If you felt disappointed and angry over the wrongs committed by Lego Universe, then have no fear! Lego Minifigures Online is set to bring back the people lost from Lego Universe and also win over the hearts of fans of the Skylanders series and role-playing games like Elder Scrolls Skyrim. Yes, that's right! Lego Minifigures Online will combine the toy-game crossover mechanic of the Skylanders games with the adventure role-playing of games like Skyrim.

Under development at Funcom, Lego Minifigures Online will be available as a free-to-play game for PC and tablets. However, there will be an option for a subscription which is the only way players will be able to communicate with each other along with other benefits. I'll touch more on that later.

The game is being classified as an MMO but will retain many of the gameplay mechanics set forth by the console Lego games such as the upcoming Lego Batman 3. There will, of course, be more multiplayer and character progression options available to put it in the role-playing perspective.

Lego Minifigures Online will feature a wide range of themed worlds based around classic Lego themes like Space and Castles. It will also introduce us to some new themes such as Mythology. These worlds will be accessed from a central hub just like accessing the stages in the current Lego video games. These worlds will also feature multiple dungeons for players to party up with their friends or to participate in raids.

In keeping with classic Lego game tradition, Lego Minifigures also retains the character swapping mechanic that is available during gameplay. You will have the ability to swap your character out with another from a small group of other characters, each with different abilities. You will need this ability to solve the games many puzzles and to help you defeat your enemies. There will also be a team based PvP option available, however the mechanics of how this will work are yet to be determined.

So what about the Minifigures already??

Ah! I am so glad you asked! The Minifigures will be available for purchase in stores just like Skylander figures. However, unlike those, the Minifigures will only be available in a blind bag. Meaning you won't know what you get until you open it. Also, each Minifigure will come with an unlock code for the corresponding in-game character unlock only. No information of any kind is stored on the figure itself. This is also not the only way to unlock characters. You can unlock new Minifigures through normal gameplay, making a virtual purchase, or for paying a monthly membership.

So is it really free-to-play?

Yes, Lego Minifigures Online is totally free-to-play. But, as stated before, the only way to communicate with other players will be through membership. There are other perks to subscribing as well. Along with random Minifigure unlocks you will get a weekly allowance of diamonds in-game and a monthly bonus bag which will include a random Minifigure. The parents section of the official website explains the purchases as follows:

Lego Minifigures Online is a Free-to-Play game with optional in-game purchases, and the game can be played completely without paying. Diamonds (in-game currency) and Memberships are also available as optional purchases. Children below the age of 13 have to rely on their parents for such purchases.

Membership fees will range from $7.99 for one month, $39.99 for 6 months, or $59.99 for one year.

As a HUGE fan of all the Lego games so far, I am very excited to hear about this game. I have played every Lego console game since Lego Star Wars and have absolutely destroyed each one of them. I don't know what it is about these games but they bring out the completionist in me. They are super fun to play, have a great sense of humor, and they are very addictive to play. Knowing that it is also free-to-play is also a big plus. For me, this is because it seems like it will be a never-ending Lego game that the completionist in me is gonna scream "ONE MORE LEVEL!" at 3am when I have to be up for work at 5. I wonder how much Monster energy you can really drink before it becomes bad for you?

Lego Minifigures Online is scheduled to be released this fall for PC and tablet devices. There is an open beta going on for Lego Minifigures on PC for those like me that can't wait to not sleep while playing with Legos.

During Marvel’s panel at San Diego Comic Con yesterday, voice actors for the forthcoming LEGO Marvel Super Heroes were revealed. In addition to confirming the voices for the already announced characters, Warner Bros. and Traveller’s Tales revealed more playable characters, though their actors have yet to be confirmed. Even the God of Marvel himself, Stan Lee, was revealed as playable – announced by Stan Lee in person.

Fan favorite Agent Phil Coulson was revealed as playable character, voiced by Clark Gregg, the actor who portrays him in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the upcoming Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. television series. Nolan North, perhaps best known in the video game world as the voice of Nathan Drake, returns as Deadpool, Steve Blum reprises his role as Wolverine, and Roger Craig Smith, voice of Ezio Auditore, takes on the role of Captain America.

Here’s the full list of voice actors and characters revealed at the panel:

•     Adrian Pasdar - Iron Man
•     Andrew Kishino - Juggernaut
•     Clark Gregg - Agent Phil Coulson
•     Danielle Nicolet - Storm
•     Dave Boat - Venom
•     David Sobolov - (character not yet revealed)
•     Dee Bradley Baker - Mr. Fantastic
•     Fred Tatasciore - Hulk/Bruce Banner
•     Greg Cipes - (character not yet revealed)
•     James Arnold Taylor - Spiderman
•     James Horan - (character not yet revealed)
•     JB Blanc - (character not yet revealed)
•     Jeff Combs - (character not yet revealed)
•     John Bentley - Nick Fury
•     John DiMaggio - Galactus
•     Kari Wahlgren - (character not yet revealed)
•     Laura Bailey - Black Widow
•     Nolan North - Deadpool
•     Phil LaMarr - War Machine
•     Robin Atkin Downes - Rhino
•     Roger Craig Smith - Captain America
•     Stan Lee - Himself
•     Steve Blum - Wolverine
•     Tara Strong - (character not yet revealed)
•     Travis Willingham - Thor
•     Troy Baker - Loki
•     Yuri Lowenthal - (character not yet revealed)
•     Beast
•     Colossus (LEGO Big Figure)
•     Doctor Doom
•     Elektra
•     Gambit
•     Green Goblin
•     Howard the Duck
•     Invisible Woman
•     Jean Grey
•     Juggernaut (LEGO Big Figure)
•     Kingpin (LEGO Big Figure)
•     Curt Connors (LEGO Big Figure)
•     Magneto
•     Punisher
•     Rhino (LEGO Big Figure)
•     Sabretooth
•     Silver Samurai
•     Squirrel Girl
•     Stan Lee
•     Storm
•     The Blob (LEGO Big Figure)
•     Vulture

LEGO Marvel Super Heroes is set to be released on October 18, 2013 for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii U, PC, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo DS, PlayStation Vita and PC. It will be released for the next-generation consoles at a later date.

Funcom, the studio behind The Secret World, Age of Conan and Anarchy Online, have released a press statement in which they give details of the success of The Secret World's change of payment strategy from subscription to “buy-to-play”.

Amidst corporate jargon relating to “streamlining of internal processes” and "core products and technology”, lay some encouraging signs for the continued health of the pioneering development studio.

After a difficult 2012, in which Funcom suffered the ignominy of having to lay off staff and subsequently restructuring both their organisation and the payment model for their lead MMO, there is finally cause for optimism for fans of their MMOs.

A section of the press release, dated 10 Jan 2013, reads;

“The Company is especially pleased with the successful re-launch of 'The Secret World', after switching to a buy-to-play business model in December 2012. Activity levels in the game have increased by over 400% as original players have returned joined by thousands of new players. After its re-launch, 'The Secret World' has sold more than 70,000 units in the last four weeks alone, which is close to 30 percent increase in total sales. The Company will continue to build on this initial success in the months to come.”

Ole Schreiner, Funcom CEO said, “With a restructured organization, we will have a joint team of the best-of-the-best working together to expand our existing online worlds and to create new, exciting and memorable online experiences...”

There was also mention of their “LEGO Minifigures game” which is currently in development at their Oslo studio. The press release ends with a statement about taking “full advantage of the exciting opportunities that face the games industry as it steps into 2013 and beyond.”

Source: Cisionwire (via Massively)