Lego Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues

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I have been a big fan of the various "Lego" game offerings and when I heard they were coming out with a sequel to the Indy game I anxiously counted down the days until release. Unfortunately I'm disappointed with this game. It's just not the same caliber as the other Lego games and they've changed some of the general feel of game play that gave the others their "character" and longevity (to continue playing). We've played the other games over and over again.

The good:

This is the first PS3 version of the Lego games that we have purchased, all others are the Wii versions. But generally speaking this game doesn't seem to be near as buggy as the last Indy game (which was terribly buggy on the Wii). It hasn't been without it's issues (we have had 1 freeze -had to hard power down the system and some minor buggy behavior. As usual, the graphics are nice. And, of course, it's always fun bashing things and collecting studs.

Some of the changes:

1) Each of the movies now has a separate "hub" from which you access the various levels. At first this was sort of cool. However the spaces are large and it takes a while to get to the next spot. There is a "Quick Play" option, but it's hidden in the Creator box, which you wouldn't necessarily look for.

2) They've done away with purchasing characters and extras from the store. These extras only become available one at a time as you complete certain things along the way. They are dropped in via parachute and you can elect to purchase them. If you don't purchase them right away you need to run all over the hub and try to remember where they where dropped in.

3) Bricks are different. There are 3 colors of bricks, which are now "hidden" in the hub areas. Although once you figure out what you are looking for they aren't all that difficult to find. Mini kits are gone, replaced by "treasures". For treasure, you must complete the level once and then go back in. The secondary levels are frustrating. You must have certain characters to complete the level however you don't select multiple characters to take with you like in other games and you cannot cycle thru characters like you could before either. So if you don't have the right characters when you go in, you have to go back out. IF that capability is there, I couldn't find it. Additionally, when playing as a single player, I would expect the accompanying character to automatically be one of the characters that is necessary for the level. This was not the case.

4) It's now in split screen mode for multiplayers. Rather than be a static split screen, it seems to be making attempts at being a smart split screen. When characters are close together, there's no divider. When you get further away, the screen splits (shows a black line to signify the split). Where it splits is dependent on where the players are, it might be top/bottom, left/right, diagonally. This also means that sometimes you may be on the left, other times you might be on the right. At first we didn't realize this was even happening until suddenly a black line appeared. It takes some getting used to, but it's nice to have the ability to explore other places and not be anchored by the other person's movements.

The summary

One of the best parts of the earlier games, and what made them enjoyable time and time again was replaying levels in free play mode and using the various characters to search for newly accessible areas, find the minikits and other secret goodies and so on. This simply isn't there any more. Additionally, each movie has a car chase level...which is really just the same activity with different scenery and cars. It gets a bit old. Individual levels are short and there's really not a lot to them. We're flying right through the game and I doubt there's going to be much replay of it when we're done.This game doesn't have the longevity the others had and the changes don't feel like improvements. I have been looking forward to Harry Potter, with these changes, I'm a little worried.

I have not played much with the creator stuff, but that's not really appealing to me. I wonder if that's where they put all of their focus, because it doesn't feel like it was in the actual game play.

It's not a terrible game, just disappointing.

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It's hard to talk about this game without wanting to compare it to all the previous Lego adventure games, because initially it is set up quite differently from the rest, which I understand is a turn off for a lot of people who expected more of the same. But different doesn't necessarily mean worse, and it didn't take long at all for me to get comfortable with the new layout of Lego Indiana Jones 2. In fact in the end it isn't so different after all, and still proves to be a lot of fun.

As every other reviewer has mentioned, the game is divided into six hubs instead of the usual one three for Crystal Skull and one for each of the first three movies. The levels are then located within these hubs, as are the bonuses (bricks), characters, and vehicles you can unlock for purchase. The hubs are large, free-roaming areas that could potentially get confusing when it comes to figuring out the side missions, but when it comes to advancing the story along green arrows will help to point you in the right direction. Good amounts of critical thinking and planning ahead are required since certain levels may require a character with a unique ability (high jumping, shovel, etc.) to complete it, and you'll need a good memory when it comes time to go back and fetch the item/person you want because once unlocked they inhabit a specific area of the hub. Hence real young children may need guidance. The cut scenes are humorous, and some creative license was taken with the design of several of the boss fights and I thought it worked out really well. (Irina Spalko, Mola Ram, and the "ant man" were pretty cool.) I found the gameplay to be more smooth and sharp and in the vein of Lego Batman, and a vast improvement over the 1st Indiana Jones Game, where characters seemed to move rather slow and clunky a lot of the time. My only gripe is that the vehicles are terribly hard to maneuver and are constantly getting stuck in corners or rolling over.

However, like may others, I too experienced several glitches and freezes during the first 1/3rd or so of the game which is inexcusable. I can't say much about the new feature that allows you to create your own levels; I only dabbled in it for a moment but it seemed to be a very convoluted system that didn't catch my interest, though I could see others enjoying it if they were willing to invest the time. Nor did I have a chance to try the new split screen 2-player mode, but in theory it sounds like a good idea.

For those who are curious, there is absolutely NO material repeated from the first Indiana Jones game, which is a great incentive to buy, but it's also the reason why in this game Raiders, Temple of Doom, and Last Crusade are much more abbreviated than Crystal Skull. In itself it's a great game, but probably should be looked at more as a companion piece, or extension, to part 1. I said in the beginning that different doesn't necessarily mean worse, but it also doesn't necessarily mean better, either. For the sake of replay value, I would hope that future Lego games reinstate the old format just because it had a more organized, linear flow to it. IJ2 was a welcome experiment, but at times felt like a work still in progress which is why I have to give it a less than perfect rating, though I'd still recommend it.

Buy Lego Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues Now

Gamers' reactions to videogames are generally universal. Most people agree on the great classics, agree on the godawful messes that plagued our memories, and forget about those in-between titles that slip through the cracks.

Then, there are games like "LEGO Indiana Jones 2", where the reviews are quite mixed. The general consensus seems to be, "If you love the LEGO games, you might like this game, but not love it." That's a fair statement, however, I have to admit that I enjoyed this game a lot for what it is. I think the concept of the game has confused and disappointed some of the critics and naysayers.

Here's the deal:

The first three Indiana Jones movies were already faithfully covered in the 1st LEGO Indy game. Was there any real reason for there to be a follow-up game? Not really, even though it gave us a chance to play through some levels inspired by the 4th movie. So, since Traveller's Tales and LucasArts felt obligated to recreate the 4th chapter, why not try something new?

A lot of reviewers have tried to explain how "LEGO Indiana Jones 2" works, so I'll give it a try. Basically, every one of these recent LEGO games starts with a Hub, which is basically a couple of rooms serving as the menu. Each Hub had a room for buying characters, for choosing your missions, and for few other simple tasks. When you picked a level, you'd have to navigate large rooms with plenty of secrets to find.

Now, that formula has been reversed for "LEGO Indy 2". Here, the missions themselves are just one room with some quick obstacles, and the Hub is the monstrous area with all the secrets and puzzles. In other words, the main menu of the game is where you'll spend most of your time, where the individual missions are bite-sized bits of action.

If you already hate this concept, then stay away from "LEGO Indy 2". The Star Wars, Batman, and previous Indiana Jones games were all faithful-yet-exaggerated recreations of some beloved characters with a somewhat cohesive story. But this 2nd Indiana Jones game doesn't even try to take the story seriously. It's a gloriously over-the-top collection of WTF moments. If I described any of the cutscenes to you, you'd swear that I wasn't reviewing an Indiana Jones game.

"LEGO Indiana Jones 2" is going to be loved by those who enjoyed the gameplay and puzzles more than the nostalgia. If you thought the other LEGO games were awesome simply because they let you revisit some popular movies, then this sequel isn't for you. However, if you just love to break things, collect all those bolts, finish those silly puzzles, and unlock & create all sorts of ridiculous crap, then "LEGO Indiana Jones 2" will be a blast to play.

I really like this game, once I understood what it was meant to be. "LEGO Indiana Jones 2" is more of a reinvention or rebirth, rather than a reenactment. This is probably the first LEGO videogame that depends on the gameplay more than the movie license. I love these games, so I dug this unusual sequel. If you want faithful adaptations, skip it.

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When this game was announced I thought it would be a cheap revision of the first one (that was pretty good by the way). I thought it would be the first game with an additional hub for Crystal Skull movie, but NO! The game was made from scratch, with a much improved game engine. It's not so driven by the movie stories like the first one, but it freed the game developers to produce a serious LEGO madness... Indy style!

The co-op was improved as well, and now you and your partner can work on different parts of the stage without distance limitations, and that increases the fun in co-op play a lot.

In short, Lego Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues, is a great game for both Indy and LEGO franchises.

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My family loves this game. The differences from the other Indiana Jones game are good, we can drive more vehicles, (my son loves the tree cutter) the puzzles are more challenging, we actually have to target the items to shoot or whip, the solutions are not as obvious as before, the split screen is great, (no more dragging the other player) the boss fights are fun and my son has already spent hours building his own level. Changing up the formula is a good thing, it keeps the game interesting. I wouldn't want to buy a new version of the same game, please continue to make changes and improvements, good job developers. I'm looking forward to the Harry Potter game. Maybe they'll do a James Bond lego game too someday, think of the possibilities...