LEGO has a long history of video games, though some of it has largely been displaced by their work with Traveller's Tales. Long before LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game in 2005, they had a variety of video games under different labels, first LEGO Media and later LEGO Software. Their first real-time strategy game was LEGO Rock Raiders in 1999. They also made puzzle, edutainment, sport, racing, and exploration games. There was even an attempt to branch out with LEGO Friends, a computer game that had almost nothing to do with LEGO.
Many of these games were favorites among kids in the late 90s and early 2000s, who quickly found themselves engaging with fun characters. Today, they are fondly remembered by adults who grew up on them, and they have fanbases which persist today. While LEGO may have moved on from the themes depicted in the games, many still have great elements that could still resonate with kids today if they were remade. These hypothetical reboots would be aimed more towards children and might not engage adult fans, but they can still give kids a similar experience.
5 LEGO Chess
Released in 1998, LEGO Chess was a simple but fun way to introduce kids to the iconic strategy game. The player was able to play chess games using one of three sets: LEGO Pirates, LEGO Wild West, and a set of brick-built chess pieces. They even had a simple online function.
The game also featured a "story game" mode where players would follow a storyline in either the pirate or Wild West theme, with their success or failure at a Chess game determining what happens to the "hero" of the story. It also included a tutorial mode, where a LEGO King minifigure would explain how the game worked. For many children at the time, this allowed them to learn chess in a fun, stress-free manner.
Over the years there have been several LEGO Chess sets, but a new game would be an opportunity to introduce a whole new generation of children to the world of chess — and they could go further. As fun as the original game was, its options for chess sets were pretty limited. A new LEGO Chess game could experiment with a larger range of themes for its sets. It could also offer a feature not available in the original: letting players design their own. Allowing players to customize minifigures to play each chess piece would be another fun way to get kids engaged with the game.
4 LEGOLand
Released in 2000, LEGOLand was a simplified version of the Roller Coaster Tycoon-style business management game. The player was put in charge of building their own theme park, and had to find the best ways to satisfy the LEGO minifigures who came through looking for fun. That included having to build rides, stores, restaurants, and decorations, which were all appraised by an inspector named Mr. Bimble. More options became available as the player progressed, and sometimes they had to deal with strange and outlandish developments like rides being stolen by "park-loving aliens."
While the original game's graphics might show their age, the basic premise is still one that could be adapted to work today. The popularity of games like the Roller Coaster and Zoo Tycoon series seem to indicate a market for it, and more recently the successes of Planet Zoo and Planet Coaster reinforce that impression. A simplified version that combines the management aspects with zany LEGO humor would be a fun way to introduce kids to the genre.
3 LEGO Island
LEGO Island was the first ever video game based on LEGO, released in 1997. The game was a simple open-world adventure set on the titular island, which was based on LEGO Town sets at the time. The player controlled one of five characters and could freely explore the island, which was full of wacky characters and activities.
Some areas allowed players to build vehicles or take part in races. But the part that really resonated with fans was the Brickolini's pizzeria, which offered delivery missions — one of which caused a dangerous felon known as the Brickster to break out of jail and start a rampage of destruction.
There were two sequels, but neither one captured the charm and liveliness of the first. The original game was full of beloved characters that resonated with children, and the whole thing was based on LEGO Town, the predecessor to the modern LEGO City theme. This would not make it too hard to update the original characters to fit with a more modern aesthetic, while also retaining the humor of the original.
2 LEGO Loco
Released in 1998, LEGO Loco was a simple world building game with an emphasis on railroads. Players were able to pick from a few different environments and build up a LEGO City using various models available from a "toy box." Then they could watch the world come to life with a minifigure population.
Of course, the big thing in the game was railroads. Players got different types of track pieces that could be used to build routes for LEGO trains, and then could build trains to send on those routes. The best part was an area where players could make wacky postcards and send them to various characters through the city's postal system. There was even an online option, where players could connect their cities. All things considered, it was a pretty straightforward game, and the format has been adopted by some later games like Megapolis.
A remake of this game might not be as attractive to adults who grew up on the original, but the simplicity is what it made so much fun for kids. Plus, there are options now that would not be so feasible in 1998. The original game's online mode sounds great in theory, but it did have the problem of being released in the old days of dial-up internet. This would have made it difficult, if not impossible, for many kids to use it. Nowadays, there is a lot more room to build up an online community. Children can not only connect with other cities, but also share their own creations.
1 LEGO Racers
First released in 1999, LEGO Racers was obviously inspired by cartoonish racing games like Mario Kart, yet managed to put its own LEGO-themed spin on the genre, to the delight of many fans. Players could customize minifigure drivers and build cars out of LEGO bricks, with more parts becoming available as they completed more races. Once on the tracks, they got to race against other LEGO characters in outlandish environments based on popular LEGO themes. Racers could get advantages by grabbing power-ups — represented by different colored LEGO bricks — with the fun twist that any acquired power-up could be upgraded by accumulating white bricks. For example, one green brick would give a temporary speed boost, but three would let the player warp through a bunch of the track.
The game came out over twenty years ago, meaning twenty more years worth of LEGO themes that could be the basis for new tracks and characters in a potential remake. Advances in game design since then also mean that features could be added that were less feasible in 1999. Developers could regularly update the game with new tracks and characters as new LEGO themes come out, and of course now there could be online multiplayer. Imagine having all the original tracks fully remastered, with a pile of new ones and regular content updates — plus the ability for players to compete against each other online. There's a whole world of opportunity here!