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Genre: Adventure Publisher: LucasArts Developer: Traveller's Tales Players: 1-2

By Frank20 (17th Dec 2009)

There is no denying that Lego games based on successful movies will have an audience. The problem with Lego Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues is that it is essentially a clone of the other Lego games and while evidence exists that Traveller’s Tales made some attempts to enhance the gameplay, the Lego experience is beginning to look and feel a little dated.

The traditional elements that made the past Lego titles popular are still here and there are additions to the formula that somewhat improve the gameplay. In the end, it’s still plagued with the problems that mired the series in the past, meaning that it quickly gets boring and repetitive.

Lego Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues is based on the fourth Indy movie The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. The developers, perhaps acknowledging the movie’s general unpopularity, have added in playable instalments from Indy’s original trilogy of adventures that are unlocked as you progress. Indy, followed by his entourage of characters, must both smash and build his way through the different levels, solving the many puzzles and battling the communist and Nazi bad guys. As before, you have a main starting menu where you enter the different movies and chapters, but unlike the previous Indy game you must unlock each one before playing it.

This is where the first of the differences appeares. Usually you would play through a level, collecting special pieces and unlocking extras but this time around all of the unlocking is done in a special bonus mission that is hidden in each chapter. These bonus missions can’t be completed until you finish the game at least once, because often you need a character with dynamite, or a crystal skull, and you won’t come access to them until later. All that means is that you have to finish the whole thing and return to tackle the bonus missions before you’re done. It’s a sort of a mixed experience because while it does add to the replay factor - a cornerstone of all Lego outings - it also means that because all these bonus missions are not accessible from the start then you always know that you’re not going to see enough of the game on a single playthrough.



Thankfully, the one thing that hasn’t changed is the excellent humour that the series has delivered. Returning is the amazingly effective series of grunts and murmurs that will be generally understood by the entire gaming population no matter what their native tongue. The cut scenes often have genuinely funny moments as they stamp the quirky brand of Lego humour on memorable parts of the Indy franchise while the characters, despite being blocky and yellow, look closely like their movie counterparts.

How the game handles two players on screen is something that does change, and for the better. The previous Lego games are best played with two players either online or in co-op, but one damning problem that mired having two players was that both had to share the same screen during play, and if one character moved too far to the left or right, it had the effect of dragging their companion along, often to their death. Now, if the same thing happens the screen will split in two and allow each player to move independently with an arrow keeping tabs on their comrade. It is without doubt one of the best and most needed improvements.



Unfortunately the improved two player functionality doesn’t eradicate the rest of the problems, the first of which is the lack of interesting support characters for Indy. In the essentially-superior Lego Star Wars titles there was a far more appealing and better-equipped cast to choose from. Everything from force powers and light sabres to unlimited laser weapons were available and here the limitations of having only one really appealing playable character are evident. Most of the characters do little, lending a hand in a brawl while Indy’s son Mutt wields a spanner to repair things. Indy, brandishing his bullwhip and employing a new aiming system, is the far more engaging character and there will be arguments galore as to who gets to use him.

The locations have also been on the receiving end of an update in terms of size. Now the locales are much grander with a greater degree of freedom to move back and forth. In practice, it has its ups and its downs. While the bigger areas allow you to roam more it also makes it pretty difficult to find out where you are going at times. You don’t get any map or directional arrow here and I found myself rambling over the same dirt too many times to try and solve a puzzle or figure out where the hell to go.



Adding to this frustration is the character movement. If you played any of the previous Lego releases then you will know that the depth perception while moving the characters can be maddening. Jumping toward or away from the screen and attempting to land on a chosen target can be nigh on impossible at times and only countless attempts, combined with a healthy dose of sheer luck, will see it achieved. It was an immense sore point in Star Wars and Batman not to mention the first Indy and it has not been rectified.

Also introduced here was a feature that should have been an excellent addition for any Lego title - the ability to construct your own level to play using Lego pieces collected during the main chapters. As a childhood fan of all things Lego I took great pleasure in building my own houses and streets complete with genuine traps and puzzles. You can even add whatever characters, animals and enemies you so wish to mix things up. The glaring problem was that no online facility exists to upload your level for others to enjoy or for you to play other constructs. It actually smacks as a colossal waste of time to build a level just to play it yourself, and I can only imagine the wealth of gaming that waited if this one online ability was added. You just have to see how popular such a facility was with LittleBigPlanet to know what a blunder the omission is.



Lego Indiana Jones 2 is probably the weakest of the series. It’s not a bad game, but more that the formula is getting a little old and if another title is due then some evolution is required. It’s only fair to point out that it is an animated toy that you are controlling and in that regard it does retain what made the previous instalments pleasing to experience. It may not be perfect, but fans of playing with digital Lego may get something from it.

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