Game review: Lego and Jurassic World - a combo hard to tamper with
The blockbuster franchise property possibilities for the Danish toy-turned-household-name have been almost endless, and this game fits a familiar, well-liked pattern.
In a little more than a decade, there have been more than 20 Lego-licensed video games released across a variety of consoles and systems. - the blockbuster franchise property possibilities for the Danish toy-turned-household-name have been almost endless, so it makes perfect sense that the most recent sequel would fall under the same block-filled banner.
(TT Games)takes in the whole Michael Crichton-Steven Spielberg series, the game broken up efficiently and maybe a little too quickly into levels that take you through highlights of each film. There's a slight bit of weirdness in finishing the superior first and fourth movies before unlocking the critically derided middle stories, but this is still a fairly comprehensive package for fans and one that runs a decent eight to 10 hours.
As always, the series mostly follows the tried-and-tested Lego pattern of breaking environmental items and rebuilding them to gain rewards. It's far from complicated, but that's a good thing considering this is a children's series.
They all follow an easily recognised pattern - humans hide from dinosaurs - and the game impressively reflects that for the most part. Much of your time is spent finding ways to avoid the creatures, and when you do experience combat, it's to a higher degree than a random beat-'em-up battle. Major throwdowns have been recreated dramatically well, even though most battles end up being frustrating face-offs against an annoying number of spawning raptor-like creatures.
But again, any possible drawbacks are nullified by that classic sense of Lego charm. The sight gags, the jokes, the grin-filled thrills of recreating your favourite movies through your favourite toys in your favourite game format. It all adds up to an impressive package, the kind that young ones and parents alike can easily enjoy together in co-op mode, while never worrying too much about difficulty, violence or real spoilers.
doesn't break the Lego mould, even though it obviously tries to at times. But it really doesn't have to, considering it's a successful formula. Sure, we'd all love to see a fresh take on the series, but where else can you play a game as Jeff Goldblum?
