I've stated this elsewhere, and I thought I had here as well:
I know Jim Ward is no longer with Lucasarts. Neither is most of the internal production staff. That's not the point.
LA isn't writing an inferior game - they shelved theirs (since they've fired almost everyone that works there). LA is going to be a label that hires outsiders to write and they release. With IJ sales in freefall after the release of the film they probably decided there wasn't enough fan base to support the next-gen platforms (remember - the other platforms were written and completed almost a year ago). Just my best guess.
I'm also fully aware that the other versions have been done for a year. My point goes to something deeper.
You state that LA isn't writing an inferior game, because they've shelved theirs. However, the outsourced titles will certainly be based entirely on whatever it is that LA developed, and LA has the final say in what does go out. As such, they bear responsibility for the story. This close to release, I'd expect them to be playing UP the story angle. They're not. So far all they've shown us is 7 screenshots, and that doesn't fill me with confidence.
And finally - LA owes nothing to anyone. Last I checked it is will a democratic/capitolist society we live in (North America). If they don't see the profit in it then they are not going to do it. Am I disappointed? Of course - we all are (read previous 1 million postings in this thread)
This is the part I take greatest issue with. This IS a democratic/capitalistic society, that's true.
But I'm not interested in doing business with an entity that isn't honest with me. A long time ago, Lucasarts stood for quality. They may not have made a profit, but with the profitability of the OTHER Lucas companies, they could certainly afford to take a loss...and in fact, would have many tax-based reasons to do so. When you consider the critical success and respect that they used to enjoy in the industry, there were numerous reasons to keep the non-profitable arm of the Lucas empire operating as it was.
But that wasn't to be. Instead, LA cancelled products that were pretty much in the can (The Infamous Sam and Max sequels), the Full Throttle sequels, they released an INCOMPLETE PRODUCT (Knights of the Old Republic II) and refused to allow the developer to release a patch that would actually complete the project - and now they've canned their internal project, Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings.
I could live with ALL of those things, if it weren't for the arrogance that the company displays while doing so. A prudent company would not boast about how they were going to produce an experience that nobody else could (Jim Ward), and they wouldn't promise something that they weren't going to deliver.
If they had any shame at all, they'd be embarassed. They don't. They understand that thousands of people will purchase this last-generation product because it bears the Indiana Jones name, and they're fine with going back on their word to make their product.
Yes, they can do that. But I find it insulting. Where I'm from, when you say something, you'd better back it up if you want to have a good reputation. I've given Lucasarts 10 years to turn themselves around.
This fiasco is the last straw. I bought an XBox 360 (a platform I didn't even want) and a 42" plasma television, just for this game. I believed that the company was going to deliver, because even up until November, they claimed they were "deep into development on the next-gen version, and they were going to release."
They lied. I'm through paying them to display their contempt for me.
Best we can hope for it that SOK is a fun game. You all remember fun, right?
I certainly do. I mourn it's death with the LA logo. That said, I hope you guys DO find what you're looking for, and it turns out to be a better product than what I fear.
At least we still get some kind of IJ game to play - better than the alternative isn't it?
No, No, NO....most EMPHATICALLY no. If it has the Indiana Jones name on it, I want something special. Fate of Atlantis is still special today - it's NOT about the graphics (although I am still amazed by them, even in this fancy 3d-accelerated age). It's because the game stayed true to the Indiana Jones form, had a rollicking story, and you could tell it was a labor of love.
I DON'T want something that tarnishes the image of Indiana Jones.
Let me frame the argument in a different way; suppose that we compare the next Indiana Jones games release to the release of Indiana Jones IV, when we all wanted a new movie to come out.
Suppose that Lucas, Spielberg, and Ford all gave a press conference in early 2005 and announced "Yes, we're making the new movie. We have a script, we all agree it's really special, and we're making it for the fans. We want to have one last hurrah because it's what the fans really want, and we think we can deliver it in a way that nobody else can."
Then they go dark. Despite legions of the worlds best Hollywood reporters converging on the lots, NOBODY can find anything out about the movie. All anybody will do is say "We're still working on it, and it's going to be released."
Finally, in late 2008, a PR flack comes out and says "We know you're all VERY excited about the movie, and we want you to know it's still in development, but we're not releasing any details about the story today. We WILL tell you that it will be our first release in Blu-Ray, so cinemaphiles will want to upgrade to the latest DVD standard to enjoy this movie upon its release."
Then the movie comes out. You find out they've decided to recast Harrison Ford with Sean Patrick Flannery (Hey, it takes place in an earlier timeline!)
You're irritated, but despite it all...somehow the story *sorta* works. It's not a masterpiece, and it's not as good as the other films...but hey, it's Indy, right? You'll at least get it to complete the collection.
Then they tell you "We've decided we're only going to release this movie on VHS."
Are you still OK with this? Or do you think maybe they owed you what they promised, after you bought that nice new Blu-Ray player?
