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Lego NES really undersells system's graphics

by David Hinkle { Nov 6th 2009 at 4:15PM }

Video games and Lego go together like peanut butter and chocolate. We've seen wonderfully bricky homages to Donkey Kong and cuddly little Pokemon, an ingenious way to make your own Zapper and even recreations of other Nintendo consoles -- and now, a full NES set courtesy of MOCpages.

Not only does it come with two controllers and a Lego cartridge, but the builder even went so far as to create a TV and mock gameplay. But, that's not even the kicker: the thing even has a working cartridge slot and power and reset buttons! Head on over to MOCpages to check it out.

[Via Gizmodo]

'About 50%' of Lego Rock Band team was against the game concept

by Andrew Yoon { Nov 5th 2009 at 3:59PM }

"omg they're selling out. they are humpin' the cash cow like activision has been till shes dried up . they're gonna beat the rock band name to a pulp until we are absolutely sick and tired of instrument rhythm games." –fffunfarm06

"I'm so sick of these corny games. All of you people should just learn to play with REAL Legos." –Troy Powers

LEGO Rock Band's very existence is something that both the Joystiq staff and community couldn't help but question. However, animator Matt Palmer revealed that developer TT Fusion also had doubts about the bizarre collaboration. "I know people were saying, 'Oh, they're flogging a Lego license again,'" he recalled during a Develop panel. "I'd say about 50 percent of our studio were for the idea, and about 50 percent were against it."

Considering the game actually came out (this week!), it's apparent that the team eventually banded together to finish the project. Why the change of heart, though? "Many of us started realizing that we weren't just skinning one franchise on another," Palmer explained, noting the need to hand animate the blocky Lego celebrity characters to capture their various "signature styles." That's ... something. Right?

New LEGO Rock Band trailer will brick your screen

by David Hinkle { Oct 26th 2009 at 10:00PM }

At this point, many of you have likely already formed your Final Opinion™ on the blocky cousin to your regular, run-of-the-mill Rock Band: LEGO Rock Band. This latest trailer should then either excite you or induce a lifeless "meh." For us, it's the former, with the best part of this trailer obviously being the brief look at Chuck Norris rocking the guitar, right around the 58-second mark.

Oh, and a little "Final Countdown" certainly doesn't hurt.

Video: Queen is the champion of Lego Rock Band

by David Hinkle { Oct 20th 2009 at 3:00PM }

Finally, you get to see what Brian May considers "the ultimate accolade:" Queen in Lego Rock Band. Warner Bros. just dished out a new trailer and screens showing Freddie and co. strutting their stuff on the blocky stage. Sadly, the game will only have two Queen tracks, but don't be such a grumpy Gus! Theoretically, you should be able to access those Queen songs you downloaded from the Rock Band Music Store in Lego Rock Band -- granted the songs have been rated as "suitable for all ages."

Oh, and don't expect to rent Lego Rock Band and extract all of its juicy tunes to your regular old Rock Band. Remember: you'll need a special code this time around.

Gallery: Queen in Lego Rock Band

Sakaguchi: unannounced Mistwalker project in 'finishing stage'

by JC Fletcher { Oct 19th 2009 at 4:00PM }

In late April, Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi mentioned on his blog that he was working on a new project, while showing off the totally sweet Lego truck he made in his spare time. Now he's got an update on this mysterious game -- and an update on his Lego modeling.

In the latest blog post, Sakaguchi said, "I am working hard on a new project. Now we are being rushed into the 'finishing' stage. No matter what, I will make it really good...." And judging by the tiny surfing Sakaguchi analog seen above, it appears that as the work picks up on this project, the Lego complexity drops. He's really busy.

And we still don't know what he's busy on! The last Blue Dragon game came out on October 8, so this is something else entirely. We should find out soon ... since it's almost finished, we guess.

[Via RPGSite]

Blur gets blocky in Lego Rock Band

by JC Fletcher { Oct 15th 2009 at 1:00PM }

Lego Rock Band is quickly becoming a who's who of famous musicians who don't mind having their hands rendered as cylindrical claws. But until recently, for a game called Rock Band, it's been heavy on the solo artists and suspiciously light on the actual bands.

Queen will be brickified for the game, but the first musical combo to be fully shown in LEGO form is Blur, best known for that one song with all the "Woo-hoos" in it. Rolling Stone has the first footage of the band performing that song in-game. You might as well watch it, since the song's already stuck in your head now.

[Via Kotaku]

Lego Rock Band tracks revealed, transferable to Rock Band

by Alexander Sliwinski { Oct 12th 2009 at 10:04AM }

All the block-rockin' beats in Lego Rock Band have been revealed, with Warner Bros. also confirming upcoming DLC and a song exporting feature. Xbox 360 and PS3 owners will have the option to download "all of the songs in the Rock Band Music Store that have been identified to be suitable for all ages." Only songs deemed appropriate will appear within the Lego Rock Band Store and the game should "highlight" any newly added "family-friendly" tracks.

The Lego Rock Band disc export will cost $9.99 (800

) and transfer all tracks from the Lego disc for use on the regular Rock Band platform. It appears to work in the same way as the conversion of the original Rock Band disc, except that owners will have to enter "a unique code from an insert in their game manual into a dedicated website" to activate the option. Check out the full set list for the console and DS versions of Lego Rock Band after the break.

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David Bowie invites us all to dance in latest Lego Rock Band trailer

by Ben Gilbert { Oct 6th 2009 at 11:58PM }

No, really, that's David Bowie. Click for a higher-resolution peak

Warner Bros. today announced the inclusion of David Bowie as a second playable character in upcoming music/rhythm game, Lego Rock Band, and also handed over a mess of new media seen above and below. Coupled with last month's Iggy Pop announcement , the game's playable-musician-who-probably-shouldn't-be-in-a kids-game quotient has officially been doubled. One major plus for Bowie: Lego character gender ambiguity is all the more fitting. Bravo, MTV Games! Now that's synergy.

Gallery: Lego Rock Band (David Bowie)

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LEGO Indiana Jones 2 trailer is intentionally blocky

by Randy Nelson { Oct 1st 2009 at 11:00PM }

Even though many of your trusted Joystiq editors are a little old to be playing with toys (there's an age limit?), we can't deny having a huge soft spot for the LEGO franchise tribute games. So, of course we're excited that the Indiana Jones films are being remastered block-mastered again, since we heart them too. (Actually, don't get us started on the last one -- sheesh!)

As this newly released trailer shows, the tongue-in-cheek humor, charm and co-op play that's made the previous LEGO offerings so appealing doesn't seem to have been turned town in the tiniest for LEGO Indiana Jones 2 -- and we can't wait to create some truly weird stuff with the new level editor. We're thinking of awarding a prize to the editor who devises the most ingenious and playfully painful way to get rid of "Mutt" -- preferably as fast as possible -- since all of our pleas to Lucas to write him out of canon have thus far gone ignored.

Iggy Pop goes shirtless for Lego Rock Band

by Ben Gilbert { Sep 12th 2009 at 9:00PM }

We can't even begin to thank Harmonix for giving us a shirtless version of Iggy Pop that we're not completely revolted by. The guy's really been put through his paces over the years, so it seems only deserving that he should be all gussied up by Lego for upcoming rhythm/music game, Lego Rock Band.

Jeux Video discovered the images, as well as a bit of gameplay with the iconic Stooges frontman. Unfortunately, the one major problem with licensing your likeness to a Lego game persists: You just look like a generic Lego dude! Is that Iggy Pop above? Sure, why not! People that could also be include, but are not limited to, certain versions of Eric Stoltz, and a muscle-bound Edgar Winter.

[Via VG247]

If you only watch one 8-bit Lego animation today, make it 8-bit trip

by JC Fletcher { Aug 24th 2009 at 3:00PM }

Rymdreglage's 8-bit trip (see it after the break!) combines an original chiptune composition by Daniel Larsson with a ridiculously amazing Lego animation by Thomas Redigh to create a memorable tribute to the Commodore 64 and NES. The video is composed almost entirely of Lego pixel animation, with stop-motion nods to International Karate, Tetris, Super Mario Bros., and Pac-Man. The Pong sequence is especially jaw-dropping, featuring the proto-game playing on the interior of a spinning structure as it constantly destroys and rebuilds itself. The animation, according to the video's YouTube description, took 1,500 hours, and it shows.

More work by Rymdreglage can be found at the duo's website. Not right now, though, because the Internet has crushed the site with its love.

[Thanks, Darric]

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First Lego Universe shots revealed, no assembly required

by Griffin McElroy { Aug 20th 2009 at 4:20PM }

Things have been fairly quiet on the Lego Universe front since the game was first announced over two years ago. Developer NetDevil finally broke radio silence today, releasing a handful of screenshots which depict, in no particular order, the game's login screen, a character creation menu and a spiky-haired block-man running away from ninjas and pirates. Mind you, those two groups are pictured in completely separate images -- history has taught us that they wouldn't be caught dead intermingling.

Our innate fondness for meticulous bricklaying and level grinding has set our anticipation for this title ablaze -- unfortunately, with a nebulous "2010" release window, we've got no clue as to when said flame will be doused by the cool waters of satisfaction.

Gallery: Lego Universe

[Via Big Download]

Lego Rock Band DS is peripheral-free

by JC Fletcher { Aug 20th 2009 at 2:58PM }

Warner Bros. has finally revealed the first screenshots and information about the mysterious DS version of Lego Rock Band. Unlike its DS Guitar Hero counterparts, Lego Rock Band doesn't make use of any peripherals beyond the standard DS stylus. Instead, it's an experience similar to Rock Band Unplugged on the PSP, also developed by Backbone -- in which players use the buttons to hit notes, switching between instrumental tracks throughout the song. This is wonderful news for those of us who loved Frequency and Amplitude.

The major differences between Lego and Unplugged include, of course, the Lego styling and character building options, as well as the ability to hit notes using either buttons or the stylus. Lego Rock Band includes multiplayer for up to four people, and will be out Holiday 2009 along with the other platform versions. Check after the break for the first known tracks!

Gallery: Lego Rock Band (DS)

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LEGO + Rock Band = debut gameplay trailer

by Andrew Yoon { Aug 17th 2009 at 8:30PM }

You will be totally surprised by this, the very first gameplay trailer for LEGO Rock Band. MTV Multiplayer has secured the exclusive unveiling of this -- the ultimate merging of LEGO and music gameplay. Finally! The construction toy/music game niche can finally stop sending their creepy fanfics to Harmonix as their prayers have finally been answered.

Are you ready to brick your pants? Check out the trailer after the break.

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Create co-op levels by playing in Lego Indiana Jones 2

by Justin McElroy { Jul 16th 2009 at 10:00AM }

It seems that user-generated content has usurped co-op as the hot new "gotta have it" feature. Lego Indiana Jones has found a way to bridge the gap between the two features (impressive, considering his stubby legs), allowing two players to create levels simultaneously (a la LittleBigPlanet) in his upcoming sequel, subtitled The Adventure Continues. Good news: The feature will appear on Wii as well as 360 and PS3. Bad news: They won't be sharable on any console, which just seems silly.

Our man Jem Alexander reports from the Develop conference that you'll be able to create levels by playing, similar to what we saw in Modnation Racers during E3. We have no clue how that'll work, but we'd let Mola Ram tear our hearts out to learn more.