I like the idea of toys to life, but Lego Dimensions is too much hassle with a little pay-off. In it's core it's traditional Traveller's Tales game, akin to Lego Batman or Lego Star Wars – some basic combat, some basic key-puzzles and lots of stud grinding. The only difference is that characters you used to unlock with studs, now you unlock with bucks.

Each character brings the matching Lego World, like Gandalf lets you visit Middle Earth and Chell (sold separately) grants you access to Aperture Science Center (+ she has a separate story!). Yes, the game has Portal theme and GlaDOS as a vilian and even as an ally! Ooops, spoilers!

During campaign you travel through 8 (or so) distinct worlds. It's quite cool, actually, to jump from Hill Valley to Metropolis. What's not cool is to keep a range of characters nearby, changing them constantly and sometimes juggling them between three sections of Lego portal base for some interactions. They constantly keep getting in the way of each other. Also I want to add, that flying characters break some levels and make others a breeze – you may just skip huge portions of them and using them feels like cheating or p2w (hence you have to buy flying heroes).

But the nastiest thing of this particular version is it's instability, it runs like crap, chokes on many open worlds, especially in Lego movie one, prone to crash and to damage data. The last one might cost you a saved game and you might need to re-download some DLCs. Happened to me few times, thankfully it damaged my saved slot after it was successfully loaded, so I was able to save the game in another slot. After this I started to make backup copies.

Lego Dimensions has some fun moments, like visiting beloved, not only by you, but by designers too, fine crafted settings, ok sense of humor, and some puzzles are ok too, but it's badly optimized for the past-gen, which will cost you time and nerves, so I can't recommend it.

Overall, the whole is lesser than the sum of its parts.

P.S. Bought it only to hear GlaDOS again. They kept her character perfectly — she even sings at the end!

As a young LEGO fan, I would often mash together elements, characters, and settings from different themes - both as a natural instinct with the interconnectivity of the System, but also as a way to unite the many variations of LEGO and create my own "storyline" or "universe" if you will. Pirates found themselves with Space helmets and air tanks; Castle knights found themselves piloting spacecraft; Police found themselves guarding fortresses; and so on. A couple of my favorite MOCs from those years survive to this day.

This organic evolution of LEGO play is something I'm sure many LEGO fans share. And the spirit of this idea is at the heart of LEGO Dimensions, translating the experience of mixing together your favorite LEGO sets and characters within the framework of a TT Games LEGO video game.

I held out for a long time after the initial starter sets were released, only picking up the occasional fun pack if it had a really unique minifigure that appealed to me (71233-1 Stay Puft, for example, or 71238-1 Cyberman). But recently I took advantage of a deep discount on the starter pack and dived in properly to the core game, to see how successfully TT Games was able to re-create that LEGO play experience.

Parts

Before we get into the game itself, some quick words about the physical LEGO aspects to the starter set.

Cost aside (given that this set is mostly about the game), there are actually some pretty interesting parts included. The large base plate is built specifically for the Toy Pad and therefore does not immediately translate well to other uses (though I'm sure someone will find uses for it). However, multiple tiles and slopes (as well as a unique 45 degree angle plate) in light blue (Medium Azure in Brinklink terms) are certainly interesting inclusions. Trans-blue windshield pieces make for a very attractive center portal. Wyldstyle's Relic Detector is a beautiful printed piece. Even the stickers are great additions - adding detail to some of the sloped pieces and computer hardware and panel-esque detail to pieces which I plan to use in MOCs. Mini-Robot arms, previously used only in Hero Factory sets, add interesting detail to the base toy pad (and will be utilized in other ways as the game progresses). So will the Trans-Purple Oval Shields. When first assembling - each are found as strangely printed pieces with unknown purpose - these will become clear as the first-half of the game progresses.

Minifigures

The starter set includes 3 main minifigures - Batman, Gandalf, and Wyldstyle. By themselves they are pretty ubiquitous minifigures in their respective themes, so they don't really provide much draw for this starter pack (the way that some fun packs, team packs, or level packs do), but they are good figures nonetheless.

This version of Batman does not seem specific to any one iteration of the character, with a black and gray color scheme and non-specific Bat-logo. The printed gold utility belt is a nice touch (we may not see printed belts anymore with the new molded element from the LEGO Batman Movie). Batman stands on a Dimensions base with his logo printed for identification. His cape is not the softer fabric variation on newer figures in the last few years, it is the firmer, more easily damaged variation of old. He is provided standard black batarangs.

Wyldstyle here includes her hood with magenta interior, and her wonderfully printed blue-and-magenta graffiti-esque detail down her torso, leg, and printing on her right arm. Her Dimensions base is printed likewise with a "WS" identifier. The hood has a habit of loosening the head on the torso connection, which is not a new issue, though minor. Wyldstyle is given the Relic Detector (which is utilized constantly in-game), and falls off from being "held" by the figure frequently.

Gandalf the Grey returns to LEGO after a brief absence following the conclusion of The Hobbit theme a couple of years ago. He is armed with a standard brown staff. The folds, wrinkles, and details on his robes (torso) is of course almost entirely covered by his wonderful gray beard, and he also features a gray, easily-damaged cape. Still - it's good to see him here and it's an accurate LEGO representation. His symbol, in Elvish I think, is on his printed base.

The last Dimensions "Base" or "Toy Tag" included, which is not printed, is for the mini Batmobile which characters can ride in-game. It is not a remarkable build, except for the tiny scale and how designers are still able to evoke the idea of the vehicle. This ability to get across the idea of the vehicle on such a small scale, as well as the ability to rebuild into different variations with such as small piece count, is something that is consistently impressive across all Dimensions sets.

The Game

We are mainly here, however, to discuss LEGO Dimensions the game. Spoilers below.

The game's story starts off showing scenes taking place in the respective worlds of DC Comics, Lord of the Rings, and The LEGO Movie. An all-powerful, multi-dimensional villian (voiced by Gary Oldman!?!?!) arranges the kidnapping of Robin during an otherwise typical Batman scene chasing after Bane; arranges the kidnapping of Frodo during the Balrog scene in Fellowship of the Ring (leading to some hilarious confusion on the part of the other characters); and arranges the kidnapping of Metalbeard from the LEGO Movie world. This last scene seems to establish that Will Arnett's LEGO Movie version of Batman (also the center of The LEGO Batman movie), is NOT the version of Batman we will be playing with in the main game. Elizabeth Banks does lend her voice to Wyldstyle (and it is unmistakably her voice - she does an excellent job). Gandalf and Batman are voiced by other actors who do a capable job of bringing them to life.

As characters find themselves mysteriously pulled through portals and on a mission to rescue their respective counterparts, the game starts properly in the first level, which is a full-on recreation of the land of Oz. This is a great first level to showcase the spirit of LEGO Dimensions, as it is unexpected to see, jaw-droppingly gorgeous and colorful, and shows the mix-and-match universe nature of the game.

Gameplay will feel familiar to anyone who has played any of the TT Games' LEGO-themed games in the past. Smash brick-built scenery. Collect studs. Construct builds to solve puzzles. Use character-specific powers to complete different challenges. Rinse, repeat.

This gameplay can get maddeningly dull after a period of time. It's worked for over a decade now which is a testament to it's playability, but there's not a ton of variation on those ideas. I think enjoyment of one of the respective games is most dependent on what theme you are a fan of, and how well the game brings to life that theme. Lego Marvel Super Heroes, for example, was a favorite of mine, as I love the Marvel Comics world, and that game created, with clear devotion, as accurate a Marvel universe as I've ever seen in any medium, while also lovingly spoofing it.

So, how does Dimensions do beyond the standard gameplay idea? Seeing settings and characters from The Wizard of Oz brought an immediate smile to my face in that first level. There's a novelty at work here that is nearly worth the price of admission. As you progress through the game, you are brought into world after world after world, intended to re-create the idea of whatever brand or theme the level is designed on.

The success of this novelty factor is dependent both on the previously-mentioned individual interest in a brand, but also the effort that the designers have gone to bringing that theme or brand to life. One of the early levels, A Dalektable Adventure, feels like entering directly into an episode of Doctor Who. The moment you enter into the part of the level which takes place in a spooky graveyard, and you suddenly realize that the angel statues are MOVING each time they are offscreen from the area you are in, Dimensions shows it's value. That's true Doctor Who right there. You get a similar feeling in the Portal 2-themed level and the Scooby Doo level, right on down to the portraits with moving eyes! I am hopeful that this remained true for levels such as the Ninjago-themed level Elements of Surprise - I am not familiar with this theme and it's characters so I do not know if was a faithful representation of the world - it seemed fun enough anyway.

All the while, you are playing and entering these levels with characters from other worlds. That's the direct connection to playing LEGO as a kid - Batman's helping Scooby and Shaggy solve mysteries? Gandalf's helping bust ghosts? Wyldstyle's rescuing Homer Simpson? The effect exponentially increases as you begin to add other packs and characters to the mix. I don't want to spend too much time discussing packs outside of the core game (though it's almost impossible not to), as I want to focus this review on what's accessible with the starter pack, but when you're running around as Peter Venkman in Jurassic World and jumping into a TARDIS, or riding a Hoverboard, that's the pinnacle of success for LEGO Dimensions as an idea.

I'm going to share one specific example which does include an add-on pack, but captures (for me) the spirit of this game. In the second level, Meltdown in Sector 7-G, a level which impressively re-creates settings from The Simpsons and cel-shades the visuals accordingly, there's a section taking place in Mr. Burns' office. Breaking open a portion of the bookshelves on the walls reveals bricks which, once assembled, form a TARDIS panel. Ride the TARDIS and place on the panel, and you are suddenly transported OUT OF THE LEVEL. Coming out of the TARDIS, I find myself in what is unmistakably the world of The Flintstones. My mind was blown. This minor diversion within the level showed the potential of Dimensions and mashed together themes in ways I never expected.

Other wonderful details: subtle character-specific animations (Wyldstyle moves around in the stop-motion-like animation style featured in The LEGO Movie). Dialogue set up specifically when characters use objects from other themes, or are on-screen with characters in other themes (Gandalf riding in the Batmobile saying "This might give Shadowfax a run for it's money!") It's also great to have some original voice cast for some of the properties be included in Dimensions - Christopher Lloyd and Michael J. Fox return to reprise Doc and Marty from Back to the Future; Peter Capaldi brings the 12th Doctor to life in LEGO along with Jenna Coleman as Clara Oswald; Stephen Merchant returns as Wheatley from Portal 2 - the list goes on. Occasionally there is a let down when an original voice does not come back for some characters if the replacement doesn't sound anything like the original - but overall, a job well done here.

There are some significant negatives to the Dimensions experience, however. First of all, it is buggy. I don't mind occasional gameplay glitches, but there were several full-on freezes which ruined progress in a couple of levels. Given that I purchased the starter set a full year-plus after release, and downloaded available updates, I am surprised at some of the basic tech issues I experienced. Part of this could be due to using an Xbox 360 version rather than a newer console, such as PS4. I am sure the newer consoles are prioritized when it comes to patches, and I understand that - however I have read of bugs experienced on the newer consoles as well so this does not seem to be an isolated issue, and if you're going to release a version on Xbox 360, you should maintain it. Especially for a game designed to have continual add-ons and replay value.

Which leads to the next negative - which is more due to the overall Toys-to-Life genre, and not a knock necessarily specific to Dimensions. This game can get expensive in a hurry. If you are a completist, and need to achieve 100 percent of in-game challenges, collectibles, etc., you're going to be forking out a small fortune. Retail price of the starter sets were a shocking $79.99 USD. DO NOT PAY this full price anywhere. You should be able to snag the starter on Amazon for less than $30-40 - the price is constantly fluctuating. I waited for it to hit $19.99. Even so, by starting to bring in the add-on packs, I found myself spending quite a bit. I would try to mix the in-game "Hire-a-Hero" feature with packs you absolutely want to get closer to a complete experience. The physical minifigures included in some packs drive worthwhile value alone, as they can be added to your LEGO collection (unlike other Toys-to-Life games which don't necessarily have as much secondary value that way), but be conscious of your budget.

The other issue with this is that there is a lot of content not accessible without the add-on packs. The core game is 14 story levels, which give a taste of almost all of the brands/themes from Year One of dimensions, and I applaud the starter pack for that. Having Batman, Gandalf, and Wyldstyle also give you access to their respective adventure worlds, which function as open-exploration versions of DC Comics, Lord of the Rings, and The LEGO Movie. Next to these portals in the hub overworld are many other Adventure World themes, which are only accessible through those additional packs.

Adding to your collection can be a headache too. Most packs require a download of additional updates. This means some wait times before you can access some levels/characters, as well as additional updates sometimes required, maybe due to initial bugs or issues. When you put a tag/base on the pad, the game constantly prompts you and reminds you of other areas the characters access in the game, even when you're in the middle of a level or boss fight, and repeats itself each time. I've also had an issue with "Additional Updates Required" for one of the Year Two story packs which caused the story to stop working. It required full deletion in my hard drive, and reinstallation, before it started working again.

The Toys-to-Life aspect of the game, with some puzzles based on moving characters around the game pad and occasionally altering or adding new builds, is about as close an effort as can be had at mixing actual LEGO building into the video game experience, and it's clunky at best. I'm not going to take the time to do an alternate build of a vehicle (although I'm impressed at the versatility of some of the alternate builds), and having to switch back and forth between altering figure placement on the pad and going back to the controller gets old, recalling the worst days/limitations of some games for Xbox Kinect or Nintendo Wii. One of the only redeeming aspects I experienced was about midway through the game when you take spare parts included on the original base build and create a physical version of the robot counterpart who guides you through the game. It was right under my nose all along!

The final main issue I would argue is that the core story is pretty thin, and the writing is sometimes poor. The story issues are owed more to the design of Dimensions in that bringing together all these universes is going to make for pretty clumsy story choices, justifying why these characters are suddenly thrown together and their objectives once they've teamed up. That's probably okay - it's enough to build a game off of. However, story can be a big positive in other LEGO games and raise them above the standard gameplay. The writing is owed more to missed opportunities, especially with the familiarity of so many characters - when you're writing new dialogue for a beloved, well-established character, it's not easy to re-create how that character would speak, or what they would say in a new situation. I don't hold this as a major criticism against the game, but at times it falls short.

Overall opinion

LEGO Dimensions is an ambitious foray into the Toys-to-Life market and gives an opportunity for LEGO fans to mix-and-match some of their favorite characters, themes, and brands. In this spirit, I believe it translates some of that instinctive play that LEGO fans naturally approach their physical collections with.

Initially, I started collecting some of the add-on packs simply to add to my physical collection, which speaks well to the value of these sets even without the gameplay experience. I had missed out on the LEGO Ideas Delorean, for example, so Dimensions gave me a chance to add Marty (with Hoverboard!) and Doc into my actual collection. But curiosity got the best of me and a reasonable discount for the starter game threw me into the Dimensions world.

I'm glad I did, overall. The little surprises you experience along the way, the love of the themes and brands that the designers include, and the sometimes bizarre and hilarious clashing of characters and elements from different worlds is an experience you won't get elsewhere.

Unfortunately, there are some issues that are hard to overlook. The tech issues can be a real headache and sometimes stops gameplay altogether, and the toys-to-life gameplay aspects can be tiring and limiting.

One piece of advice I saw in a review of this game, which hopefully will help your wallet and make this a reasonable experience: only pick up the packs you absolutely want, and don't worry about the rest. It's just a video game. Relax, and play the core game as you go, and if you are a huge fan of Ghostbusters, or Doctor Who, or Scooby-Doo, or whatever - pick up those packs and don't sweat the rest. Use the game for what you enjoy, don't worry about the 100 percent completion, and get what you like out of the experience. It's just a game, after all.

Additionally, seek out the discounts, because they are everywhere. Stories of over-produced fun packs ending up in dollar stores are well-circulated - this doesn't appear to be a failure of popularity of the core game, but simply some over-estimation on demand of say, Krusty the Clown fun packs. Do some comparison-shopping on packs from different vendors and do your homework on in-game abilities, and you can cover your bases for a much smaller hit to your wallet. No need to over-pay. You shouldn't pay retail price on almost any of the packs out there.

We are currently in the midst of Year 2, which includes what seem to be some impressive releases (Harry Potter! Sonic! ET!) along with some surprising/confounding inclusions (Knight Rider? The A-Team?). LEGO and TT Games appears to be planning for a third year beyond this. Value for the game will increase as content is added on, and there appears to be plenty of themes for fans of all stripes. I'll continue to get the most fun out of building real LEGO bricks, but I recommend and applaud LEGO Dimensions for creating a new way to enjoy LEGO.