The expansion of the core Lego Dimensions experience is continuing nicely, with the recently-released Midway pack granting access to an incredible selection of arcade classics.
These include such coin-op hits as Gauntlet, Joust, Spy Hunter and Defender, but developer TT Games has revealed that it wanted to include other Midway hits - including the gory Mortal Kombat and "cobs and robbers" title APB.
Associate producer Mark Warburton has been talking to Polygon about it:
There was an age consideration. We had to take into account the typical age of our players and what sort of content we usually have. Some of the more mature games we decided we didn't think was the right fit for the game.
When Midway collapsed in 2009, Warner Bros. picked up the company's IP - which is why TT Games has had such incredible access to these classic games.
Warburton again:
They had access to the entire library. We wanted to try and introduce all of these great classic games that some of us know to a new generation. There's never been a good avenue to explore classic games. Once a console dies it's kind of hard to get ahold of those classics And these are the founding blocks of what made the industry what it is today.
However, the team decided against adding a Lego spin to the games, and instead provides them in their original form:
Lego-izing could be cool, but at the same time we wanted to keep what made these games great in the first place. We wanted to open people's eyes up to the fact that good games are good games no matter how old they are.
Have you picked up this expansion pack yet? Let us know your thoughts.
[source polygon.com]
Comments 26
in farness alot of little kids play stuff like call of duty etc...
I'm not very familiar with a lot of the Midway arcade games, but some of them included are actually really good. I just recently unlocked Xybots. It's a game revolving around the 3D sections in Contra, and works quite well.
It's a shame they didn't want to include MK, but I can kind of understand it. Besides, it seems like you can get a lot or almost all of these games in other collections, it's just the novelty of having them in this game.
i'd luv to see a wink to the old snes censorship of the game. one old midway game i'd luv to see is nba jam, but the licenses involved in that one from all parties involved would break any lawyer in half.
Love the midway games some don't remember others remember playing on the old games boy and game gear, do love the dimensions game got all level packs and about 2/3 of the characters hopefully they'll bring sequel out for it
There's no way LEGO would have allowed it, censored version or not.
They wouldn't even make a LEGO Mortal Kombat game. That would've basically been a lighter take on the series, with Babalities, Brutalities, and new this year, BRICKALITIES! Where the MiniFigures get disassembled in a comical fashion!
I would have keeled over if Lego Mortal Kombat was a thing.
LEGO NBA Jam almost could work, just have the various characters in the LEGO game as the players.
I think there's no problem with adding Lego Mortal Kombat. The problem is how the thing is set up. They'd needed to include a port of the original game.
I'm imagining Sub-Zero Ripping off Scorpion's head in Lego form and then we see the after match where they just plonk it back on.
Maybe its just me, but when I hear "Midway Arcade" I'm thinking of the Rush series, Cruis'n and Hydro Thunder. Sure I also think of their retro titles, but those games really stand out for me.
Well I do know that Microsoft has the rights to Hydro Thunder, so that explains why that one isn't referenced anywhere.
That looks like the only reason I would buy this game but I won't.
Most mk games are rated m. I'm pretty sure the inclusion would have effected their esrb rating.
Well I'm one of those that wouldn't of got it if MK was there. My kids are all still below 10 so not happening.
"Lego-izing could be cool, but at the same time we wanted to keep what made these games great in the first place. We wanted to open people's eyes up to the fact that good games are good games no matter how old they are."
Guess what game just become one of the tops on my wishlist.
@edgedino Maybe so, but not only would including Mortal Kombat drastically affect LEGO Dimensions ESRB rating (it's what helped create the ESRB in the first place), but some parents actually pay attention/care about what their kids are playing. Including Mortal Kombat would be a slap to the face to those parents.
That is ashame.
Yeah, little kids are playing MK anyway. I was from about the age of 8.
Understandable not to include it though.
An M rating doesn't stop most kids from picking up Grand Theft Auto, Call of Duty, or Mortal Kombat. Sad but true. (though if they're old enough to "handle it," I guess it doesn't really matter)
Plus, even if TT Games did include Mortal Kombat, then I doubt they would've had to make anything violent. Just having the characters from the series in the game doesn't make something automatically M. Just look at Smash Bros. Brawl and Smash 4. Having Snake and Bayonetta in the game didn't make it "unsuitable" for children.
Weird that people are saying things like "well they play CoD and GTA etc anyway". Kinda missing the point there. If they included a game with a high age rating then the whole game has to be sold at that age rating and that's not a thing LEGO want to do. They have a family image to upkeep. Even a toned down version of the game would be associating with very non-family friendly games.
Easy. Convince WB of releasing a Collection of classics, and throw a Kollection in there.
Mortal Kombat did have a child friendly kartoon back in the day and Kano in all but name kameod in Wreck-it-Ralph. It's not like their mere presence would have changed much.
For the love of god please put the midway classics on current gen consoles!! Ya know....for us older gamers?? While it's a cool concept to include in dimensions, These kids don't even know these games!! But us 40+ gamers do!! Or at least a compilation disc?? Cmon Warner Bros!!!
I can't see why they don't do an even better version of Midway Arcade Origins with all the classic arcade games from Midway, Williams, Bally and Atari Games they have rights to (with fully customisable controls this time, please). Even on iOS the approach is slipshod.
@YoshiAngemon I would love that.
Considering the messy, by LEGO standards (try imagining them in a realistic art style if you disagree...), deaths suffered by the minifigs in every LEGO game ever since the very first Lego Star Wars, a LEGO Mortal Kombat game not being a thing (yet...?) is just puzzling.
@MadAdam81 They actually had some licenced basketball lego years back as well as football(soccer for you 'maricuns)
And mk chars could be done just make a joke light of then they die there will be too many limbs and heads falling around, it doesn't need to be gory they are just digitized version of plastic toy figures afterall.
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