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REVIEW

Lego Jurassic World Review

by Marc Smith, June 19th, 2015
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Another day, another big budget Hollywood blockbuster recreated in virtual plastic bricks. We’ve had Lord of the Rings, Indiana Jones and even Batman, but now it’s time to play around in the best theme park to never exist. Lego’s recent track-record has been pretty good, offering us bigger and more elaborate games but with that same old charm that makes them so addictive. It was only a matter of time before they got on board the Jurassic Park franchise and what better time than with the release of yet another box-office behemoth.

Ladies and gentlemen, Jurassic World awaits you.

We all know what to expect from the Lego games by now, so I knew I’d be in for a good time. Despite bearing the name of the latest, and arguably worst, film in the franchise, there is a lot more here than what the box suggests. This game spans across all four movies in chronological order, so if you’re expecting to jump straight in to raptor training with Chris Pratt, then you’re going to have earn that privilege. Kicking things off with the original and best film, things move at a fairly brisk pace. You’ll go from the opening archaeological dig to the famous T-Rex escape in ten minutes. It cuts the flab and goes straight for the action, adding the usual levels of absurdity that the Lego games always do so well. The iconic scenes get a glaze of silliness and the darker elements of the film, i.e. brutal murder by velociraptor, are toned down to keep the game suitable for younger players. The famous velociraptors in the kitchen scene, which in the film was a tense chase sequence, becomes a slapstick game of cat and mouse that has you springing various improvised traps upon them. The inclusion of Laura Dern’s character being able to jump headfirst into giant piles of dinosaur excrement is quite frankly hilarious and possibly my favourite thing about the game. The opening chapter is by far the game’s strongest, offering up plenty of laughs and heaps of nostalgia.

From there we begin our excursion into the realms of The Lost World and Jurassic Park III. Whilst their film counterparts aren’t on par with the original, their send-ups here are every bit as entertaining as what has proceeded. The Lost World segment succeeds because it cuts out all the unnecessariness of the movie (Which makes you wonder how they even churned out more than two levels) and really runs with the action scenes. Also you get to spend more time running around as a Lego-fied Jeff Goldblum, that’s an automatic three stars right there. The first few levels do let it down though as nothing particularly exciting happens, things pick up as you move towards the film’s climax though.

 

 

By the time Jurassic Park III rolls around you begin to notice a few re-treads of what has come before. However, the chase sequences with the Spinosaurus are even better than those involving the T-Rex and there’s a lot more platforming in these sections which is definitely appreciated. We also get to spend more time diving head-first into huge piles of dinosaur dung. There’s literally something for everyone on offer here. Then we come to Jurassic World, whilst my feelings on the film were not of a positive nature, I have to say that they do a very good job translating it to the game. This portion of the game is by far the most action heavy with a whole ton of set-pieces, dinosaur fights and chases in a variety of vehicles to keep you happy. It’s a rinse and repeat job here it would seem.

If you’re familiar with the Lego games then this will all feel completely natural to you. It’s a simple case of “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”, there are new features and the graphics have had a slight polish up for the next-gen, but there’s no innovation here. It’s simple and easy to pick up, making it an ideal choice for younger gamers. That’s not to say that older players won’t get a kick out of this too. Sadly though, it is the reliance on troupes found in previous games that is inevitably the downfall of Lego Jurassic World. These games may be intended for a younger audience, but that doesn’t give the developers carte-blanch to repeat the same motions for the game’s entire length.

Those motions may be fun, but they can grow tiresome, by the time I reached the Jurassic World levels I found myself growing weary of the game, but thankfully that old Lego spark pulled me back in. The puzzles, if you can call them that, are so easy they may as well be non-existent. Walk here, smash this, build this, door opens, done. A tad more complexity would be appreciated but then again this is a game about little plastic people running from slightly bigger plastic dinosaurs, so maybe I’m asking a bit too much in this regard. The game is also a tad on the short side, I managed to get through a three of the four chapters in around four hours, but there are a ton of collectables and unlockables that boost the replay value and local multiplayer can help keep the game fresh for some time.

Graphically, the game is pleasing but inconsistent. The daytime levels are bright and colourful but certain areas seem a little flat and lifeless. The night time segments however are where the game truly shines with some very impressive uses of lighting and water effects. I can safely say that I’ve never seen moonlight shimmering on plastic done so well in a game, so kudos for that I guess. The controls are easy to get your head around and never make platforming or combat feel cumbersome. Although certain enemies are beyond annoying and make combat seem like more of a chore, especially as you only have one attack button, so enemy encounters become tiresome quite quickly.

On the whole, Lego Jurassic World is fairly solid, its purpose is clear from the get-go and it delivers on all fronts. The gameplay is fun, the pacing is swift and there’s a cheerful energy that really makes you smile, it’s a good one to pick-up and play when you are limited on playing time, which is a quality I find lacking in most modern games. It may still have some of the issues associated with any Lego game but I had a blast playing it. I may even play through it again to uncover all of the hidden secrets.

6
Silly, simple and tons of fun. What Lego Jurassic World lacks in innovation, it makes up for in charm. It's flawed, but you can play as a Lego T-Rex. You do the math.

Filed under: Chris Pratt LEGO Lego Jurassic World Movie Tie-In PS4 Xbox One

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