On the heels of LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga‘s release (and generally blowing us all away), we’re taking a look at other franchises that need a LEGO game.
As I’ve said since I first got my hands-on LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, it feels like the most refined version of the LEGO games we love. The new mechanics implemented make it feel like a more dynamic game; able to hold its own among just about any other 3rd-person action title around.
While I’m still very much enjoying my adventures around the galaxy far, far away, I can’t help but think about other franchises which could make use of this new and—vastly—improved LEGO gameplay. They’ve covered everything from Indiana Jones, Jurassic World/Park, and both Mravel and DC’s universes, but there are some movie series that could use LEGO’s unique approach…
Planet of the Apes
If we’re talking about iconic Science Fiction franchises in LEGO form, you can’t go wrong with Planet of the Apes. Comprising five films from the original run, one “not great” remake, and a prequel trilogy that comprise some of the best films of the past couple decades, there’s no shortage of story to be re-told.
Sure, some of the films head into weightier topics, but the franchise has always embraced a level of cheese and goofiness that would fit perfectly with LEGO humor. Not to mention there’s plenty of action spread throughout the series and a large cast of characters for players to track down and collect.
Due to the nature of how the stories work together (time-travel and what not), it would also fit in nicely with the “start from anywhere” style of play. And sure, why not throw in the Marky Mark starring remake as some fun DLC or something. There’s a lot of content to explore and would give newer generations another way to experience the classic Apes stories.
Alien
This idea was actually the impetus for this whole article, and judging by the reactions I’ve seen from it online, I’m definitely not alone in wanting this one. Sure, the Alien franchise is geared more towards adults and features plenty of horror/gore, but that’s never seemed to stop toy companies in the past! There are tons of Aliens themed toys for kids that have come out over the years, so why not give it some LEGO love.
Spread out over several movies, even decades of time, and combined with the pair of prequels and there’s a TON of story and characters for a LEGO game to pull from. Hell, just the variations of the Androids there are tons of characters to collect/find.
There’s also plenty of action to go around, which would make great use of the newer shooting mechanics. The story could also allow for several stealth based gameplay sections, and considering the amount of tech/Sci-Fi stuff involved, there’s no shortage of building opportunities for players.
Yeah, they’d obviously have to deal with the horror/death elements, but they handled those decently enough in the LEGO Jurassic World game that I think they could do it in a fun way for all ages.
Ghostbusters
We already have a nice line of LEGO Ghosbuters on the market, so taking this franchise to the video games seems like a logical (no-brainer) next step. Hell, we already got two Ghostbusters themed packs for the LEGO Dimensions game! With a franchise that now spans four movies, there’s no reason a game couldn’t work and bring in some fun gameplay elements to boot.
I mean, Ghostbusters games are something fans are always clamoring for. The one that have been good, were incredible successes, and adding in the LEGO element seems like the perfect recipe. I mean, the humor LEGO uses to re-tell stories would fit in perfectly with the already established storylines and could make for some hilarious moments. I mean, who wouldn’t want to walk a giant LEGO Statue of Liberty through the streets of New York?
Hell, might as well go “whole hog” with it as well and even include stuff from the old cartoon show! Those are stories not as many new Ghostbusters fans are familiar with and would be a great access point to them, while offering something deep for long-time fans to enjoy.
Godzilla
Pretty sure I’ve been banging the drum for Godzilla themed LEGO toys for decades now. If I can’t get that, the least I could get is a game focused on the iconic kaiju. The track record for Godzilla games in general is…not great, so it would be nice to finally have a really awesome video game based on the monster’s many adventures.
It’s INSANE how many Godzilla movies there are in existence (broken up via era). There’s a rich history and deep lore a game could pull from filled with other iconic monsters who could easily fill out the roster of collectible characters to track down. Hell, there’s even a ton of ship designs and vehicles that would be easy to implement as well.
Imagine a game where you step into the role of Godzilla themselves, taking on both human armies and villainous kaiju all across the globe. Throw in designs from the different eras of movies, the outer space threats, and you’ve got an insane amount of great stuff to pull from. Even if they stuck just within the newer movies, and focused on the Monster-Verse, there’s a lot of fun they could bring to the game.
Universal’s Monsters
When I was putting this idea together, one of the first movies I picked were The Mummy films (the good, Brendan Fraser ones). The action-adventure elements felt right in line with LEGO Indiana Jones, but the more I thought about it, I realized how much more awesome it would be to get ALL of Universal’s iconic monster films together for a game.
The various icons, from the Wolfman, to Dracula, to Frankenstein all bring their own elements to the table. With their unique stories and abilities, they would work perfectly in LEGO’s style of gameplay where different characters are needed to fully explore every area. Not to mention, they’re history together in films is long established and wouldn’t be the first time we’ve seen them crossover.
For younger gamers who may not be familiar with these classic films, a LEGO game would be a fantastic way to get them acquainted with these stories. It also wouldn’t be too difficult to add in the more modern versions of these monsters as variations to unlock, or even use for whole levels (like the Fraser Mummy movies).
There are a BUNCH of great properties out there which LEGO could make games from, without coming back to the same things. I’d still love to see a LEGO Simpsons game, LEGO Ninja Turtles, or even some Fast & Furious action. If I could only get a few, however, it’d be from the ones above.
Which movie franchises would you love to see get a LEGO game?
