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If you visited the Lego website or Google today then you’d know that today marks the 50th anniversary of the Lego Brick. The little bricks have been a staple child’s toy and have sold millions of products around the world. 50 years on and Lego is still going strong and it has branched out into all mediums of the media, video games included. With over 30 games released or in development there have been some classics as well as duds and we look back through the ages to present the highlights of Lego’s gaming career. From adventure games to racing games and even to a MMO, Lego has lent its addictive nature to every game type under the sun.
Lego Island: Back in 1997 (1998 for Europe and Japan) little known publishers / developers Jason Cleveland INC released Lego Island. It was released for PC and set the wheels in motion for the future of Lego’s gaming career. It gave you control of one of five characters and let you explore an open-ended world, Lego Island, building things and undertaking missions. Think of the missions from Grand Theft Auto; the pizza, ambulance and police missions. Lego Island had them first, but you’d build your vehicle (car, Jet Ski, ambulance, helicopter, etc) and then undertake the mission. Personal favourites were the Race Track where you raced around a huge track weaving in and out of obstacles. If you weren’t interested in the ‘missions’ then you could just explore the island talking to NPCs and building Lego constructions. It was ahead of its time and was brilliantly executed. If you’re worried about the violence in video games for your young children, then this is still a fantastic place to start. Sadly its sequel in 2001 on PC, PS1 and Game Boy Colour was mediocre at its best and basically ended the franchise. Bionicle: If regular Lego wasn’t your thing then there was always the Bionicle universe. Bionicle: The Game was a multiplatform game that was released 2003 to due in with the Bionicle movie. Action-Adventure was the name of the game and it had you fighting enemies, and exploring the Bionicle universe. Sadly despite the popularity of the actual Lego models, the game was slated for poor workmanship and boring gameplay. Its release was probably due to the 2001 releases of handheld (GBA) titles that were well received. Despite this, it seemed that the Bionicle setting was over before it begun, but in 2006 Bionicle Heroes appeared for multiplatform and performed decently. Its attempt to mass market the franchise failed, but it still succeeded on being a fair game (better than its predecessor). The future of Bionicle is unclear as no future games have been announced. Lego Creator: For those that aren’t interested in the ‘video-gamey’ franchises mentioned above and are more interested in building things, i.e. the true spirit of Lego, then be sure to check out the Lego Creator series. It had various Harry Potter tie-ins, as well as a Knights version, but the 1998 original is probably the purest form you’ll find. It let you build models from sets like; Big Rig, Cool Cars and Mythical Creatures. Sadly its lifespan is quite limited and you’ll only really find it being played by the true fanatics as it’s arguably pointless as you might as well get your hands dirty with the real thing.
Lego Racers: Back to the ‘true’ Lego video games; Lego Racers. Racers 1 and 2 were both multiplatform releases and arguably the best Lego games since Lego Island. The original was released back in 1999 (and the sequel followed in 2001) and it granted the player seven circuits (of four tracks each) and let players use micro-machine esc powerups. The sequel kept the same level structure as the original but changed the handling of the cars. As well as that it had homage to Lego Island with a free-roam feature allowing you to talk to characters and partake in mini-games. Lego Star Wars: Not since Island has Lego been translated to such an ideal video gaming form. The two games (which culminate into Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga) presented the iconic movie series with such humorous intentions that its success was inevitable. The ability to play as the film’s characters in cutesy Lego form meant that fans would lap it up at a rate of knots. With building mechanics, exploration, star wars cut scenes and family-friendly violence the games proved a massive success. With delicious graphics (especially in The Complete Saga) and addictive gameplay Lego Star Wars is arguably the best Lego game so far. Future Lego Titles: With Lego’s relationship with Lucas Arts it was inevitable that the developers of the above would branch out in an effort to cash in on Lego Star Wars’ success. Due out in the middle of 2008, Lego Indiana Jones looks to bring the same cooperative gameplay and Lego wit to George Lucas’ iconic film series. Featuring scenes from the films tied in with playable action sequences it’s looking to be another hit. Luckily for you Lego fans is the fact that Lego Batman is currently also in development. The same gameplay and artstyle as the games mentioned above will remain, but with those charming Lego roots. The future is looking bright for Lego video games and lets toast to another 50 years of those addictive little bricks.
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