Tuesday, September 02, 2008

Expansion pack released for Mars Mission

4T2 have just released four more CrystAlien Conflict levels featuring the 2008 Mars Mission products. If players find themselves struggling with the new levels they may not be too pleased to hear that completing them really should be child’s play.

A competition was run in November 2007 by LEGO Club Magazine for their readers to design the new levels by sending in sketches and stories explaining what is happening in the game.



First prizewinner was eight-year-old Jack Hardy who imagined the LEGO Mars Astronauts locating the Alien main base and being faced with their evil Commander. His ideas have been incorporated into levels 2 and 3 of the new game up-date with the title ‘Jack Attack!’ in his honour. Standards were so high that Thomas Lea, 11, was added as runner up for his excellent proposed level guide that consisted of a large map with tracing paper overlays giving opposition locations.



Both boys came to the 4T2 offices to play test the level they devised on Friday 4th April. Jack and Thomas are now part of LEGO history as the first ever fans to officially create content for their online games.

By watching many children play the existing game 4T2 already had several concepts on what we could do to make it even better. This competition was specifically designed to allow us to go a stage further – to understand how children perceived the game in their imagination. I wanted to know what kids expected to find waiting around the next corner? What would the next challenge be and how would they conquer it? Jack’s beautiful illustration and story gave us that answer.

4T2 have now taken this concept even further with the new BIONICLE Mistika game (due to be released this month) containing a level designing system.

Labels: , , ,