A new challenger emerges...

[Omenix]

I had no idea where to put this, if its relevant, or what a good title would be, but this seems to work as a suitable location and title.

So basically, I have discovered Warner Bros . , in conjunction with Lego, have revealed their own Toys to Life game, known as Lego Dimensions. It seems very similar in plot to the Lego movie,featuring multiple characters from various Lego universes, but the gameplay seems to function much like other Lego games , all being developed by TT Games (if I'm not mistaken it is Traveller's Tales). So how will this affect the Toys to Life market? Featuring DC universe characters, it seems to be a direct counter to Disney Infinity 2.0 Marvel Superheroes, and claims to be "everlasting" ,with only the need to ever buy one game , and having all future toys compatible, the exact claim DI made, before releasing a second game, with no forwards compatibility of playsets, meaning only new game functions. But this doesn't mean its not also a threat to other Toys to Life games, it has the pre-existing fanbase, similar to Amiibo's main quality, and an actual game with plot, similar to Skylsnders. I obviously can't judge until playing, but it seems WB and TT have been watching the market and picked the best qualities of other games to make their own.

But i view competition as only a good thing. With the horror of DI, and the inaccessibility of Amiibo, the best game in the Toys to Life genre is undoubtedly the first ,Skylanders. However an actual threat will properly convince TFB and VV to make Skylanders better.

So what are your your thoughts on the "New challenger emerging"?

[1ofWiisdom]

I'm interested in it, but I have no desire to invest in it if that makes sense.

I'm at a point where I can't really foot the bill for 2 of each Skylander like I would like to do, so jumping ship into the kind of expensive world of Lego isn't on the top of my priority list. It looks interesting from what I've seen, but I've not seen any actual gameplay, lol. Being that it is Lego, the game could suck and people will still pay too much for the figures and packs (or however they group it).

I bought Lego City Undercover and was super excited to do a blind playthrough of it...It has yet to ever grace the Wii U's disc slot...Time is the biggest issue and I've kind of promised myself I'll get some of these "older" games played before I spend much on "new" games. So, in actuality I have no experience ANY Lego games. I will likely take a wait-and-see with this one simply due to financial issues. If someone sends it out to me I would gleefully play it and review it...but unless that happens, I will be out of the mix.

[Omenix]

No official gameplay trailers have been released, but based on the developer, you can expect it to play very similarly to other lego games, featuring puzzles and such. It seems like a fun little time waster, but nothing worth a major investment at this stage. Ill preorder the game and, having prior experience with the lego franchise, maybe a couple of my favorite characters, but knowing my area, i expect it all to be readily available after launch, so if i deem it worthy of further commitment, i will delve into it.

The big flaw i see is that the designers want to incorporate building and digital playing, which will be far more expensive than just a figure, which will in turn drive people away.

I have delved into all prior T2L games, so shall play this one too.

[1ofWiisdom]

Yeah it sounds pretty interesting...I just hope you don't have to buy your way to success (ie a certain vehicle to access this area, a castle for this, character z for that etc).

[Orion's Islands]

Saw recently that the Starter Pack for LEGO Dimensions goes for $100. same as the Dark Edition Skylander Starter Packs for past games. Also their character packs seem to be a vehicle and a character...I believe that start at @$15.
Bottom line...they look pretty fun, I think the production value is/will be there (I mean they have been making toys for ever and they have been in the electronic game market for a while).
I think the playable game format or at least organized pursuit direction will TRUMP DIsney Infinity. In DI, the tool box is grand if that is your thing. As a playable game, the DI releases have been pretty universally categorized as bland. Character recognition and play as that character is one of their primary selling points.
LEGO also has that selling point: recognizable characters. Case in point: I like that they are delving into things like Back 2 The Future and The Wizard of Oz!

Big downsides for me:
This exact point, the thrill of playing as an existing character is short lived and my continued fun is based on the game quality and uniqueness.

Second downside is cost. LEGO is top shelf on cost and deservedly so when it comes to physical toys. However in this venue, that value for cost does not translate unless the game itself is at the same quality level.
I know I'm being pretty tough on them but Hey! That's the point of competition in the marketplace!
All the players have strengths and weaknesses. To me DI is weak on originality and gameplay. Amiibo's are weak on utility (just not a whole bunch to do with them) and again, weak on originality. Lego Dimensions starts with high cost, weak originality and gameplay as an unknown.
Without being a blind FanBoy...It seems to me Skylanders can't be touched on character originality and they have gameplay solidly established, strong forward compatability. (To be fair, all toys to life gameplay has been technically fine if a bit straight forward. But I don't expect massive gameplay originality here.) Finally, cost wise SKYLANDERS are still the leader. A $10 standard core character is excellent bang for the buck!!
Soo...we will play the wait and see with Dimensions. I've avoided Amibos completely at this point...not easy BTW! Lol. We have kept DIsney Infinity down to a minimum (just picked up a more than half off DI2 so we could play with the Guardians of the Galaxy!lol...Actually we started with the Groot character just because he's cool on the shelf!!)

[Omenix]

This is the poorest value ive seen, just off the bat, without gameplay or information. I can tell you that here the starter pack is $170, almost double any other starter pack. The singles are $25 although it has a character and a vehicle, but nonetheless its still almost double any other. Although its probably closer to 175% of the other price than 200%, it still doesnt sit well. I see the vehicle as a trap or a power disk not a character.

Also, on the topic of the figure itself, in the lego community its generally expected to have 10 cents per piece although this is rarely met, as a building toy these are atrocious. Despite my criticisms i will get the game and possibly an addition level pack or two, but wont get too invested as its just far too expensive.

[Orion's Islands]

[Omenix]

Well so far skylanders has done really well, and i can only see it failing if they raise the price. They have no reason to, so therefore that need not worry us.

[1ofWiisdom]

I have done no further research on this, but those prices are grape ape crazy. Lego prices have increased at ridiculous rates...they are cool, but they are tiny and offer little detail compared to competitors...

I will stick to Skylanders.