Lego Dimensions First Look – Starter Pack, Back to the Future, Lord of the Rings

Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros. is an exceptional series because the company brings in characters from different universe, essentially creating the ultimate video game mash-up.  Fans want to unlock all of the stages and trophies, but ultimately it comes down to seeing who would win in a fight, Kirby or Mario?

WB Games’ Lego Dimensions won’t let you pit every character against each other per se, but it’s by far one of the most intriguing mash-up games since the original Smash Bros. appeared on the Nintendo 64 in 1999.  WB and the talented developers from Traveller’s Tales kicked open a treasure chest of Hollywood riches and sprinkled a little Skylanders-inspired magic to create what should be one of top-selling kids products this holiday season in both the video game and toy categories.   

At its most basic elements, Lego Dimensions is a Skylanders style adventure, except instead of placing characters onto a Portal of Power, WB refers to it as the Lego Toy Pad, which works in conjunction with a Lego Gateway players must assemble beforehand, though at first glance, the latter appears more cosmetic than anything.

Similar to Disney Infinity, you’ll explore a wealth of toy box environments pulled from different franchises with all sorts of familiar faces, and this is what separates the game from the competition. Not only will characters from Ninjago and The Lego Movie make appearances, including Wyldstyle, Bad Cop and Emmet, but also heroes and villains from The Wizard of Oz, Back to the Future and The Lord of the Rings. In addition, all or the majority of these characters will be able to use the plethora of vehicles, from the Batmobile and Benny’s Spaceship to Wonder Woman’s Invisible Jet. Want to see Gollum from The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings trilogies ride around in the DeLorean Time Machine? Have at it.

This wealth of content also lets players create super teams to battle the evil Lord Vortech and return order to the Lego Multiverse.  With that in mind, it’s Marty McFly, Legolas and Unikitty to the rescue!

In addition to bringing characters from different universes together, the same can be said of environments. Batman will go Back to the Future and Gimli will visit the world of Oz (and perhaps run into Dorothy, The Cowardly Lion and the Tin Man). The weirdest thing we’ve seen? The Eye of Sauron right in the middle of a modern-city that might be Superman’s Metropolis.  

All of this naturally comes at a cost, multiple price points, in fact.  The Starter Pack will sell for $99.99 and come with the Dimensions game, Batman, Gandalf and Wyldstyle figures, along with the Toy Pad, Gateway and Batmobile. Everything else is sold separately. The Back to the Future Pack (Marty, the DeLorean and the Hoverboard from Back to the Future Part II), for example, is $29.99, while the Wizard of Oz Wicked Witch Fun Pack’s $14.99 MSRP is a bit easier on the wallet.  You’ll receive plenty with the Starter Pack, but with an estimated 12 additional packs debuting close to the game’s September 27 release, you’ll spend a lot of cash collecting everything. Side note, you can bring up to seven vehicles and/or gadgets into the game, so all those toys won’t sit around. 

Throw in drop in/drop out co-operative play and more character packs to be announced (it’s only a matter of time before Star Wars and Jurassic World appear), and Lego Dimensions has enough franchise muscle to attract consumers, and perhaps draw them away from Skylanders, Disney Infinity and whatever Nintendo has up its virtual sleeve with amiibo. We’ll provide new details about the game in the coming months, and will hopefully get some hands-on time at this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3).

Lego Dimensions looks cool, but first comes Lego Jurassic World in June. 

Now watch the first Lego Dimensions trailer with Gandalf, Batman and Wyldstyle!