Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures

10 Review to this product

• 

  Nite
  June 3rd, 2008 on 1:54 am

  Rating

  Pros:

  +Great Nostalgia for the Indiana Jones Fan
  
  +Great sense of humor through the cutscenes
  
  +Simple gameplay, anyone can pick up and play
  
  +A varied number of puzzles through the game
  
  +Lots of secrets to uncover
  
  +Music score taken directly from the films

  Cons:

  -Short campaign
  
  -Big emphasis on hand to hand combat isn’t great when you’re fighting someone with a projectile
  
  -Minor camera issues

  In 2005 the gaming public was introduced to LEGO Star Wars. That game went on to become a phenomenon. It was fun, simple and humorous. LEGO Indiana Jones plays very similar to the LEGO Star Wars games in many different ways. There are slight differences, however, and while LEGO Indiana Jones is certainly a treat, it isn’t quite as good as LEGO Star Wars.

  If you’ve played LEGO Star Wars, then Indiana Jones is instantly familiar. You’ll go through all three of the original films. Throughout the levels you’ll be two or more different characters and able to switch on the fly. Much like the Star Wars games, characters have abilities they can use to get you further into the game. Some characters can find secret passages, some can double jump. Indy, of course, uses his whip. There’s a much bigger emphasis on puzzles in LEGO Indiana Jones, but there’s nothing here that’s too challenging or taxing. Anyone should be able to pick up and play LEGO Indiana Jones. There’s also co-op play and a friend can jump in whenever they feel like it and drop out whenever they feel like it.

  There are also studs that you can collect. Studs are the currency you can use in the hub to do things like purchase hidden characters or other bonuses. You can get studs by destroying certain objects or simply by taking down enemies.

  The biggest difference between LEGO Star Wars and LEGO Indiana Jones is the way combat works. In LEGO Star Wars most characters either had a blaster or a lightsaber. Indiana Jones relies much more heavily on hand-to-hand combat. You can find weapons and use them, but they have limited ammunition. The only bad thing about the gameplay in Indiana Jones is that there’s so much of an emphasis on hand-to-hand combat that it leads to unnecessary deaths sometimes. When the bad guy has a gun and you don’t, half the battle is dying to get to him and take him down. Luckily, there’s no penalty for dying in LEGO Indiana Jones other than losing studs. There’s no such thing as a game over.

  Just like LEGO Star Wars, there’s the story mode where you use the characters the story gives you, and then you can go back in Free Play Mode to uncover more secrets you otherwise couldn’t before. You’ll want to go back in Free Play Mode in order to get all the secrets. There are treasure chests to find in every level as well as a red package. You can’t get all the hidden treasure chests in a level without going back in Free Play Mode. The main campaign probably won’t take you that long. Half the fun of LEGO Indiana Jones is going back into levels and uncovering secrets.

  In terms of production values, LEGO Indiana Jones is a winner. The LEGO world is incredible to behold. While there’s no voice acting to speak of in the cutscenes, there’s a great amount of humor, and there are a lot of classic scenes that are reenacted very well. LEGO Indiana Jones is easily a looker, but it also sounds great. There are a couple of camera hang ups, but nothing too big, and it runs pretty smoothly too. The music is pulled directly from the films. John Williams score still sounds good almost thirty years later.

  LEGO Indiana Jones shouldn’t be missed. If you enjoy Indiana Jones or if you enjoyed LEGO Star Wars, then LEGO Indiana Jones is a must. It emulates the film very well and is so simple to play that anyone can pick it up and go with it.
• 

  Kevin J. Loria
  June 3rd, 2008 on 12:56 pm

  Rating

  Upon the full Saga release of LEGO Star Wars, we found INDY along with his LEGO game trailer. I was giddy with fanboy anticipation not only for the chance to replay RAIDERS of the LOST ARK, but for the chance to get the corresponding toys and the chance to see the LEGO retelling of many of the classic scenes. The re-teaming of game developer Traveller’sTales and publisher Lucasarts heralds the transition of the most recognizable archeologist this side of Laura Croft to LEGO form.

  If you’re worried that the INDIANA JONES LEGO GAME will be the same game as Star Wars LEGO just recycled using INDY’s locales & characters, fear not. Besides LEGO Dr. Jones’ striking resemblance to LEGO Han Solo, the simple action, uncomplicated controls and the team play of the first game, INDIANA JONES is it’s own unique game. This time characters have a broad range of physical abilities: ladder-climbing, sneaking, cliff- shimmying and cliffhanging (literally) and this time even swimming. Combat gameplay in the game is also altered, sure at times INDY has got a gun, but ammo is an issue and INDY is more of a brawler, than a shooter. Characters use what is at their disposal, chairs and other surroundings that can be broken, then used as throwing weapons. But, what of INDY’s most recognizable tool, no not his fedora, his whip, does it do more than the teaser character in Star Wars? The answer is YES. Now more than just a grappling hook, the whip is an important multifunctional problem-solving game tool and a major part of unlocking levels.

  There’s still plenty of constructive creativity and puzzles to solve. There is still plenty of pantomime LEGO-style story recreations of the original 3 films (Raiders, Temple of Doom, Last Crusade), true to the wicked sense of humor that makes the LEGO games so much fun to play and watch. What’s also familiar is the family-accessibility of the game. In fact, in spite of the story’s placement in history, taking place in the late 1930′s and early 1940′s, it should come as no surprise that there are NO SWASTIKAS on any of the LEGO German soldiers that INDY fights.

  There are loads of unlockable-playable characters from the films, 60 in all, some INDY variations, side kicks and characters like Brody, Short Round, Willie Scott, Toht, Henry Jones Senior, Sallah, Marion Ravenwood, and rogues gallery of LEGO villains like Rene Belloq. New with the release of this video game, characters each have skill and quirks unique to them: for example INDY reacts to his fear of snakes, Henry Jones Sr doesn’t like rats, but can do an “umbrella slide,” Sallah is better a excavation. This feature makes the sidekicks as important as Indy and two play co-op is essiential (althought the Wii doesn’t offer online co-play this time). These characters can be used for the LEGO staple the “mix-and-match” bodyswapping (found in the college Art Dept.), just like the toys. Cross-gender swaps are always good for a laugh.

  Like Star Wars, the opportunity for game replay is there , instead of the Cantina Hub, Indy’s school of Professorship Barnett College serves as the pre-game menu. This is where your artifact go after collection and where you can pick and chose the characters, films and scenes you will play upon re-entry (like before unique characters will provide new play options and unlockables). On Indy’s campus you can unlock extras, buy characters and special features.Speaking of extras…Look for the Star Wars Cantina hidden in Cairo (with Disco Indy theme music, too), also look for other SW guest appearances throughout the game.

  Ultimately, the game sticks to the LEGO formula and ultimately it works well. We can look forward to the LEGO adaptation of INDY IV. or maybe LEGO Young INDY Chronicles, I for one can’t wait to play the LEGO Picasso and the LEGO Al Capone. Seriously, the LEGO BATMAN, will probably be pretty good (without Lucasfilm behind it), but the LEGO / Warner property I most want to see is the reboot of the LEGO HARRY POTTER games. The CREATOR Harry Potter and CREATOR Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets weren’t very good, the over-focus on building and virtual blocks. The current format will make the 7 books of the Potter series much more bankable and playable. I’ve got a good feeling about this…
  
• 

  Johnson
  June 19th, 2008 on 4:48 pm

  Rating

  My son and I have been playing this game almost every night since we got it a little over 2 weeks ago. It is a lot of fun and closely mirrors the movies. The different levels are a lot of fun to try and figure out ways to get through. It is a little slow at times waiting for the “movie” parts to run but it really is a fun game. If you like the movie series you will enjoy playing this game. Be prepared to figure out ways to get through the levels as it isn’t the most intuitive however it is made to require the players to think their way through the game. My 9 year old son has gotten a little frustrated at times but worked through them using patience. We have just finished 20% of the game so as much time as we have played it we still have a long time to go. The other nice thing is the game always you to start new games so my son can play by himself if he wants, save his game and we can continue on our game. Currently we have 3 different games saved which is a nice feature.
• 

  M. Park
  June 19th, 2008 on 6:23 pm

  Rating

  Interesting that my boys thought their Dad NEEDED to have this for Father’s Day and that HE REALLY wanted it. However, since we got the Wii last Christmas, my husband has yet to play any of the games outside of the bowling or golf game that came with the Wii. Needless to say since it was opened on Sunday it has had A LOT of play time, none of which was by my husband
• 

  p-51
  July 25th, 2008 on 7:13 pm

  Rating

  I know, I know… the Lego series of games are primarily aimed at kids. But they sure are a fun way to wile away some time, no matter what age you might be. Lego Indiana Jones is just fantastic, and pays excellent tribute to some of the finest adventure movies ever made. And as a bonus, for the first time ever, I actually enjoyed something related to Temple of Doom.

  As most reviews have already stated, the game has two modes: story and free play. Story mode takes you through each movie in order. The emphasis in this mode is reenacting the movies, solving puzzles in order to move forward, and having dust-ups with various bad guys.

  Once you complete a level, free play mode becomes available for that level. In free play, you go back to each level and use a variety of characters to retrieve items to add to a collection back at your “base,” Barnett College. As you do so, you also unlock bonus levels, gather Lego “studs” to buy upgrades, and buy new characters.

  Unlike a lot of games that rely on the “unlockable” formula of gameplay for holding your attention, Lego Indiana Jones never makes it feel like a grind, like you have to cover the same ground over and over again to advance. Instead, they’ve managed to hit a sweet spot, where you feel pleasantly compelled to go back and revisit each level, just to see what new surprises await you.

  It’s quite a testament to how well the game captures the spirit of the movies when, after each session with the game, I wanted to pop in the actual movies and watch them all over again. And the music is fantastic! The game uses the original score from each movie during the appropriate levels, which really adds a sense of polish and excitement to the proceedings.

  When I finally hit 100% complete in the game and the Lego studs started raining down in Barnett College, I was actually quite sad that it was all over. This game is just pure fun. A little challenging, but very rewarding. If you liked the movies, this is really a no-brainer.
• 

  Tucson Kate
  July 29th, 2008 on 5:32 am

  Rating

  My husband and I rented Lego Indiana Jones to play on our Wii. I haven’t played the Star Wars Lego yet, so this was my first experience with a Lego game.

  I have been pleasently surprised! We are two adults who are fans of video games, especially games we can play together. But it is difficult to find entertaining and challenging games that are light-hearted, but not violent or graphic. Lego definitely fit the bill. I was worried it would be too childish, too simple and easy. No, it doesn’t take rocket science to get through the levels or find all the secret hidden areas. But it does take a little thought and extra effort to uncover extra secrets.

  Plus, the game has a little extra bit of humor… the ability to poke fun at itself and the movies. I laughed out loud at a couple of the little movie clips!

  I’ve enjoyed this game so much that I bought it (and returned the rental version), ordered Star Wars, and pre-ordered Batman! Thanks Lego for a fun game for kids and the kids-at-heart.
• 

  Pete
  December 3rd, 2008 on 11:05 am

  Rating

  I’m a huge Indiana Jones fan, and my son got me interested in the Lego video games with Star Wars. This game met all my expectations, I set up my own profile to play after he went to bed. My son is 5, by the way, and found the game challenging but a lot of fun.

  PROS: Action was fun, but not hair-pulling hard. Some of the secret treasures are so well-hidden that a Walkthrough was needed, but there are plenty on the Internet….but figuring them out is really rewarding. Animations and sounds are good. Took me a few weeks to finish everything, so a good value in my mind.

  CONS: The only bug I had with the Wii version was that sometimes a character with a gun would just start shooting when the B button (trigger) was not touched in any way. Happened with both controllers, so not a sticky button. I learned to quickly switch characters so I didn’t waste ammo when this happened. Also, it’s shorter than Star Wars, naturally, since it’s only 3 movies and not 6. But the chapters tend to be longer. There is not as much humor as in the SW series. And there are not too many extras after you finish everything.

  THOUGHTS: I originally got this on the PC. Avoid that like the plague. There is far more bunny-hopping in this than in Star Wars, and is impossible with mouse and keyboard. But the Wii controllers make it a cinch. Anyways, lots of fun, buy it!
• 

  John P. Richardson
  July 30th, 2009 on 5:21 am

  Rating

  I picked up this game because the Lego Star Wars game for the DS and Wii was so entertaining. After playing it for the past couple of weeks, I can honestly say this one edges out its Star Wars brother.

  The best part about this game is the mix of action (running, jumping, climbing, etc) with the puzzles. There’s a good balance of both with more puzzles in this one than in Lego Star Wars game. Although the game uses both the standard Wii remote and the Nunchuck, the controls are simple and straight forward with on screen cues to guide you at times. Both the action and the puzzles are challenging enough for adults but not so challenging that my kids (7 and 9) couldn’t master them. To top things off, the cut scenes are humorous with a few making me laugh out loud.

  The game covers the first three movies of the Indiana Jones franchise so you get hours of play out of the thing. Couple the long play with the fact that the price of other games being $10-$20 higher and it’s easy to see that this game is a steal.
• 

  normb4
  August 10th, 2009 on 9:38 am

  Rating

  This is a great game… my 9yrs old and my 6 yr old love it. I love games that they play 2 player as a team rather than against each other.
• 

  CMT
  November 2nd, 2009 on 2:31 am

  Rating

  My 8 year old loves this game. He wants the Lego Star Wars now.