Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures (Xbox 360) Review

Posted by James McGee on 06.11.2008

Traveler's Tales and LucasArts team up again to deliver another fun, adorable game combining Legos and one of the greatest film franchises ever.

Some things just go together—peanut butter and jelly; summer and lemonade; Lego and video games…What? A few short years ago, such a statement wouldn’t have made much sense, but the fine folks at Traveler’s Tales have made the classic toy building-block synonymous with modern gaming, thanks to their excellent Lego Star Wars series. The developer took a beloved franchise, poured on the cutesy, stirred in some funny, and whipped up a big ol’ batch of awesome with games that are fun and accessible for anyone.

Traveler’s Tales and LucasArts have teamed up again to bring another beloved film franchise to life (in the form of virtual plastic, that is) with Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures. It doesn’t make many changes to the formula established in Lego Star Wars—which is both its greatest strength and the source of a few minor weaknesses—but this game delivers the same fun with solid gameplay and a hilarious presentation.


What could possibly go wrong here?

Graphics
Critiquing graphics for this type of game gets a little tricky, seeing as how it is meant to replicate the look of Lego toys. When it comes to the characters, textures look flat and “painted on,” they animate stiffly, and they aren’t terribly detailed. In other words, they look like a bunch of Lego figures bouncing around. In a way, they’re the most photo-realistic graphics ever produced for a video game, given the material they’re trying to represent. It’s definitely one of those “purpose-driven” situations where you have to consider that graphics aren’t the driving force behind this game, and they can only be so good before they stop making sense in context.

The developers at Traveler’s Tales were able to stretch their artistic talents a little more with the environments. Overall, the game is pretty drab compared to Lego Star Wars’s more vibrant color palate, but again, that kind of comes with the territory. Most of the game is set in deserts and tombs, and there are only so many shades of brown to play around with. Still, when given the opportunity, the designers snuck in some nifty effects, such as the rainbow-sheen of petroleum in the Last Crusade sewer level and the lava glow in Kali’s Temple. Overall, graphics are kept pretty simple here, but it actually serves the game’s purpose well.

The only real complaint I have in the visual department is that environments are a little dark on average, which occasionally makes it difficult to make out the next platform or handle you’re meant to jump to. The game also seems to have a bit of a depth-perception problem—lining up jumps can sometimes be tougher than your average 3D platformer. I’m not sure whether to lay that at the feet of graphics or gameplay, but my instincts say it has to do with a fixed camera and backgrounds that tend to melt together. It’s a small complaint in the long run, but it does lead to some frustrating moments in an otherwise fun game.

Sound
Like the graphics, the sound design for this game is simple but effective. The music all comes from John Williams’ memorable scores, supplemented with a few excerpts from “The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles.” Most of the sound effects are recycled from Lego Star Wars, and are your standard collection of smacks, booms, chimes and jingles—not very innovative, but very satisfying. There is no dialogue, but characters are incredibly expressive nonetheless, with excellent pantomimes and grunts. The amazing thing is how entertaining these non-words can be. Indiana Jones mumbles with a cocky coolness, Marcus Brody grunts cluelessly, and Henry Jones seems to mutter with a distinctly Scottish accent. These subtle touches are but part of the excellence that Traveler’s Tales brings to the game, making it more than the sum of its parts.


Ever the gentleman, Indy tries not to hurl until Willie has finished her number

Gameplay
Traveler’s Tales has done a great job of adapting the formula they created with Lego Star Wars to its spiritual cousin by creating tasks and character abilities that make logical sense in the Indy universe. Indy can use his whip to swing, snatch items and disarm enemies. Scholarly characters like Marcus Brody and Henry Jones can decipher pictographs to open up new paths. Salla and Satipo (Indy’s traitorous partner from Raiders of the Lost Ark’s legendary opening sequence), can dig for buried treasure. Combine this with platforming, manipulating objects in the environment, and some light combat and you have a simple, sure-fire formula that is easily adaptable to almost any property (anyone else salivating for Lego Batman?)

Aside from the tricky jumping that I mentioned earlier, the biggest gameplay problem comes with the combat. Most of the minor baddies you encounter throughout the levels will give you no trouble at all, but several of the bosses are a different matter. Each boss encounter is more of a mini-puzzle than a battle, and some of the solutions can be a little obtuse. After breezing through the biggest part of the game, it’s pretty frustrating to keep getting blasted into a pile of rattling Lego bits over and over until you finally figure out the trick to defeating the big baddie. It helps if you’ve memorized every scene of the movies, because encounters usually play out similarly in the game as they did on the big screen. Still, there are some solutions that seem obvious—like how to deal with Mola Ram from Temple of Doom’s rope-bridge sequence—but can only be accomplished after fulfilling some very specific, seemingly-arbitrary criteria. This all leads to some balance issues in the game—instead of gradually ramping up the difficulty, Lego Indy goes along at a leisurely pace before slamming you with an unexpected dose of frustration.

The balance issue brings up a point that may, potentially, be a negative to some. As with the previous Lego games, this one is pretty easy on the whole, and may seem a little repetitive. It all comes down to a matter of taste as to whether that’s a positive or a negative for you. For my money, there’s plenty of challenge to be had in the item collecting (more on that latter) and enough variety in the tasks to keep from getting bored. Plus, the game makes for a nice middle-ground between the casual and hardcore gaming audiences. Looking for something to play with your kids? Have a wife that isn’t into games, but still harbors a childhood crush on Indiana Jones (I feel your pain, gentlemen)? This game truly shines in multiplayer, and there should be something for everyone here. Just look at it as a bonding experience.

Lasting Appeal
Playing through the story should only take a few hours, but where Lego Indiana Jones finds its legs is in Free Play mode. After completing the story, players can re-visit every level and explore areas that were unattainable during the first play-through, using various unlockable characters and their corresponding abilities. Each stage has a certain number of studs to collect in order to be ranked a “True Adventurer.” There are also ten artifact pieces and one parcel hidden in each stage, and even a few surprise characters to be found here and there. Barnett College acts as the game’s portal to the various stages, and even it has a few secrets to unlock. In short, there are tons of collectibles to seek out, and coupled with Xbox 360’s standard list of achievements, there should be plenty to keep you busy long after the story is finished.


The revolver: More effective than a banana, but not nearly as much fun.

Fun Factor
If there is one word that best describes this and all the Lego games, it would be “fun.” The gameplay is fine on its own, but the total package is really something special. There is nothing like reliving your favorite moments from the Indy franchise, played out in the adorable, hilarious world of Legos. The cut-scenes are full of inside jokes and sight gags, and there’s plenty of humor to be found as you play through the game (watching a fruit stand explode when you hit it with a banana never gets old). I’m as guilty as any gamer when it comes to getting caught up in console wars and the latest hardcore gaming trends, but sitting down with a title like this reminds me of why I started playing in the first place. Games should be fun above all else, and this one certainly fits the bill.

The 411
Traveler’s Tales manages to improve on the Lego Star Wars formula with their latest effort. Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures is a fun, accessible game that offers a little something to both hardcore gamers and the casual crowd—and it makes for a great way of bringing the two together thanks to the excellent co-op play. There are a few rough edges to be sure, but overall, this is a great game that should bring out the kid in everyone.

Graphics	8.0	Some of the environments are a little dark and muddled, but overall, the game looks great in its simplicity.
Gameplay	7.0	The solid, winning formula returns. There are some balance issues, and the repetition and challenge-level may not be for everyone, but most everything plays marvelously here.
Sound	8.0	Like the graphics, things are simple but perfectly suited for the purpose at hand. And accented gibberish is awesome.
Lasting Appeal	9.5	Plenty of collectibles to keep you busy, and the ability to take a friend along for the ride helps ease the little bouts of monotony and frustration you might encounter.
Fun Factor	10.0	More than the sum of its parts, Lego Indy combines a beloved film franchise and timeless toys into a clever, fun, funny gaming formula that delivers on every level.
Overall	8.5   [ Very Good ]

Screenshots
All 3 Lego Indiana Jones Screenshots