Lego mania: 8 adaptations that could make for wonderful Lego games

It's time for TT Games to return and to flex their muscles as arguably the preeminent Lego video game developer when the highly-anticipated Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight makes its arrival on PC and consoles on May 22. With this project less than a week away and with TT Games having a variety of other Lego adaptations under their belt, we've been pondering what other movies, series, games, and beyond could make a fantastic Lego video game experience. Check out eight picks from us below and let us know if there are any obvious other options that you think we've missed.

Avatar

Lego notoriously aligns with major entertainment brands for its many adaptations and that's what makes this immediately stand out. This could be presented like Legacy of the Dark Knight, in that we get an openly explorable version of a Pandoran biome where we can do whatever we like as Jake Sully or our own Na'vi, while also having more focussed key story missions that unravel and re-tell the key events from the first film. Naturally, all of this would be with that signature Lego humour and style.

Toy Story

We've selected this one as more of an homage to Lego games of the past. Instead of serving up a broad open-world and bolstering it with missions, this game would simply offer a more linear experience that chronicles the current four Toy Story movies and sees players stepping into the shoes of Woody, Buzz, Jessie, and the rest of the iconic toy gang. If you enjoyed the original Lego Star Wars games, and even the slightly more expansive Lord of the Rings, Pirates of the Caribbean, or Harry Potter options, this could be a modern alternative to that style of Lego experience.

Speed Champions

Yes, we had Lego 2K Drive a few years ago but this game is looking to tap into a market that's continuing to gain traction and attention: kart racers. Speed Champions is Lego's own brand but surely it would serve as an excellent platform to incorporate its collaborations with Formula 1 and even major automotive brands like Ferrari, Bugatti, Porsche, even Pixar's Cars at a stretch. This could be for Lego what Speedstorm is to Disney.

Lego City

Okay, so there have been many Lego City games in the past but our thoughts here is to tap into another increasingly popular category, namely life sims. This could be a modern way for Lego to offer its own sociable Animal Crossing-like experience, a way for fans of all ages to build a property of their own while existing in a world filled with charismatic (perhaps even licensed) NPCs, and maybe also other players. Like Speed Champions, this could be Lego's way to tap into the Dreamlight Valley-like space.

Dragon Quest

Lego games are pretty much all real-time action games where the player controls every moment of combat, but Dragon Quest could make for a rather unique experience Lego has never really offered before. Turn-based RPG action matched up with a fantastical tale all set in a stunning brickified world. We haven't really seen this offered by Lego, which is precisely what could make it such a unique premise and way to introduce a younger audience to a type of games that used to be incredibly commonplace for gaming youngsters in the 90s and 2000s.

Super Mario Maker

This also just feels like a natural fit, especially since the growing number of Lego Super Mario products. An obvious solution would be a brickified version of a 3D platformer, but let's be real, we all just want a regular 3D Mario platformer, so why not combine a more modular Nintendo experience with a modular toy. Bosh! Lego Super Mario Maker. Tons of building potential, a focus on UGC, delightful platforming fun for a variety of demographics. Tell me you're not just a little bit intrigued?

FIFA Street

We've seen EA experiment with a few different ways of offering more arcade-like football experiences, and even seen FIFA follow suit with its FIFA Heroes experience, but the established fans seem to know what they like from these types of simulated football games and arcade action isn't really part of the equation. But perhaps what it needs is a brickified flair? Think FIFA Street but in a world of blocks and played with quirky minifigures who could even be Lego versions of football icons from the present and past. Essentially, we're talking about Rematch with a Lego filter over the top and which could serve as a place for Lego to expand its array of partnerships, in the same way that a Speed Champions game taps into the motorsport/racing segment.

Game of Thrones

Lastly, a series that has never really cracked the video game adaptation challenge as of yet. The vision here is something of a middle-ground between the Avatar and Toy Story options above, something akin to Lego Lord of the Rings, where we get portions of the wider Westeros to explore while simultaneously following a more structured linear campaign that retells the main story of A Song of Ice and Fire, replacing the smut and more mature themes with silly Lego jokes and gags. Essentially, less whoring and incest, more rubber duckies and oddball references to other entertainment.

What do you think about our picks? Does anything stand out to you?