Title Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures Date 06.16.2008 Genre Action Platform Xbox 360 Developer Traveller's Tales Publisher LucasArts

Introduction
Once again it is time to get greedy for some Lego studs. Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures is everything you wanted it to be and then some. Instead of wasting your summer days watching network reruns Lego Indiana Jones will have you spending your summer doing something productive. The game is very much similar to how the Lego Star Wars games are played with more emphasis on bonus missions and a lot of unlockables. There are many more character based moves and other gameplay extras that Lego Star Wars did not have, but don't be surprised to find an ode or two to the original Lego game.

Story
The Lego story is how the fans of the Lego games will expect Lego Indiana Jones to be. The characters do not speak and there are a lot of cut-scenes that take a more comical approach to the original movie scenes. Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Temple of Doom, and The Last Crusade are the main story games to play through and they follow the movie versions of each closely. Each level stays on course to the movie and each features new characters to unlock as well the same ones with different disguises. Instead of the Star Wars Cantina to stroll through all of your collectibles Lego Indiana Jones sends you back to the college where Indy teaches. There are new features to the main hub of your game as you will stroll through a classroom movie theater to view all of the cut-scenes and even visit Indy's office and classroom. The mail room allows you to go unlock oddities that come in after you find parcels throughout the game. The library is where you will be able to turn in those well earned studs to unlock all of the other characters in the game as well as break some tables and tear up some books for more studs. Upstairs is where you will find the area to see what bonus missions you have unlocked through the collection of the special Lego blocks. A courtyard will take you to the Art Room where you will find the place to create your own custom characters to use in Free Play mode. The levels are not very long, but are geared more toward challenge and puzzle solving so that you may find yourself in one place for a long time trying to get to the next section in a level.

Gameplay
The improvements from Lego Star Wars are in the gameplay of Lego Indiana Jones. All of the original aspects of Lego Star Wars are still there. What is new is being able to use different items for various tasks. A shovel will help you dig out treasures and objects while a wrench will get machines and pulleys fixed for use. You can pick up certain objects to use as weapons which brings back memories of those old 2-D side scrolling fighting games. You get four hearts for a life span and come back every time except for certain areas like the boulder chase where if you don't make it you will have to restart from the beginning. There is not anything too bad about that at all as it is just timing your jumps over holes and spike pits. All of the characters have some sort of a different move or characteristic to them. Some come equipped with a shovel while the women are able to jump higher and of course, Indy has a whip. Certain areas in a level are restricted to certain characters only or disguised characters, but these areas are not as frequent as in Lego Star Wars. Some objects like bushes or barrels allow you to disguise yourself and move around while inside which is quite comical.

And you do not need to be afraid of the water anymore as well since all of the characters have the ability to swim around and be able to jump out of the water if needed. Some of the characters are incorporated with a phobia of certain enemies in the game. Snakes, rats, and spiders will turn into obstacles at times if you have a character that is afraid of one of these. They will cringe and hide while slowly moving around one of these enemies so you will be required to switch characters to move on. Cooperative play is the same as Lego Star Wars. There is no improvement there as there probably should have been, but with the relative easiness of Lego Indiana Jones this game is best played alone. The mini kits are replaced by treasure chests that you must find and the parcels replace the red bricks. There aren't any relatively new features as far unlockables go, but the urge to grab up all of the studs before the level ends is offset by a lesser goal in each level so you don't have to spend an entire level bashing your way to reach the True Adventurer goal. You can also easily reach your stud goal quicker if you are a greedy stud collector.

Sound/Graphics
I like the Indiana Jones music, but like Lego Star Wars, you can easily get tired of listening to the in-game music. For me it gets repetitive especially if I am out collecting everything there is to find in a level. The camera has a hard time holding still during a level as well. At one point it got a little glitchy for me and I was afraid I would start bobbing my head up and down when the camera would move up and down constantly. Beyond that the graphics are quite good and the music is right out of the original soundtracks of the films. The sound effects are great, but the replacement of dialogue with music does make the game get a little repetitive. It is not too big of a bother though.

Replayability
Here is where it really depends on how well you like the Lego games. If you want something new out of Lego Indiana Jones compared to going back and replaying Lego Star Wars, well you probably will be disappointed. If you like what you had to go back and play Lego Star Wars for then you will enjoy much of the same once more. Replaying Lego Indiana Jones is all about finding and collecting what you missed or couldn't reach the first time around. There is not much to going back and enjoying the story unless you are a big fan of the series, but the big reason you will want to go back and replay Lego Indiana Jones is for the achievements and unlockables. Most of the achievements you can get the first time through. However, there are quite a few that are secret as well as those which you have to play through the game in Free Play mode to get. The unlockable characters depend on how many studs you have and that may take a few runs through the game. Then there are the chests and parcels to find to uncover extra bonus missions as well as hidden artifacts. So you get plenty of great replay value out of Lego Indiana Jones once you complete it. For me it requires a day with nothing else better to do and a good FAQ or guide to be able to sit down and totally complete a game like this. Whereas I haven't even come close to completely finishing Lego Star Wars I probably won't have Lego Indiana Jones completed anytime soon either so this game will definitely be worth your while. You can complete each of the three stories in one sitting just as in Lego Star Wars and doing them all may take about a few days.

Final Recommendation
Fans of the Lego games and fans of the Indiana Jones, or fans of both will love Lego Indiana Jones. If you are looking for a game with more to do or something different then you may not like it as much, but you still get a great game regardless. There is a lot to do once you complete this game and a lot of achievements that are simple as well as challenging enough to find and unlock. It is definitely a great game for kids, but for an adult like me, it's entertaining to play through and it is very enjoyable to go whipping through (no pun intended). Indiana Jones is a series that is best known for having at least one very memorable scene so if you are not familiar with the original Indiana Jones movies as most are with the original Star Wars movies then this game will definitely peak your interest into watching the movies.

Game Score

A-

Reviewed By: Dandy QuackShot