LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures Review
The new movie Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull just recently came out. Some of you liked it, some of you didn’t (personally, I liked it. Not as good as Raiders or Last Crusade, but certainly better than Temple). For those that dream of reliving the series when it was still young, have I got a game for you. From the brilliant minds that brought you the LEGO Star Wars games comes LEGO Indiana Jones, a game I can honestly say is enjoyable for everyone in the family.
As I played the original trilogy, I found myself wanting to play through the movies that I most liked (Raiders of the Lost Ark and Last Crusade), so I played those two first and let my dislike for Temple of Doom simmer on the figurative back burner.
Out of the two left, I probably had the most familiarity with Last Crusade since I haven’t watched the original trilogy lately and the last movie sticks to my mind the best. I went through Raiders first though since I have such fond memories of it (I believe it was the first VHS tape ever put into our VCR at home way back when) and figured it would be a good indication of how good or bad the core gameplay would be. The opening cinema seemed pitch perfect from what I remember of the film with a little bit of shenanigans added (the tribal people laugh at their screw-ups for instance). As you go through the 6 levels that include such notable sections as racing away from the big boulder and having the face-off at Marion’s establishment in the snow, the game is easy to pick up and you also come to realize how much action was involved in Raiders versus actual archaeology. After finishing with the Ark opening and the artifact being put in the storage area, I returned to Barnett College and started working on the last episode of the original trilogy.
The Last Crusade section of the game ended up probably being the best out of the three parts, although it does not start off with Indy going after the Cross of Coronado. Instead it starts right up before the search for Sir Richard with Donovan showing Indy the one part of the shield talking about the resting place of the Holy Grail. Unlike the Raiders section, I found there to be a lot of puzzles present here and this may turn off some people used to LEGO Star Wars that was mostly built around action. I personally found the extra thinking rejuvenating for a game that tries to pander to the younger crowd. As I was playing through the chapters, I couldn’t wait to reach the final level and go face to face with the three Grail Tasks. The first one, kneeling at the sight of God, was a little more expanded than what was shown in the movies as you basically went through a good amount of circular razors moving horizontally and vertically on columns and on the ground. The next trial, spelling JEHOVAH (remember, it starts with an “I” in the Latin alphabet) by jumping on the letters, is sad since the letters actually light up that you need to jump to next. Granted, this is most likely to help younger people that play the game, but I found it a bit slipshod because I was so hyped up for it. The last trial, the Leap of Faith, was handled beautifully. You basically run across invisible bridges. There is one bridge that is slightly diagonal in representation to the camera that can give you fits though since I fell a couple times going back to get something for later in the section. Then the final battle with the Knight of the Grail was the penultimate highlight and seeing Donovan get his just due (turning into a grim reaper LEGO character on a quick shot) was fun to watch, although it would have been more exciting for him to go through several levels of increasing age.
Finally I had Temple of Doom to go through and personally I thought it was the weakest of the three in my opinion.
It involves a lot of mindless action and using Short Round is a necessity to get through those little doggie doors you see throughout the game. There are some sections that are well done, such as the fact this is the only movie that actually ends in a boss battle at the end of the game, but overall I felt it was a bit of a drag. It was as if Traveller’s Tales tried to jam everything into this section such as multiple cart rides and quite a bit of puzzles that need multiple characters to complete. It doesn’t help the Temple of Doom section much when it begins with Indy being poisoned and Willie having to be the main character. Her special power is a Sonic Scream that shatters glass…I kid you not! Outside of that early part Willie becomes pretty useless for the rest of the time except for female character’s abilities to jump high and when Short Round gets captured here and there.
Even when you are through with the three movies (which took me to roughly 50% total complete) you can go back and freeplay with any characters you want through the chapters. This allows you to bring Short Round to all those levels in the other two movies that had a doggie door, allows you to use the Thuggie statues to unlock new areas and allows you to use other characters to unlock everything. Along with this all the money (LEGO blocks) you’ve picked up as you’ve played can go to purchasing things at Barnett College, such as buying artifacts you missed (yeah, I know, cheap way out) and even characters. There are also at least 5 hidden Star Wars characters that I know of that can be played with in the game as well. The beauty of this game is even when you are done going through the movies you can go through it all again and unlock even more, especially if you are an Xbox achievement whore that must have everything.
A couple thoughts before I close this out. The first one is that I thought the phobia effects were engaging.
An example would be when Indy gets close to any snakes. He will cover his eyes and start running around in circles and have an audible frightened mumble. Another example is when Willlie gets onto a rope she doesn’t really want to go up or down, your only option is to jump. Another note, and a rather important one, is that this game does have co-op play in it, but only locally. I’m not sure what stopped Traveller’s Tales from doing online co-op like the last LEGO StarWars game had nor do I understand why there isn’t 4-player co-op and you are stuck with only 2-player. I think this will keep some people from picking up this game that play with friends online, but it certainly can be enjoyed by you and one other person in the privacy of your own home.
LEGO Indiana Jones is an all-around enjoyable game for everyone in your family. It should keep you occupied for at least 6-8 hours running through the movies and even longer if you want to collect everything. If you’re like me the Raiders of the Lost Ark and Last Crusade parts will be enjoyable, but that enjoyment may be frayed by the Temple of Doom part. I know not everyone thinks the same way as I do about these movies, but I think this LEGO version of them belongs in everyone’s game library if you follow the series at all. Bonus is that the game is at least $10 cheaper on all but the PSP and DS it seems.
Makes me curious to play it. As an addition: my brother-in-law played and loved the Lego Star Wars games, but apparently this game had puzzles that pissed him off so bad that he destroyed the game disc and shredded the paper insert that came with the game. It should be noted that he is fairly immature, but if you're thinking about getting this game for a child with little patience, this could be something to consider.
And did they really make the name of God the third challenge? It was the second in the movie.
I also think it makes perfect sense to give Willie a sonic scream. That's most of what she does in the movie. Given the choice, I'd lose Willie but keep Short Round in Temple of Doom. He was a silly sidekick, sure, but she was really annoying.
And did they really make the name of God the third challenge? It was the second in the movie.
That's a good question, I may have mixed it up myself accidently.
I did indeed, thanks for the catch. I'll be honest, I was hyped up for the JEHOVAH section and must have jumbled the 3 tasks up while writing. They are now flipped correctly in the review.
I really dug Star Wars but felt the price to be a bit high for what I picked it up at (Complete Trilogy). I'm a poor completionist and rarely find myself collecting everything or hitting 100% in a game that extends beyond the immediate story (never picked up any of the Legendary weapons in FF, as an example). So, while I really want to play Indy, I might wait until it hits the $20 range before snagging it as I know it's not going to take too long to get through and I won't find myself doing the Free Play modes.
Appreciate the review as it lets me know that I'm right in holding out and I shouldn't talk myself into picking it up just yet. And Temple of Doom is the best of them all .
I love the game but it pisses me off--just a little--that the console versions are $20 more than the PC version. I don't understand that. Surely, they press more of those discs than for the PC version.
Give me something value added besides achievements.
__________________ buttonmashing | Playing in Paradise.
For the record, you can find five Star Wars characters but doing so only unlocks Han Solo as a playable character. But he does have a blaster with unlimited ammo, so that's a plus.
And I would have given it five, just IMO, it's only the third game I've liked enough to try for 1000 gamerscore with.
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Originally Posted by Evil Avatar
I'm sorry all I heard was blah blah blah I'm a dirty tramp.
Makes me curious to play it. As an addition: my brother-in-law played and loved the Lego Star Wars games, but apparently this game had puzzles that pissed him off so bad that he destroyed the game disc and shredded the paper insert that came with the game. It should be noted that he is fairly immature, but if you're thinking about getting this game for a child with little patience, this could be something to consider.
To be fair, you can't die permanently, so no matter how frustrating it gets, you can never lose. So it really shouldn't seem that frustrating. But I know how some people are with games. The smallest thing can put them into a full blown rage.
I'm most of the way through Raiders of the Lost Ark in Lego Indy, and I've already had to deal with plenty of pain in the ass puzzles. Most of which involve you trying to figure out what to do as hordes of gun-toting Nazis attack you relentlessly. But it's fun as hell.
My only gripe? The whip, sadly. Only because the whip button and the use button are the same, and often you use the whip when trying to grab things. It's a minor annoyance until you're trying to pick up a weapon because thugs are all over you, and you just keep whipping empty air because it doesn't think you're trying to pick something up. But it isn't terrible, it can just be annoying.
But this game is made for co-op. End of story. I play with my wife and she tends to die a lot, especially on jumping parts. But it doesn't matter. We have a blast, and we always beat the level eventually.
Makes me curious to play it. As an addition: my brother-in-law played and loved the Lego Star Wars games, but apparently this game had puzzles that pissed him off so bad that he destroyed the game disc and shredded the paper insert that came with the game. It should be noted that he is fairly immature, but if you're thinking about getting this game for a child with little patience, this could be something to consider.
Are you sure it was the puzzles that drove him to that or the control of Indy with his whip or fists fighting off waves of enemies that caused the frustration? It's great that you can't "die"...but it sure is frustrating to see your # of lego pieces drop quickly...I completely understand the shredding...i'm working on building up my needed patience for this game...as of right now I stare at the box and have no urge to play it again...
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Originally Posted by ADDGirl
Superior intellect? Are we talking about the same purple santa?
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Gamertag: Purple Santa
PSN: Purple Santa
Wii friend: 1864 6953 9794 9405
I love the game but it pisses me off--just a little--that the console versions are $20 more than the PC version. I don't understand that. Surely, they press more of those discs than for the PC version.
Give me something value added besides achievements.
Exactly. I have rented the Star Wars games and loved them but I just can't justify spending $50 or so on the games, and that includes Lego Indy.
I'd be more than happy to drop $25 on the games, but that's about it. I'm cheap that way.
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"This computer is so slow that I'm having framerate issues with Dwarf Fortress!"
- Me at my in-laws.
Are you sure it was the puzzles that drove him to that or the control of Indy with his whip or fists fighting off waves of enemies that caused the frustration? It's great that you can't "die"...but it sure is frustrating to see your # of lego pieces drop quickly...I completely understand the shredding...i'm working on building up my needed patience for this game...as of right now I stare at the box and have no urge to play it again...
The one catch of the lives system is the loss of lego pieces. But even that is pretty inconsequential. I often fill the lego meter to full well before levels end, and that's with my wife dying every 10 seconds. The key is to make sure that you always reclaim your lost pieces as soon as you revive.
Most importantly, the blue ones. The silver and gold don't matter all that much, but make sure you reclaim those blue pieces and your meter won't drop much, if at all.
That being said, in some sections you not only get attacked my multiple gun-carrying enemies, but often by enemies throwing grenades and the like, which kill you instantly.
But if I wasn't playing it co-op with my wife, I probably wouldn't be playing it, to be honest. It's not that it's bad, albeit pretty simple. It's that the fun of playing co-op easily constitutes 90% of the fun factor. Then, it's worth every penny, imo. Then again, I'm playing the PS2 version because there's no reason to play this on a newer system in my view. It still looks good for a PS2 game, and it's $30 new (it says $40, but mine was 29.95 at Wal-Mart...eh). I don't need higher graphical quality in a lego game, and I don't care one bit about achievements. So to each their own.
I know I need just to have a bit more patience with this game. I know you can get most of your pieces back if you move fast enough...just at some points the damn respawning enemies were driving me nuts...but the co-op is an interesting point...maybe i'll draft ms. claus into trying this with me...
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ADDGirl
Superior intellect? Are we talking about the same purple santa?
______________
Gamertag: Purple Santa
PSN: Purple Santa
Wii friend: 1864 6953 9794 9405
Yeah, I put that in the evil paraentheses I like to use within the game review, but not in the Ugly section.
So do they actually spell it with the J? I would have thought that would have made an excellent reference to have it boobytrapped, like the film, and weed out those who haven't memorized large sections of the films like the weak simpletons they are.
EDIT: Man, I totally missed the Parenthesis part first read through. I should avoid any and all reading comprehension after 12:00
Nice review, by the way. I've been a tad hesitant to try this after what I've heard from other sources.
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Gamertag: PlagueBoy
Feed me a stray cat
