On day one of E3 I visited the Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment booth for a gameplay demo of LEGO Dimensions and hands-on experience with Mad Max.
With LEGO Dimensions the developers at Traveller's Tales showcased how the digital game world interacts with the physical game board. The biggest feature differentiation from other games such as Skylanders and Disney Infinity is the ability to place up to 7 LEGO characters and vehicles on the game board. Also highlighted was the ability for certain vehicles to be transformed between three different versions via an in-game guide of how to rebuild the LEGO pieces.
Another difference from other interactive toy games is that in LEGO Dimensions players are required to physically move the physical characters to perform in-game actions. The game board employs different quadrants to create a variety of gameplay situations that as the developers describe continually reinforce the idea of combing physical and digital play. LEGO Dimensions will be available on September 27 for Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 3.
I followed up with a hands-on gameplay demo of upcoming open world, sandbox game Mad Max that's in development by Avalanche Studios. My playthrough involved finding a new V8 engine for my vehicle and then proceeding to pursue and destroy a raider's convoy. Your vehicle in the game offers a great deal of customization up to completing changing the car's body type. I was blown away by the game world's size as I continually zoomed back to reveal a massive map with tons of regions.
The vehicular combat element of Mad Max is what impressed me most from my hands-on experience. From racing alongside other vehicles at breakneck speeds to utilizing weapons ranging from harpoons to side flamethrowers combine to make a visceral and exciting gameplay experience. My hands-on time with the game ended upon destruction of the convoy's lead vehicle from use of my sawed-off shotgun.
My hands-on experience with Mad Max brought up many fond memories of The Road Warrior film, which now makes the wait for the game even more difficult. I'm excited to see more of the what the game's massive world is hiding away for me to discover in the wasteland. Mad Max will be available on September 1 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.
