Lego Jurassic World PS4 Review

Relive those classic moments in Lego form!

by Stephen Carter - Updated:
Gaming Review

Lego Jurassic World PS4 Review
MSRP: £49.99

Movies and their soundtracks can evoke many different emotions amongst those who enjoy them.

They can bring back childhood memories of adventure or even bring back those nights spent hiding behind the sofa in fear of what was about to happen next. The Jurassic Park franchise is one of those which mixes both of these emotions in equal quantities; an opening promise of excitement and adventure, shortly followed by moments of peril and danger. Who can forget the first time they saw that T-Rex sequence?
It is here, that Lego Jurassic World really succeeds in capturing the element of what made the franchise so popular when it first launched over a decade ago. Of course, being a Lego title, fan service is the number one priority, and the nail has been firmly hit on the head once more by the team at Traveller's Tales. Would you expect any different? Of course not, but it is also worth bearing in mind that this isn't the best Lego title in the series, even if you can play as Lego dinosaurs.
Lego Jurassic World

The title of this package is a bit confusing at first, bearing the title of the latest movie yet offering up a collection of missions from all of the movies to date. Upon reflection, it makes perfect sense to do this in order to capitalise on the younger audience who will be experiencing the franchise for the very first time. Unusually for a Lego game too, you can play the very latest (and last) movie's missions from the outset, rather than working your way through them in chronological order. Again, to appeal to the new audience this is a very wise move, as the events of the earlier titles will probably make little to no sense to the younger gamers out there, but it would be criminal not to encourage them to visit them.

Offering up a collection of missions from all of the movies to date.

As with any Lego game, the air of familiarity is as strong as ever, but it is one that is growing tiresome as we await the change the Lego series has long been needing in Dimensions. That isn't to say this isn't entertaining, it just doesn't do anything to break the established mould, it sticks firmly to the status quo of the previous outings. All the characters in the movies have their strengths and weaknesses, each playing their part making you switch between them regularly, so you get to know them better.
Lego Jurassic World

To make things more animated with dialogue, excerpts from the movies play as you explore the world and complete your actions. It gives the games that little bit more depth they need to make them feel like a true representation of the movies, with NPCs chipping in with their witty one-liners at regular intervals to keep things moving nicely. That is another area in which TT have done a fantastic job of creating the perfect Jurassic experience in Lego form; through their humour. In even the bleakest of scenarios, the team make an excellent job of swerving the gory and violent scenes where they can. Only in a Lego game would you find yourself laughing at a scene where a cow is being sent to become Velociraptor food...

The presence of the larger beasts is somewhat lost...

The world created for Jurassic World is one that is full of life and variety. It is open, which we have become accustomed to recently, with Isla Nubar free for you to roam around once you have completed the introduction mission. As mentioned, this presents you the choice to jump straight into the latest outing or do things properly and play them all in order. You are given between-mission sequences to complete in order to reach the next checkpoint, which hands you the opportunity to gather those pesky collectibles and familiarise yourself with each character.
The main hook of this package is the ability to play as a dinosaur in certain sections where their abilities are required to progress. A path may be blocked, requiring a charging Triceratops to clear, or a helping hand may be needed from a T-Rex to get you out of a tight spot. The latter is restricted to quick time events however, so the presence of the larger beasts is somewhat lost with no freedom of control.
Lego Jurassic World
Lego Jurassic World


This is but one of the downfalls with the overall package that makes it fall short of perfect Amber status. The polish of other titles is lost with the excerpts from the movies being poorly dubbed into the overall audio of the game. They're clearly just cropped and used not altogether tidily in an attempt to utilise the original actors for the voicing of the game. Whilst this may be one of the prettier games in the series, it probably isn't the biggest or most expansive though. Of course, the island on which the action takes place may not be as great as some of the titles which have been turned to brick in the past, but you can’t help but feel it could have been populated a little more.

Conclusion

Dino Roar!

  • Beautiful world
  • Fantastic humour
  • Playable dinosaurs

Dino Snore...

  • Control issues
  • Lacks usual polish
  • Restrictive dinosaur sections

Lego Jurassic World PS4 Review

The Lego series finds itself in somewhat of a strange period at present. Naturally, the attention has been switched to the development of Dimensions, but the machine must keep turning and pumping out games up until that point. As such, their high standards may have somewhat slipped a little but by no means does that mean this isn’t a good game. It is, but it could be better in its execution and quality. A few of the old nuances of awkward camera angles and character control are present, which make some of the sections which require intricate control more challenging than they should be.

As a means of serving fans, both old and new, Jurassic World is a great title which captures those iconic moments from each film, so it fulfils its role suitably. You just can’t help but feel that if this had complete attention paid to it, it could have been somewhat of a more polished outing.

Scores

Gameplay

.
.
.
7

Story

.
.
8

Graphics

.
9

Audio

.
.
.
7

Single Player

.
.
8

Multiplayer

.
.
8

Longevity

.
.
8

Overall

.
.
8

Review
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8
AVForumsSCORE
OUT OF
10

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