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Indiana
Jones and the Last Crusade
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Developer:
Taito Corporation
Publisher: Taito
Corporation
Release date: March 1991
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Technical Info:
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Platforms:
Nintendo NES |
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Genre:
Action & Racing Game |
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Mode(s):
Single-player |
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The Indy games made
for the old NES always seemed to come in two versions.
Indiana Jones
and the Temple of Doom was distributed by
both Mindscape and Tengen. When the time came
to make a game adaptation for Indiana
Jones and the Last Crusade, two companies
brought games to the table, Taito and UBI Soft.
What follows is a description of the Taito version
of Last Crusade,
released in 1990.
First off, it must be expressed
that this game was in no way an adaptation of
the very successful (and still popular) Graphic
Adventure. Nor is it an adaptation of the
PC "Action
Game" edition of Last
Crusade which was converted for a whole
slew of systems including Commodore 64 and the
Sega Master System. This particular game is, for
lack of a better term, "unique" to the
Indiana Jones video game legacy.
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Story and Gameplay
Cinematic photo
screen. |
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The game is a combination of platform,
overhead racing, Tetris-like
puzzle solving, and Memory
all rolled into one, which makes for a truly bizarre
gaming experience. So let's cut to the chase on
this one. The game is structured in an episodic
manner that mirrors the locations in the film
while not necessarily adhering to the film's narrative
progression. For example, at the beginning of
the game, Indy received two things in a cinema
scene that plays out in a rather well rendered
(for the NES) photo montage. He receives a telegram
informing him of the location of the Cross of
Coronado. He also receives his father's Grail
Diary. At this point, the game gives the player
the choice of either going to Venice or retrieving
the Cross. The player has this kind of freedom
for the rest of the game. Provided Indy completes
episodes that will provide him with more options,
Indy has the freedom to play, or not play, any
episode presented to him. For example, retrieving
the Cross is entirely optional throughout the
game, as is rescuing Indy's father. In other words,
there is a "bare minimum" to the episodes
Indy must complete. The completion or neglect
of episodes will have different affects on the
ending of the game (should you manage to complete
it).
The levels are always preceded by
some very stylized photo montages of Indy and
any characters related to the episode in question.
For example, there is a big photo of Elsa's face
at the beginning of the Venice episode as she
greets Dr. Jones and a nice rendering of Castle
Brunwald before the Germany episode. Each level
has a different flavor of game play. Some levels,
such as the episode on the Coronado, are played
out in a platform format with Indy on profile
beating up on the sailors as he makes his way
to the stern of the ship. The motorcycle chase
is presented like the car chase classic, Spy
Hunter, where Indy is seen from directly
overhead on the motorbike, dodging mines and other
bikers. Some levels, like Venice, are comprised
of intricate cerebral challenges that give the
player a dose of thinking in between the action
episodes, such as timed slide puzzles.
Indy fighting
on the ship, in Castle Brunwald, and the motorcycle
chase. |
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Conclusion
The game is a very eclectic series
of levels that theoretically should make for a
great gaming session, especially seeing as how
the game is fairly close to the film and uses
John Williams' music. Unfortunately, this game
suffers from two major flaws. The first and biggest
problem with the game is lousy play control. I
have always wondered what it would look like to
moonwalk forwards and Indy showed me in this game.
Indy is extremely slow in the platform episodes
and the only way to get good speed out of him
is to put him at his dead sprint "run"
mode. This usually ends in his death, as he is
too fast to brake in time when obstacles (like
large drops or Nazis) appear. Indy's only weapons
throughout the game are his limbs and his whip.
His whip is worthless if its idiosyncrasies are
unknown to the player. Unless Indy is at exactly
the proper distance from the target and the whip
touches the opponent in exactly the right place
and provided that the opponent doesn't rush Indy
first, then the whip will work. Otherwise, the
Nazi or what have you can whip up on Indy at point
blank range while Indy's whip just goes harmlessly
over the opponent's head. The whip does help in
Castle Brunwald to swing from one balcony to the
next, but that is the extent of its usefulness.
Tank fight. |
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At this point, Indy must resort
to his extensive variety of hand-to-hand tactics
to vanquish his enemies. These include punch,
kick, the "haymaker" (which is supposedly
the most powerful punch, but only succeeds in
getting Indy even more injured), and a crazy flying
jump kick that would make Jackie Chan jealous.
Indy can even run up to a wall, hit it, reverse
directions in mid air, and jump kick a pursuer,
provided that he jumps at exactly the right moment
and his leg lands on the opponent in exactly the
right place, otherwise Indy flies through the
enemy. I never knew Indy was a ninja until I played
this game. Even with all of these moves, the enemies
take an unreal amount of punishment before they
drop. The real Indiana Jones would be ashamed
at this Indy's ineptitude.
The second and final problem
is that once you get over the learning curve in
the game control, the game becomes extremely repetitive,
easy, and short. At only 12 years old, I found
myself clearing the game in ten to fifteen minutes
easy every time. If curiosity is getting the better
of you, if you have made the Indy gaming promise
to yourself to clear all the Indy games, all of
these NES ventures are easily emulated. Just take
my word for it that there will never be a Last
Crusade video game that
tops The Graphic
Adventure. As with Tengen's Temple
of Doom, Taito's Indiana
Jones and the Last Crusade
is a great collector's item for Indy fans and
Nintendo enthusiasts, but beyond that "I'm
afraid it's little more than a souvenir."
(MF)
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