Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings DS Review

Joel

New member
I finally picked up a copy of this the other day on DS after much hesitation. I didn't like the direction of it's two predecessors, though I have to admit The Emperor's Tomb was something of an improvement. If you're a fan of The Staff Of Kings i'd probably stop reading here because I honesty just need to express my disappointment as to how bad it was. I'm not the sort to make whinge threads but this is an exception, I really hated this game and more than ever, it demands that Lucasarts take the Indy gaming franchise in a new direction - fast.

The first thing I should admit is that the last IJ game I enjoyed was FOA. Yes, I realise that's a typical fan-boy type response, but I just can't dispute how timeless that game was. After playing The Staff of Kings, I was really disgusted by the gameplay experience. The controls were unreasonably awkward, the physics of the combat were the worst i've played on the DS and the graphics were appalling. For a Lucasarts title, I expected so much more.

Since the games went on the third person action/adventure route, at best they've been IJ themed imitations of Tomb Raider. I'd caution Lucasarts in going further down this road in future as it still doesn't work, especially after seeing how perfectly the Unchartered series is doing it.

As a positive, I did actually enjoy the story and the telling of it. The graphic novel was brilliant. While the story lacked some depth, there were some brilliant ideas there. My suggestion to Lucasarts is that they need to go back to the classic style. Already by doing that they would achieve more immersive gameplay, an improved treatment to a well intended story and overall capturing the spirit of the films. Never has IJ been about just action, the action was used to move the plot along to heighten tension. Ever since The Infernal Machine, the action has been the narrator. When there was action in Fate of Atlantis, it was an extention of the player's decision as Indiana Jones as to how events unfolded. With the contemporary games, all the games do is benchmark the player's reaction to AI.

I apologise if i've offended anyone or sound as though i've gone into a rant, but it's just how I feel. As corny as it sounds, i'm writing because I really do care about the IJ film and gaming franchise and want to see it do well. But when I play a game of such inept quality like The Staff of Kings, it just doesn't speak to me.

1 out of 5

(SORRY!)
 

UIMJ

New member
Staff of Kings was a woefully inadequate game when compared to the hype that the developers created online for their work. The game play itself needed work, and using Indy's whip (with the single whipping animation) was a total drag.

It did have it's Indy moments though, and the last level where the sea is parted was a surprisingly refreshing effect in a game with otherwise lackluster visuals. It's not a great game, but it had a few decent moments that if were pushed onto the newest gen systems would've cleaned up nicely.

A lot of the gameplay and play animations felt more like a quick time event game than a real time game though.
 

Jonesy

New member
It wasn't too bad on DS, but then again it was far from any good.

There was never much to do, and next to no platforming. Jumping was a hassle and the puzzles were never challenging enough. I finished it in an afternoon and wasn't disappointed, but playing it again? Probably not.
 
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