Margo out of lurking Posted November 24, 2010 Share Posted November 24, 2010 My ds is hoping for this game. Can you tell me more about it? I know it's (at least partly) played online, and that there is a subscription required. Do you have to buy something for your computer also? I'm not concerned about the online nature of it, just need info on exactly what it is and what needs to be purchased. I'm not having much luck finding specifics by googling. Apparently there's some sort of Black Friday special running on it too, according to ds. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blessed3x Posted November 24, 2010 Share Posted November 24, 2010 There is a game you need to buy to download on your computer. GameStop will have it half price on Black Friday - $19.99 instead of $39.99. Here is a link: http://bfads.net/Search/lego%20universe I hope this helps! My daughter is buying this for ds for xmas. It reminds me of Webkinz with Legos from what I have learned about it. He loves LEGOs so I know it will be a hit. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoVanGogh Posted November 24, 2010 Share Posted November 24, 2010 Bumping up. DS is asking for this for Christmas and I would love to hear more about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Country Mouse Posted November 24, 2010 Share Posted November 24, 2010 There is a game you need to buy to download on your computer.GameStop will have it half price on Black Friday - $19.99 instead of $39.99. Yes, but then you have to pay a subscription fee of $9.99 per month in order to play. :glare: (<--- this is me being annoyed with LEGO) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheReader Posted November 24, 2010 Share Posted November 24, 2010 There is a game you need to buy to download on your computer.GameStop will have it half price on Black Friday - $19.99 instead of $39.99. Here is a link: http://bfads.net/Search/lego%20universe I hope this helps! My daughter is buying this for ds for xmas. It reminds me of Webkinz with Legos from what I have learned about it. He loves LEGOs so I know it will be a hit. ;) Also, there is a monthly subscription (the first month is included in the initial purchase price). Here's the link to the lego site -- shop.LEGO.com/universe Here's the link to the parent guide -- http://universe.lego.com/en-us/parents/default.aspx?domainredir=www.legouniverse.com From that site, 1 month subscription = $9.99/mo; 6 months = $49.99 ($8.35/mo); 12 month subscription = $89.99 ($7.50/mo). First month subscription IS included in the purchase of the game. Hope this helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted November 25, 2010 Share Posted November 25, 2010 Also, there is a monthly subscription (the first month is included in the initial purchase price). Here's the link to the lego site -- shop.LEGO.com/universe Here's the link to the parent guide -- http://universe.lego.com/en-us/parents/default.aspx?domainredir=www.legouniverse.com From that site, 1 month subscription = $9.99/mo; 6 months = $49.99 ($8.35/mo); 12 month subscription = $89.99 ($7.50/mo). First month subscription IS included in the purchase of the game. Hope this helps! I can't compare this to prices of other MMOLG, but it seems like a lot of money to pay for my kids to play a game. I also have concerns about what interactions they would have with other players. I've chosen to not plug my sons into this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2abcd Posted November 25, 2010 Share Posted November 25, 2010 Ds was a beta tester. He was so excited for it to come out officially, thinking it was $40 for the software and that was it. But lo and behold, Lego is trying to make $$$$$ off the kids and the additional $10/month (or 7.50 or whatever) is ridiculous in our opinion. NOT WORTH IT. I hope people don't buy into it and they realize they need to lower the cost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smrtmama Posted November 25, 2010 Share Posted November 25, 2010 I'll tell you my kid wants it something fierce and cried when we said no. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brenda in FL Posted November 25, 2010 Share Posted November 25, 2010 Ds was a beta tester. He was so excited for it to come out officially, thinking it was $40 for the software and that was it. But lo and behold, Lego is trying to make $$$$$ off the kids and the additional $10/month (or 7.50 or whatever) is ridiculous in our opinion. NOT WORTH IT. I hope people don't buy into it and they realize they need to lower the cost. My son was a beta tester, too. I'm glad he had that experience because I do not intend to gift him with a subscription. He did have fun playing the game - but I haven't heard much from him regarding more - which is good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tex-mex Posted November 25, 2010 Share Posted November 25, 2010 Ds was a beta tester. He was so excited for it to come out officially, thinking it was $40 for the software and that was it. But lo and behold, Lego is trying to make $$$$$ off the kids and the additional $10/month (or 7.50 or whatever) is ridiculous in our opinion. NOT WORTH IT. I hope people don't buy into it and they realize they need to lower the cost. :iagree: My teen was a beta tester and loved it. But when he heard it was 39.99 for a CD-Rom and 9.99 a month to play it... he soon became disillusioned with LEGO. I call it greed. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Margo out of lurking Posted November 25, 2010 Author Share Posted November 25, 2010 Thanks so much for the 1/2 price link, and thank you for the info on what is needed to play! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindyz Posted November 25, 2010 Share Posted November 25, 2010 For those with children who beta tested the game, is there any input about the actual game play? I think the price is pretty much in line with most online type games. These games add new content all the time. The worlds are usually changing and dynamic and that's why there is a monthly charge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheReader Posted November 25, 2010 Share Posted November 25, 2010 For those with children who beta tested the game, is there any input about the actual game play? I think the price is pretty much in line with most online type games. These games add new content all the time. The worlds are usually changing and dynamic and that's why there is a monthly charge. My older boys beta tested. Neither has asked for us to buy this game. I don't know if the glitches during beta testing, the slowness of our computer, or the actual game play itself was the deciding factor there, but for whatever reason, they did not enjoy it enough to show any interest or 'can we get this?" or anything in the end. Which is good, because at the subscription rate, we won't be buying. Lego allows 4 characters/avatars per game disc, BUT those can only be played one at a time. So, for our boys to be able to play at the same time, with one another, we'd still have to buy more than one disc, more than one subscription, etc. That really makes it not worth it. As for subscription games, my boys currently have paid subscriptions to Club Penguin and Moshi Monsters, both around $5/month and no software to buy on top of it. And they can easily play with each other on those. In any case, my boys beta tested and did not enjoy the game enough to ask to buy it. It was very, very sluggish for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhonda in TX Posted November 25, 2010 Share Posted November 25, 2010 Is this available for the Mac? The Gamestop version from the link above only mentions PC. Anybody know? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheReader Posted November 25, 2010 Share Posted November 25, 2010 Is this available for the Mac? The Gamestop version from the link above only mentions PC. Anybody know? according to this link, yes, it is playable on Mac or PC. Lego Universe at Lego.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhonda in TX Posted November 25, 2010 Share Posted November 25, 2010 according to this link, yes, it is playable on Mac or PC. Lego Universe at Lego.com Thanks! I did find that Best Buy mentions the Mac, too. It's curious that Gamestop only mentions PC system requirements. I wonder if they have a different version?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2abcd Posted November 27, 2010 Share Posted November 27, 2010 My son was a beta tester, too. I'm glad he had that experience because I do not intend to gift him with a subscription. He did have fun playing the game - but I haven't heard much from him regarding more - which is good. This is about the same opinion of our ds who was a beta tester. He enjoyed it and was excited to get it, but then when he realized the cost, had a lot more things higher on his wishlist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellyndria Posted November 27, 2010 Share Posted November 27, 2010 Yes, but then you have to pay a subscription fee of $9.99 per month in order to play. :glare: (<--- this is me being annoyed with LEGO) A subscription fee per month to play is standard for MMOGs (massively multiplayer online games), it's not a Lego thing. However, for most MMOGs, the fee is $15 per month, so I'd say $10 a month for Lego is pretty good for that type of game! It's cheaper entertainment than a lot of things.. such as taking someone to the movies, or buying a $50 or $60 non-mmog-video game that is finished in a few days/week/month, and then you need to buy a new one. MMOGs also typically patch every so often (small updates to the game), so you do get more content while you're subscribed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audrey Posted November 27, 2010 Share Posted November 27, 2010 Ds was a beta tester. He was so excited for it to come out officially, thinking it was $40 for the software and that was it. But lo and behold, Lego is trying to make $$$$$ off the kids and the additional $10/month (or 7.50 or whatever) is ridiculous in our opinion. NOT WORTH IT. I hope people don't buy into it and they realize they need to lower the cost. My son was a beta tester, too. I'm glad he had that experience because I do not intend to gift him with a subscription. He did have fun playing the game - but I haven't heard much from him regarding more - which is good. :iagree: My teen was a beta tester and loved it. But when he heard it was 39.99 for a CD-Rom and 9.99 a month to play it... he soon became disillusioned with LEGO. I call it greed. :glare: My older boys beta tested. Neither has asked for us to buy this game. I don't know if the glitches during beta testing, the slowness of our computer, or the actual game play itself was the deciding factor there, but for whatever reason, they did not enjoy it enough to show any interest or 'can we get this?" or anything in the end. Which is good, because at the subscription rate, we won't be buying. Lego allows 4 characters/avatars per game disc, BUT those can only be played one at a time. So, for our boys to be able to play at the same time, with one another, we'd still have to buy more than one disc, more than one subscription, etc. That really makes it not worth it. As for subscription games, my boys currently have paid subscriptions to Club Penguin and Moshi Monsters, both around $5/month and no software to buy on top of it. And they can easily play with each other on those. In any case, my boys beta tested and did not enjoy the game enough to ask to buy it. It was very, very sluggish for them. My son also beta-tested this, and honestly, this is the first I've heard that you had to buy a game and pay a monthly fee. He thought it was a neat game, but was so slow to load and had so many glitches that it was frustrating to play. I remember him mentioning that the beta-testing was over, but then he never said anything else about it. If it had been a real draw for him, he would have said something about buying it. The fact that he said nothing at all about it actually says quite a lot, IMO. I'm disappointed to hear that Lego is doing the pay-to-play fee, too. There is the Lego Network (which my ds also beta-tested and still continues to play) and that was really cool, and free. It's unfortunate that they went with not only a game purchase, but a monthly fee with Lego Universe. I don't think it's a very kid friendly (or parent friendly) price point when you add it all together. YMMV, of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MelissaMom Posted November 28, 2010 Share Posted November 28, 2010 Can I ask how all of your guys got selected to be beta testers? My 13 year would have loved to do that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheTwinsMom1 Posted November 28, 2010 Share Posted November 28, 2010 I was a beta tester for this game also. You can become a beta tester if you sign up when they are asking for beta testers and are accepted. As this is an MMORPG this is actually one of the cheaper ones. Most run you about 50$ for the initial game cost plus 14.95$ a month for the monthly cost. I enjoyed the game myself. The interactions seems to be pretty mild. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justlittleoldme Posted November 28, 2010 Share Posted November 28, 2010 I asked my very computer obsessed son what he wanted for Christmas, and if he wanted the lego game. He said no. He said Roblox was more fun, and he'd rather have gift cards for that. I know Roblox has lego type stuff, and it's free to play, however it's not educational, or particularly geared towards young kids (We are pretty lenient on things around here). You may also want to check out toontown if you are looking for a game/MMORPG, its free to play the basic areas, and $9.99 a month for 6 toons. You don't have to buy any software either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted November 28, 2010 Share Posted November 28, 2010 My ds wanted it, and I had it in my cart at Gamestop.com -- until I read some reviews and learned about the subscription fee. :glare: The reviews haven't been stellar, and the consensus seemed to be that there wasn't enough new game content added each month to make the subscription worthwhile. The truly unbelievable part is that the list price on this game is $39.99. I noticed that even Lego.com had it on sale for 19.99 this weekend, so apparently consumers aren't quite as gullible as Lego had hoped they would be. Cat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellyndria Posted November 28, 2010 Share Posted November 28, 2010 My ds wanted it, and I had it in my cart at Gamestop.com -- until I read some reviews and learned about the subscription fee. :glare: The reviews haven't been stellar, and the consensus seemed to be that there wasn't enough new game content added each month to make the subscription worthwhile. The truly unbelievable part is that the list price on this game is $39.99. I noticed that even Lego.com had it on sale for 19.99 this weekend, so apparently consumers aren't quite as gullible as Lego had hoped they would be. Cat New game content is not usually added every single month with MMOGs. Sometimes there will be small patches to fix small bugs or tweak things, and then there will be a "big" patch every few months or so, for content. Most video games, once it's released, the development team is done and they move on to a new game. Not so with MMOGs; there is an ongoing development team that continues to work on the game even after a MMOG is released. There are also GMs for the game servers... game masters who are there to help players who are stuck, run into bugs, etc, while playing the game. Then there's the cost of maintaining the game servers...most MMOGs undergo a weekly maintenance time where they reboot the servers and do any other maintenance on the servers that is required. These are all things that the monthly fee goes towards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted November 28, 2010 Share Posted November 28, 2010 New game content is not usually added every single month with MMOGs. Sometimes there will be small patches to fix small bugs or tweak things, and then there will be a "big" patch every few months or so, for content. Most video games, once it's released, the development team is done and they move on to a new game. Not so with MMOGs; there is an ongoing development team that continues to work on the game even after a MMOG is released. There are also GMs for the game servers... game masters who are there to help players who are stuck, run into bugs, etc, while playing the game. Then there's the cost of maintaining the game servers...most MMOGs undergo a weekly maintenance time where they reboot the servers and do any other maintenance on the servers that is required. These are all things that the monthly fee goes towards. I'm aware of how the games work; my point was that I have read that the game isn't rich enough to keep kids interested month after month, and that it's not worth paying a subscription fee for Lego Universe. Sorry if I wasn't clear about that! :001_smile: Cat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.