The Best LEGO Sets of 2015: City, Star Wars, Jurassic World, Dimensions
2015 is coming to a close, and it’s time to start looking back at the many things the year gave us. So why not the best Lego sets of 2015? We could look back at sports results (too fat), news events (too sad), or gadgetry (OK, we love a bit of that), but let’s do something a little bit more fun, eh? Let’s look at some of the brilliant Lego sets that got unleashed upon the world since January 1st.
Best LEGO Sets of 2015
Millennium Falcon, £100
The new Star Wars film is heading to cinemas in less than three weeks time, so obviously it came with a bunch of Lego sets. If you have to buy one, and only one, the clear choice is Han Solo’s super-speedy hunk of junk. This one comes with Chewbacca, an aged Han, Finn, Rey, BB-8, and a couple of gangsters. [Buy it here]
Louvre, £45
Lego’s Architecture range definitely isn’t designed to be played with, making this perfect for the intrepid adult Lego collectors out there. The Louvre is one of three in this range released in 2015, and it’s by far the nicest. It’s not the first landmark you’d think of when you hear about Paris, but it’s definitely one of the nicest. [Buy it here]
Wall-E, £50
Lego Ideas has given us a great many fantastic sets, and this year it brought us everyone’s favourite adorable robot Wall-E. It’s a fantastic replica of the film’s garbage-compacting protagonist, albeit slightly more blocky. It’s also completely posable, and has working tracks – just like the real thing. If you love the film, you need this on one of your shelves. [Buy it here]
Jurassic World T-Rex Tracker, £60
Dinosaurs are awesome, and it was great seeing them frolicking across the cinema screen again with the release of Jurassic World. The film also came with a selection of themed Lego sets, and it’s obvious that the best one comes with the T-Rex. Not the Indominus Rex, the franchise’s breakout character is the much better choice. [Buy it here]
Lego City Space Port, £56
Space has the power to kickstart the imagination, which makes space-themed Lego a no brainer. What better way to showcase that than with a Lego version of the mighty space shuttle and it’s launch pad? [Buy it here]
Boba Fett’s Slave I, £196
Another entry from the Star Wars universe, but this time it’s Han Solo’s nemesis rather than the man himself. The Slave I has been released a great many times over the years, but the start of the year saw the release of the highest quality set so far. It comes with fold-out weapons, a display stand, and the minifig versions of Boba Fett, Han Solo (plus carbonite), an Imperial Guard, and a regular ol’ Stromtrooper. [Buy it here]
Kwick-E-Mart, £173
The Simpson family’s favourite shop was immortalised in brick form earlier this year, and it’s a must-own for any fan of both Lego and The Simpsons. The set is a fold-out version of the fictional mini-mart (with Apu’s secret roof garden), coming with a police car, Apu, Snake, Chief Wiggum, Homer, Bart, and Marge. [Buy it here]
SHIELD Helicarrier, £307
The crème-de-la-crème of Lego sets, second only to the Death Star. This is a perfect recreation of the Helicarrier as seen in the recent Marvel movies, and is notable for being a set that actually scales down the teeny-tiny minigfigs to a smaller size than before. Plus, you can plug in someextracomponents to add lights and spinning motors to the set if you want to. [Buy it here]
Jokerland, £85
If you’re a fan of Batman, then this is the perfect Lego set to buy. Not only does it come with the Joker’s death trap of a theme park lair, it also comes with the Batmobile, a bunch of Batman’s most famous villains, and a couple of members of the Teen Titans. Oh, and obviously Batman and Robin. [Buy it here]
Lego Dimensions, from £70
This year saw Lego enter the world of toys-to-life gaming, which seems like a match made in heaven. It combines the interesting and silly gameplay of the recent Lego video games with the joy (and expense) of actually being able to own those characters for yourself. Just don’t forget to buy the level packs (so far based on Back to the Future, Doctor Who, The Simpsons, and Portal), along with the many team and fun packs that add new characters and tools to the game. [Buy it here]
Large Classic XXL Brick Box, £67
Lego isn’t Lego unless you get the chance to build your own creations, which is why this box of bricks is so great. There are 1500 bricks in here, and no instructions in sight. Perfect for working on your own creativity. [Buy it here]
Bonus: Lego Tardis, £50
You can’t buy the Lego-fied version of Doctor Who’s Tardis, but you’ve not got long to wait. Out on Tuesday (1st December), this marks the first time the classic British-made sci-fi programme has officially been immortalised in Lego form. Not counting the Lego Dimensions level pack, because that’s not a fully-fledged set. You’ve got the Tardis (interior and exterior), The Doctor, Clara, two Daleks, and a Weeping Angel included. A must for any fan.
What’s the first thing that comes to mind when one says Lego—expensive, right? Being a cult classic toy, Lego sets don’t come cheap. Even so, kids and in turn, their parents are lured by the magic of Lego. Enter funstation.in, a service started by Mumbai-based Kashyap Shah to provide Lego sets on rental basis.
The aha moment Needless to say, Shah is a Lego enthusiast. But the aha moment came to him when he realised that in spite of Lego being a world-class toy, kids will play with it for not more than a week or two, which is why a rental service makes perfect sense. Funstation.in has more than 150 sets (128 being unique ones) with an MRP range of Rs. 1,100 to Rs. 37,500. These are rented out on a monthly basis for Rs. 300 to Rs. 3,700, with free shipping. For ease of use, the website segregates the sets into four broad categories based on MRP and level of complexity.
What do Lego loyalists say? Shah is thrilled with the customer response. A while back, Vashi resident and mother of seven-year-old Ayush, Mrs. Shah had placed an order for a Star Wars Lego set on an e-commerce website. Shortly thereafter, she came across Kashyap’s stall at a fair in Bandra-Kurla Complex. On understanding what his concept was all about and realising that she could save Rs. 1,500 on the same set, Mrs. Shah made the switch to funstation.in. She says, “It’s not just the savings but the Lego toys that Kashyap delivers are sanitised and sealed neatly in a Ziploc bag. I know that I can go back to him for renting another set when my son gets bored with this one.” Colaba resident and father of ten-year-old Husaina, Mr. Poonawala shares the same feeling about Shah and his venture. He says, “Funstation.in is a well-oiled set-up, which not only has a wide selection of toys but also impeccable service. I’m quite happy with Kashyap as he practises due diligence.” Poonawala is also glad about the time and space saved due to renting Lego sets.
Missing pieces Shah seems to know his business well and has explained all terms and conditions thoroughly on the website. For example, there is no charge if a user ends up losing up to three Lego pieces; thereafter, charges apply. Shah plans to scale up his venture and take it pan-India. For now, he’s prepared for his stall at KidTown Fair 2015, which will be held this weekend at World Trade Center, Cuffe Parade. So, if you want to grab some of your favourite Lego sets, get in line as Shah concludes, “The Lego MINDSTORMS EV3, with an MRP of Rs. 37,500, is booked until March 2016!”
LONDON — Severus Snape: good guy or bad guy? If you said “bad guy,” J.K. Rowling wasn’t having it.
The Harry Potter author injected herself into a debate on Twitter of the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor — and regular Potter tormentor — after a user wondered why the adult Harry gave his child Snape’s name.
“Why did you pick Snape to name Harry’s kid after? I’m genuinely curious as he was nothing but abusive towards everyone,” queried @FrazzyJazzy7, a self-described Slytherin who says “Snape is my spirit animal.” (Snape was the onetime head of Slytherin house, archrivals of Harry’s .)
In a long response on Twitter, Rowling gave a full explanation of Harry’s decision: “There’s a whole essay in why Harry gave his son Snape’s name, but the decision goes to the heart of who Harry was, post-war.”
Rowling patiently — and sometimes exasperatedly — explained that Snape, played by Alan Rickman in the “Harry Potter” movies, was not all good nor all bad.
Rowling says Snape, like any other character, “deserves both admiration and disapprobation.”
Still, she couldn’t help but be amused at the emotion the discussion brought out in Potter fans.
“I’ve got to say this: you lot have been arguing about Snape for years. My timeline just exploded with love & fury yet again. Never change x,” she tweeted.
The fantasy series “Harry Potter” which has captivated both young and old readers and moviegoers may have ended a few years ago, but the fans have not really gotten over the boy who lived. Apparently, it’s the same for its critically acclaimed author, J.K. Rowling, as years after the release of the last movie franchise, she is still talking about Harry Potter and his magical world.
To update millions of HP fans, the bestselling author revamped the official HP website last September. Those who constantly check the website to relive the story of Harry went crazy when she released a new story. It tells about the Potter lineage and how the first Potter earned gold through concocting magical potions.
Rowling also used her Twitter account to reach out to fans so that they are constantly reminded of the wizarding world. In August, she revealed in a Twitter post that among the thousand fan made theories she had read, there is one that she likes best; the theory says that Dumbledore is Death himself, and that he was the one who greeted Harry at King’s Cross as well as the one behind the death of Snape and Voldemort. In a different post, the writer apologized to fans for killing off Fred Weasley during the Battle of Hogwarts because she knows how much the readers loved the character.
Rowling uses social media to announce updates on the fictional characters over the years. In September 1, 2015, she revealed that Harry and Ginny’s son, James Sirius Potter is attending Hogwarts and that he has been sorted into Gryffindor. Fans all over the world went hysterical and the post got more than 200,000 retweets and likes.
Perhaps her biggest revelation yet since the end of the HP movie franchise is that HP did not really end. Just like our hero in the books, the story will live, not only in the hearts of its fans but in two new projects that are centered on the magical word. Earlier this year, Rowling announced two HP spinoffs; one is a London West End play entitled ‘Harry Potter & the Cursed Child’ which would talk about what happens to Harry’s youngest son 19 years after the battle of Hogwarts. The other is a movie prequel entitled ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.’ Both are currently in the works and will both grace their respective platforms in 2016.
Hello everyone, and welcome to the week! It’s time once again for our look back at the noteworthy updates of the last seven days. What makes this week’s article stand out for me is the sheer number of games I love that updated last week. Why, there are even a couple of games that will probably end up on my Game Of The Year list included here! Of course, you can keep an eye out for updates yourself using AppShopper Social [Free], the watchlist in the TouchArcade App [Free], or by participating in the TouchArcade forums, but this weekly summary is here to fill in the things you might have missed. Let’s dig in!
Minecraft: Pocket Edition, $6.99 Redstone circuits! Not all of them, but some of them, and that’s big progress. On top of that, this version brings desert temples, bunnies, and new types of doors. Maybe you could use the Redstone circuits to operate doors that keep bunnies in desert temples? Look, I’m not going to tell you how to play, but I will make strong suggestions.
Angry Birds Rio, Free It’s kind of impressive that Rovio keeps rolling out content for a tie-in app with a movie that just about everyone has forgotten about. I think I’ve said that in an earlier Update Mondays, but hey, you try writing these every week for more than a year without repeating yourself. This update brings 20 new Treasure Hunt levels, 6 new bonus levels, and some nebulous “minor improvements”. I bet they’re bug fixes and performance improvements!
Vigil RPG, $1.99Vigil‘s update is pretty small, but I like the game a lot, so I’m including it in here anyway. That’s the kind of thing you can do when you’ve gone mad with the power that writing a weekly update column brings. This update makes it so that you can heal up at a shaman’s hut instead of needing to go all the way back to the inn in the town. Let’s hear it for modern conveniences!
Galactic Keep, $3.99 Here’s another game I love, and in this case, the update is a spicy one! Now, at the moment, Galactic Keep only has one module, but there are plans for more. Many fans of the game are passing the time by replaying the existing module. Whether you’re playing for the first time or going through again, you’re sure to find the main addition this new version useful. You can now find Temporal Hubs on the map that allow you to switch characters at the cost of a bit of experience. Even better, you can stow items in there and retrieve them from any other Temporal Hub in any other location or module. Yes, permanent storage!
Templar Battleforce RPG Full Game HD, $9.99 Okay, you know the deal with Trese Brothers updates. There are too many things to list here, but the brief highlights include move path highlighting, remixed music tracks, and some new xeno enemy types. I’m sure we’ll be seeing Templar Battleforce in this column again soon, leaving me to once again try to pick a few things out of the 20 or so improvements that come each time. Thanks a lot, guys!
Sproggiwood, $9.99 So many great games in this week’s article, yeesh. Okay, so one of the things that bugged some people about Sproggiwood was that its controls were on the opposite side of the screen compared to many similar games. Well, as of this update, you can swap it over to the side you’re most comfortable with. The game also now supports controllers, if you’re the real buttons type of person. However you play it, just make sure that you do play it, okay?
Puzzle Craft 2, Free Okay, so here’s the deal with this update. You can now get some extra money by selling resources in all of your settlements, earn extra influence by helping people in old settlements, and score some runes by mastering royal quests. More ways to earn things all around, and that’s something I don’t think any Puzzle Craft player will say no to.
Sentinels of the Multiverse, $9.99 Mini-Pack 2 is now available, adding The Scholar, Miss Information, and The Final Wasteland to the game. If you already bought the Expansion Season Pass, you’re all set, but otherwise, it’s a $1.99 IAP for the pack. This update also includes a few bug fixes and UI improvements, such as the ability to easily share screenshots on social media. Think of the bragging rights!
CSR Classics, Free Okay, I should know better, but when I saw that Hot Rods had been added in this update, I couldn’t help but think of the Canadian answer to Slim Jim meat sticks. I seriously used to go through those things by the fistful, eating so many that I swore I’d name my first heart attack after them. I miss them dearly. Er, anyway, Hot Rod cars have arrived in CSR Classics, including the Chevy Bel Air, the Ford Model B, the Willys 77 Coupe, and more. You’ll have to excuse me for cutting this entry a bit short. I’m going to go eat a pound of salt and a bite of sausage to try and recapture my younger days.
KingsRoad, Free Are you just plain out of things to grind in KingsRoad? No? Well, too bad, because a new class promotion system has been added to the game. By collecting a special item from the arena, you can promote each class up to 100 times. Oh boy, that’s a big old nope from me, but I’m sure fans of the game are having a field day with that. Especially since you can earn some nifty player titles by doing enough promotions, giving you some fancy words to show off to other players. The things we do for fancy words, my friends, the things we do.
Ticket to Ride, $6.99 And here’s our controversial update of the week. Not long ago, Days Of Wonder made it known that they would be retiring a couple of the old iPhone Ticket To Ride apps in favor of making the iPad one universal. They did their best to make that a smooth transition for players, but let’s be honest, it’s never a great situation for people who own the “wrong” version. Anyway, they also did a major update to the game to go with the universal version, and even that is getting some blowback. The update includes asynchronous multiplayer, true cross-platform play, a new map, and an overhauled UI. It’s the latter that seems to be cheesing people off, for the most part, but I won’t pretend I know what it’s all about, because I don’t play this game.
Card Wars – Adventure Time Card Game, $3.99 Friends, I hope you’re ready for the deluge of Christmas updates, because I’m sure not. Oh well! Anyway, the sweaters are back, and so is the event where you can win some cool holiday-themed battle cards. This update also adds a couple of new hero cards to the Fionna and Cake map, and some new creatures and quests for both. The Fionna & Cake expansion is also temporarily on sale for $0.99, so if you’ve been waiting, now’s the time.
WWE Immortals, Free Through hell-fire and brimstone, it’s Kane! So, one of the weird things to me about the launch version of Immortals was in how some of the Superstars didn’t have gold versions. The Rock got his gold a while back, but the Big Red Machine was left hanging for a while. Well, that’s been corrected now, as gold Kane will be available in a future challenge or, as usual, right now in a very expensive early access pack. This update also features a special multiplayer season that offers up Survivor Series gear as a reward, but there’s only a few days left in that by now, so you’d best get on it if you haven’t already.
Vainglory, Free This update adds a new hero, Blackfeather, a powerful duelist. There are also some new hero skins for Cloud Raider Vox, SAWborg, and Death Metal Krul. Substantial improvements have been made to the friend system, and a bunch of balance adjustments, bug fixes, and tweaks have been made. Make sure to ask Eric or Andy all about them on the Mobcrush Stream. Tell them Carter sent you!
Mines of Mars, $4.99 Crescent Moon’s atmospheric mining adventure gets MFi controller support in its latest build, along with the ability to make manual saves. The notes also say that they’ve improved first time user experience, but I’m not sure what that means. I want to think it means that they mail a golden pony to your house if you’re a new player, but that can’t be right, can it? Well, we’ll probably never know.
Worms™ 4, $4.99 Another Christmas update for your mobile stockings, friends! Worms 4 has a new weapon, the Cracker Jack, three new season-appropriate outfits, and special Christmas gravestones. That last one is for all of the Dickens fans out there. The airplanes are looking a little like Kris Kringle’s sleigh, the music is a bit more jingle-bell-y, and even the Commanding Officer is getting into the spirit. And hey, here’s what every good little boy and girl asked for – bug fixes and improvements! How did you know, Santa?
AdVenture Capitalist!, Free Finally, an actual holiday-appropriate update! For all you Americans looking forward to Black Friday, you can warm up by joining in on the festivities in AdVenture Capitalist. The Black & Blue Friday event has you tapping away to earn unlocks that get you badges, Mega Bucks, and Gold. Wow, just like real capitalism! Why not check out the “holiday” from its sunniest side for once?
Shooty Skies – Endless Arcade Flyer, Free Nailing the gameplay is only one part of following in Crossy Road‘s shoes. You also need to deliver interesting updates with new characters, and it looks like Shooty Skies isn’t sleeping at the wheel on that point. The new version adds six new pilots, with two more you can unlock. There’s a new boss and some new bad guys, and a new $2.99 pilot pack that just gives you all of the new characters instead of having to fish in the prize machine for them.
Dash Quest, Free Hey, here are some neat new things for Dash Quest. There’s a new pet system that lets you level up and equip a companion to help you out and a new hero mode that has you playing a higher difficulty in pursuit of Epic Coins to exchange for new gear. There’s also a bunch of new content and a level cap increase to level 70. The developers have also done a job on the UI to make things look a little more visually consistent. Bug fixes? You bet!
Plants vs. Zombies™ 2, Free Oddly, Plants Vs. Zombies 2 isn’t going after Thanksgiving, nor is it quite ready for Christmas. Instead, we get a prehistoric-themed update that includes two primitive zombies, three primal plants, a new premium plant, and a whole bunch of dinosaurs. There’s also a special event running until November 30th called Food Fight. I’m… not sure why it’s dinosaurs and cave-zombies right now, but whatever. Dinosaurs are cool, no point questioning them.
MARVEL Future Fight, Free Jessica Jones is getting her time in the spotlight thanks to her new series on Netflix, and that means she’s making her way to some of Marvel’s games, too. She’s not the only addition to Future Fight, though. This update also includes four new uniforms for Daisy Johnson, Daredevil, Iron Fist, and Doctor Octopus. The new Daredevil suit is from the Netflix series, so true fans will sadly have to wait a bit longer for his Ben Affleck film togs. That Doc Ock uniform? None other than his Superior Spider-Man duds, with new six-star skills to go with it. Ten other characters have new skills, too, and every character’s level cap has been raised depending on its star ranking. As a fan of Superior Spidey, I’m going to give this game the coveted Update Mondays Most Spider-Mans Of The Week award this time around.
Cards and Castles, Free Okay, this one is a teeny-tiny update, but they can’t all be home runs. The new version of Cards And Castles adds some new items to the store, and a quantity selector for purchases in said store. I think the challenge now lays in how the developers go about maintaining balance without people who have bought cards feeling like the rug’s been pulled out from under them when card effects change. Well, we’ll see where things go from here, I suppose.
PAC-MAN, $4.99 Some new stuff for this odd version of Namco’s classic quarter-muncher, including a new daily gift system, some new mazes, and a few new maze packs you can buy via IAP. I know most of these mazes are stupidly unbalanced, but I kind of get a kick out of the fact that there is still new content being made for the original Pac-Man in 2015.
Super Boys – The Big Fight, Free You spoke, Mooff heard. This update re-works the controls based on player feedback, removes the energy system, raises the max star count to 12, and unlocks the Live mode earlier. There are lots of other bug fixes and tweaks to the game, so you might want to give it another look if you were turned off by some of its rough edges before.
Pyramid Solitaire Saga, Free Let’s play this week’s article off the stage with an update to our favorite narrative-based solitaire game, Pyramid Solitaire Saga. Somehow Helena and Kingsley have teleported from the US to Europe and are on their way back from there when they fly over Iceland and see a glowing Viking longboat. Holy smokes, friends. I never know what’s going to happen when this game updates!
That about wraps it up for last week’s significant updates. I’m sure I’ve missed some, though, so please feel free to comment below and let everyone know if you think something should be mentioned. As usual, major updates will likely get their own news stories throughout this week, and I’ll be back next Monday to summarize and fill in the blanks. Have a great week!
favourite shop was immortalised in brick form earlier this year, and it’s a must-own for any fan of both Lego and The Simpsons. The set is a fold-out version of the fictional mini-mart (with Apu’s secret roof garden), coming with a police car, Apu, Snake, Chief Wiggum, Homer, Bart, and Marge. [Buy it here]
