Lego Indiana Jones Preview

Lego Indiana Jones Preview

Wear a fedora and crack that....Wiimote

By Matt Kelly

So TT Games is done with Starwars for now and have moved on to the next big Lucas Film franchise, Indiana Jones. We got some hands on time with it a few weeks back and the gun against our heads has now been moved so we're free to talk about it!

If you've played any of the Lego Starwars games the format is instantly familiar to you but with a few things that raise the bar this time around. The game still revolves around Lego renditions of the franchise with cute humor and brick exploding action. Barnett College will be taking the role of the Cantina this time around, though we didn't get too much of a chance to explore before we were thrown into the opening moments of Raiders of the Lost Ark. The first thing that you'll notice as far as changes go is the graphics. While Lego Starwars did look great, Lego Indy looks better. There were several moments where we looked down at the controller just to make sure it was a Wii Remote in our hand. Part of that is the setting of Indiana Jones is a lot more natural (as opposed to Qui-Gon running around Trade Federation starships), but even when you put the natural settings of Lego Starwars against that of Indy, the graphical detail has really been improved.

We were playing co-op during the session and the major change in the game is there seems to be lot more to do as a team. We still ran into all the traditional 'you pull this while I pull that' type switch puzzles, but what was really cool was the puzzles that worked on timing your moves as a team. One puzzle had both of us working in separate areas of the screen having to time switch pulling, jumping across chasms, dodging spikes and fire all in a very timed team work motion. While all these sections can be done with a CPU player fine, it's a hell of a lot of fun with a team mate. It's done before to a degree but it's a lot more fun this time around.

In general, the level complexity has been raised, and not just cosmetically (though they do look really good). There is basically a lot more to do in them, whether it be building elevator platforms, swinging around from vines (or even better, with the Indy whip), or just dodging falling rocks. If Lego Starwars ever felt a bit light or static in that department for you, Indiana Jones certainly looks to be doing something about it.

If you've seen Raiders of the Lost Ark you'll know the infamous bolder the rolls after Indy as he escapes the Idol's resting place and this is again, another great example of how the level of action has been raised. You'll be bolting out of the caves with the camera soley focused on the bolder crushing everything in it's path. It really retains the cinematic look of the films, keeps the action up and is a really fun little segment of the game. It's not slow either, a lot of the big action sequences of Lego Starwars always felt a little bit under pace but TT Games have done a great job at raising that without making things frustratingly hard.

Finally if you've ever been a fan of the humor of the games, there's a lot more laughs in store. We only saw a few cut scenes from the introduction to the film and when we first met Marion Ravenwood in the tavern, but between the general Lego humor and numerous Star Wars and general Indy jokes, there's a good few laughs to be had. Having a Lego René Belloq do impressions of C3PO when Indy tried to switch the idol for C3PO's head is pretty amusing. And of course Marcus Brody is always good for a giggle in that 'I'm not an action hero' way.

All up Lego Indiana Jones is going to be a real treat for anyone prepared to poke a bit of fun at the beloved franchise, and the game is shaping to be a far stronger game for those who aren't fans. If you're looking for a game that blends puzzles with action, Lego Indian Jones looks to be one of the tighter offerings out there. It'll be shipping next month and we'll have the full review for you then!

Tags: Indiana Jones Lego preview

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MrWii 19/05/2008

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