Return of a Legend
Indiana Jones is probably the most memorable film hero ever. He has searched for nearly every elusive artifact in archeological history. With a new movie, tentatively set for 2008, looming on the horizon, it is only fitting that the coolest, original “tomb raider” returns for his most incredible interactive expedition ever. Set in 1939, this epic original story – written for the first time under the direction of George Lucas – puts you in the fedora of the legendary hero as he unravels the clues found in ancient artifacts spanning the globe.
From San Francisco’s Chinatown to the world’s most sacred ground, Indy must use his fists, whip, and trusty revolver to fight through ruthless opposition and piece together a mystery of biblical proportions. Indiana Jones will be LucasArts’ first internally developed project for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It also represents the first collaboration of talents and technology between LucasArts and Industrial Light & Magic, finally under one roof.
Indiana Jones has the huge honor to debut the revolutionary Euphoria technology from NaturalMotion, which delivers never-before-seen lifelike action and awareness to every character in real time – so you will never see the same thing twice. For the first time ever, Euphoria enables interactive characters to move, act, and even think like actual human beings, adapting their behavior on the fly resulting in a different payoff every single time. This next-gen technology bestows Indy and his opponents with unparalleled environmental awareness and survival instincts. They will stumble and then attempt to maintain their balance, brace themselves for falls and get back up, and reach for nearby ledges when falling. Each action results in an authentic, varied performance every time. This is truly exciting and judging by the trailers for the title, this new technology will bring that little something extra that the next-gen consoles have been missing to date.
Complementing the Euphoria technology will be Pixelux Entertainment’s Digital Molecular Matter (DMM) technology, which brings a level of realism to next-gen game. It will do this by making completely interactive environments that react as they would in real life. From crumbling walls to shattering glass, right down to the plant life throughout the game, in-game objects have material properties that behave realistically all in real time. If used correctly, this will bring a new level of play to next-gen consoles.
Indiana Jones also features completely interactive Hot Set environments, where every setting is open-ended and completely destructible in a way that only next-generation consoles can deliver. Use your wits and daring to make each spring-loaded environment a weapon as you dispense of foes in clever and unexpected ways. Also, embark upon thrilling chase sequences that remain true to the spirit established in scenes such as Indy’s pursuit of the motorcade in Raiders of the Lost Ark, the mine-cart scene in The Temple of Doom, and the chaotic situation aboard the tank in The Last Crusade. Face Indy off against a devious longtime rival, reunite him with old friends, and meet more of his most trusted allies throughout the world.
Though much of the details about the actual game are sparse, it will take place about a year after The Last Crusade. It has also been stated that this particular volume will have nothing to do with the forthcoming Indiana Jones 4 film. However, several returning characters from the films will be making their triumphant digital return to the Indy mythos.
With the ground breaking technology that has been put into Indiana Jones, it should come as no surprise that the graphics look amazing. Amazing, however, does not even begin to fathom the amount of detail put into the game. Indy looks as close to Harrison Ford as possible. The rest of the characters are equally impressive, right down to the random amount of thugs you will encounter. Equally impressive are going to be the environments with total destructibility; it will be great to see to the outcome of the amount of detail put in. Add all of this to the fact that ILM has produced lighting effects for the game that will be reminiscent to popular feature films. As entertaining as it will be to hear the classic theme for Indy in theaters soon, you can bet that the sounds will be just as sweet at home pouring out of your speakers.
If you have been a fan of Indy’s for as long as I have, it is easy to succumb to the fascination of Indiana Jones. Moreover, if you add that amount of preordained hype to the break-through in technology, then Indiana Jones is shaping up to be the first true next-gen game. Breaking away from just looking like a next-gen to playing like a next-gen, Indiana Jones may not be a good title based on a film franchise – it could very well be the best. Be sure to check back with us and see how well the fedora fits in our review later this year.
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