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Using Lego to either save or destroy Manhattan
There was plenty of fun stuff going on at Expand, but certainly one of the highlights was a competition put on by Lego. The toy giant challenged participants to create a machine that either saved or destroyed Manhattan. (Poor Manhattan is always in the crosshairs...) Six participants got up and demoed their creations, which ranged from remote controlled street sweepers, to soothing music-playing robots and a violent bot that smashed anyone or anything violating its personal space. Ultimately though, winners had to be selected (this is a competition after all).
Fully crossplatform LEGO Minifigures Online is coming to the Kindle Fire HDX
Funcom has today announced a partnership with Amazon that will put LEGO Minifigures Online on Amazon Fire TV as well as the Kindle Fire HDX line of tablets. Says the studio, Working with Amazon on this project includes support for the Fire TV game controller as well as Amazon's store and payment systems. Fire TV is currently widely available in North America and Germany, and is launching in the United Kingdom in November 2014. LEGO Minifigures Online is scheduled to go live on Fire TV at the end of 2014. Funcom will also be bringing LEGO Minifigures Online to the HDX line of Fire tablets. The game will be optimized for these devices and will fully support Amazon's store and payment systems for these devices. This version of LEGO Minifigures Online is set to go live at the end of Q1 2015. Of note, Funcom promises that the family-friendly MMO will feature full cross-platform play across "Windows PC, Mac, iOS tablets, Android tablets, Fire TV and Fire tablets," making it one of the few MMOs playable on pretty much everything with the possible exception of your toaster. We've included the game's recent Space World trailer below.
LEGO Minifigures Online shows off the Space World
Space is big. Really big. You wouldn't believe how vastly, mind-bogglingly huge it is. I mean, you might think it's a long way from your bed to your computer, but that's just peanuts compared to space. So while labeling a single area in LEGO Minifigures Online as the "Space World" might seem like a bit of an oxymoron, just think of it as a sampling of the mind-boggling hugeness of what space has to offer. In this case, it's aliens and evil space marines. A new video is now available showing off the Space World and everything that players can do therein: fighting off alien invaders, huge robots, strange wildlife, and flying saucers. Yes, it's all a bit silly and strange, but when you're marching into battle with a team consisting of a pirate, a DJ, a guy in a chicken suit, and a knight, you kind of expect to be thrown into strange scenarios. Check out the video just past the break. [Source: Funcom press release]
Lego Batman 3 trailer casts Arrow's Amell, Conan O'Brien
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment issued a new trailer for Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham today, which shows a few of the big-name voice actors talking about their involvement in the Lego superhero game. As previously announced, Conan O'Brien will be a playable character in the game, joining the likes of film director Kevin Smith and Arrow's Stephen Amell, the latter reprising his role as Green Arrow. Lego Batman 3 will launch on November 11 for a whole mess of platforms: PS4, PS3, Vita, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC, Wii U and 3DS. Players will be able to pick up the game's $14.99 season pass that guarantees access to six DLC add-ons. It will also be packed in to its own $270 PS3 bundle at launch. Head past the break to see the game's new trailer and check out the new heroic screens in the gallery below. [Image: WBIE]
LEGO Minifigures Online sheds the beta tag with full toy integration
Good news, friends! The latest round of LEGO Minifigures is out on shelves now, so if you enjoy buying blindpacked figures and seeing what you get, you can get some more. And this newest series is fully integrated with LEGO Minifigures Online right from the start, so you can grab a new figure, put it together, and start playing with it online in the time it takes you to get back home and get playing. Isn't that fun? The game has also shed its beta tag without ceremony, which makes sense as it had previously been hanging about in its open testing phase. If you've heard rumblings about the game but have yet to take a peek at it yourself, there's a new trailer just past the cut designed to show off what you can do in the game once you assemble some figures. [Source: Funcom press release]
This EVE LEGO ship will rock you like a hurricane
Imgur user Dinklebob has uploaded pics of his latest LEGO creation, an homage to EVE Online's Hurricane battlecruiser. The project is currently in-progress, according to Kotaku, and it even features a drone bay filled with cute widdle LEGO drones.
LEGO Minifigures Online rolls out a mythological update
With a month or so to go before LEGO Minifigures Online fully launches, the game has brought forth its biggest update yet. So what does it contain? Nothing less than the new Mythology World, which also brings an increase in the level cap to 25 along with its new areas and monsters. The area also continues the main story if that's more of your thing. Aside from the new area, the Series 11 minifigures have been added to the game, along with the first batch of cash shop figures that includes the Yeti, the Mountain Climber, and the Pretzel Girl. Players can also find their friends more easily with the addition of a friend code, and the loot system has been overhauled to allow players a chance to build minifigures from loot. Check out the full set of update notes for more detail and get building in the game if it's just what you've been waiting for.
Funcom's revenues decrease in Q2
Funcom has released its second-quarter financial results for the year, and it's not a glowing success story. Revenue dropped roughly $600,000 compared to Q1, a drop attributed to weaker in-game item sales over the quarter. Despite this, the report indicates that the company remains on-track as a whole, with the overall pattern of expenses not significantly changed. All of the major MMOs in the studio's portfolio are stated to be cash-flow positive, which is good news for fans. While the company launched several marketing attempts to draw more players into its titles, The Secret World was the most successful at bringing in more players via its most recent major update. The company projects good results for LEGO Minifigures Online when it releases in October. Interested players can look at the full report, which is less overwhelmingly positive than might be ideal but hardly paints a picture of doom.
Brainiac has the whole world in his hands in LEGO Batman 3
Forget Gotham, it's the world at stake in LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham. Brainiac is collecting planets, and it's up to Batman and other DC heroes (and even some villains) to stop him. While stealing planets isn't cool, at least Brainiac got those pants he wanted. [Image: Warner Bros. Interactive]
New Lego Minecraft sets turn minifig Steve into a farmer and a miner
Those old Lego Minecraft sets are cute, but the construction toy company's finally gearing up to release new ones that look much more like standard Lego sets -- and yes, they come with mini figures. Lego fans on the Eurobricks forum have recently spotted images of two of the six sets to be available later this year. Pictured above is The Farm, which features a standard player farm with Steve, a sheep, a skeleton, a jack-o-lantern-like brick and fake vegetables, because, well, it's a farm. The other one's called The Cave (see after the break) where Steve's equipped with a pickaxe, is buddies with a zombie and is scarily missing a hard hat despite that TNT brick looming behind him.
Cyborg arm made of Lego can flex its fingers and shake hands
It certainly isn't the first robotic arm made out of Lego that we've seen, but this particular one can actually be worn and easily controlled by the user. According to its creator, Diavo Voltaggio, the arm was made using Lego Mindstorms EV3, which is a software-and-hardware kit for DIY robots. He says the machine is pretty straightforward: it has four buttons connected to four motors that control each finger. Pressing a button flexes the corresponding finger, while releasing it relaxes the finger, as well. Voltaggio calls this cyborg limb the Mark VI, as it's the sixth one he's built, thus far -- he disassembled the first five, so he could learn from them and make better models going forward. As a result, it's much sturdier than its predecessors, though it's also much heavier with all its braces and battery pack.
First Impressions: LEGO Minifigures Online
Besides being an avid gamer myself, I am raising three children who are also avid gamers. You might have seen past livestreams that I've done with my youngest son and my daughter. In fact, my son and I are going to stream with the Super Hero Squad Online crew here in the next few days. As a gaming dad, I keep my eyes out for games that lend themselves to being kid friendly and fun for adults, too. When Free Realms shut down, my youngest, now 9 years old, was heartbroken. Although he didn't really do much questing, he loved the other activities in the game like kart racing and exploring the housing system. I have attempted to get him to jump into games like Wizard101 and Pirate101, whose combat systems were more complex than his liking. But he's a fan of combat in SHSO. He also plays Minecraft daily and has really adhered to the whole culture that surrounds it. So when LEGO Minifigures Online opened its beta, I thought it would be an excellent combination of both SHSO combat and the building systems of Minecraft. I was wrong on one count but right on the other. My son loved the combat system, at least.
Six retailers, six pre-order bonuses for Lego Batman 3
If you're planning to pre-order Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, you've got some homework to do. Publisher Warner Bros. Interactive is rolling out a bevy of pre-order bonuses, but all six are retailer exclusive. In nearly alphabetical order: Amazon offers players a Lego Batgirl keychain, Best Buy hopes to pull in pre-orders with the official Lego Batman 3 digital comic book, while GameStop has a Lego Plastic Man minifigure and Toys R Us is promoting its pre-orders with a Lego Joker keychain. Target and Wal-Mart are the only retailers offering Lego minisets, a Lego Batwing for Target, and a Lego Tumbler for Wal-Mart. Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham is currently slated for release on nearly every platform (Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PC, Wii U, 3DS) toward the end of 2014. [Image: WBIE]
LEGO Minifigures Online open beta progress to carry over
Funcom wants you to know that it has officially kicked off the open beta for LEGO Minifigures Online. The game's proper launch is still scheduled for Fall 2014, but as of now you can download the free-to-play beta client and have at it! Current locations include Pirate World, Medieval World, and Space World, and the firm is "hard at work finishing up more great content," according to the news blurb on its web site. Player progress and cash shop purchases will carry over from open beta to launch.
Flickr Find: Steve's got your back
Flickr user Sam has found a clever use for her Steve Jobs Lego minifig. She attached the figure to a Lego stand and then slapped the stand on her desk with some Blue-Tack. A Lightning cable fits perfectly into "Lego Steve's" hand. Last week we wrote about Sugru, a playful material that hardens into rubber. Many people have used it to attach Lego figures to a surface, thus eliminating the need for the stand like Sam used. Adding Steve Jobs to the mix makes it that much better.
Create a playful cabling system with Legos and Sugru
The sugru community developed what has to be the cutest cable organization system ever created. The do-it-yourself solution pairs sugru with LEGO minifigures, which are sized perfectly for holding Apple charging and other similar cables. Sugru sticks to most materials, allowing you to attach the minifigs to your desk, car dashboard or anywhere else you need them. You can watch this video below and be inspired to create your own clever cabling system. It's about the best thing to come along since sliced bread.
Engadget Daily: Amazon's ultimate weapon, T-Mobile Test Drive and more!
Today, we take a deeper look at Amazon Firefly, learn about T-Mobile Test Drive, review the ASUS Padfone X and investigate the biggest third-party games from this year's E3 event. Read on for Engadget's news highlights from the last 24 hours.
Intel launches messaging app that lets you speak through video avatars
We typically think of Intel as a hardware company, a chip-making giant that helps build wearables, cable-free laptops, smart baby onesies. Today, though, the company is showing off software for a change. The chip maker just unveiled Pocket Avatars, a mobile messaging app that lets you send video messages to friends. Actually, "video messages" doesn't really describe it. These aren't so much videos as 3D avatars that happen to speak in your voice. In particular, the app makes use of facial recognition -- a pet project of Intel's -- to mimic gestures like nodding, blinking, sticking out your tongue, and raising your eyebrows. A future version, said to be coming soon, will support more nuanced facial expressions, along with neck and shoulder movements. All told, this is a lot of real-time processing, which means the messages are going to be brief: You've got 15 seconds to say what you want to say.
Lego Fusion lets you build virtual playgrounds with real-world bricks
If your child is constantly glued to a tablet swiping away at birds or fruit, you're probably wistfully wishing for the days when kids liked playing with actual toys. Well, Lego just might have the perfect solution for you and your offspring. Today, the maker of the beloved construction bricks announced Lego Fusion, a system that combines the flexibility and fun of app-based games with the good ol' fashioned activity of creative Lego building.
Assemble to try the LEGO Minifigures Online open beta
If you miss being able to play with LEGO bricks in an online environment, you'll be happy to know that LEGO Minifigures Online has just entered open beta. The last time a LEGO-themed game came out, it didn't turn out so well, but the new game is a very different experience, allowing players to take control of the many LEGO minifigures currently available to adventure in a variety of LEGO-themed environs. Currently, the beta test is available only for Windows computers in English, with other localizations and a tablet client slated for release during the test process. Open beta will also see the refinement of game mechanics and the free-to-play business model, so nothing that's in the game right now is set in stone. If you've been feeling the loss of brick-based gameplay, now might be the time to jump in and start playing for yourself. [Source: Funcom press release]
