Lego Indiana Jones is the best Lego game yet.
I came in with low expectations for Lego Indiana Jones. Thankfully, I was pleasantly surprised, as this game is fun that anybody, no matter what age, can enjoy.
The clean, cute look of the Lego Star Wars games is here, albeit with less sci-fi and more adventure. The environments are all either recreated or influenced by a scene in the original trilogy of Indiana Jones movies. Either way, they are a lot of fun to navigate around in and players can discern specific movie references here and there. Graphicswise, the game looks excellent on the Xbox 360. It may not be a demo disc for your HD television, but the environments are very well animated and the jungle scenes in particular are pleasant to the eyes. The audio is fine, too. The sound effects aren't going to blow any seasoned gamer away, but they get the job done. However, the music composed by John Williams is, obviously, great and never tires the ears. The only technical problem I can note is some screen-tearing, especially in Barnett College.
Speaking of the college, that is where the player will mingle between missions and run around in if he/she wants to. The college is a deeper hub system than Lego Star Wars' Cantina or diner. There are secret areas that can be unlocked, and your treasures from missions are put up for proud display. The unlockable characters also walk the halls of the college, and there are many to see and use.
However, unlockables and graphics are nice, but how is the actual gameplay? Well, it depends. I enjoyed the Lego Star Wars games for their simple approach to combat, platforming and puzzle solving. Some people didn't. Lego Indiana Jones doesn't change much, but what is there is probably the most refined out of all the Lego games to date. Picking up objects is a new addition, and a fun one at that, as using shovels and wrenches to both dig and fix objects and bash enemies across the head is very entertaining. Indy's whip is not what most players will expect it to be, but it is still a pleasure to use. Instead of combat purposes (which it can do), the whip is primarily used for swinging across chasms and pulling levers, all which are beautifully animated. Most of the other characters are good (Jones Sr., Short Round, Bazooka trooper), but, like Lego Star Wars, there are too many characters in different costumes. I don't want more than five Indiana Jones or an enemy guard for mountains, desert and every place I have gone to, but this move just feels like pushing the number of characters to the largest possible digit. Some puzzles are a little difficult to find out first, but i never had to go to an online forum or FAQ to find out the answers. It honestly is not that hard.
Still, unlocking characters and uncovering all of the artifacts has a thrill to it that is remarkable for such a "kids" game. No matter what age the player is, they will have a lot of fun seeing the wonderful, hilarious cutscenes portray the movies, and playing as Indy with his trademark Fedora. There are a bunch of easy achievements to get, and reaching the 1000 mark is very possible for the unexperienced Achievement whore. For the few faults it may have, Lego Indiana Jones is a worthwhile investment for any gamer looking for some easy Achievements, great humor, but, most importantly, a lot of fun.
The clean, cute look of the Lego Star Wars games is here, albeit with less sci-fi and more adventure. The environments are all either recreated or influenced by a scene in the original trilogy of Indiana Jones movies. Either way, they are a lot of fun to navigate around in and players can discern specific movie references here and there. Graphicswise, the game looks excellent on the Xbox 360. It may not be a demo disc for your HD television, but the environments are very well animated and the jungle scenes in particular are pleasant to the eyes. The audio is fine, too. The sound effects aren't going to blow any seasoned gamer away, but they get the job done. However, the music composed by John Williams is, obviously, great and never tires the ears. The only technical problem I can note is some screen-tearing, especially in Barnett College.
Speaking of the college, that is where the player will mingle between missions and run around in if he/she wants to. The college is a deeper hub system than Lego Star Wars' Cantina or diner. There are secret areas that can be unlocked, and your treasures from missions are put up for proud display. The unlockable characters also walk the halls of the college, and there are many to see and use.
However, unlockables and graphics are nice, but how is the actual gameplay? Well, it depends. I enjoyed the Lego Star Wars games for their simple approach to combat, platforming and puzzle solving. Some people didn't. Lego Indiana Jones doesn't change much, but what is there is probably the most refined out of all the Lego games to date. Picking up objects is a new addition, and a fun one at that, as using shovels and wrenches to both dig and fix objects and bash enemies across the head is very entertaining. Indy's whip is not what most players will expect it to be, but it is still a pleasure to use. Instead of combat purposes (which it can do), the whip is primarily used for swinging across chasms and pulling levers, all which are beautifully animated. Most of the other characters are good (Jones Sr., Short Round, Bazooka trooper), but, like Lego Star Wars, there are too many characters in different costumes. I don't want more than five Indiana Jones or an enemy guard for mountains, desert and every place I have gone to, but this move just feels like pushing the number of characters to the largest possible digit. Some puzzles are a little difficult to find out first, but i never had to go to an online forum or FAQ to find out the answers. It honestly is not that hard.
Still, unlocking characters and uncovering all of the artifacts has a thrill to it that is remarkable for such a "kids" game. No matter what age the player is, they will have a lot of fun seeing the wonderful, hilarious cutscenes portray the movies, and playing as Indy with his trademark Fedora. There are a bunch of easy achievements to get, and reaching the 1000 mark is very possible for the unexperienced Achievement whore. For the few faults it may have, Lego Indiana Jones is a worthwhile investment for any gamer looking for some easy Achievements, great humor, but, most importantly, a lot of fun.
