Articles

He chose... poorly 10 Mar, 2008 / Comments: 23

By Jason


Yes, we only put up the Zak article a short while ago, but it's already time for us to start collecting reader opinions for the Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade article.

I've gotta say, I've been pretty disappointed with the turnout for this part of the articles so far. Surely more than six non staffers have something to say about a LucasArts adventure game on mixnmojo.com? That's why you're going to do me proud this time around and restore my faith in you. It's also only fair to mention that I have a handy list of every registered member of the site, and if you fail to send your own submission, we're just going to write one for you, and our version may or may not include inaccurate descriptions of your weight and sexual preferences. Just a little heads up.

Anyway, now's the time to start replaying Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade in preparation for the best article ever written about the game that's going to be published by Mojo next month. Did I mention that you should really send in your reader opinions?
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23 Comments

  • ThunderPeel2001 on 11 Mar, 2008, 20:25…
    I love this game (of course). It's so underrated! With a slightly better control and fighting system it would have been one of the LEC greats!

    Also: I haven't forgotten my pledge... I'm just SO GODDAMN BUSY! Plus I don't know where that disc is with the interviews on... *sob*
  • Glo_kidd on 11 Mar, 2008, 03:09…
    Unfortunately i missed this title when it came out, not for lack of trying though. Unfortunately there were several different releases with the same name :( We had heard great reviews of the game but lived in relative obscurity (read:one had to travel 3-5 hours on a ferry to get to town) and as such hardly knew any better when we tried the Nes Action game port and were greatly disappointed :P

    Several years later in my push to aquire all the LEC titles I realized how very wrong we were back then. While it was no Monkey Island (:P) it was definitely a fun (and often frustrating) title. I dont know how many times i made it through the catacombs in Venice and realized that i forgot whatever i needed to open the gate to the Knights tomb or the wine bottle, or to grab all the books in the library, etc.
    Im also pretty sure i have some sort of mental condition that requires i go down every other path than the correct one in most the mazes in this game :P

    Indy 3 is really the missing link between the interface used in Zak/MM and The original interface for SMI, the slightly offset character sprites are introduced to give Indy more of a 3D'ish look than say the limited front-on or side view of Zak or Dave (a look LEC returned to for loom but abandoned from SMI on). Also introduced is the dialog tree that we have all grown to know and love, a pretty major staple of most interactive storytelling in games ever since. It should probably get a pretty big metal for that.

    All and all it is a great game and a very fun take on the movies, Id recommend it to both hardcore Indy fans and LEC adventure fans alike.
  • Glo_kidd on 11 Mar, 2008, 03:18…
    HA-HA! Taste cold steel feeble comment restraint rope! :P

    That should make up for missing out on the last two, I fully expect to make long rambling comments of praise for every game to follow :)
  • Gabez on 11 Mar, 2008, 08:39…
    That's the spirit! Thanks, Glo Kidd!
  • Capn_Nacho on 10 Mar, 2008, 23:50…
    I'd love to submit some retrospectives, but I've never played these most ancient of the Lucas library... SOMI is next, right? I've played through everything* from there on and am excited to get writing...

    *Everything except The Dig (because I too didn't care for it) and EMI (because I don't think anyone cared for it)
  • Capn_Nacho on 10 Mar, 2008, 23:52…
    Oh, hell, I haven't played LOOM, either. Never too late, I guess.
  • DeadKyle on 10 Mar, 2008, 22:25…
    I have this game, boxed, on 3.5 disks.
    I remember being stuck forever in the catacombs, not figuring out the plug thing. Then I got to a spot where I was stuck, don't know if it was stupidity, or a bug, but I couldn't get past a check point or something because I didn't have a paper or book or something, it was after the castle, after the blimp, I think after the book burning. I didn't have the inventory item, and I couldn't go back to get it. So I stopped playing. Till this day I have never finished the game. I loved what I did play, the handy little Dr.Jones diary manual that came with it. I remember carrying that around with me when I was little acting like Indiana Jones with my own grail diary.
  • Gabez on 10 Mar, 2008, 22:39…
    Thanks for the comment, Kyle!

    (At others:) See? It is not so difficult!
  • manny_c44 on 10 Mar, 2008, 21:30…
    The first Lucas Arts adventure I played was Full Throttle...and then I went back and played older ones (but not so far back as Zak or MM) in a few months expect unedited rants stretching for pages! Pages!
  • Haggis on 10 Mar, 2008, 20:57…
    Crikey, what's the deadline to send something in?
  • Gabez on 10 Mar, 2008, 21:12…
    It takes five minutes to write something! Do it now whilst your thinking about it!
  • Udvarnoky on 10 Mar, 2008, 21:00…
    Probably the end of the month.
  • jp-30 on 10 Mar, 2008, 20:45…
    I'm not looking forward to the Grim Fandango retrospective where I'll be forced to admit I have never finished the game.

    // shame //
  • Udvarnoky on 10 Mar, 2008, 20:47…
    Since these are being published monthly, surely a year is ample time to finish up?
  • jp-30 on 10 Mar, 2008, 21:00…
    You would think. Haven't finished The Dig either.

    And I still haven't started Sam & Max 202.

    Too many games, too little time. But yes, I will make an effort on Grim (and Dig) and try to have them finished in time.

    I did finish Last Crusade, but that was, what, 20 years ago when it came out. Yet another to fire up in ScummVM very soon.

  • Udvarnoky on 10 Mar, 2008, 22:14…
    It be funnier if you just tried to remember the game from 20 years ago in your opinion. But yes, replay it after.
  • jp-30 on 11 Mar, 2008, 06:42…
    Not a bad idea, actually.
  • The Tingler on 10 Mar, 2008, 22:12…
    I haven't actually finished The Dig either. Although my excuse was, I hated it. That and Zak McKracken are the only two LucasArts Adventures I actually dislike.
  • Gabez on 10 Mar, 2008, 21:14…
    I'm awful at starting games, but I'm pretty good at finishing them. I remember it took me three of four attempts to complete Grim Fandango: I'd get a certain distance, maybe half way through of three quarters, and have to stop because of a bug or something I had to do instead of the game -- but I'd always return a few months later and start again!
  • Kroms on 10 Mar, 2008, 21:59…
    :(

    You really have to play through it in one go to truly appreciate it.
  • Gabez on 10 Mar, 2008, 22:02…
    Well I did: just several times over. Whenever I went back to the game I started again.
  • Kroms on 10 Mar, 2008, 20:38…
    Lol well thing is, I don't think a lot of us played Zak...
  • Gabez on 10 Mar, 2008, 20:35…
    Yeah guys... two people who will remain anonymous didn't submit Zak opinions because they played the game "too long ago" and were "too busy." WTF?