If you want the quick version of this review, then just check out the last paragraph. Want more detail - read the full thing.
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I'm guessing that the majority of people buying or considering buying this game will have bought or played one of the previous Star Wars / Indiana Jones-based games. Some of you may even be concered, as I was, that this would be 'more of the same' just with a new theme. How wrong I was.
Yes, the controls are 95% the same as the other games, yes, the humour is very smilar, yes, the menus and basic structure of the game will be familiar if you've played LEGO games before but it's the differences that will get you hooked.
This is a far more smart game, you will regularly end a story mode level with 1, 2 or even no cannisters found. The idea of having multiple suits (necessary due to the lack of variety in usable heros) is well executed and whereas you will still enjoy the very limited story mode, you will LOVE the free play levels. Use heros in villain levels, use villains in hero levels, remember that cannister that was just out of reach? Remember thinking there was no way to get that other cannister? It all opens up in free play and will have you constantly saying, 'Aaaahhhhh, so THAT's how you do it!'
The little things like using tightropes, or the clever (and not nearly as awkward as some people say) Bat-arang targetting system are easy to get into and really add to the game. The bigger things like hero levels and villain levels, suits etc are so well done that you immediately pick them up and wish they were in the other games (LEGO SW levels playing as the villains would be awesome).
This game wipes the floor with the (at times rather dull) LEGO Indy game and it is slightly darker and vastly more challenging than the original L:SW games. In short, don't even begin to write this off (as I know some magazines have) as being yet another LEGO game with all the same moves / gimmicks but with a different theme. This is a very different and much better game altogether.