Lego Indiana Jones 2 – The Adventure Continues – Xbox 360

Lego Indiana Jones 2 - The adventure Continues

The Lego man in the the Lego hat is back to find more fortune and glory.

The last Lego Indiana Jones game featured a variety of levels based on the first three Indiana Jones films and was generally well received.

So it comes with no surprise developers Traveller’s Tales and publishers Lucasarts have teamed up again and released Lego Indiana Jones 2 – The Adventure Continues.

Featuring more levels from the three original films and a whole new campaign inspired by Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Lego Indiana Jones 2 is pretty much like every other Lego game out there.

There are a few new additions (more on those later), but the core of the game remains the same. It is essentially a platform game where you explore the familiar surroundings already seen and established in the cinematic films, but in the Lego series, they are given a charming and quirky makeover.

The game starts off with the opening of the Crystal Skull, with Henry Jones Jr getting himself kidnapped by the KGB and taken to Hanger 51 (later to become Area 51).

Taken directly from the film, you then have to control the characters, solve various puzzles and take on various bosses.

The developers have wisely taken a few liberties with the plot to jazz things up a bit. Firstly, during the shoot out in Hanger 51, Indiana bumps into the janitor – a character not in the film. However this is not an issue, firstly because the game is fun and secondly because the game is even more fun with a second player.

Like all the other Lego games, a second player can opt in and out, and join in with the proceedings. At the moment there is no online co-op option, but Lucasarts have confirmed that they are working on a patch that will address this issue.

With the emphasis on exploration and puzzle solving, Lego Indiana Jones 2 offers the player a fair amount of variety and a refreshing take on the much-loved films.

Solving the puzzles can be a bit tricky at times and can often rely on you having to think outside the Lego box. Quite often, the defeating the bosses is not a question of hitting them as many times as possible (like so many other games ), but a matter of timing and using your noggin to work out their weak spots.

The hub has changed dramatically since the last Lego Indy adventure. Whereas the previous game had you selecting missions from the college campus, this time round you select your missions from an open world dedicated to each film, depending on what campaign you are playing.

This new layout gives you the opportunity to explore and find lots of hidden extras, should you find yourself stumped on a level and needing a break.

A few levels do misfire – particularly those involving vehicles. Whilst they do bring a certain sense of variety to the game, they are sadly let down by some questionable controls. However should perseverance prevail, you can get the hang of it.

With the completion of each level you are rewarded with a quirky animation that spoofs famous scenes from the film. Whilst there is no dialogue between the characters, they communicate with grunts and facial expressions that are often comical and entertaining. If you are a fan of the movies, this are visual treat and will quite often have you smiling.

Completing each level unlocks certain features, which bring a ton of re-playability to the game if you a completest.

Throughout the game there are hundreds upon thousands of studs for you to collect. With these studs you can purchase additional playable characters and various objects that help to keep the action fresh.

With some characters having certain skills and various inventory (such as spanners or guns), this feature become invaluable to succeeding in the game.

One feature that brings many rewards is the new level creator. Whilst this is a welcome addition to the series and is sure to become part of the plastic furniture in future titles, there is no option to share your creations online. This is a shame because it would have been interesting to see what other players have come up with.

Graphically the game is of a good standard. Whilst not breaking any new ground, it is of a level we have come to expect from this series. Sadly, the developers have not done much to address the screen flicker that was so prominent in the previous game, and this can be quite distracting when playing.

The game is occasionally let down by awkward camera angles, with certain sections suffering from an angle simply not wide enough for the player to see where and how to progress.

Thankfully this matter is resolved when playing with another player. If you’re controlling Henry Jones Jr and your mate is controlling Mutt, you can both venture off in different directions.

Unlike previous games where you both had to be on the screen, the developers have added a neat little mechanic that splits the screen diagonally. This makes co-op experience flow much better and saves any of that “hang on mate, lets go this way”-type arguments.

The audio of the game is quite impressive, featuring all the signature sounds like the crack of the whip and the bang of Indiana’s revolver.

John Williams’ fantastic score is also present, giving the game a nice cinematic touch that adds a hint of authenticity to the otherwise zany proceedings.

Despite its flaws, Lego Indiana Jones 2 is still a fun title and fine addition to Lego series. With the news Lucasarts are developing an online co-op patch, there is hope that they may also release a patch so that the home-made levels can be shared.

Verdict: 7 out of 10

The Good
Those cutscenes are still charming
Nice variety of levels
Lots of unlockable content
Great fun in co-op

The Bad
Dodgy camera
Can’t share home-made levels