Maynard's Arcade Games

Everyone remembers those special Christmas presents they got as a kid. Even if the present itself doesn’t seem special, the moment reminds you of the carefree times of being a kid and how happy your parents were to see you happy. I can still remember fondly jumping down from the bunk beds and rushing to the tree with my sister. With Christmas just around the corner I got to thinking about my own favorite Christmas presents that I received as a kid.

Air hockey table

This gift just seemed so large and extravagant as a kid. I wasn’t a huge air hockey table fan as a kid I just wanted to invite my friends over to show them what I got. That year I created a fake little “arcade” in my basement along with my air hockey table we had a pinball machine and video games set up and I invited the neighborhood kids to come over the “pay” to play the games. It was pretty fun and the air hockey table was a big hit. Of course, about a year later no one played with it and my parents sold it at the garage sale.

Nintendo Entertainment System

People often give video games a hard time, saying they are anti-social and just lead to kids staying inside more often and not getting exercise, but the Christmas I got a NES I remember the whole family coming together with excitement and playing Duck Hunt and Mario Brothers, it was an exiting time and a feeling that will probably never be emulated again. One day I hope to give that same feeling to my kids during Christmas with a special gift that we can all get excited about.

Lego set

This wasn’t just any old lego set, this was a giant, massive lego set of I think a castle or a building or something. This was a lego set to put all other Lego sets to shame. This Lego set had enough parts to create a full size human being if one wanted. This thing was like the Space Shuttle of Lego sets (actually, I think they probably had a space shuttle set as well.) Anyway, I fondly remember many days of playing and building with this Lego set. Legos are great for kids the more I think about it. They allow kids to be creative and it stimulates the logical part of the brain.

Tags: Lego Games by Vanand
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In 1999, Lego introduced the X-Wing Lego model. This first model, based on the ship from the original trilogy of movies, started a global phenomenon in the form of the Lego Star Wars franchise. As the release of Star Wars: Episode 1: The Phantom Menace was nearing, Lego began to introduce Lego sets based on the original trilogy. As the prequel trilogy continued, it too was redone in the world of Lego. As of this writing, Lego has signed a contract until 2011 to produce various sets for Lucasarts, the holder of Star Wars intellectual property.
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rThe number of ordinary, non-Ulimate Lego sets nears the hundreds, but the most detailed and fascinating sets are apart of the Ultimate Collector series. These sets serve as more detailed models of parts of the Star Wars franchise. Including a 1,860-piece bust of Darth Maul, a 3,803-piece model of the Death Star, and a 1,075-piece model of Yoda, the Ultimate Collector’s series has 19 sets. These sets are usually quite costly and are rare to find.
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rNow discussion of Lego Star Wars would be even remotely complete without mention of the Lego Star Wars Video Game Series. In 2005, Episode 3: Revenge of Sith was to be released in May; however, the movie was spoiled early for anyone purchasing the first installment of the Lego Star Wars video game series. The covered the timeline from Episode 1 – 3, which included the as-yet unreleased storyline for the third episode. With reception and sales being quite good, the series was granted a sequel in 2006 as Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy, and again in 2007, with the re-release of both titles, combined, as Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga, which allowed characters from the original trilogy to experience the prequel trilogy. As of February 13, 2009, Lego Star Wars: The Video Game sold over 6.7 million units, which is quite a feet for a game marketed as children’s game. It’s sequels also did very well with Lego Star Wars II out selling its predecessor with over 8.2 million units. The compilation title of Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga earned a lower, yet still impressive, total of over 3.4 million units.
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rOutside of games and Lego sets, the Lego Star Wars franchise has made its mark as a short clip on the Star Wars: Clone Wars series as Revenge of the Brick and has also taken on the form of an online comic strip. Both of these expansions show how versatile Star Wars can be.
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rWhile first released over 30 years ago, Star Wars remains a phenomenon that few other franchises can ever hope to achieve. Whether a new fan after the prequel trilogy or a die-hard fan from the start, fans from all over the world can introduce the next generation of Star Wars fans to the cultural phenomenon through the developmental toy that is Lego. While practicing motor skills and expressing creativity at a young age, tomorrow’s fans will slowly begin to recognize the characters that many fans have appreciated for years like Chewbacca, Han Solo, Boba Fett, Yoda, and Luke Skywalker. Through this instilling, new fans can be created without another movie ever being released again. That kind of continuing legacy exemplifies the power that is the Star Wars franchise.

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Tags: Lego Games by Vanand
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Everyone loves Lego at some point during their lives. It’s something that never gets old, no matter how much it is played with. That’s the beauty of the Lego concept. By a long way the most well-liked Lego line lately has been the line of Lego Star Wars toys and play sets, which has been so popular it has even produced the famous Nintendo video game releases.

The magnitude of the Star Wars movie universe means that there is an almost unlimited capacity for Lego models and play sets, with hundreds of distinctive vehicles, settings and characters to choose from. Many of the most popular Lego Star Wars models are based on spaceships such as the iconic X-Wing or Millenium Falcon. Several of these particular toys have missile firing features, retractable landing gear and other complicated parts, so you can create your own dogfights between whatever vehicles you choose to do so with. Some Lego model kits also even feature motorized elements, such as the Walking AT-AT.

Every Star Wars movie and TV series is represented well in the Lego Star Wars line, including the original and prequel trilogies, and the more current Clone Wars TV versions. All of the primary and secondary characters are available in Lego form, either included with sets or around to buy individually. A good number of these figures have become hugely collectable in their own right! They can be put inside vehicles or employed in sets like Jabba’s Palace or the Mos Eisley Cantina.

As with any toys involving small parts and detailed instructions, parental guidance is imperative for young children, both to ensure that they make their toys in the right manner as well as ensuring they don’t harm themselves while doing so. As many of the Star wars Lego toys are so highly detailed, it may be a good idea to check out some reviews of each item before you buy, to make sure the toy is suitable for your particular home situation.

Collectors of Star wars memorabilia have also discovered the joys of Star wars Lego, meaning that some of the more elaborate sets, such as the Endor play set, could be quite difficult to track down at this time of year. Plus, the speculator’s market has also seen a huge price rise come about with some of the rarer toys in the range, putting them out off reach of many seasonal family budgets. I would suggest to the parents of Star Wars loving children that they stick to the less expensive, rather more widely available toys. This by no means should mean they’ll have less fun, but you’ll have a thicker wallet!

Tags: Lego Games by Vanand
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