'Lego Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues': Jones for adventure
Movie-goers complained that Harrison Ford looked a bit creaky in “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.”
However, his Lego self looks pretty good in “Lego Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues,” developed by TT Games for LucasArts.
The E10-rated game starts with Indy’s latest adventures in Area 51 and South America, but expands to include his escapades from other exotic locations around the world.
Fans of the Lego games will find everything they like — easy controls, humorous twists to familiar scenes from the movies, the ability to play as a wide variety of characters and plenty of destructible items. Unfortunately, the game is also plagued with the awkward camera issues that afflict other games in the series.
The biggest change is the addition of a split screen system that eliminates the need for co-op players to stick close to each other. When they are close, action occurs on a single screen. When they split up, a diagonal line separates the halves of the screen, with a character remaining in the center of each half. However, the line will shift and tilt as the players move, which can get very distracting.
The game offers plenty of playable characters. On one side you have Russian commandos, Nazis and demonic high priests and on the other Indy’s family and friends. Each has a special ability that’s useful in combat or in reaching difficult spots. For example, Indy has his whip that’s handy for swinging from ledge to ledge or whacking foes.
As usual in Lego games, you can’t accomplish every task and reach every item during campaign play. You’ll need to return in the free mode with additional characters who have the special abilities needed to access hard-to-reach spots.
The game provides a wide variety of settings for the action, including warehouses, small towns, jungles and deserts. The levels are generally well constructed, with plenty of activities and puzzles to keep things interesting.
Ambitious players can create their own Indy adventures with the “Build Your Level” mode. There aren’t many options at the start, but these increase as you unlock more items in the campaign mode.
Overall, the Lego game offers plenty of fun for Indy fans — something many found lacking in “Crystal Skull.”
Platforms: Xbox 360 (tested), PlayStation 3, Wii, PC
On the Web: www.lucasarts.com/games/legoindianajones2/
