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Excellent, enter the tomb

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: December 08, 2003
Author: Amazon User

There are three things I hate in this world: When people lick their fingers to turn a page, rap music, and when great games get bad ratings. Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb is an exciting adventure thought up by Lucas Arts. The graphics are great, and the new fight moves will make you want more.

You are Indiana Jones, in 1935, recruited by a Chineese marshall (later the bad guy) to help find the Black Pearl in Emperor Ch'in's tomb. You will venture through the jungles of Ceylon, make your way to Prauge, Istanbul, where you will fight of agents and German Soldiers, and soon to the Under World, where you'll fight off evil spirits (with an increadibly cool weapon.)

The Graphics in this game are superb. The cut scenes will amaze you. Even the Menu has great graphics (Possibly the best of any level.)

Controls are your defult WASD movement keys, but you may configure them to your liking.

Weapons: Besides Indy's trusty whip, revolver, and good old fists (which you will use a lot early on,) you have a nice variety of guns and knives including: Mausers, SMG 40's, a machete, Chinese Swords, throwing knives, and a secret weapon for the underworld.

In all Lucas arts games there are puzzles. This game is no exception. There are puzzles in each level. Some hard, some easy. There are also traps. Again some obvious, some catch you by suprise every time.

The Emperor's Tomb displays an excellent Action-Adbevture-Roll Playing experience. You won't be dissapointed.

Overall Presentation: Fantastic, great menues.

Graphics: Good, a tiny bit choppy in some scenes where there is a lot of action, but otherwise, good.

Gameplay: Excellent, no control problems, the game flows very nicely.

Sound: Superior THX sound makes you feel like you're in the game.

Lasting Appeal: In this game, you will travel to 10 different places in the world, with a total of over 65 levels. Depending on how long you play this game, it will probably take you 1-3 months to complete it. And once you're done, you can choose your favorite levels and play them over and over again.

Difficulty: Easy, Normal, and Hard. Easy will become to easy after a while. And the transition to Normal and Hard will be too much of a difference in gameplay. I would recomend to start out playing on Normal, then you can boost it up to hard if you want.

I'm not sure why people are rating this game so poorly, I hope this review can change some minds.

Bad port of a medicore game.

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: April 07, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Ignoring the Console Porting Issues for a moment, let's look at the levels themselves. The first level, as always, is an introductory affair - boring, easy, and generally just a chore. Levels two and three on the other hand are pure adventuring goodness - inventive puzzles, varied environments, perfect mix of action and thinking, beautiful voluminous areas, etc. The entire remaining 7 levels of the game are a let-down from there - they're much shorter, less creative, and don't live up to potential. (One exception - a mystical enemy-seeking boomerang/throwing star that goes through walls. Awww, yeah). So, on levels alone, we're already down to 3 stars - some great moments, mostly not.

Then come the Issues. 1) No quicksaving, or in-level saving of any kind. 2) Horrendous underwater control. 3) Awkward access of inventory. 4) No scroll-wheel support. 5) Exiting the game, and loading any level over again, requires a drop to the main menu...which takes a while to load, and has a whooshing entrance cutscene that also takes up time, meaning it's about 40 seconds just to restart a level. 6) Sadly limited graphics and sound options, including no option for 3D sound at all. 7) The worst shadows ever - Indy is the only thing in the whole game that casts a real-time shadow. And on and on it goes.

As a further annoyance - there are Artifacts scattered 3 to a level throughout the game, I suppose to give extra challenge. Near as I can tell, though, they do absolutely NOTHING. In Infernal Machine, you could buy stuff when you found them. Here, not only can you not do THAT, but inventory doesn't carry over at all.

The one remaining good thing is the fights - fighting with table legs, chairs, Chinese spears, liquor bottles, and just about anything else, is definitely fun. Even here, though, there aren't enough moves to keep it completely interesting, so fights tend to simply follow a pattern as you get later in the game, and become nuisances rather than entertaining sequences.

All in all, a profoundly [bad] effort for a PC game. Consolers are used to this kind of mindless, uninventive, inconsistent "fun", but I'd like to think PC developers have higher standards. Shame on the Collective and Lucasarts.

Lock this game in the "Well of Souls" and throw away the key

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 4 / 6
Date: April 11, 2003
Author: Amazon User

For starters, I have never felt compelled to slam a game until playing Indiana Jones and the Emperors Tomb.
Another prime example of how gaming software companies continue to alienate the PC gamer by making substandard products that are gaming platform independent. This is exactly the type of game you would expect to see for Sony Playstation 2 or Xbox, lacking in quality when ported to the PC market. I agree with "Normally an Indian Jones Fan" with all the feature defects, lack of save points, overly complex loading/exiting menu, and poor player controls. In addition I would like to add that the difficulty level setting is way unbalanced, with normal difficulty going from way to easy to literally impossible at the end of the game. There are way too many combat parts and not enough challenging puzzles. Also, a bunch of dumb issues like, weapon hot keys not working right, poor enemy AI, three pointless crane puzzles, the stupidest thing ever done on top of tram in a PC game; shooting at planes that follow a pre-determined flight path. Then there is dreaded "Drill of Death" level where you are forced to run, jump and whip swing through an impossible obstacle course that never seems to end and where one little slip forces you to repeat the entire course again and again and again (at least 100 tries so far). Another prime example of how lack of a save feature can kill a games fun by forcing you to play the same level over and over again till you are sick of it. Lucas Arts should be ashamed for releasing this game. I only gave this game a 2 only because the overall story, voice acting and graphics where not that bad. ...

You'll be sorry!!

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 4 / 6
Date: April 17, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This has to be the worst game that Lucas Arts has ever released. The movement controls are the worst I've ever experienced in any game. Paired with the endless fighting scenes that are hard to control, you'll want to tear your hair out. You have to go through seemingly endless screens just to load, save, or quit.

But the worst thing is that there's no quicksave mode, so if you die near the end of a particularly stupid level, you have to go back and start the whole level again. Endless frustration.

The last Indiana Jones game, "The Infernal Machine" was superb, one of my favorite games of all time! It was highly playable, with wonderful puzzles and great controls. "Emperor's Tomb" is as close to the exact opposite as you could get.

The Tomb of Frustration

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: August 22, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I bought this at a store at the recommendation of the clerk. It is horrible. Totally linear, the graphics are all really walls except the one path that you must take. Worse yet, is that there is no save. While most of it so simple as to not be a problem, some of the tasks require jumping from point to point, and there is a lack of consistency. One time the jump works, the next time the exact exact same jump fails. If it fails you have to start at the beginning of the chapter. There is a cheat god mode, but if you miss the jumps you end up in limbo so that does not help. The AI is the worse I have ever seen. Two to three shots in the foot, body, or head to put down an opponent. Does not matter if it is the gun, shotgun, fists, etc., takes three hits. One shotgun blast at to the head at close range will not put them down - takes three.
Might be fun for some kid that is crazy about Indy Jones, but from a game standpoint it stinks bigtime. The only game I have quite without finishing.

Indiana Mania

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: June 01, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I think that rhis game is exellent! The game plays perfectly and it is so fun!

Worst Indy Game EVER!

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: April 03, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I'd give this game 0 stars if that was on option! This game [stinks]!!! Simply put, this is NOT a PC game, its a port from a console game. The camera control is the worst in PC gaming history. No ability to save in the game so you will be playing sequences over and over and over and over. The hand to hand combat would be cool if the camera didn't have a mind of its own and result in your death over and over and over. Don't even attempt this game without a gamepad, the keyboard and mouse controller are terrible. The shooting interface is so bad you might as well not even use it. graphics are only fair for the system requirements.

If you want a great Indiana Jones game get The Infernal Machine.

If you're into self torture and repeating the same sequences over and over and over and over, this is your game. If you want a fun gaming experience get something else!

Like a pretty good movie!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: April 12, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This game is like a pretty good summer flick. It comes out, you see it once, everyone likes it but its not setting any records. I enjoyed this game from the begining to the end. It had a decent plot, so-so graghics, great sound, good gameplay.

Graghics: Graghics are the first thing you see, and unfortunetly are what many people dislike some games for. Graghics are important, but not the most important. This game has so-so graghics. There are some absolutely stunning graghics in the game, and then there's that part where your gun goes into the wall and out the other side. Major clipping problems, but it shouldn't bother someone too much.3/5

Sound: This game has excelent music, great sound effects, and supperb voice acting. The actor that did Indy in the game sounds just like Ford himself! The music is John Williams so you cant go wrong, and I prommise you will have the theme song stuck in your head within 5 minutes. 5/5

Plot: Indiana Movies always have good, fastpaced plots. This game is not exception. It wouldn't win any acadamy awards, but it is a Fantastic story line for a computer game.5/5

Gameplay: This is the most important factor in reviewing games. You can controll Indy with ease, the fist fights are amazing, there are some interesting puzzles and you wont get bored. There are some levels that i found over frusterating and not fun, there were way to many of these "water levels" where u swim and avoid sharks and stuff. Thankfully however, you get though these halfway through the game. 4/5

This game was a lot of fun. It took me about 12 hours to complete and it was exciting and enjoyable to the end. It doesn't have a lot of replay value, but i am playing some of my favorite levels over again. If you are a big Indy fan get this game now! It will knock your sox off. If you don't like Indy, I would suggest you wait untill the price goes down but still buy it. Happy treasure hunting! and look for the new Indiana Jones movie in 2005!

The Truth must be Spoken

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: May 11, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Way back in 1999, a game was forged by the masters at Lucasarts called the Infernal Machine, which brought Indy into a totally new world rendered in glorious 3D. Although it did indeed have its moments and some very memorable (mine cart chase, Jeep riding in the Phillipines, pyramids at Meroe), it was plagued by a plethora of pointless and tremendously tedious puzzles which made you want to grab your CD out of the tray and throw it in the trash. Combat was extremely rare and the weapons were poorly balanced with a very sci-fi oriented plot, not typical for an Indy game. I did have some fun with the Infernal Machine but I yearned for a real adventure with greater combat, fewer puzzles and more exciting locales complete with a fun story line. I got my wish almost four years later.

Now Lucasarts has had a chance to redeem itself by contracting the developers at the Collective to revise Indy's previous adventures with a totally new engine. Utilizing an intriguing plot set in 1935, Indy returns to his fond globetrotting days reminiscent of Raiders of the Lost Ark, journeying to such exotic locales as Ceylon, Prague, Istanbul, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia in search of a mysterious artifact.

The graphics and sound are both first rate, especially if your video card can crank up the settings to make this game look absolutely gorgeous, that is leaps and bounds ahead of its xbox counterpart. Even if it isn't you'll still be able to enojy some very fine visuals. I've been playing on my old clunker (P3 733 Geforce 2 64 MB with 384 DDR RAM) and it still looks fantastic on 1024x768). The game particullary shines on the Istanbul and Prague chapters in a creepy Gothic castle crawling with SS agents, the underwater palaces of Belisarius and ancient mosques with sword wielding Turkish guards. The combat system is the gem of Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb that uses some of the finest animation yet seen in the third person adventure genre. I particularly like the hand to hand combat that Indy can finally engage in and the frequent number of firefights.

The sound, like any Lucasarts game, is robust although slightly lacking in certain areas. The music is well done but I almost wish that more of John Williams' music from the films had been incorporated even though we get to hear variations of the Raider's March at certain moments. Voice acting is worthy of commendation for having hired an actor that bears an uncanny resemblence to Harrison Ford's husky voice that hits the mark.

The controls aren't as bad as everybody says they are although they can test one's patience at times, especially without a save system when one jump can be the difference between life and death. It takes a little getting used to but I find it to be a nice addition being able to see all of Indy with a 360 degree camera that goes away from the traditional fixed 3rd person camera like Mafia or GTA3.

The levels are small but there are about 60 of them which really makes it fun to explore totally new environments in stead of being stuck for hours in one puzzle on one map. Although there are puzzles, I regret to say that most of them are ridiculously simple but at least they are interesting (Astrologer's Clock and the various coins in Istanbul).

With a few minor flaws, I am very satisfied with the Emperor's Tomb and its ingenious gameplay. This game is far from perfect but it does deserved to be played and recognized as it should go down as a stellar addition to the myriad of some of the finest Lucasarts games.

Be Prepared for Adventure...and a Huge Need for Patience

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: August 06, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I had high hopes for this game, but honestly, I don't think I'd buy it again if I had it to do over again. Parts of it are really a lot of fun, but there are so many irritating details in the gameplay that it detracts from the whole.

For example, the game start and quit menus are way too long. There's a graphic intro that you have to see everytime you start the game, load a game, quit the game, etc. It's sort of neat the first time you see it. After that, it's ten seconds you'll wish you had back. (Doesn't sound like a lot, I know, but when it's purely wasted time, it tries my patience.) It shouldn't take more than a couple of keystrokes to quit a game. Why they insist on bringing you back to the main menu to do it is unfathomable.

The only problem with the game once you get into it, really, is the camera. It's fine, actually, until you get to a wall, at which point the camera goes all wonky and starts swinging quickly (too quickly to control easily) all over the place. When you're in combat, or trying to make a tricky series of jumps, that's beyond frustrating--it's grounds for quitting the game for good (something two of my friends have done at different points in the game!).

Lastly is the problem with the save system--and that is that there isn't one, really. You either finish a level or you don't, and if you die in the middle, too bad, back to the beginning. Admittedly, they tried to keep the levels short, and some are surprisingly so. But still, with the aforementioned camera problems, one jump can often (or, rather WILL often) go awry, and that stinks when you've got to go back to the beginning. Making me re-do what I already did isn't extending gameplay--it's just annoying.

Cumbersome is the right word for this game overall, and I'm thinking that this has a lot to do with the fact that this is a port from the X-box. Still, for the PC, it's questionable as to whether or not this game is worth the time it makes you waste. As I mentioned before, I bought this game along with two friends, and I'm the only one who had the patience to finish it--and even I wouldn't bother with it again. Yeah, it's fun to whip some stuff and find some treasure and hear the great voice acting, etc., but in the end, it's not really worth the pain.

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