I suppose I could try to blame the Steam Sale for my caving in and getting this game…but, I’d be lying. I planned on picking up Lego Jurassic World almost from the moment I realized it was a thing that exists – while I tried to stay on the fence, seeing that you could play as dinosaurs won me over completely.
I tend to be a fan of the Lego games in general; they’ve become my go-to games for relaxation. Not too incredibly difficult, low on the frustration scale, and with enough collectibles to keep the completionist in me entertained. With that said, I haven’t been overly excited about a Lego game in a while. By Lego Batman 3, I was getting fairly tired of that theme (I know, I didn’t expect that but it happens), and for some reason Lego Lord of the Rings didn’t particularly grab me, so it’s nice to see them doing something different.
So far, my favorite Lego game has been Lego Pirates of the Caribbean; I’m not sure why, but that game seemingly never ceases to amuse me. I’m pleased to say that for myself anyway, Lego Jurassic World might be competition. Fair warning, I’ve only played through the Jurassic Park and The Lost World levels so far, and just started Jurassic Park III.
One of the first things I noticed is that the game has done an incredible job mimicking scenes from the movie nearly shot for shot. I know the first movie best of the series, and both the levels and the cutscenes were just about spot-on. Being a Lego game, it errs on the side of making it clear no one dies…but being a Lego game it also at least manages to avoid those deaths in amusing ways.
I’m also seeing a lot more background animals and insects than I’m used to seeing in Lego games. I’m liking this, as it helps make the world feel a bit more alive. And frolicking around with bunnies while controlling a triceratops was entirely too much fun. 😛
One area where I’m not super impressed with the game is its use of voiced dialogue. I was not entirely in favor when the games swapped from silent miming to using voice acting and movie clips. I felt that took away one of the more charming aspects of the Lego games. (And I loved guessing at the plot when I played the last Pirates level before I saw the movie. I’m still convinced the plot in my head was rather more entertaining than the actual movie…)
Still, I warmed up to the idea over the last couple games, since it didn’t seem to completely ruin the tone. Something seems off in the movie clips in this game, though. I’m not entirely sure why, but for some reason the voices in this game just don’t sound like they belong. They sound copy-pasted from the movies in a way that detracts from the experience, as opposed to feeling like the Lego characters are speaking the lines. I did notice this the most in the first area, so I suppose it’s possible I’ve just watched the movie too many times?
I also am fairly “meh” on some of the sounds characters make while attacking and jumping. I’m pretty sure they used the least pleasant sound possible for poor Sattler’s attack, and Grant’s isn’t much better. Muldoon’s heavy breathing in certain sections sounded incredibly creepy to me, rather than raising the tension. Some characters have a special skill where they can break glass by screaming – the glass breaking isn’t new to the Lego games, but the sound of it this time around seems more grating than in previous games.
On the plus side, I’m absolutely charmed at the way they’ve translated different character’s stances for their idle animations. A few of the characters stand in ways that immediately make me think of how they stood in the movies – bravo, there. They’ve also done an amusing job translating characters’ personalities to the more exaggerated Lego style – Malcolm in particular is hilarious. ^^
I’m guessing that anyone with little interest in the movies and/or the Lego games probably won’t find anything to change their minds here, but I’d say that about any of the Lego games, really. I’m enjoying it more than the last few, but whether that’s because of the gameplay or just that I love being able to explore the park is anyone’s guess. I’ll remind everyone again that the “Gryph is Playing” entries on here aren’t supposed to be serious reviews, just my rambling over whatever has my attention. 🙂
Still though…running around Jurassic Park as a Lego dinosaur…what’s not to love?!
LFGryph 