a size that fits, or a price that isn't ridiculously high.  I recently discovered SHIRTS.COM and can say problem solved!
Hey shirts.com has a t-shirt that combines Star Wars and Bacon....you know they had me at Darth Vader!

Shirts.com allows you to select online from a wide selection of fun t-shirts from a variety of categories like Funny, Vintage and Cheap for men, women, girls and boys.  The Cheap Shirts section though aren't tacky or crappy rather it has a selection of fun shirts that are like finding a good deal on a clearance item rack that is actually something that fits you and you'd want to wear.  I dare you to say this R2-D2 shirt from the Cheap Shirts section is tacky. It's Geek Chic!

Our family recently ordered several t-shirts from shirts.com - they had something for everyone: a retro School House Rock shirt for me, My Little Pony for my little princess, How To Train Your Dragon for my son, and a Wally World one for my wife who says our family vacation are always like a National Lampoons movie - and we love them.  So we're going to share the love with one lucky A Geek Daddy blog reader and provide a $25 credit so you can pick out your own fun t-shirt from SHIRTS.COM to enjoy!

Just follow the instructions below before Sunday, March 29, 2015 @ 11:59pm EST to enter and earn up to four entries:

UPDATE: Congrats to our winner Sean from Gig Harbor, Washington.

 EMAIL (1 ENTRY) - Email thegeekdaddy [at] yahoo [dot] com with your name, mailing address with subject line FUN TSHIRTS.

TWEET (1 ENTRY) - Tweet a message to @Geeky_Dad saying "I want to win this t-shirt from SHIRTS.COM" with the link to the shirt from the shirt.com website and hashtag #tshirtlove
  
FACEBOOK (2 ENTRIES) - Leave a comment on this giveaway post identifying which t-shirt you'd like to win from shirt.com and a link to the shirt from their website.

From my perspective, I appreciate this website because they have a large inventory of SciFi/Superhero shirts to select from including Back to the Future, Batman, Marvel, Star Trek, and Star Wars.  My wife noted that each shirt's description on the website has a Softness Rating and she said it was dead on when it came to our experience with the website that apparently was her favorite thing.  She really is right on that point as my son's shirt was listed as 10/10 on the Softness Rating and it is soooo soft!!!  From my kids' perspective they really liked getting shirts tied to brands they love (My Little Ponies / Dreamworks How To Train Your Dragon) and that it was fun to get something in the mail. It's nice that shirts.com offers a reasonable flat rate for standard shipping (4-8 days delivery) at $2.99 for your entire order.

Shirts.com is part of a trio of online shopping websites with a fun theme which also includes HalloweenCostumes.com, which lets kids and adults get into the spirit of the holiday or get dressed up for that that masquerade ball or themed party that pops up sometime during the rest of the year, and Fun.com, which sells novelty gifts that let people appreciate and enjoy the geeky side of life.

From our family's experience with SHIRTS.COM they get A GEEK DADDY nod of approval for the convenience and selection offered by the website, reliable manner the company conducted itself, and the quality of products we received.  Check them out at www.shirts.com.

Disclaimer & Rules:

You must be a US resident to enter over the age of 18. A Geek Daddy Blog will select a random winner on  Monday, March 30, 2015 ( 1 winner will be selected from a random draw of all eligible entries - each submitted entry will be assigned a number and a random number will be drawn to select a winner based upon total entries ).  A Geek Daddy Blog will be responsible for selecting the winner of this contest, but SHIRTS.COM  is responsible for fulfillment and delivery of the prize. By participating in this contest you agree to allow your email address to be forwarded to SHIRTS.COM if you are selected as the winner so they may contact you about redeeming your prize.  You also waive any liability towards A Geek Daddy Blog or its publisher that may arise from your involvement with this promotion. A Geek Daddy Blog hosted this contest and blog post based upon SHIRTS.COM providing the prize to the selected winner.  Only one entrant per mailing address per giveaway. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you will not be eligible to win again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.  No P.O. Boxes are allowed as mailing addresses. A Geek Daddy Blog is hosting this giveaway as a benefit to our readers. A Geek Daddy Blog did not receive financial compensation for this post but did receive 4 free t-shirts from SHIRTS.COM for the publisher's personal use.  The thoughts and opinions expressed in this post are that of the publisher of this blog and not that of the prize sponsor. E-mails received from those not selected as the prize winner will not be forwarded to the prize sponsor or any other third party and deleted at the conclusion of the promotion.

How Much is a Used Storm Trooper Boot Worth?

How much is a used storm trooper boot worth? I guess we'll find out on October 16th when Prop Store auctions off in London more than 375 original television show and movie costumes and props including a hover board prop used by Michael J Fox in Back to the Future (1989), a Batman suit & cape used onscreen by the stunt double in Batman Returns (1992) and a storm trooper boot from Star Wars: A New Hope (1977).  Can't jump the pond to participate don't worry because the auction will also be carried live via the Internet to let people around the world in on the action.  You can also register and enter a pre-auction bid on an item if you want to just throw out a number you'd be willing to pay for a collectible and see if you can win.  CLICK HERE to see the entire catalog of movie memorabilia up for auction by Prop Store.

A few items I'd throw on my wish list is the Blue Harvest crew cap [a bit of trivia is that to try and keep the filming of Return of the Jedi a secret they called the movie Blue Harvest during its production], the Ralph McQuarrie Star Trek StarFleet Headquarters Painting [McQuarrie did the concept art to assist with the production of many of the Sci-Fi/Fantasy movies of the 1970s and 1980s & is one of my favorite artists] and the Antarctic Ancient Control Chair used in the television shows Stargate SG-1 (1997) and Stargate Atlantis (2004-2009) [which are two of my favorite tv shows from the old SciFi Friday days of the SyFy Channel].  The auction catalog features appraised values of items [in pounds not dollars] but they could go for lower or higher amounts based upon bidder interest and the reserve [lowest bid seller will accept] on the prop or costume.  A certificate of authenticity from a reputable appraiser is provided for each prop and costume to help preserve the value of items purchased in the auction.

Unfortunately while I find the props and costumes featured in this auction really incredible and would love to showcase them at my home or office, the prices are most likely going to be way out of the ballpark for my participation.  A biker scout helmet used in Return of the Jedi is appraised to go for around 8,000 to 10,000 pounds for example and the storm trooper boot I mentioned earlier is appraised to go for 800 to 1,200 pounds.  You may be able to find something somewhat affordable and interesting if you really look through the catalog though such as a Ralph McQuarrie Christmas Card that was sent out by LucasFilm to the cast and crew of Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back that is appraised in the range of 80 to 100 pounds.

If you would really love to have a piece from one of your favorite movies or television shows this could be the chance to pickup a one of a kind collectible that you can appreciate and cherish for a long time...I just would advise against spending your children's college fund for a prop or costume no matter how cool it is.  I'm pretty sure there are some people out there contemplating that after taking a look through this auction's fantastic catalog.

 For more information or to participate in the Prop Store Auction visit: www.propstore.com/liveauction