A scene from the video game Lego Dimensions.
Batman is hurling batarangs into the air, trying to knock the Wicked Witch of the West off her broomstick. A dazed Wildstyle is staggering along the Yellow Brick Road after eating poisonous flowers, regularly crashing into her sidekicks, Marty McFly and Homer Simpson.
Meanwhile, Gandalf is wreaking havoc with his
terrible driving skills, knocking out a velociraptor from Jurassic World and smashing into Scooby Doo. He's behind the wheel of the Batmobile, yelling, "I have returned to aid the cause!" while his staff rests in the back seat.
Welcome to the crazy wonderland of Lego Dimensions. At $169 for a starter pack, and $29-$49 for team packs and fun packs, Lego Dimensions is a more expensive option than either of the game's competitors, Skylanders or Disney Infinity. If your kids are already addicted to Lego, this is the only game they'll want, meaning Christmas just got very expensive.
Thankfully, it's a heck of a lot of fun. In this mashed-up mega world, all your toys sit on the Lego Gateway, a pad made out of Lego that you have to build yourself. Instead of hindering the game's flow, flicking through on-screen guides to build Back to the Future's Delorean Time Machine or Shaggy's Mystery Machine to play in the game is a joy - especially if you've got a nimble-fingered five-year-old on the couch next to you. A wander around the game's home planet, Vorton, shows just how expansive this universe is. Entire worlds are dedicated to Lego Chima, Ghostbusters, The Lego Movie, Portal 2 and Jurassic World. In The Simpsons, you can visit Krusty Land and jump on the amusement rides. In Lord of the Rings, you can knock hobbits off their horses and demolish hobbit holes looking for gold.
Because you can play as any character in any world, Lego Dimensions' real value is in its replayable options. Each vehicle can be built in three different ways, each level can be replayed with a different cast of characters and - depending on the size of your wallet - the game can run as long as Lego keeps releasing toys for it.
