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LEGO Star Wars II jumps onto the Xbox 360
LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy will now be making an appearance on the Xbox 360, along with its earlier announced platforms (which include pretty much every current-gen system). Whether creating a Han Solo-Greedo, lightsaber-wielding humanoid hybrid is really the wisest course of action or not is a debate best left to the fan community, however. (A green HanGreedo on the 360 -- it could work.) Our only hope is that the original LEGO Star Wars will make its way onto the official Xbox backward-compatibility list by the time the sequel's released in September. Getting those unlockable characters from the prequels onto the next generation would be awfully nice. (Transferable saves? Even better.) The complete Lucasfilm press release follows below. See also: LEGO Star Wars II out with OT DVDs Sept 12 Original Xbox Games Playable on Xbox 360 (last updated in March)
LEGO Star Wars II out with OT DVDs Sept 12
LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy will be out this fall when it releases with the unaltered original trilogy DVDs on September 12th. Sure, the limited-edition double dipping on the theatrical version of the films may rile movie collectors, but fans do want Han shooting first on their Star Wars DVDs. (The "theatrical" release will only be available until December 31st.) The simultaneous release of game and film on DVD follows in the tradition of the Star Wars Battlefront games releasing alongside the special-edition release of the original trilogy as well as the retail launch of Episode III. The special-edition versions will also be included on each two-disc set. [Thanks, Spindash54, Phil Theobald, Princess Zelda, John, & Jonathan] See also: More LEGO Star Wars II character details Trailer with Yodarth, See-Chewpio, and Princess Obi-Wan Kejawa Hands-on with LSWII; visual mix-up with Diablo 3 ad snafu at IGN Wicket W. Warrick's blog on the game over at 1UP.com Wikipedia entry on "Han shot first"; also, the PvP T-shirt
Professional LEGO artist's 360 controller
"Nathan Sawaya is a professional LEGO artist and former LEGO Master Model Builder with a gifted skill set that he’s been honing since the age of five."The dude builds stuff out of LEGOs; apparently, for a living. While we're trying to wrap our heads around how it's possible to make a living off of LEGOs, and cursing our college educations, check out his next-gen game controllers. The Xbox 360 controller is 15"x10"x5" and the PS3 controller is ... well, it's a boomerang. Where's the Revolution love? I guess there's not enough challenge in building a rectangular wand to interest a LEGO Master.[Via Joystiq]
Top 10 strangest Mac mods
Behold, ladies and gentlemen: the Top 10 strangest Mac mods at TechBlog. Johnathan Ive's blood would surely boil if he were to feast his eyes on such mutant Mac modifications as the NecroMac of the PowerMac G4 Aquarium!I know we've linked to a few of these in the past as we heard about them, but it's nice to see them all in one big list - and ranked.
The next generation of controllers in Lego
Nathan Sawaya, a professional Lego builder (yeah, they have those) has put his Lego mind to the next-generation of games consoles. Like he says "with E3 coming up, I built some video game controllers! Yay!" He must have started these models a while ago, because he hasn't made a Revolution controller model. Once you're over at his site, make sure to check out his mad-lib from a general video game fanboy:"The greatest video game ever would be called Super Invading Combat [insert plural noun] from Mars Championship 2006! It would be fun to control the [insert noun] as it fights all of the [insert adjective] bad guys. My favorite level would let you [insert verb] a car all over [insert place]. You could also earn [insert plural noun] if you didn't [insert verb] [insert plural noun] [insert conjunction] [insert prepositional phrase]! Wouldn't that have [insert past participle]!"Sounds like a cool game.
Podbrix announces new (large) macrofig, T-Shirt
Podbrix, creators of great Apple collectibles like the Woz Lego minifig and the Podshirt, which is an integrated T-Shirt/iPod shuffle holder (how long before Apple asks them to remove "pod" from their name?), have announced the 1K Brix Macrofig. It's a 7" replica of the original 1K minifig, the very first product they sold. The limited run of 50 units ships in a signed and numbed tin that includes the figure and a T-shirt. They go on sale at 9:00PM EST on April 6th for $89.99US each. The little minifigs usually sell out in just a few minutes, so you may want to log on early (though it may be interesting to see if the higher price of this particular product has an effect on sales).Podbrix has also released another T-Shirt featuring the 1K figure, and this is in unlimited supply. You can pick one up for $17.99US.
More LEGO Star Wars II character details
Three new screenshots and a number of new playable character descriptions have been released for LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy... and Lucasarts has decided to share the LEGO love with us! Excerpts detailing the new characters and their abilities follow after the jump, as do the three screenshots mentioned, which capture Chewie, Han, Leia, and even Obi-Wan doing his best non-canon work (as can be seen in the Free Play shot aboard the Blockade Runner featured here). If you played through the original LEGO Star Wars on consoles or the PC, you'll be able to import its unlocked characters into the sequel, which should come in handy to begin General Grievous's training with Yoda. (More prequel characters = more sequel lightsabers.) And if you unlocked that secret (but short) bonus level--after completing all the mission requirements in the prequel--you know that you'll need to get your hands on the sequel. Anyone else lookin' forward to more LEGO action this fall? [Thanks, Chris]
Frogs don't love Lego Katamari
Joystiq reader Aaron Broesky put together this Katamari-inspired Lego stop animation. Well done, Aaron! But what's with the senseless spaceman-on-frog violence? Rampant ranidaphobia means it's not easy to be green.
The Lego NES
Let's say you just stuffed your Mac mini into an NES case and now you want to play some old-school Mario Bros. 2 or Bubble Bobble. You've got the NES parts lying around, but no case for them--what is a gamer to do? One ingenious Lego fanatic took his love of plastic building blocks and retro Nintendo paraphernalia and combined them for the betterment of society: a Lego NES case mod. Everything is Lego--from the controller ports to the power and reset buttons. Although many Joystiq readers might consider this old (the article dates back to June of last year), it very recently popped back on the radar as one of TechEBlog's top 10 Strangest Lego Creations, just ahead of a full-sized Volvo XC90 made entirely of plastic building blocks.
More pics from LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
A few more screenshots from LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy have been posted for our viewing pleasure. Move along quickly, as these very well may be the droids you've been looking for (especially if you've had the privilege of playing the first game, as millions already have). We were originally going to link to an IGN developer diary on the title by director Tom Stone of TT Games and producer David Perkinson of LucasArts, but it turns out that most of the info given was actually spilled by David in an interview we covered near the middle of last month. Which leads us back to those lovely new LEGO screenshots--three they may be, but they do cover all the bases: Luke and Obi-Wan takin' in the town, the Millennium Falcon doin' its best speedy getaway, and the Dark Lord of the Sith chokin' up some Rebel scum. Lovely... truly lovely. [Via Eurogamer] See also: LEGO Star Wars II: Developer Diary LEGO Star Wars II: Return of the Original Trilogy
Paying homage -- LEGO-style
Some nimble fingers (the Brick Flick) have combined LEGO blocks into a gallery of NES nostalgia. Duck Hunt (pictured above), Metal Gear, Excitebike, and Bionic Commando have all been paid homage to. Genius.
LEGO Star Wars II: Return of the Original Trilogy
IGN has netted an interview with David Perkinson of LucasArts to discuss--brace yourself--LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy. If you loved the first game, you may be equally enthralled by the sequel. Key highlights from the interview include: The game is set in the world of the Original Trilogy (Episodes IV-VI). For those of you who don't know about the first 3 Star Wars films, shame on you. Over 50 new characters, plus the ability to import characters from the original LEGO Star Wars, bringing the total to just over 100 choices. Character creation: mix-and-match LEGO body parts from all of your unlocked characters. 2-player Co-Op mode, no online multiplayer, and DS players can enjoy 4-player Co-Op as well as a single-cart versus mode. Completely reworked vehicle system; non-droids can now enter and exit any vehicle they see at any time, and are free to roam about: "If you want to do the trench run in the Millennium Falcon, or even on a landspeeder, you now can." Sweet. Chewbacca can now rip off LEGO arms as a melee attack. Super Sweet. The title is being developed by Traveller's Tales, who worked on the original (and just recently began development on Super Monkey Ball Adventures), and should be released this fall for PS2, Xbox, GameCube, GBA, PSP, Nintendo DS, and the PC. [Thanks, Princess Zelda] [Update: Forgot a word; thought I'd add it back in.]
PodBrix to offer Wozwear T-shirts
The folks at PodBrix have done it again. PodBrix occasionally releases limited-run, Apple-themed Lego minifigs. Previous releases have included Woz, Steve delivering a keynote and "Mr. Brix," which is a small figure that attaches to your headphone cord. On January 17th at 9:00 PM EST, they will release the Wozwear 6502 T-shirt. According to PodBrix,"...the Wozwear 6502 and is a custom made shirt featuring an image of our previous Woz minifig holding a 6502 processor chip. The interesting aspect is that we use an actual 6502 processor chip and attach it to the shirt with a magnetic clasp." Here's the best part: It's a working chip, and if removed from the shirt and popped into an old Apple machine, it would work (you may remember that this is the chip used in the Apple II's). These things usually sell out in a matter of minutes (they sold out of 270 Woz minifigs in less than two minutes in August), so have your credit card and mouse ready. Podbrix will make 300 Wozwear 6502 shirts available for $34.99US each starting at 9:00PM EST tomorrow night. Good luck.[Via Cult of Mac Blog]
Lego Robots now Mac-friendly
Just when I thought there wasn't any new hobby that could arise and completely eat up any paltry free time I might have, they make LEGO robots Mac-friendly: "The heart of the new system is the NXT brick, an autonomous 32-bit LEGO microprocessor that can be programmed using a PC, or for the first time in the retail offering, a Mac. After building their robots, users create a program within easy-to-use yet feature-rich software, powered by LabVIEW from National Instruments." Engadget has a great video up of the different robots on display at CES that you should definitely check out.
Video Feature: Lego Mindstorms
Yesterday we set you off with some video of the ROKR E2 from a CES press event; today, we're giving you a look at the revamped version of Lego Mindstorms. Popular with hackers for its programability, the new mindstorms add some support for Bluetooth and USB 2.0. To read more check our post on it, but to see it, click below.FormatQT MPEG4, 2:36, 9.35 MB[Download Here]
The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker... LEGO-style
When I was a kid my older brothers were always using their LEGOs to build the entire Star Wars universe. By the time I got older, LEGO was doing that for me-kinda took away from the fun, you know? I'm relieved to find out that you can't buy the LEGO-version of just any popular franchise... yet. That's right, if you wanna play Zelda, then you're gonna have to build Zelda! [Thanks, Shizzle]
Jenius Joystiq Lego Logo
For hours I stared longingly at the engadget logo made of lego, endlessly refreshing the tips page screaming "Give me the lego Joystiq!". Then early this morning, my jealousy prayers were answered! Here is Ben's Jenius Joystiq Lego Logo* in all its glory. *All donations go to the Association of Alaskans Addicted to Alliteration.
Podbrix Releasing Newest Product Today at 9pm PST
PodBrix will be selling out of Mister Brix, their newest item, tonight at 9pm PST. Past items included a lego iPod dancer, a little Steve Jobs, an iPod shuffle shirt, and a limited edition Woz. So what is the deal with Mr. Brix?According to the good people of PodBrix this is the story, 'Mister Brix is designed to be attached to the earbud cord of your iPod music player. His hands are fixed and he uses two vinyl grips to keep himself firmly attached at all times. Mister Brix never gets tired and he will not damage your earbud cord. He can be used with any model of iPod. Mister Brix is made from injection molded white plastic. He is not painted.' He'll set you back $16.99, though there is no word on what is it this little item is supposed to accomplish dangling from your earbud cord. Gentlemen, start your credit cards!
LEGO Grand Theft Auto?!
Tipster, Timá, dug this one up. It looks like it's been around for a while, but hopefully most of you have never seen it. It's good for a chuckle or two, and it's definitely office-friendly. And who knows... if they made LEGO Star Wars, why not take it one step further? [Thanks, Timá]
Lego robot plays Super Mario Bros...and wins
In an ongoing effort to rid the world of productive robots, three college students have crafted a Legobot that can beat the first level of Super Mario Bros. Using Legos and a basic circuit board, Matt Sesno, Ben Rowe, and Tim Dooley built a robot made of Legos that is capable of playing Super Mario Bros., the first Mario-based platform game for the NES, and even beating the first level. Why? Apparently (unless they're lying to us), there is a Lego Robot Talent Show every year, and they were looking for an entry. After all, there's a huge need right now for videogame-playing robots made of Legos. [Thanks, Cameron]
