Indiana Jones’ Greatest Video Game Adventures
So last year’s Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny definitely left some mixed feelings. While it was fun seeing old faces again, the story just wasn’t up to snuff, and the effects — which Disney spent a whopping amount of money on — just didn’t measure up. Still, if this was the send-off to the hero that we’ve grown up with, at least he went out with his hat.
However, his gaming legacy is about to pick up yet again. Next week, Xbox will host its first new Developer Direct special of the year. And as part of that, not only will we get a new look at the Hellblade sequel (set to arrive this year) and Avowed, but also Machine Games’ compelling new Indiana Jones adventure.
“MachineGames, the award-winning studio behind the recent Wolfenstein series, will reveal their upcoming Indiana Jones game, an action-adventure that puts players in the leather jacket of the legendary archaeologist. Developer_Direct will showcase more than 10 minutes of game and developer insights, including details about the game’s setting and story, how fans will actually play as Indy, additional details from his next globe-trotting adventure, and the premiere of the first gameplay trailer.”
There’s no word yet on when it’s supposed to arrive, but, hopefully, Bethesda realized its mistake from Redfall and will give Machine Games the time it needs to cook.
I’m hoping for a good title myself. The Wolfenstein games were nothing short of awesome, and Indiana Jones could easily follow suit. Plus it could continue a legacy that’s almost as iconic as the films that came alongside them.
Of course, not every game was fire. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was a forgettable mess on the Genesis; and don’t even get us started on what happened with The Staff of Kings. But there were more good games than bad.
For instance, Factor 5’s awesome Indiana Jones’ Greatest Adventures, which initially released for SNES. It was supposed to be on Genesis as well, though development ended before it could arrive. This was quintessential Indy, complete with fun side-scrolling action and iconic visuals and music. You can still enjoy it today, thanks to Antstream Arcade.
Atari’s Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was an awesome arcade game for its time, just as fun as the Star Wars games, with its own little bit of flair. It did sort of get a home release on the NES, thanks to Tengen, but it wasn’t entirely the same.
There should also be some talk about the Lego Indiana Jones games. Though we didn’t really need a part two, this was a fun little saga in its own right, with many great characters (Short Round!) and the full original trilogy intact. It was good fun, especially with a friend in tow.
There were a number of outstanding LucasArts Indiana Jones games, but, to me, Fate of Atlantis is definitely worth the most cash. It’s got outstanding storytelling, along with some great puzzles to solve. I just wish it got some kind of modern port, so we could enjoy it on a proper computer setting in this day and age.
Finally, I was pleasantly surprised that Zen Studios got to port Indiana Jones: The Pinball Adventure to consoles a while back. It’s pretty much arcade perfect, complete with voice samples and everything; and though it’s a bit more expensive than most tables, it’s worth it. Now if Zen could do this with the Star Wars pinball machines, that’d really be something.
So, yeah, Indiana sure had some terrific times in gaming. And I have a good feeling that Machine Games will add to that legacy. We’ll find out in a few days.
Have a great week, everyone! And thanks as always for reading and following.
