Disney Infinity is dead. Disney gave up on making games. Skylanders is failing fast. You can find Nintendo amiibo, normally $12 each, for $5, depending on the figure. NFC seems to be nearing the end of its video game lifespan. The only exception looks like it could be Lego Dimensions . It seems like Warner Bros. has found the key to keeping a NFC game relevant – nostalgia.
Lego Dimensions isn’t like Disney Infinity and Skylanders . Once you buy a starter pack, you’re set. You don’t need to purchase additional starter packs each year. It’s a universal game and peripheral that works with every Lego Dimensions Fun, Level, and Team Pack. That’s one point in its favor and the reason nostalgia wins out. You can keep going back to that one game you made wonderful memories with the first time.
It also lets you relive and create new memories with old favorites. The first run of Lego Dimension packs was impressive. There were series like The Wizard of Oz, Doctor Who, The Simpsons, Ghostbusters, Portal, and Lord of the Rings. It was impressive and mostly well-rounded. The next wave one-ups it in every way. Now, we have A-Team, Adventure Time, Beetlejuice, ET The Extra-Terrestrial, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, The Goonies, Gremlins, Harry Potter, Knight Rider, The Lego Batman Movie, Lego City Undercover, Mission Impossible , The Powerpuff Girls, Sonic the Hedgehog, Teen Titans Go!, and the new Ghostbusters. These are all series we’ve loved before. They’re ones we’ve begged for in Lego Dimensions. Children love them. Adults love them. They’re iconic parts of our cultural history, when it comes to entertainment. And they’re all coming back and mixing things up together. It’s going to sell a lot of games and convince people to come back. I haven’t played since the Portal and Doctor Who sets, but I’m absolutely getting any Harry Potter, Adventure Time and Sonic the Hedgehog sets.
Especially since some of them will be telling richer stories. Lego Dimensions is getting Story Packs soon. They’re longer, fuller expansions. The new Ghostbusters movie is inspiring one and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them another. We’re going to have an even greater opportunity to reexperience the things we love in our homes. Plus, it means not having to actually buy another Lego video game dedicated to them. Grab a pack, pop it on the pad, and you’re set.
Most importantly, these are Lego. You’re never too old for Lego. That we get to keep building and rebuilding the vehicles in each pack to change their look and function makes this something you can enjoy in Lego Dimensions or your spare time. It’s tying into our desire to create things.
Lego Dimensions is tapping into our memories. They’re powerful things. When you have an opportunity to enjoy something you loved before, something that had a major effect on your life, you’re going to want to do what you can to relive those joyful times. With this new wave of sets, Lego Dimensions is giving us a chance to savor the iconic and kitschy series we loved before. It’s using nostalgia to lure us in, and that’s a powerful weapon that will keep this game relevant for years to come.