Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings

Rhys135

Rhys135

Active member
Morning Bell said:
I was remembering last night that before the Quantum of Solace game came out last year the screenshots for the Wii version looked like N64 graphics and were overall underwhelming. However, now that I've played the game extensively I can say it looks MUCH better than the screenshots indicated and it runs pretty smoothly.

I'm not too concerned about it. As long as the game feels like a classic Indy adventure I'll be satisfied.:hat:
Click to expand...

True. There were a lot of comments like we've seen on here allready on Nintendo forums regarding Quantum, and no gameplay footage was even officially released before the game's launch, but we got to see some footage, thanks to YouTube a few day's before it's release, and it wasn't half bad. I even got the game on launch, and enjoyed it. It had the exact same content/gameplay/level-design etc as the 360/PS3 versions aswell, just with downgraded graphics. I'm kinda hopeful that this is the case here.
 
Rocket Surgeon

Rocket Surgeon

Guest
indyjones2131 said:
Holy Krap!

Those look SOOO....

Terrible. Terrible. Terrible.

Forget the textures and aliasing. The model itself is JUNK! And look at the bloom on his arms. Thats worse than a Barbara Walters interview. And the whip in the first screen - I can't help but compare it to the 2006 vid. This one is so stiff and just off in comparison. Maybe it's better in motion...?

RHYS, where are these screens from?

Here are some Emperors Tomb screens to make you mad:

http://pc.ign.com/dor/objects/17460...rors-tomb/images/indianajones_040103_001.html

Here are some Indy 2007 screens to make you livid:

http://xbox360.ign.com/dor/objects/...na-jones-working-title-20060506090510772.html
Click to expand...

I can't wait to see your indy game...THAT's going to be AWESOME!

Right about now an Indy game would be great! I know it's not going to cost $60 bucks! Fate of Atlantis is supposed to be hidden can't wait for your review of THOSE graphics! I think I'll have fun seeing how creative it is anyway.

Hey, I want a next gen Indy game, like the lego game that goes through the original movies, with fully interactive environments. I want to steal the flying wing and bail out as I crash it into Belloq's tent! That I know the movie back to front is inconsequential. Play mechanics and feel are the most important! The fact that it's Indy themed, with the music sounds and sights is the bonus...

So, yeah, it could be better...so could have Crystal Skull.

So could have Last Crusade

So could have Temple

Ha! Raiders was perfect!:p

:dead: enjoy
 
DoomTown

DoomTown

Member
Exactly my point. The graphics for "Fate of Atlantis" weren't the best in the world, but that game really kicked ass...I know I know, we are living in the world of PS3's, 360's and Wii's, we should expect more...:eek:
 
T

The Tingler

New member
Rocket Surgeon said:
The Fate of Atlantis is supposedly a hidden extra but I probably won't play that because of the graphics!
Click to expand...
My thoughts exactly rocket. I've replayed Fate of Atlantis dozens of times, not because of the graphics (which are rubbish now) or puzzles (which I all know off by heart), but because of the brilliant story and characters. If Staff of Kings has them, I will be very happy.
 
I

indyjones2131

New member
Rocket Surgeon said:
I can't wait to see your indy game...THAT's going to be AWESOME!

Right about now an Indy game would be great! I know it's not going to cost $60 bucks! Fate of Atlantis is supposed to be hidden can't wait for your review of THOSE graphics! I think I'll have fun seeing how creative it is anyway.

Hey, I want a next gen Indy game, like the lego game that goes through the original movies, with fully interactive environments. I want to steal the flying wing and bail out as I crash it into Belloq's tent! That I know the movie back to front is inconsequential. Play mechanics and feel are the most important! The fact that it's Indy themed, with the music sounds and sights is the bonus...

So, yeah, it could be better...so could have Crystal Skull.

So could have Last Crusade

So could have Temple

Ha! Raiders was perfect!:p

:dead: enjoy
Click to expand...


Your message made very little sense. I'll assume English is your second language. Anyway, I'm not gonna repeat myself again on why this is not about graphics, but many many other indicators that point to this game being less than stellar. AGAIN, I hope I'm wrong. As for MY Indy video game? Considering I work in the video game industry and have actual respect for the Indy series and its fans, yeah - my game would be pretty great/better than this is shaping up.

Read the past several pages of this thread to fully understand my point and the points made by others with a similar sense of skepticism. You'll understand much better.
 
L

lornconner

New member
I would also like to echo that the complaints I am making are NOT about the graphics specifically. Holding up "graphics" as the only complaint we are making is a straw man argument.

And as for the Indy game I'm working on? It's Indiana Jones and the Fountain of Youth - I'm the scriptwriter on the project. I'm reasonably certain it will end up better than what we're looking at with SOK.
 
Nurhachi1991

Nurhachi1991

Well-known member
lornconner said:
I would also like to echo that the complaints I am making are NOT about the graphics specifically. Holding up "graphics" as the only complaint we are making is a straw man argument.

And as for the Indy game I'm working on? It's Indiana Jones and the Fountain of Youth - I'm the scriptwriter on the project. I'm reasonably certain it will end up better than what we're looking at with SOK.
Click to expand...


Gee than why diddn't Lucas arts pick you to write the story for Staff of Kings? :rolleyes:
 
I

indyjones2131

New member
lornconner said:
I would also like to echo that the complaints I am making are NOT about the graphics specifically. Holding up "graphics" as the only complaint we are making is a straw man argument.

And as for the Indy game I'm working on? It's Indiana Jones and the Fountain of Youth - I'm the scriptwriter on the project. I'm reasonably certain it will end up better than what we're looking at with SOK.
Click to expand...

Can you tell me more about your Indy game? I work in the video game industry and would love to hear more about it. PM me if you'd like.
 
L

lornconner

New member
Frankly, because he doesn't know me from Adam.

That said, I have given a lot of thought to the artifact in question. The Staff of Moses presents a lot of unique story/gameplay obstacles, not least of which is the continuity of Raiders itself.

The Staff of Moses was stored in the Ark of the Convenant, along with the Tablets of Law brought down by Moses. When the Ark disappeared, supposedly the tablets and the staff were inside. If we leave that aside, we can examine the staff in the following way:

The staff itself is imbued with many unique powers. In the context of the game, I would imagine that it is tied to the 10 plagues of Egypt. (We need power both great AND terrible, so that it has some use as a weapon).

Of the 10 plagues, 6 of them were performed by Moses or Aaron - 3 each. The other 4 were performed by God without the use of the staff.

The 6 that were performed WITH the staff include:

Aarons Plagues:

1. Blood
2. Frogs
3. Lice

Moses Plagues:

1. Hail and Fire
2. Locusts
3. Darkness

(For those interested, the four plagues performed by God W/O the staff were Beasts, Plague, Boils, and Death)

So we've got a nice list of *nasty* powers to use for the game...this doesn't include the "parting of the waters", the "staff sprouting and producing almonds", "bringing water from rocks", or "changing into a serpent", but those probably wouldn't be all that useful into the context of a game.

That has to lead us to ask...how CAN these powers be useful in a game?

Hail and Fire may be useful...darkness could arguably be as well. But making rivers run as blood? Or a land filled with frogs?

It starts becoming difficult to integrate these themes into a game. A movie? Yes. A book? Sure. Gameplay may be difficult, though.

And all of this leaves aside the points I'm trying to make in the first place:

I'm NOT judging the game based on the screenshots. I'm not juding it on story, yet, either. The fact is, LA isn't really talking about story and that's reason enough to make me nervous.

But that's NOT the point - the point is, LA is breaking promies. They've been doing so for many, many years. That alone isn't the problem.

The problem is the arrogance with which they've done so. Jim Ward spoke many, MANY times about how missing release dates was unacceptable. He talked about how what they were doing with Indy was special, and that they wouldn't release an inferior product.

They have done exactly that - this is not a current-gen release. It's a last-gen release.

And they know they'll get away with it, because many fans will pay money for anything that says "Indiana Jones" on it.

That's all I'm saying. I'm surprised that so many people have a problem with it. This isn't about SOK anymore. It's about the contempt LA treats their customer base with.
 
Last edited:
Irfaan

Irfaan

New member
lornconner said:
The Ark of the Covenant was stored within the Ark, along with the Tablets of Law brought down by Moses.
Click to expand...

You mean the Staff of Moses right? I'm getting confused :(

I'll just continue reading...
 
L

lornconner

New member
ARGH! Yes...that's what I get for typing quickly at work while not proofreading.

(Although...an Ark stored within itself would be a pretty interesting power.) *heh*

Thanks for the catch, Irfaan. I've corrected my earlier post.
 
Irfaan

Irfaan

New member
lornconner said:
ARGH! Yes...that's what I get for typing quickly at work while not proofreading.

(Although...an Ark stored within itself would be a pretty interesting power.) *heh*

Thanks for the catch, Irfaan. I've corrected my earlier post.
Click to expand...

Thanks for covering that! I agree, it's very interesting to see how they will implement it into a video game. For some reason, I use to imagine Indy using it like the force in star wars: the force unleashed, instead with Indy holding out the Staff (weird I know).

I don't think it will directly reference what it does for the Bible in gameplay (I can see it happening for the ending/climax however). The reason being is because it would be far too blasphemous for that.

Have you read the novel "Indiana Jones and the Secret of the Sphinx" by Max McCoy? The main macguffin in that was Aaron's staff that Indy carries around. When he first finds it it's just a thin almond rod the throughout the novel it slowly changes into a Serpent, and throughtout that period not much can be done with the staff (I won't spoil the ending for you :)).

Maybe they can do something similar to that so throughout the game you are slowly unlocking mini-powers of the staff and using the abilities (again, similar to the force unleashed with force powers).

It's certainly interesting, I wonder what reason they will give for it not being in the Ark? I remember "Indiana Jones and the Secret of the Sphinx" having a bland reason for that but nevertheless it worked.

I should watch the VHS documentary on the Ark again, I'm really in a lot of things about it (and it's Indy references:whip:). They also gave a lot of reasons onto who currently has it, and there is that guy in Morrocco who says he guards it, and there are the Muslims (I forgot which country now, I think it was another part of Africa) where men are not revealing what they are guarding. I remember the game "Assassins Creed" making a reference to that, by actually showing it Ark (but it was really cheesy in that game). It was either those two theories or the fact the Ark is lost like it always was meant to be.

Me? i still think it's in the crates ;)

(I hope somebody repaired the box after the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull events lol!)

Now for Something completely different:

Joke of the day!:

With shovelware titles like "Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings" LucasArts really were "digging in the wrong place" lol!

I didn't mean that of course, but I just couldn't resist! XD
 
Last edited:
L

lornconner

New member
Yep. I've read all the novels.

I wasn't a big fan of the first two series (Rob MacGregor and Martin Caidin), but LOVED the Max McCoy novels. (Although I felt that Secret of the Sphinx was the weakest of the four that he did).

Using the Staff to give you "Force-Like" powers would be an interesting cover. Powers like that aren't *explicitly* referenced anywhere, but a few theological sites actually have some very interesting thoughts about what the staff actually is - some would definitely be VERY interesting to be explored in an Indy context.

For an example, read here:

http://www.betemunah.org/staff.html
 
Irfaan

Irfaan

New member
lornconner said:
For an example, read here:

http://www.betemunah.org/staff.html
Click to expand...

Thanks for the literature! ;) Love reading into this sort of stuff!

And think about it...How else would lucasarts promote something and give justice to all it's physics capabilities it once promised? Sure, they showed some stuff in the tech demo but I'm sure that wasn't just it. Interesting indeed.
 
T

The Tingler

New member
I'm gonna repost a few points I've posted here about the history of the Staff of Moses/Aaron.

It's particularly well suited to Indy as it is strongly connected to his least favourite animal (snakes of course) and the Ark of the Covenant, where it may have been placed. However, it also could have been hidden by Phinehas in Jerusalem... "the world's most sacred ground"?

It was said that the Staff could cure the wounds caused by fiery snakes God had plagued upon Israel. It caused several of the plagues of Egypt, including the River of Blood, darkness and the fiery hail from the sky. It transformed into a giant serpent. It caused the Red Sea to part. It helped win the battle against Amalek.

Exodus 17:9 and Exodus 7:1 both refer to the Staff as the power of God Himself.

And if that isn't enough, remember that scene in Raiders when Indy's describing the Ark to those government guys and shows them that really cool picture of the Ark striking down its enemies? Imagine the Ark theme music right now...

staff3.jpg


The point is, it doesn't matter that Indy never gets his hands on the powers of the Staff. It's the promise of it that will keep the story going. It will probably be something like Emperor's Tomb, so Magnus Voller gets hold of the Staff and Indy has to stop him unleashing its power.

As for the June release date, it's possible as that's exactly one year after Lego Indy's release date... but I'm prepared to bet around May 16th!
 
Last edited:
Grizzlor

Grizzlor

Well-known member
Uh, those Godfather Wii screenshots look terrific. The Staff of Kings shots do not.

As for the story, story is low on the gaming totem pole. I usually play a game through in bits and pieces, given amount of free time, and forget half of the story. The most important things are gameplay/fun and graphics. If the game has Emperor's Tomb level graphics, I'm fine with that. These screen shots are well below that level.

Also, as for the next gen-systems being difficult or impossible to program for. Well, games are being released all the time, so it's clearly possible. There's no excuses for LucasArt's failure after so many years of development.
 
L

lornconner

New member
Howdy Tingler!

I do agree that the staff is VERY well suited to Indy. I'm not in dispute of that at all. I love the artists depiction of the plagues as you've shown as well - it definitely reminds me of the bible page depicting the Ark. (Mind if I ask where you found it?)

I hadn't considered the Amalek angle. It states in the bible that while man and Gods will may not align, especially with regards to conflicts - when the people of Israel dealt with attacks such as Amaleks "I am with you." That certainly sparks imaginations of further Wrath of God.

I'm mainly concerned about how you integrates the power of the staff into a gameplay environment.

If they handle it cinematically, you're right...Indy should be trying to prevent Magnus Voeller from using it.

However, their own marketing materials have indicated that you *wield* the staff, and that's where I start to get nervous.

About all that we know about the rest of the story is that Professor Charles Stanforth is standing in for Abner Ravenwood, and that he's also seeking *other* artifacts (?!) that seem to point the way to the staff.

Grizzlor> I agree that gameplay is king - but I think it's folly indeed to discount the story side of things. I'd NEVER enjoy an Indy game that doesn't keep that "supernatural mystery" side of things.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top