LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures (Wii and Xbox 360)

LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures is the first in a series of Indiana Jones-based LEGO video games, the second being LEGO Indiana Jones: The Adventure Continues (which I will review eventually). The game's plot revolves around the events of three of the four movies, which are Raiders of the Lost Ark, Temple of Doom, and The Last Crusade. You simply play through each of these 6-level stories, and then go back to complete all the puzzles, get the items, and strive for 100% completion.

I actually played this game first on my half-sister's Xbox 360, as it came with hers and she never played it, so I thought I might give it a try, knowing the popularity of the LEGO series. I found it incredibly fun in every way, given the fact that not only the gameplay and puzzles were fun, but the air of the game in its entirety was very whimsical, turning even the most serious of situations into something you could laugh about. As such, when my half-sister decided to return the game and instead get me Kung Fu Panda for the Wii (which I will review also), I decided to get this game for my Wii, as I don't have a 360. I'm happy to say it was about as fun.

As a big fan of the Indiana Jones franchise, I was really pleased with the loyalty that Traveller's Tales had to the movies, and the fact that they actually had a better representation than in the sequel to this game, which had it in a more abridged form. It just felt really good to me, especially when playing The Last Crusade, which is my favorite, to have the sensation of watching and playing the story simultaneously. The even got right the invisible bridges near the end, which were a part of the "leap of faith" that Indy had to take to reach the chamber of the Holy Grail. This made it a big pay-off to watch the movie, as it made playing the game easier (this is a real example of what I mean when I say they were loyal to the movies).

The game was delightfully puzzling, to the point where I often had to search through every nook and cranny and find ways to unlock particular characters in order to go back through and find everything in each level. That's not to say that the main-canon puzzles were complex as well; in fact, they were pretty difficult, especially in the way that you had to figure out how to outwit every boss to damage him. The point is, the game was neither too easy, nor too hard, to a degree that you wouldn't want to keep it.

What's better is that the game appeals to all demographics, whether they intended it or not. The controls are very easy to remember and nicely interactive, and the gameplay was challenging in the whole so that children as young as 5 or 6 to people of the age of 30 would get a kick out of it. Anyone can take to this game like a duck to water.

Is there anything I don't like about this game? Not really. The only problem I have is a glitch that I eventually got in the game (although I had gotten 100% by then), but that's a consistent issue with LEGO games, and it wasn't the fault of this one.

This game is absolutely worth every penny. No matter what age you are, you will absolutely love this game, and it's completely worth buying.