SCI FI PI

It certainly is the year of Indy with Kingdom of the Crystal Skull coming out on May 22, and the re-release of all the films on standalone DVD, as well as all The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones in three volumes.

But probably (almost) the best news out of all this Indymania is the release of 'The Man in the Hat' on Lego.

If you've played Lego Star Wars, you'll know why excitement levels are high. Somehow the maths of action+adventure+animated building blocks = enormously amusing.

The upcoming game, released on June the 4th, will be available on the Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION 3, PlayStation 2, PSP, Windows, Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS. Here's a glimpse at its almost certain excellence!



Whew! Managed to avoid those spikes! Silly Alfred Molina, why did he try to double cross me?


Major features of the game (as the press release would have it) are set to include:

• Tongue-in-cheek humour presents The Original Adventures in a manner only LEGO can whip up, with comical reinterpretations of classic Indiana Jones scenes and elements.
• Use Indy’s signature whip as a multi-purpose tool to attack, disarm, swing across gaps, activate levers and interact with a world of LEGO objects and puzzles.
• For the first time, LEGO Indy characters are fully immersed in their environment; swim, climb, shimmy across rock ledges and pick up and carry objects.



Nice outfit Marion. Not quite 'blending in with the locals' though, is it?


• Use a variety of weapons from the environment to fight enemies (e.g., chairs, guns, swords, bottles).
• Unlock more than 60 playable characters, including villains and supporting characters (Marion Ravenwood, Short Round, Rene Belloq, Willie Scott, Marcus Brody, Jones Senior and Mola Ram).



When a problem comes along, you must whip it. Whip it good.


• Character specific abilities include excavation by Satipo, an umbrella slide by Marcus Brody, and monkey access by Marion Ravenwood.
• Create unique playable characters like Sallah Scott or Mola Round by mixing and matching the LEGO body parts of all playable characters.



Nazis. Everyone hates these guys.


• Explore the globe and solve puzzles that encourage creative thinking through the use of teamwork and unique building situations only possible in a LEGO world.
• Cooperative gameplay encourages parents to share the legacy of Indiana Jones with their children in a fun and humorous way.



Yeah, looks like you brought a knife to a gunfight, didn't you pal?


Whether Lego will actually bring out, y'know, physically touchable plastic building blocks with an Indy theme as well this year, remains to be seen. We'll keep you posted. In the meantime, enjoy the pics!



How the idea for Crocs started.