Preview: LEGO Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues

Written by Paul Barbara Monday, 26 October 2009 04:44

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As a child growing up in the late 70’s and early 80’s LEGO was probably, no wait, definitely the only toy that I really ever played with religiously.  I would sit down for hours on end building, destroying, building and once again destroying my creations in a bid for LEGO city supremacy as I strived for the best design I could come up with, given the pieces that I had.  

Well my childhood has certainly passed and my LEGO was donated to charity when my parents decided to throw out all my toys (thanks mum and dad).  My LEGO experience was certainly lost forever, that was until the LEGO series made its way onto consoles a few years ago.

For the uninitiated, it all began with LEGO Star Wars.  A comedic take on the Star Wars trilogy mixed with LEGO was a recipe for success.  And success indeed, LEGO Star Wars was so popular it spawned sequels “LEGO Star Wars 2” and “The Complete Saga”.  Soon afterwards, more LEGO goodness was combined with yet another franchise, Indiana Jones, and thus the game was born!  Additional franchises have also been developed, LEGO Batman and now LEGO Rock Band also and there’s even talk of LEGO Harry Potter!

Today though, we look towards the upcoming sequel developed by the team at Traveller’s Tales whom also created the award-winning LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventure and the LEGO Star Wars series.  LEGO Indiana Jones 2 presents a tongue-in-cheek take on all four cinematic adventures of pop culture’s most iconic archaeologist, including for the first time ever Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull!

Lego Indiana Jones 2 is based on the 4 motion pictures.  Much like the first Lego Indiana Jones which was based on 3 of the 4 motion pictures.  So wait a second here, we have a sequel that covers the exact same material as the first game?  Well the answer “yes” is partially correct, I’ll elaborate.

The first three films are here, and their story is obviously the same, but the gameplay scenarios are completely different. According to the LucasArts representative, “you won't play through a single section that has been lifted directly from the 2008 game”. That alone is a load of content, but there's the game version of the newest film bolted on to that, and five new hubs, bringing the total to six. These aren't just areas to select levels from, either, with each being massive and full of challenges and collectables.

All of the trademark humour you’ve grown to love is back, so you needn’t worry.  So what else is new to LEGO Indy 2?

Firstly, co-op has been given an overhaul. Previously when playing co-op one player may have headed off to the right to explore, while you of course wanted to stay on the left of screen and build an item.  The game would keep zooming out as much as possible before maxing out and disallowing your progress.  Fortunately LEGO Indy 2 has a new way of dealing with your exploring companion.  Split Screen mode.  If the two players separate beyond what the zoom can handle, the screen splits into two with the line across the screen indicating where each player is in relation to the other.  This is a great feature!

Probably this next feature is by far the one I am looking forward to the most, the Level Creator!  If you have the opportunity, check out the official website for a trailer on this new cool feature.  It's LEGO building 3D style, and its simply great.  To begin with you lay down those green LEGO mats that everyone had to build on. That alone is a pretty clever move on LucasArts' part, instantly sending everyone of a certain age back to their childhood. From there you pick items and parts from a menu and wander around the map with your LEGO figure, placing them down where you want. It's an incredibly simple system, but one that works exceedingly well and should be easily accessible to a wide range of ages and skill levels.

You also can place AI on your map, traps, switches, you name it.  Then, play it out with you and your friends.  This alone will be worth hours of entertainment pleasure.

Overall I am certain LEGO Indiana Jones 2 will be an instant success.  Firstly, if you’re a fan of the series, you’re going to be totally blown away by what’s on offer this time around.  For those who are not fans, it’s unlikely you’ll be converted however I do encourage that you take a look at this title.  It truly is a vast improvement over the previous versions of the game, and the level editor will give you hours of fun indeed.

LEGO Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues is due for release on Wii, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 3, PSP and Xbox 360 during November 2009. 

Stay tuned to Daily Joystick for the full review when the game hits store shelves later next month.

Boosty