Hobbies, Family, & Geekery from a Stay-at-Home Dad
Continuing right where I left off from the last post. You know, the one where I went on and on about Opening Day of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Hollywood Studios. We made it home, bribed the kid’s hatred for going without them with some …Read More….
I can’t believe Galaxy’s Edge is finally open! It’s been so, so long since the family and I dreamed of visiting a galaxy far, far away. And look! We can board the nearest transport and be there in a flash, it’s so exciting! Ok, let …Read More….
I’m a man of many interests. I’m like an onion, ya know? Layers upon layers that you have to peel away in order to get to know me. Well here’s another layer for you: I like to play with LEGO.
It really shouldn’t be a secret. Seriously, if this surprises you then you obviously have not been paying attention to anything I’ve been saying or doing. Ever. Los likes LEGO, shocker! Did you know it’s not “Lego.” Or “Legos.” It’s LEGO, or LEGO bricks if you really wanna get plural. Don’t look at me like that, I didn’t make up the name, I’m just relaying information. Naming aside, I love all the aspects of this particular hobby. And no, I’m not some old dude sitting in his closet, arranging toys made for kids on his shelves because they look cool. There’s SO much more to it than that! The fact that I have kid toys sitting on shelves in my closet is not the point. What is the point is why they’re there.
Like, “why am I publicly stating that I, as an adult, play with such toys?” Because it’s fun, that’s why. Maybe if us adults spent more time doing fun things and enjoying ourselves, and less time walking around with sticks up our asses, the world would be a better place. I’m not here to out myself as a – quite literally – closet nerd, just for the sake of having something to talk about. Trust me, I just made a list of the things I have to write about and it’s crazy long and this post wasn’t anywhere on it. It’s on my mind because I’ve been really into it the past few weeks.
I’m the type of person who focuses on one thing. I can’t mentally have two hobbies going on at the same time. For instance, I’m a gamer at heart. I love playing video games and getting lost in those worlds. But I also love to read and get lost in a book the same way. But I can’t stop playing a game, then go to bed a read a book. I have to focus on the game and dedicate all my spare time to it. And when I’m done playing whatever it is, I feel accomplished and I move on to the next thing. And right now, my thing is LEGO.
It was gaming a few weeks back. I was very excited to get lost in The Division 2, but thanks to not having the time to dedicate to playing, the urge and excitement came to a full on rolling boil and it’s as if all the water splashed out of the pot. So I was feeling defeated. Felt like my desire to sit down and play games was extinguished thanks to not having time to dedicate to them. This isn’t the first time it’s happened and I’m sure it won’t be the last. It’s not my first rodeo dealing with a gaming slump so I know how to manage. I could’ve gotten into a book or some comics, but thanks to some friends who pointed out some cool promotions going on, I got sucked back into the world of LEGO something fierce.
I always saw it as a way to calm the mind. And that’s what it does for me. As it turns out, I have a some fairly elevated levels of OCD in me that I never knew I had up until a few years ago. LEGO is great for that. The satisfaction of having a pile of bricks and fitting them one by one together to create something grand is beyond satisfying. The snapping, the connecting, the techniques used to bring sets together, it’s so soothing to the mind to just sit there and build. And honestly, that’s only half of it. The other half is a lot more easier of a concept to grasp: LEGO building is just plain fun.
It always helps when you have something you enjoy in LEGO form. Like me, I’m an easy going dude with many likes. Marvel, Star Wars, Disney, etc.. So Marvel is the theme that really grabbed me this time around. With Endgame out (wooooooooooooooo, Endgame. I’ll review that soon), there are new sets that were released alongside it. Personally, I found the Avengers Endgame sets a little lacking, with the acception of Iron Man’s Hall of Armor and the Ultimate Quinjet (which I haven’t gotten yet). But I understand it’s hard to make sets in advance for a movie without spoiling it. I started digging around and found last year’s Infinity War sets and how cool those were. Together with the hype of Endgame coming, and the promotion my friends told me about for a free Avengers Tower set with a $75 purchase at LEGO Stores, it was a recipe for money spending. I’ll get into more detail in a different post, talking about the sets and hunting down certain things.
But that’s what I mean, finding something you’re into. If you love Disney, right now there’s an amazing Steamboat Willie set that I can’t wait to get my hands on. I’m still bummed I missed an autograph signing for the set in the Disney Springs LEGO Store for this one. Also, there are Disney Minifigure blind bags you can find in stores to collect your fave characters. I am still trying to find a Jack Skellington or two. Lucked out and easily found Mickey, Minnie, and Sally. I also kinda sorta spent about 40 minutes in Barnes and Noble feeling up the bags trying to find the Wizard of Oz figures for my wife and a few for the kids from The LEGO Movie 2 blind bags. Hey, The LEGO Movie 2 is out on blu ray now! I reviewed it back when we watched it in theaters and we still love it, so go check it out! They have some awesome sets to grab like Welcome to Apocalypseburg and The Rexcelsior. Star Wars always has a ridiculous amount of sets to go after. Currently, that’s where my head is at as I only have a few Marvel sets left to collect. Sadly, thanks to buying so many Marvel sets, I missed out on getting the free 20th Anniversary Battle of Hoth set they had at LEGO Stores with $75 purchase. I’m beyond bummed I wasn’t able to grab that, but at least now I get to have fun tracking one down when I do have some pocket change again.
See! LEGO scratches many itches. Collecting, hunting, building, it’s just an all around good time to have fun with. Sure, gaming is still a love of mine. But for right now I’m enjoying myself and
taking some me time where I feel like I’m being productive with my hobby. That’s where gaming is hard and LEGO shines. You sit down for an hour or two and you can finish a small to medium sized set and feel accomplished with your time. Gaming, if you sit there for an hour or two you can get up and still be in the same part of the story/character progression as you were when you started. It’s always been a hurdle for me as time isn’t always on my side with gaming so it makes enjoying them harder and harder and I get older. But I still try!
Notice how I haven’t really mentioned a single thing about my kids here. I wanted to try and focus on me with this. Sometimes us adults need that reassurance that it’s ok to like and enjoy these types of things. And no, I’m not talking about that gray haired dude in The LEGO Store that I watched buy $600+ in sets the other day. You’re my freaking hero. No, I’m talking about you closet nerds that are afraid to wear your likes on your sleeve. In this love letter to LEGO I didn’t want to pepper in how I’m doing all this with my kids. Because truth be told, when they’re at school and I’m done with stuff around the house, I’ll sit down and work on them myself. And if the LEGO subreddit is any indication, it shows there are plenty of grown up people – some don’t even have kids! – that love to have at it with a pile of bricks. It’s obvious kids love to play with LEGO, it’s their targeted demographic afterall. And my kids are no different. They’ve been right there with me the past few weeks, getting excited for every set I’ve bought, wanting to buy their own, wanting to help, needing help, it’s been a blast.
The unused half of our long dinner table has been covered with LEGO bricks for about 3 weeks, when one set is done, another takes its place. When I was on my shopping spree for Marvel sets, the oldest filled up his marble jar and was owed something for his achievements (it’s a jar we would put a marble in to reward good behavior and doing chores/schoolwork, etc.). He decided he wanted to go half and half with our help and his birthday money to buy Sanctum Sanctorum. At the time, this is the biggest set we’ve ever purchased in our house and it was soooo worth it. It’s such an awesome build with lots of details, great minifigures, and it was so much fun to watch him put it together and help when he needed it. I’ll get more into it another time, as I’m planning on reviewing sets that we finish building because I’ll never pass up an excuse to take pictures of toys. As you can see here on my Instagram post.
And I’ll leave you with that tease. More LEGO posts coming for sure. Not only the ones I have recently bought, but a few old ones too. I have the Ecto-1 from Ghostbusters here along with the DeLorean from Back to the Future that I’m so happy I was able to grab when they were on shelves. I plan on giving them their own posts, along with plenty of others. All of the Infinity War and Endgame series, the Star Wars 20th Anniversary sets I’m hoping to pick up sooner rather than later, a few LEGO Ideas that I want to grab, it’s going to be a fun time collecting and building. And I’ll be honest, I’m getting all giddy and excited more now than I’ve felt from gaming in a good while. Leave it to kids toys to make this old man gamer feel like a kid again.
There are a few Amazon Affiliate links in this post. If you’d like to help out the blog in some small way,
click and purchase items through those links in order to help me out, as I’ll get a tiny percentage from the purchase. Thanks!
If you’d like the official LEGO Shop links for those sets, here you go:
Sanctum Sanctorum – The Rexcelsior – Welcome to Apocalypseburg
Iron Man Hall of Armor – Avengers Ultimate Quinjet
Oh, summer. I hardly knew, thee. Actually yeah, I knew you. You were unbearably hot, and you made my kids think because there’s no school that they can do anything they want like stay up till 11 every night and not do any chores. You …Read More….
A long time ago on a blog never, ever updated… I had plans to write up a post dedicated to Star Wars. I could tell you exactly when it was – about this time, in 2015. How do I remember? Because it was the year …Read More….
It’s been a looooong time since I reviewed something from Disney Infinity. Ever since the absolute madness that was Infinity Corner over at EZ-Mode Unlocked – where I reviewed every single figure and playset that was out for 1.0 – I decided to take a break from it. It was a hard labor of love, but it was and still is glorious to look at. But here we are now! Disney Infinity 3.0! And I’m reviewing a play set that will hit shelves on September 29th.
The Rise Against the Empire play set came bundled in the Saga Bundle that I purchased when the game launched August 30th. And ever since then I’ve been slowly but steadily chipping away at the whole game. But since this play set in particular was a timed exclusive, I figured I should try and focus on it and review it for those who look to purchase when it hits shelves.
I wasn’t going to spend too much time on these, but to me, half the fun of Disney Infinity are the figures! I feel like I went into pretty good detail as to why I loved these figures in my Rise Against the Empire Play Set Unboxing post. My main appreciation for the figures is how they both perfectly captured the spirit of the their movie characters. The poses each of them have are a great representation of who they are. And even though they’re simple, if you’re a fan of the characters, you’ll love how they’re designed.
Luke and Leia are packaged with the play set. Other figures that call Rise Against the Empire home are Han Solo, Chewbacca, Boba Fett, and Darth Vader. Six iconic figures altogether! All the figures will be available on shelves on 9/29, except for Boba Fett who is a timed exclusive to the Saga Bundle and won’t be released until January 2016. If you want to check him out though, there’s a sweet unboxing post featuring Boba Fett right here! Trust me, he’s my favorite so far, so check that out. Such an amazing figure and a blast to play as.
So as long as you unlock them in game by simply finding their Champion Coin in the play set, you can use figures like Yoda and Obi-Wan, or any of the Rebels figures in Rise Against the Empire.
And what’s great is all Star Wars figures can be used in all Star Wars play sets. So as long as you unlock them in game by simply finding their hidden Champion Coin in the world, you can use figures like Yoda and Obi-Wan, or any of the Rebels figures in Rise Against the Empire. It’s a very welcomed change, being able to share figures among play sets. You get to put them all to use and you don’t feel sad for not being able to play with a favorite.
Overall, I’m exceedingly pleased with the figures so far. I cannot wait to pick up the other 3 that belong in this play set, but I’m so happy I don’t have to wait for them to have different experiences in the game. It’s the type of fun Disney Infinity as a whole is based on. Being able to take your favorite figure and just have a blast with no limits (in the toy box). With that way of playing slowly creeping out of the toy box where you’re absolutely free to do so, and making its way into play sets gives me great joy and hope for where the series is going.
The Play Set
Now if you know me, you know I don’t spoil anything when I review. So if you’re afraid of me listing off the different awesome things you encounter in all the different worlds, worry not. I’m here to mainly tell you about my experiences and what stood out to make it fun. And this play set has plenty of fun!
I know if you’re reading this, odds are you’re a fan of Star Wars. And if you’re not automatically purchasing this on day one, you’re probably looking for a thumbs up. Approval. Validation that your $35 for the play set or $65 for the starter pack is going to be worth it, or if it’s going to be just another cash in on the Star Wars money machine.
If you’re a fan of the original trilogy – which Rise Against the Empire is based on – then you’re in for a Death Star sized treat.
There’s a few exceptions, e.g. the Inside Out play set is platform driven while the Star Wars play sets are action based. But for the most part, you’re looking at the same concept and the same types of side missions and quests in every play set. The different themes and franchises are enough to mask repetitiveness, but there’s only so many times you have to bring X over to Y before you realize the similarities.
With that said, Rise Against the Empire shares the same types of side quests and missions as other play sets, but they don’t feel repetitive. They don’t feel like a chore that makes you want to hurry up and progress so you can carry on with the story. Maybe it’s thanks to the wonderful world of Star Wars? You’re in this setting that you know and love and you want to savor every Wompa kill, every Tie Fighter explosion, and every Storm Trooper popped open with your lightsaber. I don’t know what it is exactly, but I do know I was disappointed whenever I ran out of missions to do and had to continue on the main story. None of them felt like I was doing the same thing over and over which is a curse Disney Infinity play sets as a whole have dealt with since 1.0. Not to mention the laundry list of characters that you’re going to recognize as you’re playing, which I’m sure will help you love the play set even more than what you already were.
Even though everything is based off the original trilogy, it’s not a direct telling of the events that happened. I haven’t seen the original trilogy for a few years (waiting for closer to Episode VII to rewatch), but as I was playing, I noticed very easily there were certain things out of place or that simply didn’t happen. So no, you’re not getting the authentic story, so if you’re looking for that, you might be slightly disappointed. But seriously, at the end of the day, this is a game that is geared towards kids. We as the adult fanboys and girls that we are, should be counting our lucky stars that a game like this even exists for us. So what Luke, Han, and Chewy are helping Princess Leia get the droids onto an escape pod away from Darth Vader’s grasp? It’s the Disney Infinity way. The flow of the gameplay has to work with the figures that are playable. What really truly matters is we’re there to relive it, play it, and experience it either on our own or with the next generation of Star Wars geeks right beside us.
…I knew my kids were going to grow up with their own Star Wars films, experiences, and memories. A whole new generation is being exposed to this space magic for the first time, and that makes me so amazingly happy, I cannot begin to describe it.
And that’s my main draw to it. I can’t properly put into words the pure joy I feel when I boot up this game with my 5 year old next to me. And he’s as into it as I am! Ever since it was announce that Disney purchased Star Wars, I jumped for joy because I knew they were going to do right by it. I knew we were going to be seeing new movies and shows and games and Han Solo branded Pop Tarts, and Boba Fett branded coffee creamer. And most importantly, I knew my kids were going to grow up with their own Star Wars films, experiences, and memories. A whole new generation is being exposed to this space magic for the first time, and that makes me so amazingly happy, I cannot begin to describe it. Disney Infinity 3.0 was pretty much the first wave of Star Wars goodness to be launched in anticipation for The Force Awakens, and I honestly think if you’re a fan of Star Wars, or are looking to become one, then this entire game needs to be on your radar.
If you really want more substance as to why I’m so happy with this play set, then I’ll make it easy for you: The story is classic. The way it feels when you’re playing is impressive. Controls are responsive and great and most importantly, fun! You actually feel the power of the lightsaber every time you swing it, the force of the blasters every time they’re shot. And all the awesomeness goes for the space battles as well, which you get to partake in a few times throughout the play set.
For years I was hoping to get an updated Star Wars game I could enjoy with my kid because the old Lego games get stale after 100+ hours. Disney Infinity 3.0 not only gives us this great toy box to have all sorts of fun in, but it also gives us experiences like the Rise Against the Empire play set where we can relive moments and characters from these classic films. I can’ wait for The Force Awakens play set when it’s released with the film. I have no doubt it’ll be a great way to celebrate and experience the movie when it comes out. You could tell a lot of love and passion went into the making of this game and this play set. It’s up to you to pick it up and experience it.
The last piece to the Saga Bundle comes in the form of the most notorious bounty hunter in the Galaxy… Boba Fett! Since everything came in its own retail packaging in the Saga Bundle, I’m lucky enough to dedicate an entire post to a figure …Read More….
Continuing on from the Saga Bundle unboxing, comes what will be an integral addition to your Disney Infinity 3.0 collection. Like I mentioned, the contents of the $115 Saga Bundle are timed exclusives, along with the regular starter pack you could find in stores today. …Read More….
So we picked up the Saga Bundle! And seriously, it’s the best option. There’s no deal, no special value for the bundle, you’re not saving anything, it’s just a bundle. Here, it’s all about timed exclusives for PlayStation consoles. So if you’re a PS3 or PS4 owner, consider yourself lucky because they’re the only consoles you could find this Saga Bundle on.
What’s in the Saga Bundle? Well, you’re getting the regular starter pack which you’ll see below, as well as the Rise Against the Empire Play Set with the Luke and Leia figures, and the Boba Fett figure (all will be separate posts). The play set won’t be available till September 29th, while Boba won’t be available until January. So if you’re a fan and can pay a little extra than the starter pack, it’s a must get!
Luckily, Gamers Club Unlocked helped out a lot. It knocked 20% off the price of the Saga Bundle, dropping it from $115 to $91, and on top of that we’re getting a $10 certificate in a few weeks because we pre-ordered. So a little more than $80 for the starter pack (which is $65), and early access to a play set (which goes for $35) and possibly the coolest looking figure in the game?! C’mon!! On top of that, we got the free Toy Box Takeover expansion that’s worth $20, just for pre-ordering! Seriously, it’s like we stole stuff. Dammit, Best Buy.
Ok, enough talking, let’s get into it.
3.0 Starter Pack
The starter pack is what you’ll need if you’re new to the game. It comes with the disc, the portal, the Twilight of the Republic play set piece, Anakin, and Ahsoka.
If you’re not aware, the play set is based off The Clone Wars animated show. Which seriously, if you haven’t watched it, you NEED to! The complete series is streaming on Netflix so you really have no excuse. It’s a great animated show and well worth the time if you’re a Star Wars fan.
If there’s one thing you have to admit with 3.0, it’s that the figures are amazing! With every release of Disney Infinity it seems as if they’re getting better and better with the figures. The details, the colors, the poses, everything is just amazing. Heck, I wouldn’t be surprised if people just buy them to sit on their shelf!
At its core, I always enjoyed the gameplay of Disney Infinity. It’s just fun, nothing else really to say. Plain and simple fun. But really though, as fun as it is, half the experience are the figures. I think you need to have an appreciation for them to really understand it, but I don’t think Disney Infinity would have taken off if the figures were lacking. But even with 1.0 and how stylized they all were, you never felt like you were getting jipped.
And 3.0 is no exception. All of these figures that we have so far look phenomenal! The details are amazing and they really bring the whole experience to life.
If you have any admiration for Star Wars, I’m telling you right now, your will is going to be tested when you walk by the Disney Infinity displays. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
So that’s all for the starter pack. Since the timed exclusive playset and figure came retail packaged in the Saga Bundle, I’m going to do separate posts for them. So if you’re looking for more Disney Infinity goodness, check out all the content I’m putting up here on the site!
Are you a fan of Disney Infinity and/or Star Wars? What do you think about the release of 3.0? The figures? The play sets? EVERYTHING, OMG, I’M EXCITED!
…sorry.
Toy Box Takeover Expansion
This is retailed at $20, but we got it free for pre-ordering. It’s an expansion for the toy box, and if you’re not familiar, the Toy Box is basically where half of the game’s fun lies. You have play sets which are the different levels you can play, and then the Toy Box where you can create and explore user created levels.
When I unboxed it, I had no idea what it was about. I knew it was a thing but I just never looked into it. But I looked into it now and it sounds AWESOME! It’s a dungeon crawler type experience and the story to it is Syndrome, the villain from The Incredibles, has stolen the magic wand used to create in the Toy Box. He wasn’t happy with the lack of villains in the game and wants to change that. So it’s up to you to stop him! As an Incredible? Sure, if you have those figures from 1.0 (which you should). But no, you don’t need them. Here’s the kicker… You could actually be anyone you want!!
Disney Infinity has always been hindered by the licenses of their properties. Yes, everything about it all is great. A game where you could put your favorite characters from different movies together. But that magic only happened in the Toy Box. The play sets, which are the levels you buy and that come with starter packs, can only be played using the characters from that universe. So you couldn’t take the figure for Jack Sparrow and play in the Guardians of the Galaxy play set.
But with this Toy Box Takeover expansion, which is essentially a level in itself, you totally can use anyone you want! Want Yoda to team up with Wreck-It Ralph to take down Syndrome? Sure! Want to get Tinkerbell and the Hulk together to fight off the threat? Heck yeah!! It’s looking like this expansion is what everyone has wanted for Disney Infinity for a long time, and that’s awesome!
There’s another expansion set to come out in the fall called Toy Box Speedway and it’ll be based around racing. Maybe because the only figures that aren’t compatible with Takeover are the Cars figures? From what I hear, it’s going to be another awesome expansion so I cannot wait to get into either one.
Twilight of the Republic Power Discs
This was another thing not included in the Saga Bundle, but I’m putting it here because it goes with the play set bundled in the starter pack, and I didn’t want to make a separate post for it. All power disc packs are sold for $10 and will contain 4 different discs with specific ones playable in the play sets and toy box.
If you’re familiar with Disney Infinity, you know about the infamous blind packs power discs came in. You got 2, completely random discs in a package and this led to very good possibility of you looking for 1 specific disc for years, and acquiring 50 of the same disc in the process.
Gone are those days! While it doesn’t seem like we’ll be getting as many power discs this time around, they’ll be sold just like this. In a clear, see through package, where you know what you’re getting. Isn’t that amazing?! Yes, the collector inside is weeping a bit, because that “gotta catch them all” mentality set in with the original power discs. It was a collecting game and one that I really enjoyed playing and torturing myself with. But at the end of the day, this will remove a lot of headaches from people who just want to have everything for the game without working for it.
I still say the original 1.0 power discs are still the most useful of all the discs ever released for the franchise, so seeing them packaged this way might be more beneficial for even those who loved the blind packs. Here’s to hoping I complete my original power disc collection soon!