Indiana Jones and the Great Circle - coming in 2024

[ShortRound]

Yeah, this is a bit of a Force Awakens moment for Indy Games since Staff of Kings came out in 2008. That said, Staff of Kings does follow the Raiders formula pretty close. All the greatest hits will be brought out to draw in the current generation (many of whom may never have seen Raiders even!) with a tried and true and safe set of variables. Reality is even those of us who were kids and introduced to the series via KOTCS are pushing late 20s-30s.

We do seem to be stuck in a treadmill between "oh that's a Raiders clone" and "oh wait wut why is my Indiana Jones not like Raiders."
It's like Star Wars; there's a set of die-hard people who mostly just like the first, and there are people who want something different. Our Indy equivalent is ROTLA/LC vs. TOD/KOTCS/DoD.

We're currently in the pendulum swing to a Raiders style story where it is safe and an Indy game needs to get off the ground after almost 20 years.
We'll get the more original follow ups after they can get a foothold back into the market and once the desire for a Raiders style adventure is satisfied.

 

[fedoraboy]

Well I just watched the trailer. Looks very unoriginal. Late 1930s, Nazis, North African deserts, jungles, snowy mountains, zeppelins, planes, what looks to be a white European female lead...good grief. It's like the Indy franchise can only be confined to very specific locations, time periods, ethnicities, vehicles, etc.

I know everyone wants to complain that Crusade is just Raiders 2.0, but...come on, look at this game. This is Raiders 2.0. Crusade has enough differences, but this...this is very uninspired.

The last bit got me laughing though. "You have any idea how old that was?!" Too bad that wasn't a line in the movies. Very typical Indy.

Let's remember this is an Indiana Jones game and so people want it to have the feel of an Indiana Jones adventure - and that means imagery and locales that hark back to this.

While I see why some might have an issue with us seeing the Nazis again, but TBF it would be a bit convoluted if a globe trotting adventure set in the 1930's didn't feature them. ToD got away with it because it was very much set in one place, but we'd all be complaining if an Indy video game decided to set itself solely in one place - it would seem like a missed opportunity for a character very much associated with globetrotting and exotic locales to be limited like this. Plus I don't think it's going to be JUST Nazi's he's encountering, he'll be rubbing up against other Axis powers too, and I wouldn't be surprised if other more localised villains make an appearance as well.

And come on, if we rule out deserts, jungles and mountains we're sort of limiting where Indy can go! What environment hasn't been featured in the films - short of an adventure set in outer space I'm struggling to think of anywhere. Again with the vehicles, I imagine we'll see trucks and motorcycles, maybe trains and boats - but there're only a finite amount of vehicles that existed in the 1930's and across the films they've pretty much featured them all!

 

[emtiem]

Yeah I think games are different to films: although it's an original story the idea is to evoke the movies way more than an actual new movie would. The idea is to immerse you in that world which you're already familiar with, so the familiar has to be there. Like when they did the Ghostbusters game years ago: it didn't put you joining the Ghostbusters and travelling to India or whatever: you were in NYC, with the car, the fire house, the marshmellow man, the library etc. I wouldn't have wanted a movie of GB3 to be going over old ground like that, but for the game it's exactly what you want.

 

[T06J00]

Yeah it's about evoking the world the characters live in. We love seeing Indy interacting with all those classic elements/vehcicles/locations in the films - so of course we're going to want to replay those moments in the game.

Plus if there are more sequel games (and I hope there are) they may bring in some new/fresh elements.

 

[Dr.Jonesy]

Well I just watched the trailer. Looks very unoriginal.

I really see where The Lone Raider is coming from, though. I think it's fair to be stoked for this game for giving us the typical goods that we're familiar with - but also fair to go "Really? Again?"

Because let's be real - when has 'classic Indy' in terms of a revival in a game or even a book...frequented maybe India or Japan, or took Indy to the Antarctic, Iran, Russia, etc.? Very rarely. It's always - as he said - "deserts, jungles, snowy mountains".

There's still new ground to tread. And I think it's fair to wish for more new ground because it's not like we Indy fans always have a 'next game/movie/comic/book' on the horizon. Indy's an output desert, so what we get is pretty much the limit of what we'll get for a long time.

Some of us kinda want maybe...a tropical location? Maybe even some stuff in America. Mexico. Imagine an Indy adventure that focuses on Celtic mythology, Norse mythology or the Slavics?

Or a sidekick that's from a country he's in, who has stake in the outcome because it's part of their culture rather than a normal, white English woman sidekick.

Am I happy with how the game looks? Very.
Does it look great? Yes.
Am I just super happy it's coming this year? Oh yes.

But I can't begrudge someone for wanting some new stuff with each Indy outing.

 

[Damon]

We don't really know yet how many sites/levels there will be. The vatican is pretty new as a setting, as are the snowy mountains (we didn't see much of Nepal in Raiders) and both were basically just teased. I'm sure the will be a couple surprises. In any case, this won't be an open world game anyway, meaning, we will propably spend most of the time underground in the tombs and temples, not in the jungles/deserts themselves.

 

[Kukulcan]

I must say, originality and deviation from what many people like in Indiana Jones is not what I expect from an Indy game.

 

[FordFan]

Some of us kinda want maybe...a tropical location? Maybe even some stuff in America. Mexico. Imagine an Indy adventure that focuses on Celtic mythology, Norse mythology or the Slavics?

If I bought the game without watching the trailer and it dealt with Slavics and zero Nazis, I'd bring the game back.

rather than a normal, white English woman sidekick.

The Emeror's Tomb had Mei Ying as his sidekick. If DOD couldn't be bothered to come up with a more diverse sidekick or villains outside Nazis, I really can't fault a video game.

 

[Dr.Jonesy]

If I bought the game without watching the trailer and it dealt with Slavics and zero Nazis, I'd bring the game back.

That's all well and good but I never said 'don't use Nazis at all'.

The Emeror's Tomb had Mei Ying as his sidekick.

Right - and it was a breath of fresh air.

Having one WOC as a sidekick in the entirety of Indy film/gaming isn't really that great. And sure, Dial suffers from that, too.

 

[fedoraboy]

And sure, Dial suffers from that, too.

As an aside, it would have been interesting if Mason had stuck around for more of the ride in DoD. Not necessarily wanting to replace Helena, but seeing Mason initially pursuing Indy, then being forced to somehow team up with him to stop Voller - and the inevitable tension as Indy and Mason's personalities clash - would have made for an interesting dynamic (perhaps more interesting than that of Indy/Helena?). There wasn't enough room for much of an expanded role for the character in the version of Dial we got - but as a character Mason had potential but really was wasted.

 

[Randy_Flagg]

As an aside, it would have been interesting if Mason had stuck around for more of the ride in DoD. Not necessarily wanting to replace Helena, but seeing Mason initially pursuing Indy, then being forced to somehow team up with him to stop Voller - and the inevitable tension as Indy and Mason's personalities clash - would have made for an interesting dynamic (perhaps more interesting than that of Indy/Helena?). There wasn't enough room for much of an expanded role for the character in the version of Dial we got - but as a character Mason had potential but really was wasted.

Mason was an odd one since I'm still not convinced she needed to be there at all. It seems they should have either given her more to do, or simply cut her role entirely.

As for The Great Circle, I never play video games anymore, but I'll enjoy watching a playthrough at some point. It's strange-- I have no interest in an animated Indy show, but I'll happy watch a playthrough of an Indy game.

 

[Dr.Jonesy]

It's strange-- I have no interest in an animated Indy show, but I'll happy watch a playthrough of an Indy game.

Maybe it's because an animated show would like sanitize and strip all the grit from Indy whereas we won't get that with the game.

 

[fedoraboy]

As for The Great Circle, I never play video games anymore, but I'll enjoy watching a playthrough at some point. It's strange-- I have no interest in an animated Indy show, but I'll happy watch a playthrough of an Indy game.

I’m not a gamer at all - the only games I’ve played the last 20 odd years have been Indy related. I greatly enjoyed emperors tomb and am toying with whether an X Box purchase is worth it to play this - if the verdict here is that the game is a blast, & I can pick up a second hand X for a reasonable price - then I’ll perhaps be able to justify it to myself!

 

[Damon]

I greatly enjoyed emperors tomb and am toying with whether an X Box purchase is worth it to play this - if the verdict here is that the game is a blast, & I can pick up a second hand X for a reasonable price - then I’ll perhaps be able to justify it to myself!

Something to keep in mind: Singelplayer games like these usually aren't the longest affair. Even if you soak everything up, you might see the credits already after only three or four days. Not sure if it is worth to buy an XBox - or even a gaming pc - for one just one most likely short-ish game. (Luckily, there are plenty adventure games like Uncharted, Tomb Raider or, if you are even slightly interested in history - Assassins Creed, that might justify the price. But yeah, if you aren't intersted in anything other than Indy... propably not worth it).

 

[fedoraboy]

Something to keep in mind: Singelplayer games like these usually aren't the longest affair. Even if you soak everything up, you might see the credits already after only three or four days. Not sure if it is worth to buy an XBox - or even a gaming pc - for one just one most likely short-ish game. (Luckily, there are plenty adventure games like Uncharted, Tomb Raider or, if you are even slightly interested in history - Assassins Creed, that might justify the price. But yeah, if you aren't intersted in anything other than Indy... propably not worth it).

Appreciate your advice - but also don’t overestimate my gaming ability! Emperors Tomb took me a fair old while to get through and I was less rusty game-wise back then! But I’ll see what the verdict is for sure before diving in!

 

[Kukulcan]

I bought about every xbox for one or two games each. Sold console and game(s) after I was through with a total loss less or just the price of the game(s).

But again, you can probably stream the game on your mobile phone, tablet, non gaming capable PC or Mac. 1080p and 30fps should be easily achievable with a decent connection and sufficient for most single player gamers with reasonable standards.

 

[FordFan]

As an aside, it would have been interesting if Mason had stuck around for more of the ride in DoD. Not necessarily wanting to replace Helena, but seeing Mason initially pursuing Indy, then being forced to somehow team up with him to stop Voller - and the inevitable tension as Indy and Mason's personalities clash - would have made for an interesting dynamic (perhaps more interesting than that of Indy/Helena?). There wasn't enough room for much of an expanded role for the character in the version of Dial we got - but as a character Mason had potential but really was wasted.

I would've preferred Mason as the sidekick over Helena. A black woman as the sidekick in 1969, a time of great social upheaval, would've been more interesting to me. Interesting enough to justify making the movie. As it stands, her character doesn't enhance the movie and just adds to the already long runtime.

 

[fedoraboy]

A black woman as the sidekick in 1969, a time of great social upheaval, would've been more interesting to me. Interesting enough to justify making the movie.

You should check out my alternate Indy 5 novel which does just this!

 

[FordFan]

You should check out my alternate Indy 5 novel which does just this!

You've become fedoraman in my eyes.

 

[fedoraboy]

You've become fedoraman in my eyes.

I have to say, when I came up with the name I didn’t anticipate I might still be using it two decades later. In hindsight I wish I’d chosen something more mature…