Bad level design and an influx of 'bonus' nonsense do not a good game make.
The new level hub system features a single world, a single level, that houses the 5 entrances to each chapter. But due to the changing locales in a single story, the level hub features a number of environments (snowy mountains, deserts, water, etc.) condensed into a single area. The cutscenes tend to take place in these hubs, so it makes it simple for the characters to get from, say, Nepal to Egypt in a split second. But it doesn't make much sense narratively or even LEGO...ly.
The levels that are based on stuff from the films, the actual mission chapters, are the same we've come to expect. In a way, the condensed versions of the original trilogy makes me see LIJ2 as more of a companion piece to the first game, where - bar the boss fights - you play scenes that were left out of the original game (so, no Idol Temple/Boulder scene in Raiders, as its in the first game). This is fine, i suppose, but it doesn't win the game much credit. It's a shame, then, that the Crystal Skull levels fail to impress. The 6 level hubs (one for each of the original trilogy, with Crystal Skull being divided into 3 parts) feature 5 mission ("proper", non-bonus) chapters. But from hub to hub all the mission levels are identical. You get 3 on-foot missions that are pretty much like how you'd expect LEGO game levels to be, then theres always 1 beat-up-lots-of-minions level where the enemies get progressively harder, and finally theres the vehicle levels where you have to ram other vehicles (also with progressively stronger enemies). But every beat-em-up is the same goddamn thing, and every vehicle mission is the same. And i mean, the exact same. It doesn't help, either, that the vehicles handle like they're made of paper. I wouldn't expect real-world physics in a LEGO game, obviously, but i don't want to have to flip my vehicle back on its wheels every 2 minutes. It's frustrating, and a bore.
Then there's the number of levels: 96 in total. Sounds good, right? Well 15 of these are Crystal Skull levels, another 15 being based on Raiders, Doom and Crusade together... and the other 66? They're all bonus levels. That's right, 66 bonus levels! Woop-de-goddamn-woop! My cup doth runneth over with gratitude to have a game thats primarily bonus levels! They're not even intelligent bonus levels - 30 of them (check me with my calculations today :/ ) are stupid, crappy homemade-style levels that aren't related to Indiana Jones in any way, just using the props from the mission levels, another 30 are just rehashes of the mission levels, and the final 6 are of that 'special' kind like LEGO City in LEGO Star Wars. Yeah, they were fun as a one-off but it all just seems like lazy filler here.
Some new gameplay elements work well - holding down the action key / X button brings up a targeting reticle so Indy can now target things with his whip. This is a welcome improvement and is fun in its own right. There's also a Creator mode that allows you to build your own levels, but its not as exciting as it sounds. Remember those non-Indy based bonus levels I told you about earlier? Thats the best youll be able to come up with - and there's no way to share them either.
I honestly dont see the point of make LIJ2. All it really offers is the chance to play through Crystal Skull, but thats not executed very well (it isn't on a par with how the original trilogy was executed in the original game). It all seems so lazy, what with all the bonus levels and stuff. Thank god it was cheap, but I hope in future TT just offer an add-on/DLC pack.