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EXPLORE INDY'S WORLD




Last year saw the release of the much-awaited addition to the Indiana Jones movie collection – Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. This year, Indy Jones fans can look forward to Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings, the latest video game offering from Lucas Arts.

THE STORY
The story revolves around the adventure-loving professor’s quest for The Staff of Moses, a rare biblical relic. Although the story begins with him in Sudan, his real journey starts in San Francisco’s Chinatown and takes him all over the world, until he finally lands in the Panama jungles. The story, set in the year 1939, takes place a year after The Last Crusade.

In the game, you play Indy, and the first level serves as an intro to the basics of the combative action. It is also, where you first learn about your new archenemy, Magnus Voller. The weapons you will use throughout the game tend mostly to be your fists, your whip and your wit. Keeping in mind the archeology professor’s resourcefulness, the game features several interactive screens. So every now and then, you will find something in the environment that will help in battling your enemies or in getting out of sticky situations.

Items that can be used to toss at enemies range from billiard balls and shovels, to fish and other people! Considering the professor’s general aversion to firearms, you see the pistol only in a few scenes in the game. With the cross hairs to aim with, shooting at opponents is as simple as aiming with the remote and pressing the B button. Reloading just requires a quick flick of the remote. There is also a flight sequence, where you fly a plane using the remote as the control stick. You will know whether an object is interactive, by the icons that appear on those objects. An interesting feature of the game is that as you explore and collect hidden artifacts and glory achievements, you unlock bonus contents like combat arenas, original Indy Jones movie trailers and skins.

THE PLUSES AND MINUSES
The game features regular action based game play, along with puzzle solving sections that provide good breaks from the tedious waggle feature of Wii. From punching and jabbing uppercuts at your opponents, to cracking your whip, the game makes full use of most, if not all, of Wii’s Wiimote features. There are two main modes of play: co-op and multiplayer. A friend can join you in play as Henry Senior or you can combat with three other friends using airplanes and tanks in the combative mode.

It is definitely worth checking out the beautiful and exotic locales and the ancient ruins and jungles that look grand and detailed. That said, the games graphics themselves, are no better than the first two games in the series.

Although the game is being offered for DS, PS2 and PSP as well, the marketing seems to be heavily Wii-centric. The fact that the game is not available on more current gaming platforms like PS3 and Xbox360, or even as a PC game, is causing quite an uproar in the gaming community. The Wii version also includes an exclusive version of Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, which can be unlocked pretty early in the game. This classic point and click adventure, is exactly the same as the 1992 PC game, but has been customised to use the Wiimote.

Complete with his trademark fedora and trusty whip, Indiana Jones is certainly one of the most loved fictional heroes of all time. His dry sense of humour and inclination for getting into trouble is brought to light in the game. From river rafting and elephantrelated escapades, to booby traps and running away from rolling boulders, the game stays true to the protagonist’s character.

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