The MOST disappointed after finishing ET was the pay-off for finding all the artifacts. I mean come on! A concept art gallery??? This the reward you get after digging around for a couple of extra hours for all 20-something artifacts??? I will tell you what I was dreaming when I was still collecting all the artifacts...

After the end cutscene with Wu-Han calling after Indy about meeting Lao Chen job I was TOTALLY convinced that it was a teaser for the bonus mission you'd get when you collect all the artifacts. Just imagine that...you get to experience, first-hand a new secret level which explains how Indy got his hands on Nu-Hache. AWESOME. Why did I assume this BONUS level would be there after I collected all the artifacts? Well, take a look at IM and the bonus mission you recieve if you had enough money (from artifacts) to buy the secret map. Does anyone join me on the this line of thinking or am I the only one that assumed the bonus level would be the payoff for getting all the goodies? Damn.

Now, I know that there are some rumblings about editing the game and making new/custom levels. If anyone should start making a custom level let them use this fantasy I had for the Nu-Hache bonus mission as the first level to be built and designed. How much more appropiate would the game be with a sweet BONUS endcap set in China and explaining the connecting event between ET and Temple of Doom? Does anyone like what i'm saying??

Now, back to the concept art...As you've read above I didn't like the concept art being the payoff...BUT the art was absolutely stunning and fascinating!!! What the heck was up with the Shaolin Monk concept art? Or the Old Shaolin priest and Turkish merchant?? These are tell tale signs of possibly great ideas shelved away from the final game. But for what reasoning??? I would really like to find out what they had been planning with some of these characters and some of the levels that also didn't make it. If you notice in the concept art there is a man standing next to the rope bridge in Ceylon and a guide helping Indy in the first concept art...were these visages of NPC's that was supposed to help you in the game? Don't you think it odd that Indy "just arrived" smack right at the limits to the ancient Ceylon city without any local assistance like in Temple and Raiders? I smell something that was lost in the final verison of the game.

Anyways, I just thought it would be simulating to bring all these criticisms and observations out into the light for the whole community to chew on. Don't get me wrong I loved the game, I would just like to find out some of the details surrounding the artwork. Also, feel free to comment about any of my above remarks...

Thanks,

Achillesz7

Great first post...I like it when someone starts with a bang like that.

Anyway, the lack of a bonus level was a disappointment, but oh well.

I agree with you on the concept art, there was some great looking stuff, and some rather intriguing things. It seems like a lot was cut from the Emperor's Tomb/Netherworld parts of the game, and the Turkish Merchant and the wise old monk are particularly interesting. Some of the art of things we know were in the game were pretty impressive as well - sketches of Ceylon and Prague come to mind. But what might have been, judging from the artwork, could have been great.

Why not all the opening scene McGuffins?
 

I think it would have been interesting to have had an unlockable Nurhachi Level. However, I think there could be some even greater potential for entire games based around each of the movies opening scenes and McGuffins. (KOTCS included) I personally found it discouraging that so many of those opening treasures seemed to slip out of his grasp. Especially the peacock's eye, if that's what the diamond was supposed to be in the beginning TOD. Give us an opportunity to find those treasures and finish those stories. Just my two cents. :gun:

You dug up a really old thread. :eek:

I think the Lego games prove that you can build games around already experienced stories and make them fun, (not even the parts they took liberties with).

Levels from the movies as rewards for finishing the game is a fantastic idea...done if I'm not mistaken in Infernal Machine.

The level that took you back to the Chachapoyan temple looked like it continued beyond the original, (thanks Attila) but I have to dust off the N64 to experience it.

With todays controllers, theres a lot of life to be breathed into the action adventure game.

Yeah, they did kind of continue it, however that wasn't the original fertility Idol. There could be plenty of fist throwing action and adventuring to experience trying to pick up the story in Marrakesch, as an example.

I haven't played Uncharted yet, but everyone seems to think a Fedora and the Raiders March is all it needs.

I mentioned this in the sandbox thread, there are all sorts of adventures to be had at places like "Machete Landing" just trying to catch up with Sapito and Barranca.

Take all those TSR source/guide books, the novels and go from there.

If I remember correctly the airport in Nepal was in the novel, and Indy drove a car up to the Raven...

I think the original script had him arrive at the Raven by means of jumping out of a plane with a rubber raft. At least it seems like I remembered hearing/reading that somewhere a long time ago.

Yup, there was even a storyboard of him riding a mule into town...

Make that the WEG source books, the TSR versions are more disappointing. ;)


I really like that scene in the novel. It felt as though Indy was heading into mystery, like Scooby and the gang heading off up a mountain pass in the Mystery Machine!


Sounds like a direct reference to the Spaghetti western 'stranger' that they talked about in the story conference.

I wouldn't take any of it verbatim...though they're a nice spingboard as far as creating settings for fleshing out a videogame whose subject and events are so well known!


I always resolve to crack the book, but don't quite get the chance! Got to read it once again of the 30th.

I'm sure it was, I think the storyboard looked more like Eastwood in Fistfull than anything else...:)

The TSR books I have don't add much, whereas the WEG ones really do go to town on detailed backstory and location descriptions. I find them enjoyable to dip into, and generally they seem faithful to the movies. West End Games built a reputation for providing legitimate source material for the Star Wars expanded universe authors, and they put just as much care into Indy's world.


It won't take you long. It's a short but gripping read. (I won't tell you how it ends! ;))

But this thread was intended for video games...

Okay, most disappointing Indy video game? I've only played Infernal Machine, so there's nothing to judge it by. However, the Aetherium level was a most disappointing revelation.

Thanks!

I was more than happy when I got mine, just for the reading!

They did a great job, and they would make for some interesting video game levels.

Just the Nazi's secret base, the island? How great would that be?