The Lego Dimensions Midway Arcade Pack is an odd proposition. In the face of huge licenses, and recognisable characters, it seems to sit outside everything else Lego Dimensions holds at its core. Featuring over 20 retro games however, there are plenty of recognisable faces here if you’re of a certain generation of arcade goers.
The included minifigure is known as Gamer Kid, and with his Space Invader emblazoned T-Shirt, can of soft-drink and silver coin, he looks as unassuming as the name suggests. However, an array of different coloured shirts and power drinks can give him temporary super powers, from invincibility to super strength, which suddenly sees him fit into the Dimensions world a little more. He plays somewhat like the characters do in Lego Batman, with various abilities available to one character, rather than spread thinly across a larger roster.
The level’s plot, such as it is, follows a Halloween-style adventure where a dark stormy night sees the characters within an old arcade come to life and escape into the ‘real’ world. Naturally, there’s some evil powers responsible for this state of affairs and it’s up to you to banish the taint from the various heroes so they can return to their resident cabinets. Overall, it’s a very slight adventure, with longevity relying on the length of time you spend with each of the retro titles.
Your first build is the car from Spy Hunter, and for the older contingent it’s a nice little model that’ll stir the nostalgic juices. For younger players, it’s not as characterful as the Batmobile or the DeLorean from Back to the Future, but it is relatively sturdy and will hold up to a few drag races around the living room.
Almost immediately following this build you’re onto the second one, which sees you building a very faithful rendition of a Defender arcade cabinet. Again, for a certain age group this is a great little model that looks very cool, though it’s perhaps less likely to inspire as much play as the Spy Hunter car.
Using the arcade machine, you’re able to dock into portions of the game world and play the classic games found there, with Spy Hunter being your first port of call. Playing for a particular length of time earns you a medal and allows you to continue through the story. The game itself is a faithful port of the original, which I was mildly disappointed by, as I was half hoping for a remastered version with a Lego façade.
It’s here that the pack will potentially lose a lot of players. I fondly remember Spy Hunter, but I’ve played it via retro collections in recent years and it simply hasn’t stood the test of time. Playing it again here has done little to change that perception, and there’s a huge disconnect between the featured arcade game and the Lego overworld.
Joust is up next and again, the mechanics and graphics do little to entice modern players. I’d wonder here whether younger players will even be able to score the 1000 points you need to progress, staking even more on the potential appeal to an older audience. I did like the nearby NPC who appears to tell you some history about each game, providing some interesting insights into the ideas behind their development.
Gauntlet is the first point where the retro arcade game is actually still quite fun, and playing it again brought back some fond memories. Unlocking the arcade dock also sees you attacking the four Gauntlet characters which is a nice touch, and foreshadows what’s to come for those in the know, with Guantlet II lurking in the same spot as well.
Super Sprint was where the pack fell down for me. Horrendous controls made it an absolute nightmare to get through and only sheer force of will made me play it the few times necessary to get past it. Fortunately once you reach the required goal you can jump straight back out into the overworld, and never return again if you so wish.
Defender at least doesn’t outstay it’s welcome, and still plays pretty well, with Defender II also available to play. However, for this and a couple of the others you’ll need to have a collection of mini-figures or use the Hire A Hero feature. It is annoying when you have to use your hard-earned studs, especially when the required skill is only held by three minifigures which you’re unlikely to own.
Rampage is a highlight, and I actually spent a bit of time with it, enjoying knocking down buildings and eating everyone in sight. Once you’re finished playing Rampage though, the level ends quite unceremoniously and kicks you out into the Midway hub world. You’re left to your own devices to find a range of arcade hubs, with access to them achieved by finding the corresponding arcade docks in other levels.
Of course, if you’ve already played through LEGO Dimensions, you’ll now have to go back into each level in order to find the arcade docks and unlock the Midway games, which seems like an unnecessary rigmarole. Realistically the pack could and should have remained completely self-contained, with the unlocks hidden within Midway Arcade World.
Midway Arcade World itself is a bright mash-up of retro worlds you’ll have seen before, and it’s here that you get a picture of what could have been in the Midway level itself, with LEGO renditions of various retro games with the viewpoint shifting to top-down. I think if they’d been able to make the arcade games with LEGO skins, that would have really added to the package, though development and licensing costs would undoubtedly have risen to ridiculous levels.
Overall, the Midway Arcade pack is a bit of a mixed bag. The retro gaming is unlikely to capture younger players, who you’d assume are the main ones still invested in LEGO Dimensions, and some of the titles included haven’t aged gracefully at all. However, for fans of a certain era there are bright spots to be found, and you’ll likely find genuine amusement here if you remember playing the original titles. Of course, whether it’s currently worth the steep asking price when we’ve had many of these games appear in previous retrospectives will be entirely down to personal taste and the depth of your pockets.