Customer Reviews

Lego Indiana Jones

5 star:		(97)
4 star:		(46)
3 star:		(18)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

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.

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...

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.

If you're a fan of Lego Star Wars and of Indiana Jones, this is a good game for you. It seems a bit shorter than Star Wars, but is otherwise a lot of fun with some cute surprises thrown in. HOWEVER it is buggy, seemingly really buggy given the short time I've been playing it. I've hit 4 major bugs (one locked up the Wii, the other 3 required that I quit because the required activity in the game could not be accomplished - for example a boss was out of hearts, but the game was "stuck" so that his death wouldn't complete). This is VERY frustrating and takes away a bit from the game.

Update: Make that 5 now... in Desert Ambush the tank never engaged in battle, so I couldn't go on to the next section. Again had to quit and start over.

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.

A few years ago, a surprisingly great game called LEGO Star Wars was released. Now Lucas Arts has given us the gift of LEGO Indiana Jones (LIJ). Is it as good as the previous LEGO entries?

No. Don't get me wrong, I love this game, but it's not as good as LEGO Star Wars. First of all, I really don't think Indiana Jones was the greatest choice for a LEGO game. One of the many great features of the first game was that all of the characters were cool and fun to play as, but in LIJ, the only character I wanted to play as was Indy. The other characters didn't have cool moves like him. There just aren't enough characters in the films for a videogame. Also, all of the good scenes of the movies are the worst to play, mostly because the vehicle scenes were poorly constructed. The boulder chase was done horribly! Along with LEGO Star Wars, this game is much too short. I also wish they included the fourth movie. When I go home after seeing Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (which by the way was great), I want to play the game for it, not just the first three!! Adding that movie would include many more characters, which is needed.

On a positive note, LIJ does a great job of following the movies. It still has the fun LEGO gameplay, but brings some new things like riding in vehicles. Now you can find and use items in the levels like shovels (to dig up treasure.$$!), wrenches (to fix broken machines), guns, and books (to translate ancient writing). The levels are fun and exciting, and the graphics look great. The worlds are very detailed and remind me a lot of Indiana Jones, my favorie action/adventure movie series. The controls are tight. If you don't like the motion controls, button controls are an alternate option, which is awesome. The levels are much harder and longer than LEGO Star Wars, but getting a True Adventurer in each level is easier, so it balances out well. True Adeventurer requires you to collect LEGO bolts, which can be found by smahing things or going on ledges and such. Smashing stuff is really fun. The gameplay is you run through levels based on the first three IJ movies and you have to get to the end by jumping on platforms, fighting enemies, solving a few puzzles, and a few more things depending on the level. Once you complete it, you get to see a hilarious cutscene which unwraps another piece of the plot, which follows the movies extremely well. I thought the jumping was done very poorly, because the camera isn't always there. One other complaint that I have is that most of your enemies have a gun, and many times you die because some of the characters are limited to close range only. There is no way to block bullets coming at you. However, being able to collect weapons they drop and using anything you can find as a weapon helps this problem a little bit. Another great feature in this game is that you can watch cutscenes over and over again in Barnett College (The college is similar to Dexter's Diner). The music is great and is taken right from the movies. The drop in/drop out co-op mode is very fun and cool. The controls and gameplay are so simple that any one can start playing. The backrounds look good graphic wise, but the LEGO characters don't. Some glitches made me have to start the level over again. On that note, the Xbox 360 version is probably more worth the money. Any IJ fan will LOVE this game and should buy it, while it is worth a rental for others who are interested. Two thumbs up from the Ultimate Gamer!

This game is amazing for less than $20. Full of smart puzzles and really fun offline co-op Lego Indiana Jones has been a blast. I'd recommend this game to anyone getting a new wii!

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.

I purchased this after loving LEGO Star Wars...I must admit I was a little disappointed with LEGO Indiana Jones. It is extremely easy to collect "LEGO pieces" to get the status "True Adventurer"...unlike Star Wars where you really had to work at collecting them to reach "True Jedi". Overall this game is fun but at times a little boring.

We got the wii at the height of Indiana Jones mania in our house. My son age 7, really wanted to try this game so we rented it and he enjoyed it very much. However, the game was tough to figure out, for us non-serious "gamers". We would never have made it through several of the levels without going online and reading the walkthroughs. Also, the levels were SOOOO long! We would play and play and play, and when we wanted to stop for whatever reason, all we had done on that level would be lost! This is frustrating for a little boy. We got VERY tired of having to fight the same battles over and over, because we didn't have the time to finish the level. I understand why the other reviewers think this game is great...it is interesting and fun to solve the mini levels and the characters are great. I like how it mirrors the movies. I just think that you need to be a little more game savvy (the rating is 10+ after all, and I think it is accurate). I just wanted to let parents who are thinking of getting this game for a younger player to maybe try renting it first to see if their child can handle it.