Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (Publisher: Bethesda. Format: Xbox/PC)
IN A perfect marriage of movie and venue, last week the Ulster Museum held a screening of Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Yet, while 1981’s archaeological actioner is something of a relic itself, today’s adventure flicks can only dream of its craft and creativity, with a lead character in Indiana Jones who’s so iconic he finishes second only to Atticus Finch in the American Film Institute’s list of movie heroes.
Infinitely quotable, Raiders’ nostalgic blend of heroism, chases and cliffhangers was followed up with the macabre Temple of Doom (“Kali Ma!”) and, closing out the decade in style, the sentimental Last Crusade (“he chose... poorly!”).
Let’s just forget the rest, eh?
Apart from Ford looking like he had a peek when the Ark was opened, the problem with Indy’s last two films was an overreliance on computer-generated trickery.
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Who’d have thought our hero needed to go full CGI to find his mojo again? Not only is Great Circle the best Indiana Jones game, it’s the fourth film we always wanted.
As soon as the Paramount logo dissolves into a real mountain, Great Circle gets to work milking your nostalgia gland with a shot-for-shot remake of Raiders of the Lost Ark’s iconic opening scene, as players crawl through a Peruvian jungle with digital doppelgangers of the original cast.
Not only is Great Circle the best Indiana Jones game, it’s the fourth film we always wanted
It’s all there – the spiders, the traps, weighing out the sandbag, the boulder chase – and I was grinning like a kid again.
Set between Raiders and The Last Crusade, Great Circle kicks off proper when Indy is woken from his desk at Marhsall College to find a giant pilfering an ancient relic. The resulting chase leads Jones to the Vatican and beyond to find out what those no-good Nazis are up to. Again.
Over 40 hours of cracking whips and cracking wise, the first-person adventure boasts jackhammer pacing and set-pieces galore - from escaping a Great Pyramid slowly filling with sand to shooting down Fascists in a stolen Chinese plane.
Swinging and climbing through an open world stuffed with side quests and fiendish puzzles, it’s a case of (monkey) brains over brawn. While Indy knows his way around a gun, his fists do the talking, and with almost every prop usable as a weapon, you’ll be slapping the Third Reich around with all manner of pots, brooms and shovels.
This Indy game is far from an indie game, with a blockbuster budget and all the trimmings. The Last of Us’ voice actor Troy Baker provides a note-perfect recreation of Harrison Ford’s gruff drawl, ably supported by a cast including the late, great Tony Todd (Candyman) in his final role.
Authentic to a tee, everything from the movie’s font to Indy’s overblown punch sound effects make this indistinguishable from Dr Jones’ celluloid outings. Hell, there’s even a Willhelm scream thrown in for good measure.
Its impossibly intricate visuals are some of the finest seen on an Xbox, while the frame rate holds steady even on the lowly Series S.
Forget about Crystal Skulls, Dials of Destiny and Shia bloody LeBeouf - this is Indy the way he should be. Find this in Santa’s sack and you’ll know the big man has chosen wisely.
