It seems almost everyone saw Jurassic World this past weekend. It had a lot of what people have been wanting as they've been waiting for this next installment. Along with the movie, LEGO Jurassic World became available on Friday, June 12.
We spent some time with the game (with the PlayStation 4 version). Let's be clear about this right away, this is not a full on review. Despite spending several hours on the game the last couple days, I only completed the Jurassic Park and Jurassic World story parts of the game. Part of the time was going through the story modes while also trying to find and unlock as many of the extras in a quick amount of time.
The fact that this game covers all four movies could be a selling point for some. If we're being honest, not all the movies were great. But because this is a LEGO game, going through will definitely be worth it.
What's the gameplay like? If you've ever played a LEGO game, you have a good idea what to expect. In some ways, it's almost fascinating playing through the majority of the movies with LEGO versions of everything. It's been quite a few years since I've seen the original Jurassic Park but many moments and lines started coming back. Pretty much all your favorite moments have been included as well.
Playing through, you basically have two goals. You're trying to accomplish the different requirements the story calls for. You're also trying to collect as many LEGO pieces and hidden items as possible. Finding the different items unlocks different characters, dinosaurs, and vehicles in the free play mode. There are some areas or items you'll see in an area that is only available for certain characters. This encourages the free play mode with the corresponding unlocked character.
You will spend time exploring the areas. Many times your goal or mission is pretty obvious. There are moments you'll wander around not quite sure what to do. Eventually if you smash the right item, you'll discover you can put the pieces together in a form that allows you to move on or solve whatever the current problem is. Some items require certain characters to activate them. You can switch characters on the fly. Sometimes they'll even raise their hand and jump up, hinting to you that they are the one you should use.
I started playing the game after seeing Jurassic World. Having the movie that fresh in my mind while playing did bring a smile to my face. They have captured pretty much the entire movie within the game. As in the other levels, there are moments and areas that are expanded in order to enhance the gameplay and to make it more fun. Even though many parts are almost word for word the same, the game still contains that wonderful LEGO humor mixed throughout.
There is something to be said about playing through the game with the LEGO look. If the characters and world looked closer to what we saw in the movie, it wouldn't have the same level of charm. I don't know about you but I wouldn't be too interested in just playing through a regular-looking video game that was basically an adaptation of a movie. The LEGO angle makes it fun and vibrant and a little absurd at times.
It's not a perfect game. There were a couple moments a character got stuck in an invisible barrier. Simply switching to another character solved the problem. While the game doesn't have a high difficulty level at all, there was some mixed moments where the game almost holds your hand through the levels and problems and some where you're left wandering around without a clue. My biggest gripe is the camera being pretty much locked. You could move it a tiny bit. Some moments I was almost cringing at not being able to change the angle to get a better look at the path. Then again, there are often hidden LEGO pieces for you to find within those un-viewable areas.
The visuals and sound were phenomenal. The LEGO characters and world looks great. You'll want the sound turned up for whenever the theme song comes on and especially when those massive dinosaurs roar at you.
Here's the launch trailer that was released the other day if you missed it.
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As I mentioned, if you've played the LEGO games before, you know what to expect. I do recommend the game as long as you have a good sense of humor, enjoy the Jurassic Park movies, and love the LEGO video games. I rarely have time to fully get into games these days because most of time is spent reading. This is a game I'm actually looking forward into getting into even more. I look forward to returning to LEGO Jurassic Park/World as soon as I can.