LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures

Title

Developer
Publisher
Genre
ESRB Rating
Demo Release Date
Full Release Date
Platforms

Official Website
Demo Download Size
Review Date

LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures
TT Games
LucasArts
Action Adventure
Everybody 10+
13th May 2008
3rd June 2008 Buy Now
PC (Reviewed), Nintendo DS, PS2, PSP, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360
http://www.lucasarts.com/games/legoindianajones/
464MB
27th May 2008

What did I think before playing?
I loved the Lego Star Wars (LSW) games so I'm looking forward to trying this out. I am not a huge Indy fan so I'm a little worried some of the references will be lost on me. I am also concerned that Star Wars provides a basis for much richer and more natural fit for interaction with the environment, such as using force powers along with blasters and lightsabres. Indy has a whip. Still, I would like to see where the Lego games franchise is going, what with the Batman game coming out soon.

What is included?
Begins with a spoiler-tastic gameplay video, (although I suppose it is assumed you have seen the movies,) which shows off some of the action you will come across. That includes some of the uses of Indy's whip, some vehicle sections and some of the cutscenes from major movie points. After that you get to play the first level from Raiders of the Lost Ark, which is unlocked for free play mode when you complete it. A second player can also join you with the drop-in/out feature.

What did I think afterwards?
I was pretty impressed. The game is exactly what you would think having played LSW but with some nice new gameplay touches such as swinging from vines and pulling on ropes. The graphics seem a little more detailed, which may be down to the fact that there are more chances for interesting earth textures and lighting in his title when compared to clean metallic space stations. The set pieces and cut scenes were excellent. Picking up the artifact that triggers the giant boulder comes to mind. I had forgotten how much detail from the movies and humourous touches TT Games adds to these titles, (seeing Indy pull out a C3P0 head and seeing the bad guy dancing The Robot was a nice little nod.)

Would I buy the full game?
Tough to say. The Lego games have been great so far, and there is no reason to think this will not be the same. However, I'm not sucked in by the Indy IP and think the hunt-all-the-hidden-stuff gameplay would get repetitive which would put me off the Batman title, which is one I am much more interested in playing through.

Demo Pros
Good length with an entire first level. Shows off the gameplay, provides tutorial tips and finishing the level gives you the reward of free play mode just as in the full game. The player also gets an idea of the humour and angle these games come from.

Demo Cons
Nothing really, but you may notice the potential repetitiveness of having to replay levels to find all the items. I can't point to anything that could be done to improve this demo though.

Demo Rating 10 / 10

Thoughts after playing the full game?
If I play the full game I will put comments here about whether I feel the demo was representative of the final product and if I am happy with the purchase.

Sales Figures
If I can find sales information about a game after it has been released I'll add that here. It may be useful to track demos to sales performance.