Tag Archives: Video Games

Even if you’re not an Xbox, PlayStation, or Nintendo gamer yourself, and even if you’ve never played one of the many LEGO games, it’s hard not to appreciate the strange and stunning LEGO creations inspired by video games. Look for lots of LEGO models inspired by Halo, the Legend of Zelda, Gears of War, Pokemon, Final Fantasy, and more. Game on!

Cubone: the tragic backstory Pokémon

For a franchise that’s squarely aimed at kids, Pokémon can get really quite dark sometimes. Consider Cubone, ably built here by Joey Klusnick. Adorable, right? Well, according to various Pokédex entries, the skull it wears as a helmet is from a deceased parent. Moreover, the ‘dex entries also mention crying a lot. How tragic — this is a kids’ game, remember! Thankfully Joey’s creation is so well-built I think we can focus on how cute this little guy is otherwise. That Bram sphere tummy in particular makes it look very huggable. After reading all the lore on Cubone I (and it, probably) could do with a hug…

Cubone

This LEGO Moldy Crow from Dark Forces tosses Star Wars canon into the trash compactor

Folks, every story has a beginning. And the beginning of my love for the Star Wars universe began playing the Dark Forces video game on my Playstation as a kid. Decades before Rogue One became the new canon, I spent hours playing as Kyle Katarn as he tracked down the Death Star plans in his ship, the Moldy Crow. And thanks to builder Luca, that HWK-290 light freighter now exists in glorious LEGO form! From my numerous failed attempts, I know the sharp angles of the spaceship to be particularly difficult to capture in brick form. Add that to a lack of space-y parts in brown and dark tan tones, and the true talent in this build comes into focus. Its sharp angles are impossibly clean, and the colors perfectly match those in the game’s cinematics. Even the background build, showing the Crow docked while Katarn uncovers more of the Dark Trooper project, feels like a Dark Forces screenshot. Take that, Jyn Erso!

Eevee: a picture perfect Pokémon

Eevee, in almost all instances, is adorable beyond measure. This LEGO portrait from Tim and Dannii (who you may know from LEGO Masters Australia) continues in the tradition. Right away, I’m super glad Dannii allows Eevee’s ears to spill out over the frame! Eevee has beautiful ears that get to shine rather than being clipped by the boundaries of the frame. The building technique at work here, the brick-built 3D character, gives the portrait the feeling of a window. It’s like Eevee is taking a peek at us from the Pokémon world! Definitely a great choice over doing a flat studs-only picture. This way Eevee seems more alive, which is exactly what we all want with Pokémon.

Game Boy Color: Get into it!

While this LEGO Game Boy Color (GBC) doesn’t play actual games, it’s still a treat to see from Nick Brick. Personally, I never owned one of these handhelds, but that has never stopped me from appreciating the look and feel of the hardware. This build captures one of the iconic bright colors of the console – kiwi green. That’s something I love about the GBC: all the different colors it came in instead of the flatter colors of the Game Boy and Game Boy Pocket. It takes some imagination and sweet designing to build this handheld out in LEGO. It looks like you can just flick the power switch and hear that iconic chime before playing whatever game you want. Personally, I’d love to throw The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX into this thing and play around on Koholint Island.

Game Boy Color

This Pikachu-wannabe just wants a hug!

I can’t think of a creepier Pokémon than Mimikyu, even in LEGO form. While some may mistake it for a sickly-looking Pikachu, the clever disguise hides a malicious Fairy/Ghost type underneath. Builder Brickmill has created a wonderful likeness of this spooky creature, complete with two shadowy arms emerging from underneath its costume. Cheese slopes are doing quite a bit of work in this creation, from the tattered end of the ‘Mon’s sheet to its zig-zaggy mouth attempting a smile. And while a simple solution, its menacing claws are spot-on for the specter underneath.

A Pokémon sun & moon from the Ruby & Sapphire era

I’ve been following the LEGO Pokémon creations of pino_creations and nunsseugae for a while now. But when these two trainers combined their talents to handle the duo Solrock and Lunatone, they really knocked it out of the park! The pockmarked craters on Lunatone’s surface are perfect, as is its little beak of a mouth nestled right inside its crescent. And I particularly like the use of this T-bar for the vertical pupil on this ‘Mon in the moon. Solrock’s eyes are also spectacular, utilizing the minifig handlebars to great effect. The flame yellow fins jutting out in all directions are wonderful, as are the pyramidal points bisecting its body.

You wanna pizza me, huh?!

I’ll level with you, dear reader: I saw this build by Ivan Martynov and I had no idea what to make of it. It looks like a pizza chef’s fever dream. Which, as it turns out, is not far from the truth! It’s apparently inspired by a newly-popular video game called Pizza Tower. I can’t comment on whether Ivan’s build is accurate, but it sure is a tour de force in clever parts usage. Chain links are doubled up for the pizza crust. White lifebelts make up the apron straps. And a couple of eggs are used for the eyes. This is the best one if you ask me – a real eye-popper!

PIZZA TIME

Got anything that needs tormenting? Cuz I’m The Tormentor. It’s what I do.

My little brother may have described me The Tormentor in the 80s because I might have convinced him that the president was going to send missiles to our house if he wasn’t a good boy. In my defense, Your Honor, it was the 80s and, with plentiful stock footage of MX Missiles on TV, it was easy to convince him of self-caused, yet hilarious impending doom. Plus he was a toddler and toddlers just aren’t cool. So, one could argue, that he really had it coming. While you’re mulling over that legal defense check out this LEGO creation by Titolian. It’s called The Tormentor and apparently it’ll be featured in the game Destiny II: Lightfall.

Tormentor

This is your Link to adventure in the land of Hyrule

It’s dangerous to go exploring without a sword, though decidedly less dangerous when everything is made of LEGO. John Kupitz recreates the iconic moment when the hero Link receives the sword in The Legend of Zelda. This build looks like you just ripped it right out of the video game! The 2D, top-down side-scrolling appearance is achieved through clever SNOT and side-ways techniques. It allows the build to stand up and gives some unique layering to get in all the details from the 8-bit classic. I didn’t grow up with this particular Zelda title, but the build makes me nostalgic all the same! I can hear the discovery music upon getting the sword, a sound any Zelda player will recognize across the series. Remember: if you’re going to adventure in Hyrule, take a sword. If you’re going to adventure in LEGO, I recommend taking a brick separator.

The Untitled Goose Game build you didn’t know you needed

I’ve earned a reputation in my LEGO circles for introducing fellow builders to a certain indie video game through one of my creations. And while I was building to express my love of Stardew Valley, NikiFilik is all about the equally-excellent Untitled Goose Game with their latest construction. This may look like a standard water fowl to the uninitiated, but the nameless goose was instantly recognizable to me from its head shape, simple color palette, and malicious gaze. The use of the plane fuselage for the bill is spectacular, as is the complex network of white slopes and wedge plates to nail the bust’s overall shape. Villagers beware, this bird is out for blood!

Untitled Goose MOC

Magnificent Magnate from EVE Online

Although the idea of games like EVE Online is appealing to me, I don’t think I’d ever have the time or patience to commit to exploring all its features. Thankfully I can live vicariously through builders like Eugene Levin to enjoy some incredible ship design. He has added this Sarum Magnate to the epic Revelation we featured a few days ago. The Magnate shares some common design features with its big sister ship, including that awesome dark red and gold colour scheme. Where they differ is in the shaping. This smaller craft is almost all curves, but Eugene has nailed the shaping, thanks to some judicious choices of wedges and curved slopes. I just can’t stop staring at it!

Untitled

In the Super Mario universe, the mushrooms are not fun guys

What do people have against mushrooms? I love them, but I had a roommate at college who flatly refused to eat them as they “taste like dirt”. I reckon it’s a case of Goomba-induced PTSD – to be fair, these little walking mushrooms can be a real nuisance in the Super Mario games. Lokiloki29 has paid tribute to this under-appreciated foe with this frankly adorable LEGO Goomba. They’ve perfectly captured its cartoonish likeness. Sure, he looks grumpy, but wouldn’t you be if there was an Italian plumber constantly trying to stomp on your head?

Goomba