Games review: Lego Indiana Jones

Havingcharmed with their Lego interpretations of Star Wars, LucasArts turntheir attention, and the plastic bricks, to another great fantasyfranchise: the whip-cracking, fedora-wearer himself. Lego Indy isinstantly playable, genuinely funny - with some delightfultongue-in-cheek references to Star Wars among the cut scenes - andbeautifully observed, from character foibles (snake phobias, bad backs,girly screams, etc) to authentic sound effects. Better than that, thegame itself is nigh perfect. It's challenging, but with a well-judgedlearning curve. And, with its hidden layers, bonus features and extrachallenges, it requires hours of revisiting in "Free Play" mode. You'lljust about have completed it in time for - oh, happy day - Lego Batmanlater this year.

Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures is a 2008 video game developed by Traveller's Tales and published by LucasArts.[6] The game allows players to recreate moments (albeit more humorously) from the first three Indiana Jones films. It features the same drop in/out co-operative play mode as seen in the Lego Star Wars video games, although it is restricted to local console play. The game was released on June 3, 2008 in the United States and Canada, and June 6, 2008 in Europe. A downloadable demo for Windows was made available on May 13, 2008.

Like Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga, new moves include clinging onto branches during a jump using Indy's whip.[7] As a promotion, Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga features Indy as an unlockable playable character.

The game follows the storylines from the original Indiana Jones films: Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. The objective of the levels is to get to the end, collecting Lego studs to earn the True Adventurer title along the way.

LucasArts has placed hidden treasure chests throughout the game to take the place of the minikits from Lego Star Wars. There are 10 chests in each level and if you collect them all, a bonus artifact will be in the artifact room at Barnett College. Some levels contain buried bonuses to help find the missing treasure chest. There are also red parcels that take the place of red bricks to unlock bonuses. Once you collect the parcel you must carry it to a red post slot to truly unlock it. There is a mail room for all the parcels the player has collected, with a special prize for players who have collected all parcels.

Each character featured in the game has his/her own unique ability. Satipo is able to dig things from the ground, female characters like Marion Ravenwood and Elsa Schneider are able to high jump unlike male characters. Willie Scott is also able to break glass with her screaming, and Thuggee characters can activate statues and find secret passages. Certain characters like Henry Jones, Sr., Rene Belloq, and Walter Donovan can solve hieroglyph puzzles to either progress through Story mode or find secret areas in Free Play. Lego Indiana Jones allows players to customize characters and make their own creation like Belloq Jones or Colonel Toht. [10]

Barnett College serves as the hub for all the missions. A new feature not seen in the Lego Star Wars series allows the player to interact with objects in their environment (e.g. bottles, swords and guns). Players can also build and ride vehicles (e.g. In the level "The Hunt for Sir Richard", players are able to hop on a boat in Venice, and ride an elephant in the "Pankot Secrets" level from The Temple of Doom).

Notable scenes have been recreated from the movies, such as the iconic boulder escape and the fight on the rope bridge, as well as Walter Donovan choosing the wrong Holy Grail.

According to the Lego Indiana Jones strategy guide, Han Solo is a special unlockable character for free play, and can be unlocked by finding the following Star Wars characters in various levels: Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Chewbacca, R2-D2, and C-3PO. Finding these five minifigures unlocks Han Solo as a playable character. Also, Santa Claus and Dancing Girl 2 are playable characters for the Free Play mode if the "Secret Characters" extra is purchased. Santa is only playable in the "Into The Mountains" level, and Dancing Girl 2 is only playable in the "Shanghai Showdown" level.