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LEGO Universe: Hands-On Preview
SBFord
Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129
Jon Wood scored an opportunity for a hands-on look at one of the most eagerly anticipated MMOs coming down the pike: LEGO Universe. What he found out was that this "kids'" game has a lot more going for it than some would think. Jon thinks it's a sure fire hit destined to appeal to kids and adults. LEGO Universe seems to have it all!
If the Lego IP franchise (Batman, Harry Potter, etc.) and Little Big Planet got together in some kind of unholy union, the result would be LEGO Universe. It combines the whimsy of the former, in all of its block destroying grandeur with the free flow of imagination and sense of wonder that comes with LBP.
Read the rest of Jon's thoughts about LEGO Universe.
Comments
This game looks more and more promising as a fun little diversion. With the ability to upload your designs to Lego and have them sent to you in the form of real-life bricks, this game will potentially appeal to a wide variety of people.....at least for a while. I'm still not sure about the depth or lasting appeal but I'll likely give it a try to see how it plays out.
I want a mmorpg where people have gone through misery, have gone through school stuff and actually have had sex even. -sagil
wow, this game promises a lot. it seems to be very good!
"it's a sure fire hit destined to appeal to kids and adults. LEGO Universe seems to have it all!"
Right , the adults are going to dive into this game just like the kids. Excuse me if I scoff at that notion. Lego's are something that 8 year olds like, the teens tend to mostly out grow them, I don't see the adults doing much in this game unless playing along with the kids.
My personal experience is that kids would much rather play lego games on the Wii rather than bother with any PC games. So I question the size of the market segment that will enjoy this game.
Might be a good game, but the consoles market to this segment far better than then the PC's do. Not sure they are going to get much income as the kids at that age rarely have any funds to invest in a game.
Why aren't the old farts all over this one? I mean the whole background of the game advocates what they want. They get to fight the "Opposite of Imagination," which they claim plagues all new MMOs these days, and this SCREAMS sandbox.
Kids, adults... and sandbox vets.
I am all over it.. Doesn't come out until 10/26 though, so no need to get too excited just yet..
Just goes to show that if you keep your mind open to things you might not normally find interesting, more often than not you will be pleasantly surprised.
"If I'd asked my customers what they wanted, they'd have said a faster horse." - Henry Ford
Hm, I'll dig it.
I have gone low on imagination after finishing my dissertation anyhow.
I'm not sure I see enough here to warrant a subscription based game. Is there something more than a keep door and chickens to keep people playing week after week?
I really wish Netdevil would actually work on Jumpgate Evolution... Seems like development on that game has completely stopped...
Tried: LotR, CoH, AoC, WAR, Jumpgate Classic
Played: SWG, Guild Wars, WoW
Playing: Eve Online, Counter-strike
Loved: Star Wars Galaxies
Waiting for: Earthrise, Guild Wars 2, anything sandbox.
Absolutly the best way to make a Lego game.
I think it's funny people who like elves and spacemen would call this a kid's game...
Actually, I find it laughable.
I kill other players because they're smarter than AI, sometimes.
Sounds like something worth keeping an eye on, at least for a very alternative MMO experience. I'm in.
Well, I know several of my more science/engineering oriented friends in college were making things out of erector sets and animating them. Walkng robots, dogs, etc.
If you walk around MIT you will see all sorts of student projects that are creative and designed to be functional. not to mention the actual robots that are being worked on (I currently work in the in the computer science and artificial intellligence labratory so I see some cool things).
I see no reason why an adult who is creative and likes putting things together, likes designing things, wouldn't like this.
Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w
Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547
Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo
I'm not sure the game is really aimed at kids. The game requires a bit more experience and knowledge (in mmo terms), than most kids are likely to have.
Remember Wizards 101 is supposedly a kids game too, but I know a lot of adults play the game.
Sounds good so far. I am hoping this game has some form of character progression. If you use a sword more, will you get better at it (inflict greater damage), or does it only serve to swing and hack? I am feeling like all of the weapons may do the same damage. From watching a video all the enemies were a couple hits each, the larger ones were a few more. If the helmets, chest pieces, and armor all had certain attributes then this could be really good.
I look forward to hearing more about this game as well. I notice it's flagged as PC and Mac which is nice and I hope sticks. Subscription is a bit of a downer for me but I'll still give it a shot.
Current Game: Asssasins Creed 2(PS3, Gamer Tag: Happy_Hubby)
Current MMO: World of Warcraft and World of Tanks
Former Subscribed MMO: Star Trek Online, Aion, WoW, Guild Wars, Eve Online, DAoC, City of Heroes, Shattered Galaxy, 10six.
Tried: Too many to list
I think you underestimate people's tendancy to not care about what they "grow out" of. I know a lot of TEENS that "grew out" of legos who would still play this just because, it looks awesome! The game is a matter of individuality, which sets the game apart from the rest of its competitors. Which has an amazing potential to sell and sell alot at that.
Playing: Ever quest 2
Played: MS,GW,EVE,LOTRO,WoW,Allods,Aion, CO,CoH,CoV,TQ Digital games, Darkfall,AoC,RS2.
Liked: Dungeon fight online, GW, Darkfall and, Runescape.
Waiting for: Link Realms(can't get my damn beta invite) KOTOR and, GW2
LOL, you know, off hand I can count over a dozen adults I know who still love to put things together with legos, they have been talking about this for a long time. I expect they will play. The people I know are pretty "run of the mill" lower middle class with disposable income.
A lego mmo... hmmm might be interesting
I have been playing Lego Universe for some time now (beta)
I am 32 year old playing it alongside my 8 year old nephew and it really is a blast it has something for everyone in it and really does have broad appeal.
If like myself you have work a couple of kids and other activites outside of gaming and just want something fun to dive on everynow and again then its a exccellent little game.
And come on whats coller than a Lego Ninja, perhaps a lego ninja pirate but as yet I have not found that gear
haha
sounds cool! Can't wait to play it ^^
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waiting for ... nothing..
Originally posted by Comnitus
Why aren't the old farts all over this one? I mean the whole background of the game advocates what they want. They get to fight the "Opposite of Imagination," which they claim plagues all new MMOs these days, and this SCREAMS sandbox.
Kids, adults... and sandbox vets.
As you command, Domnius Comnitus! Old Fart here (51) weighing in on this game. I've also been testing this since the beginning of closed beta. This game appeals to pretty much every age group. I saw it first hand at E3 at the LEGO Universe (LU) booth. Everyone enjoying what they saw and we are only 1/2 way through the closed beta. (There will be no open beta before release)
Originally posted by Ozmodan
"it's a sure fire hit destined to appeal to kids and adults. LEGO Universe seems to have it all!"
Right , the adults are going to dive into this game just like the kids. Excuse me if I scoff at that notion. Lego's are something that 8 year olds like, the teens tend to mostly out grow them, I don't see the adults doing much in this game unless playing along with the kids.
See the above ↑↑↑
My personal experience is that kids would much rather play lego games on the Wii rather than bother with any PC games. So I question the size of the market segment that will enjoy this game.
LEGO Harry Potter was also being demo-ed there at the show. People were enjoying themselves playing that game a lot. We'll have to wait until release so see if the sales numbers reflect your statement.
Might be a good game, but the consoles market to this segment far better than then the PC's do. Not sure they are going to get much income as the kids at that age rarely have any funds to invest in a game.
Well, I would have to agree with you on the fact that kids won't have the monetary resources to bail out the initial cost and monthly costs for the game. On the flip side of that, every adult that I saw were interested initially for this kids to play... but changed after 15 minutes into wanting to play the game themselves. There are adult testers that actually want LEGO/NetDevil to create a seperate LU with adult privilages just for them to play. This is how enamoured they are with the game so far! -)
Originally posted by Abrahmm
I really wish Netdevil would actually work on Jumpgate Evolution... Seems like development on that game has completely stopped...
I was inivited to attend E3 by Gazillion/NetDevil as a Fan of Jumpgate/Jumpgate Evolution. I was shown the presentation after signing a NDA before they would let me in the door to their demo room. So I can't reveal details but they have been working on the game for a long while. The direction of the game has changed from its original design inception. Go read the many forums to hear the positive & negative sides of their decision.
BTW... Whilst LEGO Universe and Jumpgate Evolution (JGE) are both housed in the same building, they are totally seperate projects. The only times LU devs use JGE team members are to test play latest systems/content before it is released to us testers. Ditto for the JGE team per the JGE team.
Originally posted by thamighty213
I have been playing Lego Universe for some time now (beta)
I am 32 year old playing it alongside my 8 year old nephew and it really is a blast it has something for everyone in it and really does have broad appeal.
If like myself you have work a couple of kids and other activites outside of gaming and just want something fun to dive on everynow and again then its a exccellent little game.
And come on whats coller than a Lego Ninja, perhaps a lego ninja pirate but as yet I have not found that gear
Nice to see another tester posting. A lot of the game's systems and content are still missing. Testers in Alpha saw more than is available at this time. They are getting content/systems stable before adding them back in. There was another nice big update to the client so we'll see what is new very soon!
TQQdles™,
Dolnor Numbwit
Eternal Testing Newbie
P.s. Sorry for the colours going wonky. These forums don't like me! -(
I wish they would send me an invite.
For me this is graphicaly too retro, but it has some nice ideas.
You may scoff at this idea but, as a parent of 2 under-10 kids, there are lots of parents who are looking for a kid-friendly game they can appreciate as well. Size of market? Well, in my family that'd be 3 accounts for Lego Universe.
Can I say the same for an MMO that is made for the 15+ crowd? Nope. In fact, in many cases not even 1, because I don't want my kids seeing me play something too violent.
its sad that some people cant seem to open there mind, yes its lego, which i used to play with when i was 8, its for kids, but the lego games seems to have pulled a much bigger audience, i am currently playing lego harry potter and its great!
so forget about being a adult and go have some fun with some lego
I still haven't got exactly what to expect from this MMO but almost EVERY Lego game, even though is not too challenging or hardcore, is really fun to play till its end..so i'm looking forward to know more about this one