Whip it good
Those familiar with the Lego Star Wars game will be right at home with Lego Indiana Jones. The game recreates the major events from Raiders of the Lost Ark, Temple of Doom, and Last Crusade in a tongue-in-cheek way. Lego Indiana Jones is eminently approachable as well, with little penalty for character death, and the game provides the ability to unlock new characters and areas, enhancing its replay value.

"Lego Star Wars and Lego Indiana Jones benefit from pick-up-and-play accessibility that is paramount to their success. TT Games has developed these games primarily for kids, but they seem to appeal to any audience because they're just plain fun," said Kurtz, adding, "Lego Indiana Jones enhances the humor that already exists in the Indiana Jones adventures. Fans of the original movies seem to love the retelling of the classic scenes with the added Lego twist. We're also finding that kids who aren't familiar with the movies are experiencing Indy for the first time in the game. Who wouldn't laugh at a giant Lego boulder?"

Similar to Lego Star Wars, much of Lego Indiana Jones' appeal comes from its co-op play. Ask nearly anyone, and they'll say that gaming with a friend is almost always better than gaming alone. Lego Indiana Jones' lighthearted take on the popular movie trilogy coupled with gameplay that makes it accessible for parents to play with their small children or boyfriends to play with their girlfriends has led to a game with true mass-market appeal.

"Co-op was an essential feature for Lego Star Wars and it continues with Lego Indiana Jones," described Kurtz. "Lego Indy allows kids of all ages to play together. We love hearing stories from moms and dads about how much they enjoy playing with their kids, or from the occasional guy who can't get his girlfriend to give him a turn as Indy."

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The ad campaign for Lego Indiana Jones no doubt did a good job of raising awareness for the title. LucasArts made sure to give the game a scattershot of promotion on TV, in food items and in restaurants. Additionally, and not to belabor the point, but association with one of the biggest movies of the year doesn't hurt.

"We had a lot of fun with the trailers and TV spots since they highlighted the action-adventure gameplay mixed with the unique brand of Lego humor," detailed Kurtz. "It was great to have the launch trailer debut on EXTRA and EW.com reaching a broader audience beyond traditional gamers. Additionally, we're proud of the promotional efforts with our friends at Burger King, Expedia and Lunchables that gave Lego Indy exposure in Burger King restaurants and in a variety of activities surrounding the movie."

Despite somewhat mixed reviews for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, the film has been a financial success, and may spur even more movies in the franchise. Traveler's Tales' Lego series of games has maybe even more potential, considering the returns of every game in the franchise so far. With the series' first non-Lucas property coming this Fall in Lego Batman, we'll see if the series really has wings.