THE CANCELLED VERSION

When the long rumoured title Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings finally was announced in January 2009, gamers looking forward to Indy's next-gen adventure got a shock - it was only for the Wii, PS2, PSP and DS. 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 and originally advertised with "Indiana Jones 2007", was not used in Indy after all, and the long and varied promises about the exciting-looking sequel to Emperor's Tomb were broken.

At E3 2008 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 was restated 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, 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 mentioned Indy on several occasions. She similarly 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." She also noted about A2M "working on Indiana Jones for people who cannot stand to play consoles with the number three in the name - DS/Wii/PS2/PSP", which she said was going along much more smoothly.

If another Indy game happens for the 360/PS3, it's likely to be outsourced since LucasArts pretty much did away with their internal development studio after the troubled development of Indy and The Force Unleashed.

To add a further kick in the teeth to Indy fans, the eagerly awaited novelisation by Rob McGregor (author of many great Indy novels) was also cancelled. There is no firm reason behind this decision as the book was finished.

HISTORY

'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.'

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;"

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.

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.

LINKS