I get apprehensive whenever a developer announces a driving part of their adventure game. Itâs like, whatâs their motivation for putting that in there? Do they even know how to design driving levelsâŚ?
Luckily, LEGO Indiana Jones 2 does it right. Not only is it adding a gameplay element that youâd kind of expect based on what went down in the movies, itâs actually really fun. And entirely made of LEGOs.
What Is It?
LEGO Indiana Jones 2 is a complete rehash of the first LEGO Indiana Jones game â as in, no re-used levels whatsoever. It also adds the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull movie, the new Builder Mode where you can go nuts putting together endless LEGOs and also driving segments.
What We Saw
I was allowed some hands-on time with just the driving portion of the game on an Xbox 360 build. I think we were playing in a car chase scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark because Marcus Brody and Indy were there. However, like all LEGO games, you can replay levels with any characters youâve unlocked. So it could have been from The Last Crusade, I supposeâŚ
How Far Along Is It?
The game is out November 17.
What Needs Improvement?
Nothing: No, Iâm serious. I didnât find any kind of actual fault with the way the driving levels are designed or executed in LEGO Indy 2.
What Should Stay The Same?
Easy Controls: The left analog stick makes the car go, B is the break and can be used to back the car up if you get stuck and A will pop the car up if it falls over or needs to make a jump. Not a lot to keep track of and everything works right when itâs supposed to.
Excellent Physics: Like most LEGO levels, pretty much all of the setting is destructible in the driving segments. You can ram your car into carts, buildings and other cars to cause huge explosions of LEGO pieces and blue pick-up pieces. You can also drive your car right over a cliff and bail out just before it, too, explodes in a shower of LEGOs. The car will just respawn right at the edge of the cliff so you can keep on wrecking stuff by driving into or over it.
Everything: I canât believe just how fun the driving section felt. Maybe Iâve just been shell-shocked by too many poorly-made driving segments, or maybe LucasArts drugged my water cup. But I do strongly consider the possibility that this part of the game is just so well made that it deserves to be enjoyed by everybody. Even cynical critics like myself.
Final Thoughts
LEGO Indy 2âs driving section may be incredibly fun, but itâs not the majority of what youâll be doing in the game. This is as it should be â because itâs an adventure game with a driving segment in it, not the other way around. If the rest of the game (which I didnât get to play) is as fun as the driving section, then weâre all set. If not, itâs going to result in the tragic reversal of my adventure-game-plus-driving-segment anxiety.
