Infernal Machine

Luisiana Jones said:

From what i remember im pretty sure it was only an US exclusive. I had the PC version

Regards,

LJ

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I have noticed a few differences so far between the two versions. I have been using Canyon's guide to make sure I get all the treasure and the locations of certain items (such as anti venom) are in different spots. Also I have seen some videos on youtube of the PC version and the characters mouths move in the cutscenes. In the N64 you hear their voices but the mouths do not move. I guess Factor 5 had some trouble with this when they were converting the PC version for the N64.

Canyon said:

I first bought this game in 2000 and every few years I go back and play it.

It could be said that as Indy games go, Emperor?s Tomb is my favourite, but despite the blocky graphics and awkward control system (on the PC) I really do have a great deal of affection for this game.

What I love about Infernal Machine is that the scenery and the fact that colours are so vibrant. I also love the fact that it really does feel that you are reliving some moments the Indy trilogy, namely the mine cart sequence.

I have never played the game on the N64 console and I have recently read that that version has had several major improvements made, and am therefore planning on buying a second hand console and copy of IM once I move to the States.

For those of you who have never played this game, here is a guide with hundreds of screenshots: http://www.the-spoiler.com/Sinjin/INDY/indywalk.htm

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Can you do the Monkey Island secret on the N64 version I was unable to do it. I tried to do it again after defeating Marduk for the first time like some other internet sources said and still could not. I am guessing that you cannot because I got all the treasure for that level without doing it ( I know your guide says that secret area contains a treasure). If anyone has any info on this I appreciate it.

So I completed the game and found all the treasure in the game. I enjoyed it very much. I liked the story and premise. The game play was fun. The controls for the N64 were great ( I heard the PC version had some issues). It had some glitches which is unusual for an N64 game but was certainly nothing too bad like people have said about the PC version. The levels are really long and it takes a while to complete some of them. I noticed they moved the location of a couple items/treasure in certain levels. I thought the voice acting was great ( I liked the guy who did the voice for Indy in Emperor's Tomb better). The graphics must have been very impressive in 2000, it is probably one of the most advanced games on the Nintendo 64.

Complaints:
I had a few problems with the game. Just like in Emperor's Tomb the story goes too far in the direction of fantasy towards the end. I also didn't like Indy using the item parts to gain special abilities, just like Emperor's Tomb (with the Pacheng). Both Infernal Machine and Emperor's Tomb include locations that seem to be untrue to the artifact they are searching for. There wasn't any contact between Babylon and Mexico/Palawan/Kazakhstan (I could believe Babylon interacting with Sudan). Emperor's Tomb also had this problem with an ancient Chinese artifact in Ceylon/ Prague/ Istanbul. Staff of Kings had a biblical artifact in Nepal (and Maya in Panama). It seems that the video games have not done as good a job as the films in crafting global adventures. I also wish the whip had more use as a weapon. It was used perfectly as a tool but was way too ineffective as a weapon.

Overall I loved the game. I probably enjoyed Emperor's Tomb a little more because I like Chinese history, especially anything pertaining to the first emperor. If I had to rank the three Indiana Jones games I own/played I would go...

1.) Emperor's Tomb
2.) Infernal Machine
3.) Staff of Kings

dr.jones1986 said:

Both Infernal Machine and Emperor's Tomb include locations that seem to be untrue to the artifact they are searching for. There wasn't any contact between Babylon and Mexico/Palawan/Kazakhstan (I could believe Babylon interacting with Sudan).

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I'd take issue with this point. Contrary to the unjustified locales in Emperor's Tomb and Staff of Kings, the story of Infernal Machine makes clear that each of the four men traveled as far as they could with their respective machine parts before finally stopping. A couple of them, those in Mexico and the Palawan, got rather far, but there's a reason provided.

Attila the Professor said:

I'd take issue with this point. Contrary to the unjustified locales in Emperor's Tomb and Staff of Kings, the story of Infernal Machine makes clear that each of the four men traveled as far as they could with their respective machine parts before finally stopping. A couple of them, those in Mexico and the Palawan, got rather far, but there's a reason provided.

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I agree, Hal Barwood did a much better job trying to justify it, than Emperor's Tomb or Staff of King's. I still think ancient Babylonians in Mexico or Palawan is a strech. At least they provided a reason unlike Emperor's Tomb which has ancient Chinese artifacts in Prague and Ceylon...far from their sphere of influence. Staff of Kings was the worst because they transplant entire civilizations to new countries.

I still think compared to the movies globe trotting stories, the video games fall short. Venice and Turkey both being tied to the Holy Grail made perfect sense.

Overall I enjoyed Infernal Machine very much. The ending got a little crazy but it was still very enjoyable.

dr.jones1986 said:

I still think ancient Babylonians in Mexico or Palawan is a strech.

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Well, the game quite explicitly says that it wasn't a full-blown cultural migration, but simply the four disciples carrying the parts. And while not directly stated, it's quite heavily implied that they didn't exactly reach their respective locations by conventional means. Even Indy himself gets to benefit from this form of travel at one point.

Finn said:

Well, the game quite explicitly says that it wasn't a full-blown cultural migration, but simply the four disciples carrying the parts. And while not directly stated, it's quite heavily implied that they didn't exactly reach their respective locations by conventional means. Even Indy himself gets to benefit from this form of travel at one point.

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It was implied that Indy took some kind of portal from Kazakastan to Palawan. It was also the only redline sequence between countries that did not have the airplane flying over the map (I own the N64 version). I didn't care for this and thought it would be too much fantasy for one of the movies.

dr.jones1986 said:

I didn't care for this and thought it would be too much fantasy for one of the movies.

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Curiously enough, I agree. It was a rather strange narrative solution that even battled the general lore a bit, but not the game's internal logic, mind you. Had we seen the same on silver screen though, I could totally see it cause an arched eyebrow or two.

I have the N64 cartridge of Infernal Machine, got it last year. But i haven't got around to play it yet, since I don't have the console.
I'm planning to buy it since it's prettry cheap around the internet...
I do remember playing Infernal MAchine as a kid, had a blast for it, but never managed to finish it, and I don't remember a whole lot about it.
I'm hungry for a new Indy game... maybe this one can help a little, yesterday I tried to play Staff of Kings and boy... it's really terrible... I got frustrated with the blasted game.
I've watched a couple of videos on youtube and got some high hopes for Infernal MAchine.

Now that's an idea... you're talking about the pc version, but maybe an N64 emulator and rom would do the trick for me, no need to buy the console.

In this game, as in real life, I always hated the spiders! Worse than snakes, or anything else. Would play this game in solitude, with the sound cranked up, and I seem to remember more than a couple of times the spiders startled me. Never completed this game, due to the speakers or controls fritzing out on me, but still plan to someday.
I remember caving in to buy the help book, after certain puzzles/levels left me very frustrated. But I use hints sparingly, as solving it myself is usually more rewarding.