Review: Lego Indiana Jones 2

Rated G for Xbox360, PS3, PSP, Nintendo Wii, PC

A screenshot from Indiana Jones 2.

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Without a doubt, the best Lego series of games based on a movie are those based in the Star Wars universe, followed closely by Lego Batman.

Bringing up the rear is the original Lego Indiana Jones - not a bad game, but just not in the same league.

So, it was with a little trepidation that I popped in the Lego Indiana Jones 2 game disk, unsure whether the complaints about the original Indy game had been addressed. Well, they have, and Lego Indy 2 offers far more gameplay and much more to do than the original.

The game's interface has been given an overhaul, with each of the Indiana Jones movies getting its own "hub" where you can wander around the game world.

At first, players have to play through Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, but once that's completed the new movies open up.

As always, the charm of the Lego games is wandering around the game world, bashing everything to bits to reveal studs, the game's currency that you can use to buy vehicles and new characters. You can do this in-game rather than using the menu system of original game.

Players solve puzzles and fight enemies in the name of adventuring.

A welcome feature this time is the split screen when playing two-player co-op.

In the last Indiana Jones game, if one player wandered off too far, the other player got stuck or couldn't progress. In split screen, the game area slices diagonally, leaving each player free to wander to their heart's content before reuniting with each other.

New, too, is the build-a-level mode using the game's assets and blocks. While you start out with a limited number of Lego blocks, as you progress through the game more will be available.

The game's driving mechanic has received a much-needed revamp, as has the in-game camera, and the combat has been refined, especially the aiming mechanic.

If there is any criticism about the game, it's so huge that a map system would have come in handy.

Any preconceptions that I had about Lego Indiana Jones 2 being just a rehash of the original went out the window as soon as I started playing it. The kids will love it and so will a few adults along to give youngsters a hand when things get a little tough.

Mitchell says:

I thought it was a lot of fun to play. I liked that you could build your own levels, but the room where you build them is a little too small. Like other Lego games you could also create your own characters.

I think it was better than the first one because it had all four movies: Raiders of the Lost Ark, Temple of Doom, the Last Crusade, and, of course, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. I think this game is great for Indiana Jones fans.

- © Fairfax NZ News