bishop2knight

I've been reading about the new INDIANA JONES AND THE EMPEROR'S TOMB. This game looks great. Anyone else looking forward to it?

Kellehair

I look forward to every Indy game but they always suck.

bishop2knight

Yeah, most of them blow, but this one looks like it has potential.

Trigger

I played the demo and it sucked (IMO) so no, I'm not looking forward to it.

bishop2knight

Trigger, why did it suck? What was wrong with it?

Trigger

Eh - everyone's gonna have their own opinion of it, but personally I felt it was a little too arcadey or something. Some people think it was like the Buffy game, but I thought Buffy was better (and I'm not even a fan of the show). I guess I really couldn't put my finger on why I didn't like it - I just played through the demo and was like "bleh... next".

Tuan Jim

Well, I finally got my copy today. Just finished the first full level -- Ceylon. Pretty good overall. Much better than the "Infernal Machine" game. There were some good puzzles, great action and the like. Definitely great Indy voice acting too. Good music, nice fighting engine. Good use of Indy's equipment. Nice movements, etc.

However this game is really pretty buggy. A lot of things that could have been fixed before shipping. They really ought to have waited a little longer before releasing.

Clipping - number of bugs here. I got stuck in a rope once (don't ask me how), and couldn't kill myself so I had to reboot. Music skips/stutters from time to time. Some areas -- underwater mainly where the draw distance is variable and makes things come out of nowhere -- not good when that thing is a boss that can kill you in one hit.

Still, it's pretty fun. I'll play it all the way through, but I don't expect to be holding onto it after I beat it.

Score (not taking bugs into account: 8/10
Overall score: 6.5/10

Tuan Jim

dvd-fanman

I played the demo on the XBox magazine disc and thought it was really fun. It uses the same engine as Buffy and I enjoy that game. I got it this past weekend at BestBuy for $38.XX after a price match with CC.

Get Me Coffee

My game should be arriving sometime this week. I'm looking forward! it looks sweet.

Tuan Jim

Well, I'm nearly done in Istanbul now (lvl 3). Although there are still tons of clipping errors and some music skipping, I haven't come across any other show stopping bugs. The one that really bugged me was when I tried to hack the rope bridge in Ceylon with my Machete. Can anyone else verify getting stuck doing that?

I stand by my original opinion that this is a first rate game that loses a few points on principal alone as a result of things that should have been fixed before release. Definitely worth picking up. A week's rental may be enough time to beat it, but I can't tell yet. I'm definitely having Prince of Persia flashbacks with the way Indy jumps and grabs ledges -- tres cool.

Also, for anyone who's gotten this far in Istanbul:

Tuan Jim

Tigger

Working in the industry it's often amazing what you can get away with by just asking Microsoft, Sony or Nintendo to wave the issue. It's a shame it's that buggy. I was looking forward to it.

bishop2knight

I have a question. I'm just starting in Instanbul, but I haven't found any "hidden relics" that I heard on in the game. Supposedly, they're little hidden rooms or secrets or whatever.

Anyone found these or was I told wrong?

As far as the game goes, I'm enjoying it, but it's a little too easy on the trap doors and all that. It's too obvious what needs to happen. But it's still a fun game.

Tuan Jim

Did you find anything in Ceylon? Normally Indy'll say something like -- "This'll make a good bonus for the museum" or something. I found 2 out 3 in Ceylon -- mostly out in the open, but not always.

Didn't find any in Prague, though I'm positive there were a couple. I searched the library shelves and everything, but I'm guessing there were some hidden.

I'm on the last level (boss) of Istanbul and I've found just one so far -- had to duck and roll through a hole in the wall.

I think there's at least 20 or so, but I can't remember. You unlock a gallery of art if you find them all.

What are you talking about the trap doors being "easy"? Do you mean easy to spot or what?

What gets more frustrating as you go along is that the levels just keep getting longer -- so if you screw up and fall to your death or get killed, you have a long way to go from the start. Luckily they start giving you more health kits and junk along the way as well.

Tuan Jim

bishop2knight

Tuan, without giving me the exact location, can you give me an idea of where these "hidden" relics are? I mean, are they on the way to where you're going, or do you need to look down side passages or in rooms with nothing in them? Do you need to punch or kick holes in walls to get them (you can tell I'm not a gamer, can't you?)

As for the ease of the trap doors, I mean it's just too obvious. All the levers and pulleys look the same, so I know I need to pull/push one. For example, I'd rather come to a door and not know how to open it, rather then see a switch or whatever right next to it.

That's nitpicky. It's still fun.

bishop2knight

Cool. I just found out that if you play the HARD mode, the icons that tell you what you need to do (ie which pulley to pull, when to use the whip to swing, etc).

that'll be more fun, but i hope it's not TOO hard.

Tuan Jim

You mean that those icons don't show up at all on hard? That will definitely complicate some areas I've seen.

The new OXM magazine actually has a list of all the artifact locations though I haven't actually looked yet.

Basically the two I found in Ceylon -- were in actual rooms. Don't think they were "really" hidden. I just explored every open room I came to.

The one I've found in Istanbul was in an internal room with a LOT of scaffolding. At the end of one hallway was a dead end, but there was enough space at the bottom to roll through -- very inviting. I did so, and found an "Ottoman Seal" or something like that.

Tuan Jim

bishop2knight

Heck, now I'm confused. Is Ceylon the castle?

I'm thinking of starting over using the HARD setting. After playing Splinter Cell for three weeks, I feel like I'm flying through this one. Hopefully this level will slow things down a bit.

Tuan Jim

Ceylon is the first jungle area -- the game intro so to speak. The boss is the giant crocodile. The big Euro. castle is Prague.

I'm at the end of lvl 3 -- Istanbul, but from the looks of it, there are at least 10 full levels -- each with 3 artifacts hidden.

Tuan Jim

bishop2knight

Thanks Tuan. I'll keep ya posted on how I'm doin....

Tuan Jim

Ok. I think I'm over 1/2 way through now, and I guarantee -- this game is being sold the moment I finish it. For one thing the skipping/warbling music is really getting on my nerves. I also just had this ridiculous point where for about 2 minutes (from the time the music kicked in, till when it ended) where everything on screen was stuttering/skipping -- music, my character, all actions, it was like watching slo-mo. Not cool at all. I can't believe they released it like this. Such a great game otherwise.

Tuan Jim

Carl Spackler

maybe it's your Xbox... I have finished the game and I never saw anything like that once.

Tuan Jim

It's possible. You can compare the reviews on other sites too. Some folks had tons of problems, others had none.

Basically, I've just gotten to the last level and I'd guess that during about 3 hours of playing, I got dirty disc readings at least 5 or 6 times. Sometimes one right after the other in loading levels after dying. I may just need to clean it again, but for a brand new disc I'm not sure that's necessarily the problem. I've played a lot of other stuff lately with no issues whatsoever. I've never played a game that had so many sound issues either. Some levels will have warbling sound from the get-go virtually every single time -- ie. Von Beck's Revenge. I also get lousy sound when I die about every other time. I have seen some stuttering/bad frame drops again as well, but not as bad as the one I posted earlier.

Tuan Jim

bishop2knight

I'm having zero technical problems with the game. But I am having a hard time finding all the extra relics. So far, I've only found 3 in the first level, and 1 each of the next three.

Are we sure there are 3 in each level?

Tuan Jim

I'm sure, the OXM magazine lists every single one. For the record, I got stuck on the last level and just said screw it. I mean when it completely freezes twice in a row (not dirty disk -- just plain freeze), and continues to give me dirty disk errors out the wazoo -- I've been getting them with a few other games but NEVER to this degree (except for the buggy Morrowind -- when my saves were over 200 blocks apiece). Just not worth my time to play such a piece of junk. I am just really disappointed.

Tuan Jim

damn_skippy

How do you get into the castle at prague?

Im friggin stuck.

edited to add i figured it out but what a pain.