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Indiana
Jones and the Emperor's Tomb
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Developer:
The Collective
Publisher: LucasArts
Release date: February 25, 2003 (Xbox)
March 26, 2003 (PC), June 26, 2003 (PS3), December
2003 (Mac)
Produced by:
Jim Tso
Original Music by:
Clint Bajakian
Package illustration
by: Drew Struzan
Lead Designer:
Brad Santos
Lead Programmer:
Robert Mobbs
Senior Environment
Artist: Bob Donatucci
Senior Level Designer:
Nick Parde
Senior Character Scripter:
Fred Corchero
Lead Artist:
Brian Horton
Senior Animator:
Paul Lee
Level Designer:
David Kelvin
Voices by:
David Esch ... Indiana Jones
Vivian Wu ... Mei Ying
Keone Young ... Marshall Kai/Shi-Huang-Ti
Nick Jameson ... Von Beck/Ivory Hunters
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Technical Info: |
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Platforms:
PC Windows,
PlayStation 2, Xbox, Macintosh OS X |
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Genre:
3D Action/Adventure game |
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Mode(s):
Single-player |
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Engine:
Slayer |
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In the wake of the
smash hit, Indiana
Jones and the Infernal Machine, LucasArts
immediately put another Indy game into development
that would rival its predecessor in action and
excitement. After waiting and waiting, LucasArts
finally delivered the game to this writer's
doorstep for review. With a rented Xbox, an Indy
hat for inspiration, and a soda, the adventure
began. Four days later, the adventure ended. Thoughts
on the new digital Indy experience were collected
during a post-gaming whip cracking session. The
final assessment? Indiana
Jones and the Emperor's Tomb is a
mixed bag.
From the first few screenshots offered
by LucasArts, two things were evident. This was
the coolest looking Indy game yet, bar none and
it was a definite format sequel to Infernal
Machine. The major criticism of Infernal
Machine had been its close adherence to
the Tomb Raider
format and its lack of Indiana Jones style action
and urgency. Indy never could get into a fistfight
because even though his fists were options, the
Commies' rifles would make mincemeat of
him. The use of the whip as a combat weapon presented
similar problems. Indy was dependent on his firearms,
like Lara Croft. Indiana
Jones and the Emperor's Tomb promised
to change all that, and it has.
The fistfights
and combat finally mirrors the Indy films. |
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Story and Gameplay
The story begins in 1935, just
prior to the events of Indiana
Jones and the Temple of Doom. This writer
was hoping that it would be the search for the
remains of Nurhachi, the urn that Indy gives to
Lao Che in the opening of Temple
of Doom. Alas, that is not the case. Instead,
Indy is hired by the Chinese to find a lost treasure
called the Heart of the Dragon before the Nazis
can seize it and use its power to dominate the
globe. From there, a globe-trotting adventure
begins as Indy stays one step ahead of Nazis and
Asian bad men to find pieces of a magic mirror
which will show him the way through the Emperor's
Tomb to the Heart of the Dragon.
The format of the game is very similar
to Infernal Machine,
with a third person perspective and a continually
rotating camera. That is where the similarities
cease. The graphics of Emperor's
Tomb are jaw dropping for any Indy fan.
Backgrounds and environments are wonderfully atmospheric
with great level design and precise attention
to detail. The levels are extensive and interesting
and the puzzles are logical. As with all adventure
games, there are a few frustrating moments, but
nothing a moderately experienced gamer could not
handle. The music is orchestral with excellent
Indy cues that reference all three films. The
sound effects are straight from the films as well,
making it a very familiar and exciting experience
to hear. Indiana has a new voice that is very
close to Harrison Ford's at times. Indiana
himself is the centerpiece of these efforts. LucasArts
has gone all the way to make Indy look like Indy.
The character model for Indy finally has Harrison
Ford's face. All of Indy's clothes
and weapons are meticulously detailed, from the
epaulets on his shirt and the seams on his jacket
all the way down to the soles of his boots. The
designers obviously modeled him after his appearance
in Temple of Doom
and the attention to detail shows.
With this excellently rendered Indy
comes equally amazing action. The format is still
one of Indy running through ancient tombs, pulling
switches, traversing great heights, and solving
puzzles. However, the action element has been
stepped up and the tedium of Infernal
Machine has been watered down significantly.
Gone are the “large stone block" puzzles
where Indy had to push a big cube once or twice
a level and the gamers had to pull their hair
out yelling, “Get on with it!" In
Emperor's Tomb,
the tomb traps and bottomless pits are still present
but, with practice and bravery, can be passed
as rapidly and frantically as Indy does in the
films. In Infernal Machine,
Indy often traversed hazards by waiting and walking
really slow, which hurt the action element of
the game.
The other major aspect of the action
in Emperor's Tomb
marks a first for the Indiana Jones game library.
The fistfights and combat finally mirror the films.
Most of the baddies in the game have guns, but
if you can sneak up on them, you can grab them
and wrestle the weapons from them, and then beat
them senseless with a variety of nasty Indy style
punches, kicks, and grabs. Indy is excellently
rendered in these moments, looking just like Harrison
Ford from all of his fistfights in Raiders
of the Lost Ark. If one practices extensively,
combination moves can be executed on the bad men.
But Indy is not limited to his fists alone. The
whip is finally an effective combat weapon again
in an Indy game (something that has not been the
case since Atari's
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom). Indy
can use his whip to fend off multiple enemies
with rapid overhead cracks and he can also rapidly
disarm them of their toys. If one wants to get
fancy, wrap the whip around a target's neck
and pull the poor victim into Indy's waiting
fist! There are other weapons at Indy's
disposal, from his trusty and powerful revolver
(watch that ammo count though), the firearms of
other baddies, machetes, swords, and even shovels!
And if that wasn't enough, Indy can grab
almost anything lying around, from a chair to
a broken table leg to keep enemies at bay.
For true Indy fans, the game is
also an opportunity to watch for a plethora of
film references, most of them from Temple
of Doom, which the LucasArts designers
inject liberally into the game.
Indy vs.
a swordsman, again, and getting a warm welcome. |
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Conclusion
While it can safely be said that
Emperor's Tomb
is the best Indy game ever for action, the product
is a mixed bag at times. Aesthetically, Indy moves
and feels like Indy only in certain moments, specifically
the fistfights. Unlike Infernal
Machine, which captured the feel of Indy's
movement and raw motor skills very closely, the
Indy of Emperor's
Tomb is more superhuman at times. His shoulders
are as broad as the Incredible Hulk's and
while we are on the subject of super heroes, Indy
often uses his whip like Spider-Man, swinging
endlessly from one post to the next, never touching
the ground, which betrays the feel of Indiana
Jones. The Infernal Machine
Indy is closer to the film Indy when it comes
to the climbing, jumping, and whip swinging. Another
small annoyance is the complete lack of ammunition
for Indy's revolver in the game, which is
one of the most entertaining weapons to use. Most
of the time however, it is empty and unused. Also,
the game will wipe Indy's inventory clean
from one location to the next, sometimes from
one area to the next, making it impossible to
collect a significant amount of ammunition for
any weapon. Another small problem with this game
is the complete lack of bugs, snakes, and other
creepy crawlies, which are such an integral part
of the films and a fun addition to Infernal
Machine. In this new game, there are none
whatsoever. Also, like many other Indy games of
the past, Emperor's
Tomb includes no vehicle chase sequences
of any significance.
The major problem with Indiana
Jones and the Emperor's Tomb is,
sadly, the same problem that plagues Indiana
Jones and the Infernal Machine. The story.
Like Infernal Machine,
the first two acts of the story are engaging and
fun, capturing the spirit of Indiana Jones with
the game traveling to lost cities and exotic locales.
However, the writers of this adventure penned
Indy into the same trap he found himself facing
in Infernal Machine:
Locations, items, and conflicts that appear in
the third act of the plot go against everything
that is established in the films as an Indiana
Jones style story. In both games, this writer
has learned to overlook Indy fighting monsters
from time to time, as annoying as that can be.
Unfortunately, what cannot be overlooked for a
second time are the alarmingly poor final levels
of the game, and this writer is so dismayed that
mention of them must be made. For the sake of
gamers who have not played either game, these
mentions will be vague.
In Infernal
Machine, Indy finds himself at the end
of the game in a science-fiction situation with
futuristic items and tools while he should really
be in an adventure tale where he belongs. Emperor's
Tomb fares a little better, but not by
much. While LucasArts removed the sci-fi element,
they still felt the need to send Indy to an alternate
dimension with yet again, special tools to complete
his journey. In both cases, the spirit of Indiana
Jones is dashed in these moments and is never
restored. To date, the only original Indiana Jones
game that preserves the Indiana Jones story atmosphere
all the way to the end is Indiana
Jones and the Fate of Atlantis.
Indiana
Jones and the Emperor's Tomb is easily
the best all around Indiana Jones video game ever
made. While it has a few fatal flaws, it has no
rival for graphics, action, and intrigue in the
Indy gaming library. If you are a diehard Indy
fan and can overlook the games few overt shortcomings,
you will thoroughly enjoy exploring Indiana
Jones and the Emperor's Tomb. (MF)
Streets of
Hong Kong, Marshal Kai's fortress, and the
alternate dimension. |
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Levels
Ceylon |
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Gates of the Lost
City |
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The Hunter's Camp |
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The Paths of the
Ancients |
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The Palace of Forgotten
Kings |
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River of Fangs |
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Temple of the River
Goddess |
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Into the Sacred
Caverns |
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The Silent Guardians |
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The Idol of Kouru
Watu |
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Prague |
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The Castle Gates |
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The Dungeon |
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The Courtyard |
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The Great Hall |
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The Library |
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The Astrologer's
Clock, part 1 |
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The Armory |
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The Astrologer's
Clock, part 2 |
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The Observatory |
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The Astrologer's
Clock, part 3 |
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Vega's Tower |
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The Ancient's Clock,
part 4 |
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The Laboratory |
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Istanbul |
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Istanbul Breakout |
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The Secret of the Mosque, part
1 |
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The Secret of the Mosque, part
2 |
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The Sunken Palace |
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The Gates of Neptune |
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The Fall of the Sea King |
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The Kraken's Lair |
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Hong
Kong |
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The Golden Lotus, part 1 |
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The Golden Lotus, part 2 |
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The Streets of Hong Kong, part
1 |
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The Streets of Hong Kong, part
2 |
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Peng
Lai Lagoon |
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The Secret of Peng Lai Lagoon,
part 1 |
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The Secret of Peng Lai Lagoon,
part 2 |
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Iron Cross |
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The U-Boat Base, part 1 |
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The U-Boat Base, part 2 |
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Peng
Lai Mountains |
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The High Road to Peng Lai |
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The Infiltration |
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Terror at 2000 Feet |
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The Airbase |
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Ascent to Adventure |
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Black
Dragon Fortress |
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The Black Dragon Fortress |
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Call to Battle |
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The Tower of Storms |
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The Rescue |
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Temple
of Kong Tien |
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Descent into Darkness |
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The Catacombs |
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The Dragon's Claw |
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The Shadow of Kong Tien |
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The
Emperor's Tomb |
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Tomb of the First Emperor |
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The Path of the Unseen Peril |
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The Bells of the Dead |
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Von Beck's Revenge |
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The
Netherworld |
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The Pillars of the Underworld |
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The Heart of the Dragon |
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Rise of the Black Emperor |
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