Lego Jurassic World: Hold onto your bricks for one adorable dino crisis
That is one big pile of shi… uh, cutesy Danish blocks.” Thankfully for both little Lego Jeff Goldblum and JP fans worldwide, TT Games’ take on Spielberg’s dinosaur blockbusters isn’t a load of old dung. In fact, it looks to be every bit as fan-pleasing as the studio’s recent conversions of Tolkien and Marvel’s worlds. Rampaging T.rex chase sequences? Check. All the original voice recordings from the films? Check. A yellow-skinned Chris Pratt teaming up with a group of raptor squad chums? Uh… presumably.
Though the game may sport Jurassic World in its title, we can’t actually comment on the levels based around Colin Trevorrow’s upcoming soft reboot. Of the four stages we play during our recent hands-on with the PS4 version, three are centred around classic scenes from the original Jurassic Park, while the fourth focuses on Ian Malcolm’s battle with a clutch of Velociraptors from 1997’s ill-conceived The Lost World. The final title contains 20 scenes from all four films (each flick gets five levels), but with TT Games in spoiler lockdown mode, you’ll have to wait until June to see who’s going to win in a fight between Indominus Rex and the beloved Tyrannosaur.
In the meantime, the level of fan service in Lego Jurassic World is utterly stonking. Case in point: the Texan-twanged Mr DNA tour guide from the original is one of 100 unlockable characters. That’s without mentioning the tremendous attention to detail which has clearly gone into every scene. Camera cuts, the exact John Williams music cues, all the dinos’ iconic roars… plus TT’s expert sight gags based around famous moments (at one point the lawyer from the first JP tries to brush the T.rex’s teeth after getting half-eaten).
On yer trike
Better yet, you can actually play as the extinct lizards. Our first level recreates the iconic sick Triceratops setpiece, and it’s not long before we’re controlling the beast, rampaging around using old hornface’s charge ability to demolish obstacles. As is now par for the prehistoric course, levels see Lego characters grouping together and combining their special moves to solve gentle puzzles. In this case, we swap between growing plants with ellie Sattler, tracking footprints with Dr Harding, and
ramming jeeps with the dino.
As Grant and Malcolm try to lure the tyrant lizard king away from the two terrified kids, TT’s playful gags hit the mark beautifully. How do you get the attention of the greatest predator that ever lived? Wind up a giant jack-in-the-box and watch the Tyrannosaur tussle with a toy bone. Naturally.
Next up is that famous jeep chase, with the T.rex hot on the heels of Robert Muldoon and co. The great camerawork is even more apparent here the car racing towards the screen as the dinosaur snaps at your wheels, conjuring memories of Mickey Mania’s moose chase. Think they’ll have that on the tour?
A Sorna Point
Like Lego Lord Of The Rings, Jurassic World takes place in an open-world hub, the more linear levels triggered by walking to certain parts of the game’s two islands. To make roaming the jungles of Isla Nublar and Sorna more diverting, you can unlock dinosaurs by collecting special amber bricks. Once you save your prehistoric chums, you’re free to stomp around and, in a bizarre Frankenstein-esque twist, even build your own.
In a nod to the new film’s genetically modified main beastie, the game’s Dino Customiser lets you splice together pieces of different animals to create your very own crimes against nature. We’re so making a Stegosaurus-rex. TT has even created special battle arenas, so you can find out who’d win in a fight between a Spinosaurus/raptor combo and a Dilophosaurus mixed with a Pteranodon. Put us down for £50 on the spiny one, we fancy its chances.
If there’s a concern at this stage, it’s whether the developer can get as much set-piece mileage out of the lesser sequels. The first film is bursting with awesome moments, but TT may have to scrape the bottom of a 65-million-year-old barrel to get five decent levels out of JP III. Still, we’re confident Lego Jurassic World will turn out to be a dino delight… even if the film is likely to be Brachiosaurus bobbins.
Though the game may sport Jurassic World in its title, we can’t actually comment on the levels based around Colin Trevorrow’s upcoming soft reboot. Of the four stages we play during our recent hands-on with the PS4 version, three are centred around classic scenes from the original Jurassic Park, while the fourth focuses on Ian Malcolm’s battle with a clutch of Velociraptors from 1997’s ill-conceived The Lost World. The final title contains 20 scenes from all four films (each flick gets five levels), but with TT Games in spoiler lockdown mode, you’ll have to wait until June to see who’s going to win in a fight between Indominus Rex and the beloved Tyrannosaur.
In the meantime, the level of fan service in Lego Jurassic World is utterly stonking. Case in point: the Texan-twanged Mr DNA tour guide from the original is one of 100 unlockable characters. That’s without mentioning the tremendous attention to detail which has clearly gone into every scene. Camera cuts, the exact John Williams music cues, all the dinos’ iconic roars… plus TT’s expert sight gags based around famous moments (at one point the lawyer from the first JP tries to brush the T.rex’s teeth after getting half-eaten).
On yer trike
Better yet, you can actually play as the extinct lizards. Our first level recreates the iconic sick Triceratops setpiece, and it’s not long before we’re controlling the beast, rampaging around using old hornface’s charge ability to demolish obstacles. As is now par for the prehistoric course, levels see Lego characters grouping together and combining their special moves to solve gentle puzzles. In this case, we swap between growing plants with ellie Sattler, tracking footprints with Dr Harding, and
ramming jeeps with the dino.
“The level of fan service is absolutely stonking”The next stage, which spans two parts, is even better. Recreating the greatest scene in the franchise, TT brings the original T.rex breakout to life with great humour and bang-on detailing. Thanks to a refreshed camera that sports more dynamic panning and zooming shots, old Rexy’s big moment really shines.
As Grant and Malcolm try to lure the tyrant lizard king away from the two terrified kids, TT’s playful gags hit the mark beautifully. How do you get the attention of the greatest predator that ever lived? Wind up a giant jack-in-the-box and watch the Tyrannosaur tussle with a toy bone. Naturally.
Next up is that famous jeep chase, with the T.rex hot on the heels of Robert Muldoon and co. The great camerawork is even more apparent here the car racing towards the screen as the dinosaur snaps at your wheels, conjuring memories of Mickey Mania’s moose chase. Think they’ll have that on the tour?
A Sorna Point
Like Lego Lord Of The Rings, Jurassic World takes place in an open-world hub, the more linear levels triggered by walking to certain parts of the game’s two islands. To make roaming the jungles of Isla Nublar and Sorna more diverting, you can unlock dinosaurs by collecting special amber bricks. Once you save your prehistoric chums, you’re free to stomp around and, in a bizarre Frankenstein-esque twist, even build your own.
In a nod to the new film’s genetically modified main beastie, the game’s Dino Customiser lets you splice together pieces of different animals to create your very own crimes against nature. We’re so making a Stegosaurus-rex. TT has even created special battle arenas, so you can find out who’d win in a fight between a Spinosaurus/raptor combo and a Dilophosaurus mixed with a Pteranodon. Put us down for £50 on the spiny one, we fancy its chances.
If there’s a concern at this stage, it’s whether the developer can get as much set-piece mileage out of the lesser sequels. The first film is bursting with awesome moments, but TT may have to scrape the bottom of a 65-million-year-old barrel to get five decent levels out of JP III. Still, we’re confident Lego Jurassic World will turn out to be a dino delight… even if the film is likely to be Brachiosaurus bobbins.
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