Review - Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures, the DS Version

In a world where adults and kids grew up putting lego blocks together, there was truly no room for failure, especially when you add "Star Wars" to the mix. Three years after the release of Lego Star Wars: The Video Game; LucasArt has combined it's other legendary franchise with the Lego brand in hopes of another blockbuster on the videogaming world. This time is Indiana Jones' turn.

Very little has changed from the Lego Star Wars games. The game play remains much the same and the three Indy classics movies are broken up into 18 different levels. The mission is to start from beginning to the end by exploring the area, collecting studs, solving puzzles, and whipping some baddies. The story presentations do not detail the entire movies but include short and humorous takes on famous scenes; they are all nice surprises so I will not spoil them here. Fans of Indiana Jones will definitely be satisfied in terms of story development.

Another positive is that there is an enormous cast of playable characters, they are not difficult to unlock at all. Different characters have different puzzle solving skills and tools. Indiana Jones has a whip that helps him swing across rivers and cliffs. Some have umbrellas to slide down wires. Santipo has a shovel that he can use to dig or bash enemies head with. An added feature different from the Star War Games is that characters are able to pick up different weapons and class specific tools and use them to open up areas that were once only accessible through free play.

While the game is fairly easy and fast to beat, the reply value represents the true meat of the game. One can spend endless hours exploring levels just to find that last idol. Free play becomes available after you have cleared the level in story mode; the player is able to choose one player while the computer will surround the chosen player with complimentary players. Free play is a necessity for the perfectionists as it will allow you to collect missing artifacts and blocks and access hidden areas. The developer also has some other hidden incentives that encourages replay.

There are some issues with this game that prevents it from being the best. Indiana Jones does not boast the variety and quality of characters that Star Wars had. Most of the collected studs was spent on weak peons like Thuggee #5 and Chen Guo. Certainly a disappointment. Also the inability to change camera angles made some platform hops downright difficult.

Still with the minor flaws, game play remains fun and exciting. Collecting items and peon characters are still fun. Secret surprises were indeed surprising. The game is fun and challenging enough to keep a season gamer engaged and simple enough to keep a casual gamer from becoming frustrated. I highly recommend this game to all who love the Lego Star Wars franchise and all who have not play the Lego Star Wars franchise. This is a quality adventure platform game for everyone!