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!

Star Citizen Vanguard heads to the front lines

Stephan Niehoff revisits the sci-fi video game universe of Star Citizen, the oft-delayed but undeniably gorgeous space combat simulator.

Like Stephan’s Brutus gunboat we previously highlighted, this craft is a herculean LEGO creation packed with neat details and shaping techniques, and given the appearance of metallic wear with a dusting of chalk. If you look closely you can spot an inventive use of multiple orange flippers (aka Frogman’s feet).

The more I see of the game’s vehicle designs the more I’m reminded of Sky-Fi, a favorite sub-genre of LEGO fan building which features (sometimes illogical) flying vessels that repurpose familiar air- and space-craft design elements. The Vanguard looks to me like a very chunky offspring of the P-38 Lightning.

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Manage your inventory with this LEGO tribute to Don’t Starve

When it comes to survival in an unforgiving world, the video game Don’t Starve can teach you everything you need to know about managing a sparse inventory. Builder Nathan Proudlove has created LEGO model of the game’s main character, Wilson, as a present for his girlfriend. As an avid player of this game, I must tell you this is a spot-on representation! The figure perfectly encapsulates all of Wilson’s characteristics from his striped vest to his wild hairstyle. A lot of work went into the clever design of his face, which incorporates sideways building by way of SNOT (Studs Not On Top) pieces to create the symmetry and angled curves. If you’re going to be stuck at home with limited supplies, Wilson should definitely be on the top of your list for quarantine partners.

Tie a bandanna around your head and get ready

I don’t play video games, since I was that poor, deprived kid whose parents never bought him a system, and I didn’t have friends who played them, either. I played with LEGO bricks instead. That being said, I do have nostalgia for certain video games, having watched others play them at certain times of my life. Take Contra, for example. A few guys on my high school cross country team used to play that game in the wrestling coach’s office after practice, cursing up a storm and generally having a good time. Seeing this old TV and console with that logo across the screen built by qian yj brought me back to those halcyon days of youth. With a crowd pressed into the small room, we’d watch bandanna-and-aviator-wearing elder statesmen of the team gleefully shoot pixelated villains.

The curve of the small screen is great, a far cry from the giant flat screens of today. And the antennas, the corded controllers, the cartridge… ah, memories. The small details look spot on. It took me several views, in fact, and a careful zoom, to be sure that the console was made from LEGO and not just the real deal with brick-built accessories. Does it make it play better if the LEGO cartridge is taken out and blown upon? Probably.

The entire world of Mario Kart just got shrunk by lightning

With the exciting news of the forthcoming LEGO and Nintendo Super Mario partnership, we should expect to see a bunch of LEGO creations imagining what some of the forthcoming sets might look like beyond those revealed in the press release. BenBuildsLego is off the starting grid early, with this wonderful idea — an Architecture-style line up of iconic tracks from the classic racing game Mario Kart 64. We’ve got six tracks, each immediately recognizable just from a tiny seven-brick-wide segment: Koopa Troopa Beach, Mario Raceway, Bowser’s Castle, Sherbet Land, Wario Stadium, and of course, Rainbow Road. If you didn’t start humming the tunes for each of those as you read through the list, are you even a real Mario fan?

I must become more beautiful!

What has Brothers Brick alumni Nannan Zhang been up to lately? Well, apparently he’s been watching this Youtube video and had been inspired to build a LEGO version of the NieR Automata opera singer boss Simone. Knowing nothing of the subject matter, I clicked on the video and was immediately intrigued. Simone is a machine so obsessed with beauty that she cannibalizes other androids and adorns herself with their corpses. (There’s probably a good joke in there somewhere about putting lotion in the basket but damned if I can figure it out!) She has two corpses hanging off her collar assembly and several more linked hand-in-hand around her waist. This effect, Nannan tells us, is achieved using a product from Crazy Bricks which is the only non-LEGO aftermarket feature on this model. The tattered dress is made up of several copies of Lord Vladek’s cape. A video game monster boss obsessed with beauty; now that is terrifying!

LEGO partners with Nintendo to create LEGO Super Mario theme [News]

Teased on the LEGO Twitter account and Facebook page today, a brand new LEGO licensed theme developed in partnership with Nintendo is coming soon. It looks like one of the most famous video game characters, Super Mario is about to get his own lineup of LEGO building sets. The teaser doesn’t reveal much but gives a hint on what Mario minifigure will look like.

Click here to watch the teaser…

TBB cover photo for March 2020: Bricks, bricks never change

This Fallout homage by Ralf Langer captures that moment you step out of the vault perfectly (and such a memorable moment it is in every game). Between the desolate landscape and the lonely billboard, it’s hard not to think of the better times before nuclear war, but let’s look at the positive side of things. Take a close look and you’ll spot many details that bring this Fallout scene to life — from the tires and exposed wires surrounding the vault entrance, the tears in the billboard leaving exposed boards, and the subtle curvature of the desertscape (we’ll be watching your Instagram for your technique reveal). The simple yet awe-inspiring contrast between the vault and the open world drew us to this image for March’s cover photos on The Brothers Brick social channels.

Want to see your own LEGO creation featured across TBB social media for a month? Then read the submission guidelines and submit your photo today. Photos that do not meet the submission guidelines will not be considered, and will be removed from the group.

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Build your own LEGO BD-1 from the video game Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order [Instructions]

From the release of Star Wars Episode 9: The Rise Of Skywalker to the premiere of the first live-action TV series, The Mandalorian, on the Disney+ streaming service, Star Wars fans have a lot to be excited about. For video gamers, there was one more event that made 2019 the year of Star Wars, and that was the highly anticipated Jedi: Fallen Order, which put players in the role of a Jedi Padawan in hiding since the tragedy of Order 66. But one of the best new characters introduced is the pet-sized BD-1. The adorable little companion droid who helps the player with health stims, slicing Imperial tech, and scanning ancient ruins for valuable data. Now you can build your own LEGO BD-1 with instructions by hachiroku24. Unfortunately, you will need to collect a lot of extra parts to unlock all the customization color schemes from the game.

Head back to Skyrim where adventure awaits

Skyrim is the northernmost province of Tamriel, the world of the Elder Scrolls videogames. When Bethesda Game Studios launched the fifth installment of the series in 2011, Skyrim received as much praise for its Norse-themed design elements as for the immersive gameplay. Marcin Otreba clearly enjoyed the game’s styling as he’s recreated a typical Skyrim town scene in LEGO. The hut is excellent, with an appropriate blend of wooden tones, and a spot-on tiled roof constructed with triangular parts. I love the wooden palisade of spiked logs, and the forge and grinding stone are almost perfect recreations of these key elements in the game. But best of all? That fire — genius use of an inverted pearl-grey basketball net! This neat little scene makes me want to grab a sword and shield and head for Skyrim myself once more. It’s fun to wander the cold, hard streets of Whiterun. Well, at least until you take an arrow to the knee.

LEGO Ninjago Avatar Arcade Pods: 71714 Kai, 71715 Jay, and 71716 Lloyd [Review]

Each year LEGO’s homebrewed Ninjago theme finds a new setting for its cast of pseudo-ninja heroes, ranging from sky pirates to medieval fantasy. The theme has always reveled in a no-holds-barred approach to mixing and matching ancient bladed weapons, advanced technology, and outrageous antagonists. The 2020 lineup’s twist is a cyberpunk aesthetic set in a digital world via a videogame. All of the Ninjago heroes find themselves dueling in the cyber realms via their avatars, bringing a Ready Player One-like plotline to LEGO’s most successful in-house theme. Today we’re looking at a trio of small sets that serve as the entry points to theme both for the consumers and the characters in the world. These arcade cabinet boxes are the transformation portals wherein Kai, Jay, and Lloyd are transformed into their digital avatars. 71714 Kai Avatar – Arcade Pod (US $9.99 | CAN $13.99 | UK £8.99), 71715 Jay Avatar – Arcade Pod (US $9.99 | CAN $13.99 | UK £8.99), and 71716 Lloyd Avatar – Arcade Pod (US $9.99 | CAN $13.99 | UK £8.99) will be available starting January 1. They contain about 50 pieces each.

Click to read the full review

Now you’re playing with portable (elf) power!

With this retro gaming-flavored diorama, Kale Frost‘s early holiday dominance continues. Obviously the Nintendo Game Boy is the star of the show, and darned if it doesn’t look just like the one I unwrapped on Christmas in 1989. Not to be ignored, the wily minifigure elves have appropriated the device for their own purposes. Circuit boards, wires, and batteries are all expertly represented here.

Like Kale’s Santa creation before the iconic portable gaming console diorama is just one part of a larger whole, which is Kale’s bespoke Christmas scene.

It seems as if there are more LEGO stories to be shared from the display, but you can check out the whole thing for yourself at Rundle Mall in Adelaide Australia until January.

Jedi found

After a decade of seeking solace and peace, the silence is broken by the sound of blaster fire and lightsaber slashing. The Empire has found another Jedi fugitive. Created by Hypolite Bricks, this apocalyptic Star Wars display features what might have been a scene from the upcoming Jedi: Fallen Order video game.

The level of detail here is incredible. The tree growing out of the gunship cockpit is genius, truly giving the image that the fugitive has been in hiding at this location for many years. Adding to that image is the disassembled gun turret and cloth covers, as well as the growing maize. The small green hut reminds me of Luke Skywalker’s hut on Ahch-To.

I hope we see more creations like this, since this is what Star Wars is all about: dirty, grubby, worn, and full of meaning. Hypolite Bricks’ Gunship Hideout is the definition of what a LEGO Star Wars diorama should be.