LEGO Jurassic World for PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Wii U, 3DS, and Vita Review



I have said, during the past two years of reviewing more of the LEGO franchise games, that I love them, but at the same time, am feeling that bit of déjà vu each time I play a new game in the franchise. You can tell me how much they changed it up, but they really don’t. They add in one or two little gimmicks, but don’t change how the overall game will play. Sure, with each game essentially playing the same, the developers don’t need to rebuild from the ground up every single time, but at the same time, since every game essentially plays the same, you feel like they aren’t putting in as much effort as they could. I still have a lot of those thoughts and criticisms towards LEGO Jurassic Park. It’s a fun game with a few cool elements, but I have the same hang-ups that I have had with the rest of the series for the past few years. Anyway, let’s get started!



I won’t go over much of the story, since the game goes through all four movies from the original classic to the 2015 successful blockbuster. How about we move onto the gameplay then? If you have once again played any LEGO game from the mid-2000s to now, then you are in for a platformer with action and puzzle elements thrown into the mix. The levels are pretty much set up the same way where you need to bash your way through certain breakable objects to build things to solve puzzles. Just like the last couple of games, you have an overworld to explore and drivable vehicles to help you get from point A to point B faster. The one new element they add in this game is the ability to play as certain dinosaurs at different points in the game. They basically do the same thing as the normal LEGOvised versions of the characters do. Outside of the main game, you can complete side quests, and go back through previous levels with newly unlocked characters to get stuff to collect.



Graphically, looks just as good as the past couple of LEGO games. LEGO bricks are combined with realistic graphics for the ground and certain plants. Now, one element of the presentation that the game does well, is have a respectable amount of atmosphere in certain levels. I was surprisingly spooked during certain levels, like the “Jurassic Park” level where you are trying to turn on the power. They also do a good job with the intense chase sequences. This is, of course, impressive for a kid’s game. The music is also well done, but it’s all taken from the film soundtrack, so of course the music will be good.



So, as you can guess, I have some criticisms for the game. The usual criticisms like awkward camera, repetitive gameplay, and how it doesn’t really do anything new or unique are there. I also think a major failure is with not doing more with the dinosaurs. They aren’t used often, and while some puzzles using the dinosaurs are sort of memorable, they are few and far between. The story also suffers with how “cliff-note” the entire experience feels. It takes away from a lot of the characters and atmosphere that the films had. I mean, I know “cinematic” is a dirty word among gamers because developers like to use it for excuses, but it would work well here. I also found the boss fights underwhelming. A lot of them have you do the same move three different times and that includes the boss fights with the quick time events. They end up being incredibly boring after a while. Also, why reduce the actual violence that is in the films? Anyone picking this game up will have seen or own the movies. This isn’t like they are making a God of War LEGO game. The most violent the films get is when a T-Rex devours a person. There isn’t a huge amount of blood and guts flying around. While the series is known for its humor, I didn’t find the humor to be that great. I liked one joke during “The Lost World” section where they are running away from the T-Rex and the guy who gets freaked out more by a snake getting into his jacket than the dinosaur was funny. Once again, the laughs are few and far between. I am also getting sick of not seeing everything be made of LEGOs, since many parts of the game are “phoned in” CG. We have seen that Early Access LEGO game on Steam that is getting a lot of popular press and everything from the ground and water are made of LEGOs. What is the point by showing how dated one part of the game looks while the other side looks great.



All and all, it’s another solid entry in the franchise, but due to how many of these games are coming out, LEGO Jurassic Park is just another cog in the machine that won’t take years to make these games great and different from one another. If you love the films or have some kids who want it, then by all means pick it up. I just think picking this game up for cheap will be the best time to get this game. While this game does a lot right, they could have made it better instead of simply reskinning the game that plays just like the last five games. Check it out if you haven’t already, but you are better off waiting for this game to get cheap.

This game gets a 6 out of 10.

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