When adapting a property, it’s always important to note exactly which inherent qualities to focus on in remaining faithful.

In this way, I feel like the design elements for an Indiana Jones video game really are no brainers

Reading this article about developer MachineGames reminds me of how much fun I had playing Indiana Jones and The Great Circle, and how much I do still want to go back to it. It wasn’t just the fact that most of the game involved punching Nazis, shooting Nazis, beating the everloving shit out of Nazis with a guitar; there was a lot more to it than that, though those were all selling points, mind you. With the game having made its way to the PS5, and DLC on the way, a lot more people can get their rocks off by jumping in and doing at least as much as I did. You know, the whole Nazi brutalization thing, and all that jazz.


There are kitties present, too…the game offers much in the ways of appealing diversity

Functionally speaking, one of the saving graces of The Great Circle, was that you could choose to download hi-def texture packs, even as an option on the console side, which equated to several dozen gigs worth of space on the hard drive saved. I thought this was brilliant, as I am definitely one of those players who is always about form over fashion, so having a game play optimally will always win out over any aesthetically pleasing choices thereafter. Considering how full my hard-drives are these days, being able to opt for the more modest texture pack options, instead of being forced to get the crazier ones was a nice touch, and something I’m surprised I haven’t seen other devs jump on with more frequency.

I think the thing that ended up being my undoing while playing The Great Circle, was how unexpectedly engaging the title was. I know that sounds like an odd complaint to register, but I hadn’t envisioned developers throwing in a sandbox element as a hub area to explore inbetween missions, so to speak, which ups the run time considerably, if one is prone to bouts of curiously wandering hither and thither, or easily bemused by side quests, this will make easy work in spelling your doom. Ultimately, I think that overall, these gameplay additions help the title overall, and provides more value for consumers in the long run, and my pushback on the less linear scenario put forth by the game is perhaps only a downside in my eyes, due to the notion I always have to choose which games I am able to blast through in an expeditious manner enough to have a quick turn around on writing. When the Indiana Jones game suddenly has me finding ways to sneak into an underground fight club or trying to play “find the kitty” in their miniaturized version of the Vatican, the end of the game is definitely getting put off for a bit.

I remember I had a working article idea when I wrote my first blurb for my Great Circle write up, all the way back at the beginning of this year, when I was still working on the 1.0 version of ATE. The article idea in question was related to the fact I thought I was going to play the game more, and was attempting to come up with some original ideas to type up amidst the gamplay, so I had more than just recounts of my adventures within the game to discuss. If I remember correctly, one of the ideas I failed to execute upon in this regard, was going into the premise related to how The Great Circle helps to underline a unique gameplay experience in this day and age, and one that is directly benefited by the technology of its time, of which I speak to streaming more specifically, and how it allows games like The Great Circle be a completely passive experience with which to enjoy.

To wit; obviously, watching someone play through a game as opposed to playing it yourself is in no way, shape, or form, a unique quality to the newest Indy game, but it being a movie tie in essentially, and due to the games ridiculous sense of faithfulness to the movies themselves, I found myself often at times, thinking I would much rather just watch someone play this, then play it myself. Don’t get me wrong; the game is a hoot, and very much plays just like a first person version of an Uncharted game, so the combat is fast and punchy, there is a bunch of quippy charm in the characters and cutscenes, and plenty of treasure and secrets to be found exploring the environments. Due to the game acting as a surrogate for a movie adventure, however, and if one played it right of course, a 1:1 conversion in most regards to an Indy cinematic adventure, one would feel entirely at home putting the controller down and letting someone else have a crack at it, and losing no enjoyment in the process, which sounds like such a queer selling point for a quality product of an interactive medium, yet here we are.

Which I guess, in this quasi-review like article of my overall positive impressions having played the first 20%ish? Of the game, if you can’t get your hands directly on it, its certainly worth streaming someone else playing it, as it’s the best stand in for an Indiana Jones movie since The Last Crusade.

-Pashford