LucasArts latest action/adventure game Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb has been released on Xbox today. The US residents should find the game on the shelf in their games stores. Europe and the rest of the world should follow very soon.
The PC version of Emperor's Tomb will arrive in stores on March 18th and according to the latest issue of Star Wars Insider, you may expect to see the Playstation 2 version in stores on March 20th.

Also, Gamespy has posted an interview with Rick Watters, the producer at The Collective who is responsible for Indiana Jones and the Emperors Tomb. Here's an except:

GameSpy: How daunting is it to approach such a well-known character like Indiana Jones?
Rick Watters: Well, to many people on the team, the Indy world has an almost a mythic quality to it. Many of us on the development team are from the generation where Star Wars and Indiana Jones were the epic movie adventures we grew up with. We saw them in our youth, and to some degree, are still influenced by these movies. So, yes,...

Click here to read the full interview with Rick Watters and thanks to Mixnmojo.com for letting us know.

Both the Suburban Chicago Newspapers and Tech TV Channel have posted their view on LucasArts' Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb Xbox version and they both liked the game very much:

The Suburban Chicago Newspapers said that Emperor's Tomb doesn't disappoint. Here's an except from their positive review:

The Collective is no stranger to licensed properties. It was, after all, responsible for the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" video game last year, but bringing "Indiana Jones" to life was no easy task. Thankfully, the Collective was up to the challenge.
"The Emperor's Tomb" not only looks like an "Indiana Jones" movie it feels like an "Indiana Jones" movie. Only this time you aren't watching Indy's exploits, you are controlling them.
Visually, the game captures the look and feel of the movies to a tee. The character of Indy not only looks like Harrison Ford, he also moves through the game with the same physical mannerisms that we all know and love from the films. Everything, down to the exaggerated right hook Indy uses when fighting is here. No doubt the developers had plenty of time to study the films while working on the game.

Click here to read the rest of the Suburban Chicago Newspapers review.

Tech TV Cannel's video games show named Extended Play recently featured a spot on Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb plus placed a very positive review on the game on their site. Here's a part of the online review:

Most of the levels are still entertaining to run through, and some of the puzzles are clever. Acrobatic exploration aside, combat is a big part of the game, and it's here that "Emperor's Tomb" really excels. Finally, we have an Indy to be proud of -- a bad, brawling, tough-as-nails professor with a wicked one-two punch combo and a mean streak. Shoot an enemy in the head from afar before he sees you, take down a group with some generous machine-gun fire, or, better yet, smash a bad guy over a table, then pick up a chair and finish the job.

Click here to read the Tech TV's full review.

Games Domain posted their review of the Xbox version of Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb earlier this week. Their review is detailed, contains a few minor spoilers and is overall not as enthusiastic about the game as other reviews, they gave Emperor's Tomb a 3 out of 5. Click here to read their review.

But luckily there is Lemonhead at The International House of Mojo who had a lot of fun playing Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb. Mixnmojo.com has published a superb look at the Xbox version of Indy's latest adventure. Here's a part of their review:

After a spectacular intro sequence giving a brief insight into what you may expect to find in Emperor’s Tomb, you’re dropped straight into the action on just another treasure hunt (which Indy invariably finds himself in at the beginning of every movie) for the lost idol of Kouru Wato. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this particular artifact is located in a deep recess, under the ruins of a lost temple in the tropical wilderness.

Mixnmojo gave Emperor's Tomb a 4 out of 5. Click here to read their full review.

Two new Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb Xbox reviews came online during the last 7 days.

The first one is from IGN.com who gave the game a surprising 6.1 out of 10. IGN's main complaint are the puzzle's in the game. They were probably expecting a new adventure game in the style of Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine while LucasArts is clearly marketing Emperor's Tomb as an 'Action' game. Here's IGN's closing comments to the game:

Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb is Tomb Raider meets Pitfall. Only the adventure aspects fall far short of the original Tomb Raider and the platforming action goes a bit overboard at times. There are lots of flaws in the game, but it's not a bad title. I had a lot of fun playing Indy and even if I wasn't reviewing the game, I'd have been compelled enough to see it through the 12 or so hours of gameplay to the end. It's fun and a bit addictive. But there are a ton of flaws to be found and the puzzle design is so incredibly meager it hurts the game a great deal.
The final score doesn't quite match my overall enjoyment of the game, but again, the muck-ups and nearly non-existent puzzle elements hurt a lot. This isn't a game you'll play twice, but anyone looking for a dozen mindless hours of action and platforming should at least rent Indy. It's worth a look at least to see if it's worthy of your money. A good rental, but not really the best $50 investment you could make.

Click here to read IGN's shameful Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb review.

Fortunately there are games sites like GameSpy.com. GameSpy has a very positive review of Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb in which they gave the game a 82 out of 100. GameSpy says that the game captures the spirit of the movies, has a great fighting engine, superb music, and a story that sucks you in! Here's a part of their Xbox review:

LucasArts is keen to point out that the game features a healthy mixture of action, puzzles, and navigation. For the most part, the puzzle solving aspects of the game are simple and fun affairs that are nowhere in the same obtuse league to those found in, say, Capcom's Resident Evil series.
Taking place over ten large multi-staged levels, Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb is an excellent action romp for Xbox owners to enjoy. While I personally feel that the overall graphical appearance of the game is not quite as good as the Xbox is capable of, the flow and scripting seen smacks of great production values. The musical score is awesome and features classic Indy tunes and melodies ripped straight from the silver screen. And even though Harrison Ford doesn't supply the voiceover acting, LucasArts found a chap that's eerily capable of replicating Indy's dulcet tones.

Click here to read GameSpy's great Emperor's Tomb review.

The official Emperor's Tomb site posted 6 new Xbox screenshots worth checking out!

LucasArts has announced that Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb for Xbox has been approved for manufacturing and will be in stores February 25th! And with this event LucasArts also opened the new official Emperor's Tomb site with new features like an FAQ, the story, info on the music, the system requirements for the PC version, desktop wallpapers, and new screenshots and a commercial.

Click here to check it all out!

Team Xbox has posted a very positive review of Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb Xbox version. They gave Indy's latest game a 4.2 out of 5! Here's a part of the review:

LucasArts did a fine job making the closest thing to a replication of all the movies thrown into a video game. The gameplay is fantastic, the level design is overwhelming at times, and the graphics and sound make their own positive arguments. Considering the amount of time the first level alone takes to complete, I can easily say that it is worth the fifty dollar price tag.

Hit the link above to read the full 2 page review.

If you loved yesterday's article about the manual that will come with the Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb game, then you must check out the 4 new images from that manual up on Mojo!

Hit the link above to view the 4 new images. Thanks to Jake from Mixnmojo.com for letting us know!

Console games and PC games usually come with great, in-depth manuals filled with extra goodies that don't necessarily pertain to gameplay. But the most attractive manual to date will most likely come with the upcoming Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb.
IGN.com has a feature in which Gregory Harsh, Senior Designer/Illustrator at Beeline Group, reveals how he created the very attractive manual that will come with all versions of Emperor's Tomb. Here's an except from the article:

My aim throughout this manual was to convey all the necessary information without hitting the gamer over the head with it. Though most of the information is straightforward, with a little probing one can find a lot of hidden trivia. For example, the patent number on the Barnet College Interdepartmental Memo represents the opening day of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and the Egyptian hieroglyphics sketched on the passport spread loosely translates to 'the ark cradles the wrath of God' (too bad Indy notes that he hasn't had time to translate it...).
But above all, I was able to be Indiana Jones, by writing his journal entries. How cool is that? Funny how he and I think alike...

This feature is very in depth and comes with a few illustrations of the manual itself. A must for every Indyfan and person interested in designing and illustrating.

Click here to read the feature. Thanks to R. Scott for letting us know.

WorthPlaying posted an article of Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb along with some cool screen shots! The article contains some more info on the game it's story and locations you may expect to visit. Click here to read the article and view the screenshots.

Also GameSpy posted a few new screen shots from Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb for Xbox. The quality of the screenshots can be better but they give some more info on the various locations and action scenes. Click here to view the screenshots.

And last but certainly not the least, this month's issue of the Video Games magazine, Game Informer gave Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb a 8.5/10!

A Canadian technology site launched an interview with Bob Donatucci, a Collective enviornmental artist who worked on Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb. It's a long interview mostly about Donatucci's history of being an architect and teaching computer graphics. Here's a part of the interview:

"I've been the biggest Indiana Jones fan for 20 years now. He's my hero. It's funny how the circle becomes complete." It isn't just the hat, he explains. The Indiana Jones movie character appeals to his sense of adventure. And if nothing else, Donatucci's path into the hottest area of software development has been an adventure.

Click here to read the interview. Source: Mixnmojo.com.

The official site of Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb has released the first 3 screenshots of the PC version of the upcoming action/adventure game that will be released around the end of this month.

Hit the link above and click on the 'PC screenshot viewer' to view the 3 new Emperor's Tomb screenshots.