Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings

I had high expectations for this game. I don't know why. The last two Indiana Jones action games (Infernal Machine and Emperor's Tomb) were fun, but not great. That is what this game is: fun, but not great...just good.

The first problem is the story, which moves along without much context, logic, or narrative. Indy just moves from place to place following the mystery. The story is all bones, but no meat, which is disappointing for an Indiana Jones story, as well as one from LucasArts, which used to tell amazing stories through their games.

Another thing that really annoyed me was the controls, specifically, the fighting controls. A quick swing of the remote is a quick jab, that works fine. But a hard swing is a full on left or right hook (depending on which you swing, the nunchuk or the wiimote). This should have been a lot more intuitive, I found myself often swinging really hard with Indy not moving, which resulted in me getting pummeled from the 4 different enemies who were attacking me. This is the same control mechanic that is necessary for swinging one of the many weapons you can have in your hand, which means that swinging the weapon hardly works, and never worked when I wanted it to. I found myself dying during many of these brawls, and heading back to a checkpoint (you regenerate with full health), but there is no way to skip a cut scene (Really? This is game programmer 101!), so you could find yourself watching the same scene over and over if you die often. Also...I would have liked the puzzles to be challenging. They weren't challenging, and to be honest - I never really felt like there were any actual puzzles to solve. This is an action game, pure and simple.

On the plus side, the voice acting is great. The actor who plays Indy really sounds pretty close to Harrison Ford. When saying one-liners he is nearly indistinguishable. No matter what flaws there are in this game, it is still fun, even through the frustration. Oh, did I mention it has Fate of Atlantis, LucasArts' classic adventure game, bundled in? (You don't have to finish the whole game to unlock it - Fate of Atlantis can be unlocked within 30 minutes of Staff of Kings game play).I doubt I'll replay Staff of Kings anytime soon, but I'll spend a lot of time on Fate of Atlantis, which plays beautifully (in all it's talkie glory) with the wiimote.

Threadbare story, unintuitive controls, and a very heavy focus on action over puzzles bring the game down. Good voice acting, pure fun, and one of the greatest adventure games ever made bundled in make the package still worthy of buying. Who am I kidding? LucasArts should have sold this as Fate of Atlantis with Staff of Kings bundled in.

Indiana Jones is back in a really good way.

The Wii is a natural fit for the adventurer, allowing you not only to crack the whip, but to crack it in interesting ways (grab your enemy by the neck, waist, feet!). Also, the controls for fist fights, while being explained to you in detail during your first fight, still is a natural fit that doesn't bear repeating nor consulting the manual during "pause" to figure out what's what.

I have read some reviews on gaming sites that complain about "autosaves" being few and far between and that the controls didn't always respond as expected. I, for one, can definitively say that I encountered NO SUCH PROBLEMS. My controls work just fine and I have had no mis-cues so far.

If there was ever a complaint that I could have for this game, it would be his facial expressions. They are definitely comical and cartoonish...and not in a good way. That, and the graphics are toned down...which is expected for a Wii game, but after seeing the beautiful colors and sharpness in Super Mario Galaxy, the game developers clearly were not giving the Wii enough credit.

That said, the graphics aren't THAT bad; I'm simply pointing out that they could have done better. Apart from that minor quip, the gameplay more than makes up for it.

There might be other complaints that the game might be too easy. Keep in mind, however, that the game is targeted to a broader age group and therefore is intended to be enjoyable by all ages. I won't say who it's made easier for, but you gamers know who I'm talking about. ;)

It's a fun ride that will get your nunchuck and wiimote moving. The multi-player game mode is also fun.

And, if game reviews are to be believed, the original Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis is an unlockable reward for this game...2 for the price of 1!

I have to start off by saying that I'm an Indiana Jones fanboy. `Raiders of the Lost Ark' is one of my "Five Desert Island Movies". That along with the idea of using the Wii-mote as the whip and being able to pummel Nazis using the Wii sensor controls was too good to pass up. There was no way I was not going to pick this game up the day it came out.

I can't say this game surpassed any expectations I had but I will say that I was not disappointed. The graphics don't set any new standards but are good for the Wii. The sound is pretty good and the soundtrack is dominated by well placed cues from the legendary scores of all four films. Some new music is thrown in as well but the newer cuts are few and far between. The voice acting is as good as one could hope for without having any of the original cast. Indy is well done as is Henry Sr. in the multiplayer co-op mode. The dialog has the tendency to be drowned out on occasion by music or other sound effects but no key plot points are missed. Also, a staple of the Indy film series, the "Wilhelm Scream" is featured a couple of times, for those who know what I'm talking about.

The story is okay. There's no scene that really sets up plot and tells you what the ultimate artifact is that you are after. It could have been developed better but I honestly didn't buy an Indiana Jones game for the Wii to experience and award winning story. There's an artifact the Nazi's are out to get, you need to get it first. Save the better developed stories for the movies.

The controls are good but may take a bit of time to get used to. Using your six-shooter takes some practice but taking out the bad guys is easy once you get it down. Sometimes the only way to defeat an enemy is to shoot objects around where they are taking cover. Throwing punches and using your whip to swing across pits is easy enough but things can get a bit more difficult when you are facing multiple enemies. There is a simple strategy that I employ when I find myself outnumbered; stay near a wall, grapple your enemy, ram them into the wall. This will either kill them or take away 90% of their health. If there are no walls nearby then stay on the move, whip a baddie around the neck, reel him in and deliver a knee to the face. The brutes are easy; just wait until they rear back to throw a punch and simply dodge.

One difficult spot I ran into was in the Istanbul level. There comes a part when you need to throw a skull into a gear to jam it so Indy can move on without being flattened. I must have thrown hundreds of skulls and was almost ready to throw my Wii-mote through the wall but I found out the solution was amazingly simple. When you come to this part just pick up a skull, go to the gear, and make a throwing motion. Don't push the `A' button.

The levels are well designed and definitely add to the "Indy" feel of the game. The first level is pretty much just a tutorial on how to use the controls. It's capped off by Indy having to make his escape by flying a German plane through a narrow canyon. My favorite level has to be the one in Panama, especially when Indy gets to the temple. That entire part of the level completely captures the spirit and inventiveness of the opening temple scene of `Raiders'.

I have completed the game on both the Wii and PS2 and the versions are nearly identical. Pretty much the only difference is that the combat tutorials on the Wii are narrated by Indy and therefore take a bit longer. The Wii also serves up slightly better graphics. Shooting is obviously easier on the Wii but controlling vehicles and other modes of transport is easier on the PS2. Taking on multiple bad guys is also a bit easier on the PS2 but once you get your strategy down on the Wii, it's nearly as simple.

I have to say I prefer the Wii version for the fact that it serves up a more authentic Indy experience with the use of the motion controls. Also, having the ability to unlock 1992's `Fate of Atlantis' is a huge selling point. It is presented exclusively on the Wii platform in all of its talkie glory which makes for a great trip down memory lane. The co-op levels on the Wii are neat if for no other reason than it features Indy and Henry Sr. on an adventure together. I've actually been able to complete the first two co-op levels on my own, with a controller in each hand, and they were pretty fun.

In all honesty, this is a pretty short game but I, and I imagine most other Indiana Jones fans, will find reason to go back for more. Hardcore and more experienced gamers may not find it all that challenging. It's a great introduction to the Wii for Indiana Jones and hopefully just the first of more adventures to come.

This game is so much fun! It is so much more interactive with the wii remote and nunchuck. You get to punch, grapple, whip, shoot (and reload your gun manually), and even fly planes! It's so much more satisfying to be able to feel like you are punching the enemy, and not just pushing a little button. I think I've played pretty much every Indiana Jones game ever made (all the way back to Indiana Jones and His Desktop Adventures), and this one does not disappoint. It also has some great nostalgia value by including Fate of Atlantis as a bonus game. I can't comment on the multi-player mode, since I haven't tried it yet. It might be helpful to have an extra helping hand when you have three goons coming after you and trying to beat you up! I think the graphics are really nice, but then again, I'm not a major gamer, and I don't have any other system than my Wii, so I don't have much to compare it to. The average game player will have a lot of fun!

This games is great. Who cares that it is not as visually stunning as it would be on PS3 or 360. You can not sacrifice graphics for gameplay. The added bonus of Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis from the early 90's PC days is outstanding! This is a game that any fan of Indiana Jones must buy.

Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings:

The past Indy adventure wasn't the greatest. Although grossing over 300 million at the box office, it lacked a true Indy adventure. Lucasarts hopes to redeem themselves with Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings, for the Wii, PS2, and DS gaming systems. This review is for the Wii version.

The story is very intriguing so far. It revolves around Indy's quest for the Staff of Moses. It is set in 1939, and features many locales spanning from San Francisco to Panama.

Of course, Indy's greatest weapon is his mind, and he'd much rather come into a brawl the easy way than the hard way. That being said, if you want to avoid a head-on brawl, then search for an alternate route. The combat is where this game shines. Of course, what Indy game would be complete without mention of his whip, which couldn't be represented better in Staff of Kings. You can whip it by pressing B and swinging the remote like a whip. You use the whip for combat, grabbing items, and swinging across trenches.

During combat, you swing the Wii remote and Nunchuck wildly until you kill someone. You can pick up weapons, such as a shovel, a broom, or a stick, and use them against your foes. Of course, they can use them, too. Another cool feature is grappling, which means grabbing the enemy and ramming him into anything nearby, such as a gong, a desk, or even an aquarium.

I'm not yet sold on the scenes where Indy must use his Revolver. They are difficult, and the enemies are very adept with a gun, and you just started. With that being said, I had to go through these levels quite a few times, and this means watching the cut scenes. This became annoying.

Another bothersome thing is that whenever I needed to interact with the environment (i.e. swing over a trench, or sneak across a ledge), it took me a while to find where to do this. And I usually ended up falling to my doom while trying to place my footing correctly.

The motion controls work very well, and you use them not just for fighting enemies, but also lighting torches and swinging items around, and much more.

The graphics are just fine, not great, not bad, just ok. There were a little frame rate issues, especially in a level where a building was on fire, but this issue quickly resolved itself later in the game.

Is Indy's latest adventure top-notch, or does it fall short? I think it has as many hits as it does misses, but this is still a fun adventure game. Rent it first.

OVERALL: 7/10

I had a great time playing this game! Was very enjoyable the first time through, but I really don't feel a burning need to go back and revisit the single player mode again. A little unusual for me because I tend to be a completest and want often go back over territory to find the hidden treasures I missed.

Favorite thing: Combating enemies is FUN! It never gets old to whip a guy, pull him close to you, and then head butt/knee/pummel him. I didn't have any problems with the controls during fight sequences like a lot of people I read about online had.

Least favorite thing: The auto-save points. Mostly they were fine but sometimes they saved you and locked you away from being able to back track or they were poorly placed and forced you to rehash unnecessary steps or cut scenes to "continue" from the last point after you perish. I'm looking at YOU, gun tutorial.

Graphics are good but not cutting edge on the Wii. The voice work is great. The guy they have doing Indy sounds so close I often forgot it wasn't him. Some of the sequences really suck you in. The puzzles make you think a little bit but they're mostly pretty easy to solve and don't require a MYST level of ingenuity to complete.

The game moves along pretty quickly and doesn't really encourage stopping. You just shut it off when you want to quit as there is no way to get back to the main menu that I could find. I could read the manual maybe, but it should be intuitive.

In all, quite an enjoyable way to spend about 10 hours (on normal mode), give or take. The story was fun if not always clear about why we're going where. To be fair, I may have missed some explanations during the cut scenes as my seven year old "helped" me with most of it and had a lot to say. I really shouldn't put that in quotes since she figured out a couple of the things before I did and told me what I should do.

Side note, I wish that they had made this in to a movie instead of the Crystal Skull. It would have been much more entertaining and, since the Staff of Kings was the staff Moses used to part the sea, fit in so much better with the Ark and Cup stories.

There are many people out there who won't like this game. Like so many media tie-ins, if you don't like the source material, why would you like the game? Well, this is Indiana Jones and so it's definitely "old school." To me, that is a great thing. Story is always key to me and this one doesn't disappoint. It isn't that hard for me to stress content over glossy graphics, etc. So the Wii doesn't rattle my cage there. I might as well get it over with and bash the one thing that does tick me off. In the combat sequences - actually beating guys up with the wiimote and nunchuck?!?! how cool is that?!?! - the poor system just can't keep up. In one of the Glory goals in Panama, you have to kill 10 guys with items lying around. Well, the only surefire way to beat goons in this game is the whip and maybe an action button press here and there. Motion gestures just don't work. They get frantic and are incredibly hit or miss. Very frustrating.
Having said that, the rest of the game is terrific. There is a great mix of adventure/exploration, fisticuffs, wonderfully realized shooting sequences and some special levels involving among other things, planes, an elephant chase and yes, a piano. The piano level really frustrated me but I have to give them points on the brilliant concept. I particularly liked the sequence in Nepal where you had to keep from freezing to death. I can't see many games pulling this off or even trying it. And huge kudos to the voice actor who played Indy. He was top notch. I actually found all the secrets (Fortune) and have two Glory assignments to finish - both in Panama. Oh and that was the other thing. I LOVED the ball court segment. Easy to do but damn near impossible to do without a big, frickin' ball rolling over you. Haven't tried co-op yet but The Fate of Atlantis is included from 1992, I think. What a great extra. If LucasArts could put one of these out every year, I'd be a happy camper.
Bottom line - if you like Indy, odds are good you'll like this game. I sure did.

Like A lot of people waiting for the new Indy game to come out I bought this the day it was released thinking how great and how fun it would be, sadly while it's entertaining it was also somewhat of a letdown as well. Like some reviewers have said the major problem was the controls when you try to throw a punch or fling the whip, it doesn't do what you always want it to do or it doesn't react at all allowing the enemy you're fighting to get in a few more hits. Also the video is somewhat problematic as well seeing some color distortions in some scenes and color dots in some cut scenes throughout the game. The audio also leaves a lot to be desired as it's to low no matter the volume setting on the games option screen and you have to adjust the volume on your t.v. really high to just hear the voices or effects or when the characters talk either they repeat or it's cut off during their speeches sometimes. I think the reason why is if anyone remembers that the game was supposedly to come out for the PS3 and Xbox 360 but since that fell through they must of thought they had to rush it for the Nintendo Wii system at least, and that looks like a sad choice. The game is fun though with the fight scenes and the exploring through jungles an such so while there are some glitches in the game there's some entertainment for you as well so at most it evens out for play ability fun. So if you're a hardcore Indiana Jones fan who can't wait for the next game here's a decent game for you, but if you can wait I'd say at least wait for the price to go down a little for this entertaining but glitchy game...

I am a big Indiana Jones fan and after playing this game I think it is probably important that you are a fan before trying it. If the main protagonist of this game was some unknown video game character it would probably be a lot harder to be engrossed. However, since it's Indy you already know his backstory and therefore there is a resonance to the action and much of the humor.

First off, the story is pretty good. Certainly a worthy Maguffin in the Staff of Kings. While there isn't a whole lot of clear reasoning behind the places Indy travels, each individual locale has a lot of interesting action to say the least. Generally you travel to a country, explore, and then uncover the clue you were looking for. There is a bunch of fighting in between. Really, the biggest gripe with the game is in the controls. They are fairly responsive, but I spent most of my time just waggling away without any regard to whether I was upper cutting or jabbing. And you know what, it worked. That's a problem with this, and many, Wii games. The place where it was most frustrating, however, was controlling the flying craft. These segments were almost unbearable most of the time. Thankfully, there are only a couple. It is a great concept to have so many interactive items in the game, but truth be told, you won't use them much. You'll find a strategy and repeat it over and over. Mine was whip, pull, punch.

However, the game does have a certain charm. The characters are strong, voice acting good, and of course you have the most famous movie score of them all. And the graphics? Well, they are solid. You probably won't be blown away, but there aren't any moments when the graphics cause you to shake your head.

All in all, I had a lot of fun with this game. If you are an Indiana Jones fan, chances are you will too.