8 characters we'd want to play in LEGO Indiana Jones

LucasArts has announced that everyone's favorite professor of antiquities, Indiana Jones, is receiving the LEGO treatment for summer 2008. Thegame's first trailershows that LEGO Indy will use the drop-in drop-out feature for co-op gameplay that made the LEGO Star Wars series so enjoyable. But who else besides Indy would we really want to play as?

Here, in no particular order, are eight characters from the Indiana Jones trilogy that we think would make the best “buddies” in the fedora-wearing hero's brick-based adventure...

Adolf Hitler (The Last Crusade)
Admittedly, der Fuhrer's appearance was only fleeting, but the prospect of playing as the Nazi leader in LEGOfied form is too amusing to resist. Right?

Grail Knight (The Last Crusade)
Not only is he decked out with chain mail armor, sword and shield, but the guardian of the Holy Grail is also immortal when inside the temple where the cup is kept. He’d be the ideal character to play at the end of the game.

Major Arnold Toht (Raiders of the Lost Ark)
We'd love to get the chance to play as the evil Nazi interrogator, especially if we could actually use his coat hanger as a nunchuck. Failing that, we're sure brandishing his red hot poker would be a lot of fun.

Marketplace swordsman (Raiders of the Lost Ark)
Ruthlessly cut down by Indy in one of the trilogy's most memorable moments, we know he's got bad-ass sword skills, so it would be great to put them to use and slice up some bricks.

Marion Ravenwood (Raiders of the Lost Ark)
She's fast on her feet and handy with a bread knife, but the real reason we'd like to play as Marion is simply because we've had the hots for her since 1981. Thinking about her on the deck of Captain Katanga's boat in that silk dress still shivers our timber.

Mola Ram (The Temple of Doom)
Evil leader of the Thuggee cult and collector of still-beating hearts. Let's hope he can use his popular “black sleep of Kali” cocktail to stupefy enemies. Plus, we'd love to hear his "Kali Ma" chant translated into muted LEGO speak.

Sallah (Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade)
Big, jolly and, according to Indy, the best digger in Egypt. Bound to come in handy if there's heavy stuff that needs shifting and/or smashing up.

Short Round (The Temple of Doom)
An irritating little twat, certainly, but nimble and handy at Tae Kwon Do, which makes him much more effective than the majority of “goodies” in the Jones movie trilogy.

July 30, 2007