There's
something about Lego that never really grows old. You could have been
given your first Lego set at 5 years old, and 20 years later still feel
inclined to play with it. I remember going home about 5 years after I
had moved out and finding my box of Legos that I had last played with
when I was about 11. There was a knife in there that I spent about 4
hours on trying to make it look as realistic as possible. At the bottom
of the box, another unfinished masterpiece that I believe was going to
be a handgun. Then I sat back and tried to recall why I was such a
messed up kid.
A couple of years ago I got to relive my love for
Legos. Lego: Star Wars hit the major systems and while it wasn't the
same, it was just as cool as the first time you built the Millennium
Falcon out of Lego. There was little lego versions of Darth Maul,
Chewbacca, and all my favorite locals from the new trilogy were
present. It was a great day, that was only triumphed by the release of
the Original Trilogy. With those releases I had a conversation with a
group of friends about what modern day classics should be recreated in
the Lego Universe. The game I played this past week was one of those
suggestions.
Lego:
Indiana Jones is just as it sounds. A Lego game that allows gamers to
relive the events from the three Indiana Jones films, but this time, in
full HD. I know that last line sounds a little out of place, I mean,
could the graphics in a game about Lego really be improved that much
from the last generation? The answer? Yes they can. From the minute I
entered into the first level, I was immediately impressed with how much
they improved the graphics engine. The environments are filled with
stuff to smash like the Star Wars games, but this time it just looks
more crisp and enjoyable. Each character is modeled to look like
super-deformed version of who they're representing, and it kind of
makes you wish the Star Wars titles were built from the ground up to be
played on the Current-Gen systems.
The general gameplay in
Lego Indiana Jones, is still pretty much the same. You run around a
level, build Lego objects, smash Lego objects, attack enemies, and get
rich or die trying. Well, not exactly die because in the Lego universe,
you can never truly die. You have hearts representing your health but
after playing it for a couple of hours, you'll ask yourself "Why
bother?" When you die you just lose a couple of the collectible Lego
pieces used as currency and respawn on the spot. It kind of takes away
a good chunk of the challenge, but when you take the major demographic
into consideration, I could see what they were going for. A nice easy
game to pick up and play without getting frustrated. It works.
Each
movie in the trilogy is broken up into several levels with different
environments for Indy and his entourage to explore. The scene with the
big boulder in Raiders of the Lost Ark, the Heart ripping scene from
Temple of Doom, and the chase scene from Last Crusade. It's all in
there, and it is instant nostalgia for anyone who has ever been a fan
of the series. One of the big setbacks in terms of going from Star Wars
to Indiana Jones, has to be the fact that I didn't really want to play
as anyone else but Indiana Jones. As you go through the game you can
unlock a ton of new characters, but when it really came down to it, I
kept switching back to Jones. Not a huge deal, but when you have about
10 different versions of Indy to choose from, you quickly come to the
realization that the developer had a hard time filling out the roster.
For
fans of the John Williams score from Indiana Jones, you'll be
pleasantly surprised to find it pretty much intact. Everything is
recreated perfectly, and with each and every stage you're treated to
one of the better treatments of a licensed property. Too many movie to
videogame translations have been finding their way to store shelves
with straight to game music, but with any of the Traveller's Tales
titles, they've taken the time to get it right. It adds that extra
level of polish in a game that doesn't necessarily need to be immersive
at all. It's pretty sad when a game focused around little Lego men
running around gives you a better sense of "being there," than games
that really need it.
While
the initial game will only take you about 6-9 hours to play through,
like the other Lego games, there is plenty to do after that. There are
a ton of characters to unlock, and thankfully each of them has a use to
help you on your way to achieving a 100% completion. For those of us
that have OCD, we are once again given some extra levels if we so
choose to take on the task of wanting to do everything in the game.
There's some Young Indy levels, some special Lego themed ones, and a
ton of extras to unlock that will change how the game plays. Add on
Achievements if you're playing the Xbox 360 version, and you have
yourself a game that you could spend nearly 30-40 hours on. That's alot
of Lego.
Is Indiana Jones worth it? At the time I am writing
this, I have already saw the game on the shelf for $40 on sale, and it
is most definitely worth $40. After playing through Lego Indy, I can
safely say that I am getting a little burnt out on the formula. It
works, but not enough is really changing with the gameplay to keep me
coming back for more. I was cool up until I was near the end of Lego
Indiana Jones, and while it is no fault of the game, it's just a fault
of the standard set by the Lego Star wars games. If this is your first
Lego themed game and you're a fan of Indiana Jones, then I say that you
should check it out. If you're not really familiar with the movie, I
would suggest checking out "Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga," in
stores now, or "Lego Batman" later on this year. If you are one of the
thousands of people who played the Lego Star Wars titles to death, then
I don't know if I can recommend Lego Indiana Jones too highly. It's a
relevant title, but I don't see it really being worth a purchase. Pick
it up if you get a good deal, or just wait for a series that you really
love. I have a feeling that there is going to be many, many more movies
and games that get the Lego treatment.
*cough* Matrix trilogy please *cough*
Kim Fidler
