LEGOs and dinosaurs: somehow it's taken well over three decades for those two great childhood pastimes to join together in an interactive on-screen adventure. Life finds a way, however, and the two elements are together in a package that may not be the best LEGO-branded adventure, but one that still brings enough to entertain over the course of four fast-but-fun campaigns. The format of this puzzle-focused adventure is as old as dinosaurs -- developer TT Games has used this formula more than 20 times since 2005’s LEGO Star Wars -- but like the pre-historic creatures themselves, there's still a ton of charm. Anything in the world that's made out of LEGO bricks that isn't one of the 100-plus playable characters can be broken into studs to be spent on bonuses or rebuilt within the environment to progress further in the world. Anyone who's uttered a line in a Jurassic Park movie can be unlocked eventually, from Ian Malcolm and that annoying kid at the raptor dig site to the dino-wrangling, motorbike-riding Owen Grady and, awesomely, Mr. DNA himself.
Unlike most LEGO adventures where characters have distinct weapons or superpowers, LEGO Jurassic World's suite of skills are a little more subdued; paleontologists can dig, zoologists aren't afraid to dive into piles of dino-dung, and hunters can set off targets from afar. It's mostly well balanced, though it's weird to see the meek husband-and-wife couple who funded Jurassic Park III's expedition using a grappling hook and gymnastic moves. Also, why are the only characters with scream-based powers women? There’s been plenty of screaming men in Jurassic Park films. Another distinguishing feature is that LEGO Jurassic World leans far less on combat than most of the previous LEGO-licensed adventures, which makes sense: the movies are mostly about humans trying to avoid dinosaurs. That makes the few fights actually meaningful -- whether it's a throwdown between rival camps in Lost World or the brutal T-rex vs spinosaurus battle in Jurassic Park III, almost every fight has some dramatic flair... unless there are compys involved.
Even though the diminutive dinos only appear in the third Jurassic Park film (Edit: oops, the second one too), the species is in every chapter of LEGO Jurassic World, and they never get any less frustrating. They'll swarm in packs, immediately requiring your full attention due to their overpowered health-sapping skills, and their size and speed make them tough to hit. Sometimes there's just one pack nearby, sometimes there's two, and sometimes there's an infinite supply that won't stop attacking you until you cover up the source of the stream. Frankly, I would have just rather had a compy-free experience, since the species makes any stage it infects just a bit less enjoyable than the puzzle-solving, block-breaking norm. LEGO Jurassic World is an all-inclusive series package, and each of the four movies is broken up into five lightning-fast stages that run two to three segments each. In the space of 30 minutes, I went from saving Lex and Tim to traversing a tree to reach a crashed jeep, to throwing flares in a T-rex's mouth during a tense car chase.
Any time I started to get antsy or annoyed about a certain story or set of characters, I knew something I enjoyed would be around the corner. Sure, the gymnastic escape scene at the end of Lost World might have been a bit disappointing, but I was just one level away from seeing Academy Award nominee William H. Macy in LEGO form! Ironically, the enjoyment I had with the people and creatures of LEGO Jurassic World didn't quite extend to the actual parks. Sure, the levels were mostly a joy, but the overworld is a bit of a mess, especially when I had to explore the islands to find the entrance to a new level. while you can play the original Jurassic Park and the newly released Jurassic World right from the start, The Lost World and Jurassic Park III can only be played after completion of the preceding movie's adaption. Fast travel is also iffy, as most of the icons on the map automatically load objectives. Since I wanted to explore the area to find new stages, I'd have to scan each icon until I found the one connected to each section's kiosk, which became so tedious that I'd usually just walk through the interconnected movie hubs to get to my destination.
Much like a real theme park, you'll have fun on the attractions but dread getting there. What keeps the compy troubles and overworld woes from becoming too unbearable? That patented LEGO charm. For the first three movies, voice clips are used sparingly and sight gags help add some spice to what should be a line-by-line retellings. Instead of the cowardly investor getting eaten alive on a porta-potty, he stays in the T-Rex's mouth for a few scenes, cleaning the creature's chompers with a toilet brush. When dinosaurs need medical attention they require candy bars and ice pops instead of a tense scene of humans operating on puppets. Also, there's a bit more story being told directly in Jurassic World, so be forewarned that many of the movie's twists will be revealed along the way. If you have an affinity for any of the four films recapped within, LEGO Jurassic World will be a worthwhile visit. Seeing the series' iconic moments recreated with cute figurines is a treat, and each of the four campaigns is fast-paced enough that completing the entire franchise in its brick-based form will only take roughly seven to eight hours, which is not much longer than the combined film running times (and amounts to brisk mini-campaigns of two hours or less each).
Plus, you can tackle this one with a friend and run around as a raptor or Jeff Goldblum. Just beware that there are a few pests inhabiting the island and the line to the best parts of the park may be a bit tough to navigate. Tried and tested Lego gameplay Build and control your own dinos Not the most interesting cast Available on Xbox One, PS4 (reviewed), Wii U, PS3, Xbox 360, PS Vita, PCThink of what all the best Lego games have in common. First, a foundation of rock-solid, tried-and-tested Lego gameplay. Next, some brilliant new feature or innovative twist that takes that gameplay up another level. Then the brilliant split-screen, co-op gameplay, followed by a beloved franchise with a big ensemble cast of recurring characters you’ll want to collect. After that comes a rich open world where you can build up your supplies of Lego studs and then collect them. Whether your favourite Lego game is Lego Lord of the Rings, Lego Marvel Super Heroes, Lego Batman 2 or the second Lego Harry Potter, it’s likely to have most or all of these things.
Maybe not so much. It has the Lego gameplay, with all the usual scenery-smashing, brick-building, puzzle-solving stuff you might expect. It also has the co-op action, and a healthy bunch of characters to collect. Yet this is unquestionably the weakest franchise that the series has yet explored. Sure, many of us love the original Jurassic Park and the latest movie is a huge smash hit, but who really spends much time thinking fondly of the flawed The Lost World or the forgettable Jurassic Park 3? And is there anyone out there for whom unlocking Pete Postlethwaite’s Roland Tembo or Vince Vaughn’s Nick Van Owen will be as exciting as unlocking Wolverine and Captain America or Saruman and Golum? And those are just the characters who actually have names. A sizable proportion of Lego Jurassic World’s unlockable characters are generic dino hunters or InGen employees.It also must be said that Lego Jurassic World’s new twists aren’t all that thrilling. It has two open world settings, Isla Nublar and Isla Sorna, but neither does much more than link the five episodes fashioned from each film together, with a handful of fairly simply puzzles to add a little ballast.
There are several rushing-out-of-the-screen chase sequences (more on these later), a new rapid-button-press mechanic and what looks suspiciously like quick-time events.The most exciting feature, being able to play as a big, rampaging dinosaur, is restricted to a few areas of the open world setting and some key sections in the game, and though you can splice together your own creations later, there’s not an awful lot you can do with them once you have. A new weather system gives the game some added visual drama – and this is the best-looking Lego game yet – but it doesn’t impact gameplay much at all. Overall, if you felt that recent Lego games showed the series coasting, Lego Jurassic World won’t change your mind.See also: All of which explains why, an hour into Lego Jurassic World, we were beginning to think that this was the game where the Lego series jumped the shark. From the characters to the special abilities they used to solve problems to the vehicles, collectibles, puzzles and settings, it seemed that the Lego games had nothing new to show us.
Yet by the time we’d worked our way through Jurassic Park and The Lost World, we’d changed our mind. Lego Jurassic World might not be the most innovative game in the series or the one with the most varied settings or exciting cast, but it still showcases TT Games’ genius at transforming memorable movie moments into smart, interesting levels that both parody and celebrate their inspiration. In fact, Lego Jurassic Park has some of the best levels and cut-scenes of the series – not to mention some of the funniest.Take some of the high points of the original Jurassic Park. That first T-Rex encounter where the car is overturned in the mud and rain becomes a series of gags and block-bashing and building puzzles, which retains some of the movie’s tension while making fun of the big dino and softening one of the film’s grizzliest moments. The sequence with the velociraptors in the kitchen fares similarly, the toothy varmints playing up to the cameras, the kids using their abilities and fiendishly building to escape.
There are some fantastic silly sight gags, some ingenious puzzles and some really clever subversions of movie dialogue to make a background joke. The early Lego games worked because they were built by people who knew and loved the movies but weren’t afraid to take the proverbial out of them. The same goes for Lego Jurassic World.See also: Xbox One vs Xbox 360The characters and abilities also help. Did you find the first film’s Lex a hugely annoying scream machine? Well, now all that screaming has a purpose, while her ludicrous hacking skills are turned to the game’s advantage too. Jeff Goldblum’s Dr Ian Malcolm is animated with something of the actor’s energy and knowing humour, and even Vince Vaughan’s dull photographer from the sequel gets more interesting when it turns out that he can temporarily daze dinos with flash photography, resulting in a cheeky snapshot every time.The gameplay isn’t consistently brilliant. The open-world bits that link up the levels sometimes feel like busywork, shoved in simply to space things out.
There are numerous out-of-the-screen chase sequences that don’t give you anything much to do beyond steering left-and-right to avoid obstacles and collect power-ups, with too little time to see what you’re supposed to be hitting or missing, and no real penalty when things go wrong. And while quick-time events are minimal, a recurring mechanic where you have to fend off a dinosaur by tapping a specific button recurs a bit too often for our liking. Once or twice is exciting, but by the seventh time it’s getting predictable and tiresome.See also: PS4 vs PS3This stuff might put off some grown-up gamers, but then pleasing them isn’t really what the Lego series is about. Younger gamers who have loved previous Lego games will still love this one, and it’s a fabulous effort for families that like to play together. Puzzles that are fun to solve single-handed are even more enjoyable with two of you at work, and there’s more scope to explore, collect, mess around as a destructive Triceratops or push forwards to find and unlock the next big dino.
What’s more, while adults might find some of the humour unsuccessful – there’s a lot of new background dialogue that’s not actually all that amusing – kids will lap it up. This, after all, is a game where one of the key character abilities is the power to dive into dino poo and retrieve lost items, and where the raptors are keener on sausages than human flesh. Some of the scariest dinosaurs reveal an unforeseen knack for slapstick gags. Only the most po-faced miseryguts won’t crack a smile.VerdictLego Jurassic World isn’t a high point for the Lego series, but it’s more enjoyable than last year’s Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, despite the absence of exotic alien worlds and a slightly dull cast. It doesn’t stop the feeling that things need shaking up in the world of Lego games, but it still delivers what matters most: strong co-op gameplay, plenty of laughs, some engaging puzzles and a smorgasbord of silly slapstick fun. March 16, 2015, 7:16 pmWas this actually confirmed the islands will be open-world?