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Review by Kevin J. Loria:

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…

Review by Nite:

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.

Review by Kim E.:

My almost 5 year old daughter plays this game for hours. Lot’s of activities. It’s fun for her to find the dinosaur eggs and go on adventures. We have had this game for years and all my kid’s have loved it.

Review by Garrett Schiff:

I bought this along with several other kids’ CD-ROM games when I decided to get a PC for my kids (2 and 3). This was one of the older titles and has pretty crude graphics by today’s standards, so I didn’t have the highest initial opinion of it. But over the months it has become the kids’ clear favorite. There are lots of games that even my 2-year-old, with very rough mousing skills, can master (BoneBuilder is his favorite). My 3-year-old has covered all the areas of the game but keeps coming back, she has shown no signs of getting bored of it. I think at that age there is still a high tolerance for repetition?

Anyway, for the low price tag, this is a sure winner for smaller children.

Review by John:

I bought this terrific game for my niece’s birthday (she recently turned 8). She played the game at the party with five others. They loved it. They just glanced at a card and sized up what they needed to do…they all knew about word searches. Cards get distributed to everyone, so play is simultaneous. On each card, there are three words (three animals, three planets, three similar words, etc) hidden inside a grid of letters. Every time you find a word, you circle it. For this, you use a sheet of see-through paper, which is handy so the cards don’t get marked up. Because this is a race as well, it’s all about who can find their words first. And it’s funny watching the level of excitement – and with it the noise volume – rise as someone gets closer and closer to winning…kids can’t usually keep it to themselves after they find a word, so you know how well everyone is doing by watching and listening.I joined in for one round, and really enjoyed it! This game provided a fun time all around.