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FACTS
The title was confirmed (at last) by the January 2009 trailer.
It's coming out in June 9th in the US, June 12th in the UK/Europe.
It has been developed by A2M for the Wii, DS and PS2, and Amaze for PSP.
The 360/PS3 version was cancelled, according to LucasArts, because they wanted it out in 2009 and couldn't deliver it. This does mean that the much-touted Euphoria technology, used to great effect in Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, may not be used in Indy after all.
The magical MacGuffin of the title is the long-suspected Staff of Moses. It parted the Red Sea, brought the Seven Plagues to Egypt, transformed into a giant snake and is considered the power of God Himself. See 'History' below for more details and some nice pictures.
Indiana Jones will be played by John Armstrong, and not David "Emperor's Tomb" Esch as previously thought. Armstrong provided the voice of Han Solo for Star Wars: Empire At War.
Unlike Emperor's Tomb, there will be a full checkpoint system.
There will be Quick-Time Events and Wii Remote-based whipping and gesturing, as well as possibly first-person gun aiming.
There's multiplayer! There's an original co-operative quest where you and a friend control Indy and Henry Jones Senior, and four-player versus matches with a tank free-for-all or a biplane battle.
There are several setpieces, including vehicle sections (flying a biplane, using a raft down rapids à la Infernal Machine, the now-famous elephant ride), obligatory chase scenes and "signature run-for-your-life moments, like a daring escape from a collapsing temple".
The environment will be interactive and you’ll be able to use it as a weapon (think Emperor's Tomb but better!), using the Hot Set technology that LucasArts are apparently still using.
Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis will be unlockable! Wow! Unfortunately for those playing on PS2, DS and PSP, it's only available on the Wii version.
Indy's Nazi nemesis in the game will be a man called Magnus Völler, who is an old university collegue of Indy's who studied with Jones under Charles Kingston.
The love interest is journalist Maggie O'Malley, who apparently accompanies Indy throughout the game.
The game will contain a mix of John Williams' score for the four Indy movies, used and unused music from The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, and new original music compositions by composers Gordy Haab and Ray Harman. Both are accredited composers, although neither have worked with Indy or LucasArts before. Sadly, as usual LucasArts will not be releasing any original tracks for the game, nor will there be a jukebox mode.
Several new facts come from book 'Rogue Leaders: The Story of LucasArts'. Several ideas for the game were dropped by George Lucas because they clashed with the script of Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (something which also happened with Infernal Machine AND Emperor's Tomb!), such as Marion appearing and 'a location' which had to be changed. Spielberg thought up an idea on how homages to the first three films could be incorporated, so expect something more original than just flashbacks. There's also a piece of concept art showing Indy holding a mysterious crystal ball...
The European ratings board PEGI gave a rating to the DS and PSP versions of the game. However, within a week of this being discovered these disappeared from the site (presumably someone from LucasArts noticed).
Indiana Jones: The Ultimate Guide states that in the game "Indy is searching for his former college professor, Charles Kingston". Apparently in 1922 Indy, Kingston and Völler went on a significant dig together in Panama - a scenario which is played out in the PSP version of the game.
The DS version also contains an adventure in the catacombs of Paris. The player will use the stylus for navigation, puzzle solving, and combat in this version. Additionally, the microphone is used in both single-player and multiplayer cipher labyrinth gameplay.
Set in 1939. That’s the start the World War II, in case you didn’t know. It means Nazis.
Features a completely original story written under the “direction” of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg.
Will involve “ancient artefacts from around the globe”.
Locations will include San Francisco’s Chinatown, and “the world’s most sacred ground” (Possibly Mount Sinai in Jerusalem)
RUMOURS
LucasArts may have cancelled their own next-gen Indy game, but it may mean it's being outsourced.
Rob McGregor, the author behind many great original Indy adventures, wrote the official novelisation, but unfortunately it also got cancelled. There is no firm reason behind this decision as the book was finished.
At E3 the game was described as "very deep into development," with a team "working very actively" to bring the game up to a form for public/media consumption, and this has been restated recently by LucasArts. One LucasArts rep was quoted as saying "the game looks great". Unfortunately this proved untrue.
According to Eurogamer, Indiana Jones 2007 either was postponed and started again with a new team (this fits with Surfer Girl's rumour below), or never existed in game form at all. Either way, LucasArts are supposed to have only just started production on the game, after spending all their time on Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (which itself was extremely late).
Internet insider/gossip columnist Surfer Girl has mentioned Indy on several occasions. She's suggested that the game had some massive trouble a while back, that the original development team were axed and that there is "a brand new development team on board" and the game's "back on track."
Another Surfer Girl rumour was that developer A2M "is working on Indiana Jones for people who cannot stand to play consoles with the number three in the name - DS/Wii/PS2/PSP". She states that the A2M "lesser" Indy 2008 game is actually on target and may be released alongside the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull DVD. While the A2M development was proved correct, it was not released until 2009, perhaps because LucasArts believed they could finish their version in time. The handheld version may have been considered for this hype window (see PEGI stuff above) but it never happened.
Indy will meet a “devious longtime rival”. Who could this be? Answers on a postcard please. In a number of screenshots of the game (see Images), there can be seen a sign in the background reading 'Lao Che Cocktails'. Could Lao Che be the "devious longtime rival"? Considering all the enemies so far seen have been Chinese and that, out of both the films and games, he is the only surviving enemy of Dr. Jones (apart from Infernal Machine's Dr. Volodnikov, but he doesn't meet Indy until after the war), this is a very strong possibility. On the other hand, this may just have been a cute reference.
STUFF WE DON'T KNOW
If it'll be any good.
Whether The Tingler will win his bet with Gabez and the whole game will be scrapped or postponed and the engine used to make an official Kingdom of the Crystal Skull tie-in game. - Update While Tingler may be right that the game was scrapped, no KOTCS game is coming yet.
HISTORY
THE STAFF OF MOSES & AARON
'And the Lord said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward
Lift thou up thy staff, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.'
Exodus 14:15-16
The Staff of Moses and the Staff of Aaron are usually referred to as separate in the modern Bible, but it is probable that they were one and the same for reasons we will get to shortly. They work particularly well thematically for Indiana Jones, for they are closely connected to Indy's least favourite animal (snakes) and the Ark of the Covenant.
The Staff, in some versions, is shaped like a Brass or Bronze Serpent. A plague of "fiery serpents" described in the Book of Numbers plagued Israel, killing many, and God told Moses to make the Staff, which could miraculously cure their bites. In Aaron's hands the Staff caused many of the Plagues of Egypt. It turned the river Nile into blood, was transformed into a Serpent that easily swallowed up the magical serpents of the Pharaoh's sorcerors, brought down the fiery hail from the sky and caused darkness across Egypt.
In the hands of Moses, the Staff causes the Red Sea to part, was used to bring forth water from a stone (Exodus 17:5-6) and helped win the battle against Amalek (Exodus 17:9). It is interesting that Exodus 17:5 describes Moses' staff as "the staff that struck the Nile" - this was actually supposed to have been Aaron's Staff, so it is very likely that they were one and the same.
The Jewish Haggadah states that not only was the Staff of Moses and Aaron the same, but was created by God on the Sixth Day of Creation and given to Adam after his banishment from Eden, was passed down used by Jacob to cross the river Jordan (Genesis 32:10), and finally helped David to slay Goliath (Samuel 17:40).
Exodus 17:9 and Exodus 7:1 both refer to the Staff as the power of God Himself.
There are several possible resting places of the Staff:
- In Kings 18:4, King Hezekiah is supposed to have destroyed the 'Bronze Serpent called Nehushtan'. While this is probably the reason for the name 'Staff of Kings', it also suggests that the Serpent of Brass may not have been the actual Staff. Indeed, many pictures show the Staff and Serpent as two separate things (see below).
- King David kept it and used it to keep his power, but after the destruction of his temple the Staff disappeared.
- The Staff was stolen by Judas and made part of Jesus' crucifixion cross.
- It's an almond bush somewhere! (Numbers 17:18)
- It was buried by Phinehas in Jerusalem... "The world's most sacred ground" as LucasArts may have suggested?
- It was placed inside the Ark of the Covenant!
"Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's staff that budded, and the tables of the covenant;"
Hebrews 9.4
LUCASARTS SAYS...
 | 2009 Press Release:
Step into the shoes of the legendary hero, Indiana Jones, in an all new epic adventure! Set in the year 1939, Indiana Jones® and the Staff of Kings™ follows the rogue archaeologist on an all-new globe-trotting quest.
From San Francisco's Chinatown to the lush jungles of Panama, Indy must use his whip, fists and wits to fight through ruthless opposition as he spars with his nemesis, Magnus Völler, in a race for a relic of biblical proportions — the Staff of Moses.
Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings features completely interactive environments, where players need to call upon their wits and daring to make each spring-loaded environment a weapon in order to dispense of foes in clever and unexpected ways. Also, embark upon thrilling action 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 Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and the free-for-all aboard the tank in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
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| Original Press Release:
Indiana Jones 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 adventure 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 is LucasArts' first internally developed project for PlayStation®3 and Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, and it also represents the first collaboration of talents and technology between LucasArts and Industrial Light & Magic, two companies now finally under one roof at the new Letterman Digital Arts Center in San Francisco's Presidio district.
Indiana Jones debuts the revolutionary new euphoria technology from NaturalMotion, which delivers never-before-seen lifelike action and awareness to every character in real time -- so you'll 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 and resulting in a different payoff every single time. This next-gen technology imbues Indy and his opponents with unparalleled environmental awareness and survival instincts. They'll stumble, then attempt to maintain their balance; brace themselves for falls, then get back up; and reach for nearby ledges when falling. Each action results in an authentic, varied performance every time.
Complementing euphoria will be Pixelux Entertainment's Digital Molecular Matter (DMM) technology, which brings a level of realism to next-gen games never seen before by making completely interactive environments that react as they would in real life. From crumbling walls to shattering glass and even swaying organic plant life, in-game objects have material properties that behave realistically all in real time.
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 free-for-all 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. | |
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