Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb

"No time for love Dr. Jones!"

While we were waiting for the fourth Indiana Jones movie to come out (which iit finally did...six years after the release of ths game) we had only novels and video games to give us our swash buckling archeological fix. As a rule of thumb, the books are generally good and the games generally bad (the last really good Indy game I remember was the Indiana Jones Trilogy for the Super Nintendo followed by Factor 5's excellent Nintendo 64 conversion of the PC bomb Infernal Machine). So, with knowing hesitation, I gingerly enter Dr. Jones's latest tale...

Set in 1935, we join Indiana Jones as he embarks on a quest to prevent a powerful mystical artifact from ancient China from falling into Nazi hands. As you progress through the story, you come across all manner of nogoodniks including various Nazis, zombies and Chinese warriors all attempting to prevent you from completing your goal. Though there are a few twists here and there, the plot stays fairly straightforward yet maintains an Indiana Jones feel to it in a Temple of Doom sort of way. Good enough to keep you somewhat interested but not enough to turn into a film.

Graphically, this game pulls up some rather impressive little stunts. The first thing one might notice upon booting up the game for the first time is how true-to-life the in-game model is to Harrison Ford's likeness. Indeed, all the characters in the game look great, not only in the quality of texture but also the number of polygons used to flesh out their overall look. Unfortunately, the animation didn't fair as well. Though it does the job, there were times where it seemed as if things moved in an almost mannequin-like fashion that really detracted from the experience. Slow down is also an issue, and a glaring one at that. There were moments in the game where the action crawled so badly that enemies would literally have an entire two frames of animation in the span of five seconds. I know it's not my Xbox since this is the first time I've experienced this, so I think it has more to do with the dynamic soundtrack (see more on this below) since I discovered that if I paused the game for a few seconds and allowed the music to 'catch-up' this problem would temporarily fix itself.

The audio for Emperor's Tomb is, for the most part, a great effort with only a few minor flaws worth noting. Naturally the music is top-notch since it's John William's masterful score that is enhancing the mood of the game. Through the use of a dynamic soundtrack, your on-screen actions effect the tone of the music. For example, if enemies surround you the music will be very dramatic and full of energy. However, should you defeat said group of enemies, the music will fade into the Indiana Jones fanfare. The upshot of this is you feel more immersed in the game, which, in turn, makes the game play out more like a movie. The downside is the framerate takes a nosedive during rather intense moments of action. Voice acting isn't bad (the Harrison Ford sound-a-like is very convincing most of the time) and the delivery of the script is especially worth noting. Sound effects are the usual generic bag-o-samples that are somewhat more disappointing since they don't seem optimized for the Xbox.

I found myself particularly impressed with the controls, though they too are not problem-free. You naturally have access to the infamous whip, which can be used as both an offensive (whipping enemies, ensnaring an enemy and pulling him in for a devastating punch) and defensive (keeping enemies at bay, snagging weapons from an enemy) weapon as well as a tool (swinging across pits). You also have access to a wide range of hand-to- hand attacks that include combo punches, bashing enemies into objects, holding enemies as you pummel them an various ways, ect. Last but not least, objects in the environment (table legs, chairs, bottles) to deal out damage, but why do that when you can use a variety of pistols, knives, swords, machine guns and mystical weapons to do the deed? The only real problem I encountered dealt with timing issues (i.e. delays) between when I pushed the button and Indy performed the on- screen action. Not a big deal in most cases, but out intrepid archeologist fell to his doom more than once because of this. The camera is another issue entirely. While you do have full control (most of the time) of the camera, it seems to have a mind of its own during some of the more intense moments of the game. This, naturally, leads to a lot of cheap deaths. Pretty solid control otherwise.

Designing a game based on an existing license is a difficult task to say the least (one would assume, at least, based on the very low success rate of such ventures) and, while admittedly imperfect, Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb still manages to do several things right. Indiana Jones is all about excitement and this game translates that notion well. Sure there are a few slow parts (along with tedious puzzle solving) but the overall pace of the game is maintained throughout. Levels, while somewhat drab, are cleverly crafted and fun to interact with. Aside from the problems I mentioned above (glitches, camera, ect.) there are some issues with clipping to deal with, issues that cost me an Xbox controller. It is very, very easy to get stuck in a corner, surrounded by baddies and pummeled to death without chance to defend yourself or even use a weapon. This, in particular, happened to me three times in the exact same spot before I demolished a helpless S Controller in my anger. Needless to say, that approach did not get me through the level. Ahem. So, in short, while the developers designed the perfect vessel for an Indiana Jones adventure, the execution left a little to be desired.

Hidden throughout the game are artifacts that you can spend the time locating and collecting. Most of these artifacts are tucked away in rather clever locations, so when you do find them you get a real sense of accomplishment. Your efforts don't go unrewarded either- collect all thirty artifacts and you'll unlock an art gallery. Hmmm. Perhaps your efforts do go unrewarded after all...

I have very strong mixed feelings about this game. On one hand it is an exciting fast-paced adventure that does well with the license and (for the most part) stays true to the Indiana Jones mythos. On the other hand minor graphic, sound and control glitches keep this game from achieving the greatness that is clearly deserves. Hopefully the Collective (the game's developers) will get a chance to make a more polished sequel and really do Dr. Jones justice. As it stands, Emperor's Tomb is recommended for Indy fans, Tomb Raider junkies and gamers who enjoyed Buffy the Vampire Slayer on the Xbox (another Collective title).

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 08/12/09

Game Release: Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb (US, 02/24/03)