With the pending return of Indiana Jones to the big screen roughly slated for 2005, Jim Tso of Lucasarts has taken time from his busy schedule to discuss Indy’s return to the game genre with Indiana Jones and the Emperor’s Tomb.
GVK: Describe how the idea for the game came about.
JT:- With the introduction of the new consoles, LucasArts thought it would be a great time to reintroduce Indy to a new generation of game players.
GVK: What is the backstory of the game and its setting?
JT: – Indiana Jones and the Emperor’s Tomb is set in 1935, before any of the adventures you see in the three movies. Indy is hired to retrieve artifact from the tomb of China’s first emperor. This is an actual historical site located in Xian, China. It’s where all those statues of terra cotta soldiers are located. We thought it would be a great location for an Indy adventure since the tomb still hasn’t been fully excavated to this day.
GVK: Going into this game, what are the main objectives you wanted to achieve in regards to content and gameplay?
JT: – We wanted to capture the feel of the Indy movies: fast-paced action; cliffhanger sequences; and a good mix of adventure elements.
GVK: What do you think will be the biggest obstacles in designing the game
JT: – The biggest challenges in designing the game were to make sure that we could do everything we wanted to in the time that we had.
GVK: In regards to content, what features do you plan to include that will make this game stand apart from others in the genre?
JT: – One of the coolest things is how Indy can use his whip. It’s really just like the movies: Indy can use the whip to swing around parts of the environment and he can use it as a weapon also. The whip is a slower weapon and has a minimum range, so enemies who are quick can get in under it and attack Indy.
GVK: How does this game tie into what is being done for the new Indy film if at all, and what if anything has been carried into the game from the past three films?
JT: – The previous three films have served as the inspiration for many of the game’s moments. I think it’ll be fun for Indy fans to play the game and try to figure out which parts of the movies are recreated in the game.
GVK : What features are being included for multiplay?
JT:- The Emperor’s Tomb is a single player game.
GVK: How long is the planned development cycle for the game?
JT- The game took over two years to develop.
GVK: What sort of weapons will the players have?
JT- Besides Indy’s whip and revolver, the player can also pick up weapons from fallen enemies. There are a couple of pistols, a shotgun, submachine gun, machete, and grenades. There are also improvised weapons such as table legs, chairs, and wine battles.
