Another Indy game that lacks that movie magic
The legendary movie hero is on the road again but unfortunately, once again his thrill-packed antics don't quite translate into the video gaming gold that they should. This one is less like the Lucasarts classics such as Fate of Atlantis and more like the actioners Last Crusade or even similar games like Tomb Raider (which clearly owes a great debt to Indy) and sees the world's greatest hero on the trail of another lost and amazingly powerful artefact which also just happens to be of interest to his old foes, the Nazis. If the plot sounds familiar, then the rest of the gameplay will be even more so, as what follows is the usual mix of 3D platforming action, with plenty of dungeons and other exotic locations to be explored, bad guys to beat up and treasures to uncover. There's nothing particularly wrong with Emperor's Tomb, but one can't help expecting a bit more from any game with the Indiana Jones name attached. There's certainly heaps of exciting action, a few surprises in the story and some classic villains to hiss at but there is also an overwhelming sense of deja vu as you explore yet another dusty old tomb and it's sad to say, but Lara Croft does it better. This one does create a suitably epic mood, in-keeping with the game's movie origins and which is thanks in no small part to the best theme tune ever written and which pops up frequently, but issues with overly simple puzzles and occasionally awkward controls do bring things down somewhat. If you're in the market for a good action game, then there is certainly one here with some great cinematic sequences, it's just not quite as good as we expect from the great man so it's hard not to feel a slight sense of disappointment.
