I recently acquired a laptop for the low low price of absolutely nothing, due to a relative no longer needing it. This is actually a totally pointless object for me, since I already have a PC that more than meets my everyday needs. The laptop offers me the exact same things; although with a slightly different feel to it, and an overall feeling that I may as well go back to the thing I was using before. This story may seem a little pointless, but I figure it fits well enough as an analogy for the topic of today’s preview, Lego Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues.

Let’s think about this one for a second. There are four Indiana Jones films. In each game in the “Lego” series, there have been three films used, all with five or six levels each. There has already been a Lego Indiana Jones game, which covered the first three films. How exactly are Travellers Tales going to justify re-releasing the original game with an extra film attached? Simple. They’re splitting the film into three hubs.

And that isn’t the only change, no siree Bob. The developers have seen fit to throw away their simple control and make things slightly different. This time, Indy doesn’t just throw his whip in a context-sensitive area; it’s up to you to control where it goes, with the help of a large crosshair. This slows down a game yet again, in a series that has been slowed down with the addition of puzzles and the like since the original Lego Star Wars. What’s wrong with just blasting through a legion of Lego baddies? Why do we need to stand still and position the whip before we can use it? It’s a kids game!

Aside from that minor change, everything else seems to be the same as it always has been, and that’s no bad thing. The Lego series has been made great with its simplicity, and it’s a formula that requires no changing. The graphics haven’t changed much either, but the cut-scene animation seems a lot smoother than before, with motion blur and everything. Seeing Lego blocks in glorious HD is certainly a sight that has to be seen, even just to be bemused at why they bothered with it.

The sounds haven’t changed at all from the past game either. The sound effects are identical, and the theme of the films kicks in at random moments to remind you what you’re playing. The voice acting is still just a collection of random mumblings in place of actual speech, but this is used to great comic effect. In fact, the opening cut-scene of the first level is superbly funny, so it’s good to see the humour in the game hasn’t been lost.

There’s really not much to say about Lego Indiana Jones 2. Essentially, it’s just the original game with an extra three hub worlds, and a level editor that I haven’t had the pleasure of using. But if you missed out on the first game, this will definitely be a look in, since the first Lego Indiana Jones was a lot of fun indeed.

Lego Indiana Jones 2 is out… now! How about you go pick it up?

Already got it? Think I’m whinging too much about little things? Tell us in the comments!