A Gamer's Review: Lego Dimensions

Today is an especially exciting day for me as I'm introducing a guest blogger...my other half...A Husband, A Dad & More! He is a true & very authentic AFOL (Adult Fan of Lego) & an avid gamer. Find & follow him on Twitter.

Here is his (honest and passionate) review of the newest game released by The Lego Group and Traveler's Tales. 

To be clear I want to start off by saying that Lego Dimensions is a fun family game.  Just go online and read all the wonderful reviews and you will see why this game is highly recommended.  I just want to point out some of the things that I believe TTGames got wrong and if implemented could have made this an even better game.  

My point of view:

Here is a little background on me.  I have always been a fan of Lego.  I got my first set back in 1980-something and have been collecting sets ever since.  From the digital standpoint I have played mostly all the Lego Video games including Lego Universe.  Back then I always thought they should sell toys from the game.  One of the biggest draws to Lego Universe was my ability to make things on their properties but I always wanted to export this into Digital Designer and purchase it.  I even wrote to Lego at one point suggesting that they start selling sets with Lego Universe codes so we can play with the sets both in real life and in the game.  I found a way to multiply myself (who says cloning doesn't exist ☺) by having two sons and now we are a whole Lego loving family.

Voice casting got it totally wrong in some spots:

Enter Lego Dimensions.  When I first saw the trailer about Lego Dimensions I was super excited.  The possibilities were endless in my mind.  I imagined all the great themes that Lego made throughout the years and thought the possibilities were endless--predicting that this game was going to be epic!  As the months went by and the trailers released,  I grew even more excited.  They announced Portal 2, Back to the Future, Ghostbusters and other franchises that blew my mind.  All this in one video game.

Before the game came out I had campaigned on Twitter for TTGames to address a couple of concerns I had.  I begged as nicely as I could (☺)  that Lego Dimensions would voice the original cast of Chima and Ninjago.  I didn’t think this was an outrageous request since Lego owns the rights to these shows.  Another reason I was hopeful was because as we grew closer to the game release they revealed that some of the original voices of The Lego Movie, Back to the Future, Portal and others were returning.

Tweets: 

TT Games ‏@TTGames Sep 14

We have some absolutely amazing voice actors on @LEGODimensions. Check out who's involved here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avEGqe4Crbo … #breaktherules

They also teased that other voices will return:

LEGO Dimensions ‏@LEGODimensions Sep 25

There are even more voices and actors that we haven't revealed. We sense lots of fandom squeals once discovered. 

Armed with this information I was really hoping they would fix this flaw but unfortunately they did not.  The voices were so far from the original characters it made it impossible for me to enjoy the cut scenes because I didn’t believe the people talking were them.  I know that this is a production of Warner Brothers but ultimately it is still Lego.  How hard is it to get their cast?  I can understand Chima since they stopped filming, but Ninjago?  They are still filming.  Now every time I hear Jay talk I can’t shake the feeling that he is an imposter and it takes away from the overall game experience.

Character disconnection:

From the moment the story unfolded in the first level I felt disappointment.  The game pack starts off with three characters, Batman, Gandolf, and Wyldstyle but offers a wide variety of others from the 14 various themes that are included.  I was super excited to see how Homer would interact with them and when I put him on the portal it was as if he didn’t exist.  The characters almost never interacted with him and it felt like he didn’t belong.  In fact for some characters like Eris from Chima and Owen from Jurassic World you wouldn’t even have a clue where they came from because it is never mentioned in the game.

This may seem trivial to most but just imagine how much better this could have been if there was more interaction.  For example, I put Homer on the toy pad for the first time and there is a mini move of Homer sitting around at his power plant pressing a bunch of buttons trying to look busy when a portal opens up.  He tries to run away but eventually gets sucked in.  He then appears in the level with the other characters and he asks what he is doing there.  Then the others say some canned responses like "you got sucked in" and "we are fighting to save all the dimensions".  Introductions are made (all while still fighting) and the story continues.  Each character can have their own unique introduction that will help tie the story together and give incentive to the consumer to go out and buy them all.

Another thing that would be even better is if they found a way to include the other characters in the cut scenes.  A good example of this it the Skylanders series by Activision.  From the moment you place a new character on the screen they come to life on the screen and are included in every cut scene as long as there are in play.  I realize this is a bit harder to do because their cut scenes are mostly game play instead of CGI movies but it really helps to feel like every toy is just as special as the next.  In Lego Dimensions, there are clear favorites.

Exclusion of game worlds in story:

Lego Dimensions does a good job of including many of the 14 themes into their character story but I was sad to see that two of them were left out.  They were instead substituted with unrelated levels relevant to the story but not the themed worlds.  Their inclusions only consisted of themed mini kits.  Again this goes with the theme that some characters are just not as important as others.

Expansion levels are too small:

The expansion levels go too quickly.  In some instances they seem rushed and skip a lot of content to retell a story in a short amount of time.  I only hope that this will be expanded in the days to come but I am skeptical.  After all, this is the same company that brought us The Lego Hobbit with two of the three movies story and never finishing the saga.

Conclusion:

Again I will state that I still enjoyed this game. But I feel there is loads of room for improvement.  My hopes are that the developers will somehow stumble upon this review and maybe rethink how they can improve this and/or future Lego Dimension games.

Three Contemporary Novels I've Read and Enjoyed

**Minimal Spoilers**

Unethical: (Entangled Embrace) by Jennifer Blackwood: This is the love story of Payton Daniel and Blake Hiller, a couple of med students who fell in love and lost each other years before reconnecting again at University.  Payton is running away from her past. And Blake is confused & hurt by what he views as Payton’s rejection.  Will they be able to find a way to tell each other how they truly feel, forgive, and forge a life together?  In this novel, the topic of assisted suicide is gently touched upon. There are two (maybe even three) sides to every story and some issues are not so cut and dry. This is a wonderful loving story. 

Before You Go by Clare James:   Tabitha suffered a terrible trauma that caused a big scandal at her college campus. She decides to move to another city to conquer her troubles and start fresh. She encounters Noah and expects that a one-night stand with this handsome man will solve her problems. But nothing goes according to her plan. Both broken and holding in secrets, the two begin to forge a connection with one another that is undeniable. And just like with most things, the truths inevitably come out. Will they learn to trust each other & give in to love?

Reckless Longing by Gina Robinson:  Ellie decides to have her belly button pierced and Logan offers to hold her hand so she doesn’t chicken out. So begins the non-traditional love story of Ellie and Logan.  They have this adorable banter, with great conversations getting to know one another (although still managing to keep some very deep secrets) . The mother-daughter relationship Ellie has with her mother is one that most would never wish on their enemy…and her father? Well, you have to read the book to find out what’s happening there. And Logan has his own parental issues—not to mention demons of his own he needs to conquer.   It’s the first book in the Reckless Series.

Wait, How Big is A Clam?

Our oceans are filled with the most amazing sea creatures. Ever wondered how we compare to some of them in size? Scuba Steve

Length: 5.6 ft

Weight: 165 lbs

Life Span: 71 years

Giant Clam

Length: 4.5 ft

Weight: 440 lbs

Life Span: 100 years

Blue Whale

Length: 108.27 ft

Weight: 200 tons

Life Span: 110 years

Leatherback Turtle

Length: 6.98 ft

Weight: 2,000 lbs

Life Span: 45 years

Japanese Spider Crab

Length: 12.14 ft

Weight: 42 lbs

Life Span: 100 years

Southern Elephant Seal

Length: 22.47 ft

Weight: 8,8000 lbs

Life Span: 22 years

Giant Squid

Length: 39.37 ft

Weight: 8,800 lbs

Life Span: 22 years

Whale Shark

Length: 61.68 ft

Weight: 20.6 tons

Life Span: 100 years

Blue Whale

Length 108.27 ft

Weight: 200 tons

Life Span: 110 years

And last but certainly not least...

Lion's Mane Jellyfish

 Length: 131.23 ft

Weight: 1.1 tons

Life Span: 12 months

Source and Reference: Discovery News

I share this video and facts not only because it is interesting but to also illustrate that we are but a drop (pun intended) in the ocean of life. Some of these creatures are endangered and fighting for existence and some of the reasons are within our control. We, the human species, need to practice conservancy and help these animals survive so that we can all continue to thrive too, as part of the circle of life.

Here are some suggestions on how you can help protect marine life:

• Eat environmentally friendly fish. Check out Seafood Watch for more specific ideas and suggestions. 
• Limit or reduce your use of plastics because a majority of it somehow finds itself in the seas. Check out The Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
• Help curb the effects of Global warming and ocean acidification by reducing your carbon footprint--that's our own personal contribution to pollution and waste.  
• Be energy efficient
• Participate in a beach clean-up (and if you don't live near a big body of water, organize and participate in a neighborhood clean-up).
• Educate yourself about Marine Life and volunteer for a conservancy organization if your interests are peaked.
• Donate to a conservation effort or speak out through personal conversations, letters, and/or social media. 
• And so on & so on....many creative avenues to contribute, just use your imagination. 

Encountered this genius meme the other day & love its message.

Here's a quick PSA from Thank You Ocean promoting ocean awareness.

Here are additional resources and articles about saving the planet:

• NASA Video Reveals How 35 Years of Trash Turned Into Ocean Garbage Patches 
• Everyday Actions

Preparing to Be Prepared

We stopped by our local Emergency Preparedness Expo (September 19, 2015 ) and not only learned a lot of great things, but had a pretty fun time as well. I highly recommend finding when and where your city offers these kinds of events because there are so many great resources available to you--booths representing the local electricity company, first responder teams (Police, Fire Department, Search and Rescue etc...), water conservation groups etc...

Up close and personal with a Police Helicopter.

And with permission...

The guys were able to climb on in and explore.

No worries, they're still on the ground. ☺

The Fire Department was also represented and the boys were able to play with the rescue hoses.

I feel safe already. ☺

My favorite presentation was the Shakey Quakey School House. The vehicle simulates a small earthquake, about a 3.2 on the scale, and reminds everyone to duck, cover, and hold. As a Californian, it's always good to be reminded about Earthquake safety tips.

Looks innocent enough...until it shakes and quakes!

And what is that I see? Could that be a sinking Titanic?

Climb and slide, and a triumphant arm up!

Just one of the many booths with information and freebies!

Why is 9-1-1 important?
About 200 million 9-1-1 calls are made each year in the United States.  Many of these calls are made by children, sometimes as young as 4 or 5 years old. The result of these calls from youngsters can be measured in saved lives, underscoring the critical importance of training children early in life about the 9-1-1 emergency call number.

Call 9-1-1 for "people" emergencies only when you need the Police, Fire Department or an Ambulance! 

Resource: 9-1-1 For Kids  

 

Hey Ahmed!

Dear Ahmed,
I hope you find a great school to transfer into, one that will celebrate & enhance your inventive brain. Then I hope your dreams come true and you end up at MIT, learn some amazing things, and then go on to affect the world for the better. You're right, don't let people change you. Continue to inspire people, help people and show them that differences are a wonderful thing. I truly, truly hope to see great things coming from you in the near future.
Sincerely,
A Wife, a Mom and More!

And kudos to the tech community for recognizing talent!

Covering YOU in Love

I guarantee I will never be as brave as this woman! She allowed herself to be in one of the most vulnerable positions a woman can be in, standing in public in her bikini, blindfolded, subjected to the possibility of all kinds of ridicule. And yet, even in this often cruel world, people shared their love and support for her. See? There truly is hope for the human race.

Some of the (welcome) messages that were written on her body:

• Stand strong
• You are beautiful
• Hope
• Thank you

Love yourself!

Here's a previous post worth re-sharing Hey, You Really Are Beautiful! 

  **********************************************************************

Read: The Storm Damages Series

The Storm Damages Series is written by Magda Alexander. I enjoyed reading this series and found myself thoroughly engaged in the characters and the constant turn of events...danger, villains, friends, foes, deceit. It's all entirely too messy and entirely too engrossing. Put it on your reading list, but note that the trilogy is a continuing series and there are cliffhangers. And word of caution: steamy scenes ahead. ☺

**Minimum Spoilers**

Book 1: Storm Damages

Gabriel Storm and Elizabeth Watson meet for the first time and immediately a strong, almost electric attraction exists between the two of them. It's clear that they both have individual baggage they need to work through. There are lots of risks by being together, but can they put aside their lust...or maybe love? And can they avoid the dangers that seem to surround them?

Book 2: Storm Ravaged

They were torn apart but find themselves once again in each others lives. So many secrets are held in, and some truths are revealed. And danger always lurks in every corner. Can Gabriel and Elizabeth's love withstand it all?

Book 3: Storm Redemption

Gabriel and Elizabeth move further into their relationship and conflicts arise. Gabriel is not keen on Elizabeth working outside the home and Elizabeth insists on it--needs it for her own happiness and piece of mind. Can Gabriel put aside his feelings of possession (and misogyny) in order to give Elizabeth what she needs? These two are very much in love but they doubt one another's devotion to each other. They will need to establish trust in order to truly survive the challenges of life and marriage. Can these two do it?