It's our evil plot, actually, designed to put pressure on our friends at LucasArts. If they'll grant our wish and crank out some 3D Indiana Jones sequels, we promise not to write any more 4-part reviews. Here's hoping, eh? First, let's revisit some other heroes, in their own sequel...
A New Heroes III
review by Chris Seip
Can you really blame 3DO for squeezing a few more drops from the Heroes III product line, with its carefully tuned game engine and respectable horde of fans? This turn-based fantasy game has become something of a franchise. Heroes of Might and Magic III, itself a sequel to a sequel, has already been followed by an add-on pack, Armageddon's Blade.
Now we've got Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Shadow of Death, which must have started life as a second add-on pack. It brings 38 new single-scenario maps and 7 new campaigns to the world of Heroes III. It includes a dozen new "combination artifacts" that appear rarely, but can combine with certain other artifacts to create a single, more powerful artifact. And there are 23 new neutral monsters that "may be found wandering the lands." There are even a few new game features, but nothing of great importance, such as moats causing damage to units, or even support for (gasp!) a force feedback mouse.
But Wait, There's More
Then someone got the idea to make this a standalone package, and so The Shadow of Death includes the full game engine, with many of the engine enhancements of the original add-on, Armageddon's Blade. It includes all the maps, missions, campaigns, heroes, towns, and creatures of the original Heroes III game.
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| Exploring a Shadow of Death map is an heroic endeavor. |
| Click the thumbnail for full image. (89K) |
Unexpectedly, the content of the Armageddon's Blade add-on pack is missing from The Shadow of Death, making Shadow just a larger and updated version of the original game. But Armageddon's Blade still serves as an extra-cost add-on (if you want it). It seems a shame that Shadow couldn't have been more inclusive, sort of a "Gold Edition" featuring the whole Heroes III set.
But Will It Sell In Peoria?
As an offering to the many fans of the Heroes III series, Shadow of Death seems inadequate. Graphics and gameplay remain very nearly the same as in the original Heroes III game. If you're in need of more maps and campaigns, you'll find them in great number on the CD. Unfortunately, this is not priced like your usual mission pack. A $10 rebate coupon for Heroes III owners was included in the box, but this offer has expired. The current "street price" at the time of writing is hovering around $40, a steep price if you're buying it for the missions.
On the other hand, Shadow of Death seems an excellent value for gamers new to the Heroes III series. It's the original Heroes III game, with content times two, so it serves as a beefier replacement of the original. The balanced gameplay, polished software implementation, pleasing music, and crisp graphics are all left intact. However, Heroes III may have been a little easier to learn in its original packaging, if only because a printed manual was included. The Shadow of Death booklet details only what's new, although the detailed Heroes III guide is present in Acrobat (.PDF) form on the CD.
And It Even Sticks To Your Hard Drive
Sometimes I get tired of the gameplay, which can be repetitive. I'll put Heroes III, whichever incarnation, away for a week or so, but it always comes out again. Playing Heroes III is usually a pleasant experience: Your hero rides a limited distance, possibly reaching one or more destinations to gather resources, encounter enemies, learning something, etc. Part of each turn can involve adding or improving your town (or towns). Tactical battles can be fought on autopilot or with directed moves. All the while, the music strikes just the right balance, sounding like adventure music composed over a soothing cup of tea, matching the tone set by the turn-based pace of the game.
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| The daily dose of construction in Shadow of Death: 'What would you like to build today?' |
| Click the thumbnail for full image. (76K) |
While there's a great deal of gaming goodness in The Shadow of Death, its imperfect product design makes it hard to recommend wholeheartedly to either of its target markets - fans or newcomers. Well, let's take that "newcomers" part back: With the exception of the manual not being in printed form, Shadow of Death is a great introduction to the worlds of Heroes of Might and Magic III.
The Shadow of Death won't fall across your computer if it meets these minimum requirements: Pentium 133 IBM PC or compatible (Pentium 166 recommended), 32 Mb RAM, 320 Mb free hard drive space, Windows 95/98 or Windows NT 4.0 with Service Pack 4, a 4X CD-ROM drive, a sound card compatible with DirectX 7.0a, a DirectX 7.0a-compatible video card capable of 800x600 16-bit high color display, a keyboard, and a mouse. Internet requirements include a 28.8 Kbps connection. TCP/IP or IPX network play is also supported.
Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Shadow of Death
[street $39]
3DO/New World Computing
ESRB rating: Everyone ("E"), noting "animated violence"
Letters From the Infernal Machine, Part 4: Around the World in 17 Levels
serial review by Randall Coots and Chris Seip
When last we booted up Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine, Indy was captured and had all his goodies taken away. But this is only a little over the halfway point! The globe trotting continues as Indy must escape from a ship at sea, find his way through labyrinthine pyramids, race around in a mine car, and more.
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| Indiana Jones has solved one of those 'infernal' puzzles. |
| Click the thumbnail for full image. (87K) |
The level "King Sol's Mines" is a standout in the game. Indy rides a mine car, careening around corners, over bridges and ducking pipes, while we duck in our chairs. There are several good puzzles, and lots of hair-raising escapes, especially after the Russians catch up with our intrepid hero.
Once through the mines, however, you've seen about the best the game has to offer. The remaining levels are fine, but not quite up to their predecessors. An exception is the bonus level, as well as the final level -- but it's an exception for a different reason.
Level Design Not Really By Salvador Dali
The final level has Indy hopping a plane, but we're not talking about a Ford Tri-Motor to Peru, we're talking about an inter-dimensional plane. We've globetrotted right off the globe - or at least sideways of it!
This final level of the main storyline is a bit too far out and surreal. It's still fun, but it involves such a strange and difficult environment that it's hard to apply all that you've learned playing the other levels. By now we're all feeling like studly whip-cracking archaeologists. But the final level is almost like playing a new game.
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| Indy bids farewell to Sophia Hapgood. See you next game? |
| Click the thumbnail for full image. (45K) |
Not that it isn't worth it. The storyline continues throughout, and the climactic battle, while unusual, has a nice classic ending. The final cut scene is right out of the movies, complete with sunset. Even though the final level feels a little out of place, the whole game leaves us with a feeling that we have truly had an adventure, right down to the fedora and leather jacket.
Back To Peru!
But, if you've saved up your treasures and paid attention, you're not quite done. If you haven't bought the "secret map" in the store before now, and you have the cash, the bonus level will run automatically after the end of the main storyline. The bonus level really feels like the final level ought to have felt, even though it's outside the storyline. It takes the player "Back to Peru" in a return to the adventure played out in the beginning of Raiders of the Lost Ark.
This may well be the best, or at least one of the most fun, levels in the game. It is an homage to the movie, with both familiar and new elements. The player gets a chance to tackle the first challenge that we saw Indiana Jones tackle in the movie, minus the treacherous sidekick.
It is a graduate level, with some very challenging elements. But if you've played the whole game up until now, you're ready. Your fingers are callused, your eyes are sharp, and you're armed to the teeth. The movie would have certainly been different if Indy had said, "You toss me the whip and I won't toss you a grenade!" Plus, we don't know if Belloq and the Hovitos would have had much of a chance against a bazooka!
Indy Vs. Lara
Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine takes what Lara Croft did with the Indiana Jones motif, and shows her how it's done. The comparison is inevitable, but LucasArts just flat out loads their game with more story, better voice acting, and a more realistic design. You feel more in touch with what's going on, the goals involved, and with the main character.
LucasArts is still feeling out their speed issues and control scheme, but Lara's been doing that longer. However Indy already does have a more forgiving control setup. Walk is the default movement, so there's no accidentally running into hazards, unless you planned to be running. There are only a few time-critical puzzles, and they are well within the abilities of a gamer weaned more on Maniac Mansion than on Super Mario Brothers. If Indy jumps, he will grab if he can, a feature much appreciated when trying to run, jump, and time it all right to make the next ledge.
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| Walking into the sunset... Who knows when we'll see Indy again. |
| Click the thumbnail for full image. (70K) |
These features make the game somewhat more survivable than the average Tomb Raider, which is consistent with LucasArts' long standing philosophy of fun, rather than "die a thousand deaths." This is especially good, because the reload times are a bit long. Granted, we get a chance to catch our breath (and maybe crack a hint book), but a little speedier reboot would have been appreciated.
Summarize, Guys
But overall, from Randy's point of view, this is one of the best games he's played in a long time. Chris even got over his whining about "all that 3D clipping" after a few levels, and so there's a second enthusiastic thumbs up. This wickedly Infernal Machine has a lot of story, adventuring, and puzzling for the buck. The locations are often based on real world locations, and are so interesting in the game that players may find themselves seeking out information in the real world about the various archaeological sites and legends.
Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine is one of the first games to take the action genre and bring the adventure story back into it. Players of LucasArts' graphic adventures will recognize the potential for great story and action in one game. Even though it is still solidly action-oriented, it contains more story and dialogue than is usual in this type of game. It offers a tantalizing glimpse into what could be if the graphic adventure were to meet the action game, and we've got our fedoras sitting right atop our monitors, ready for the next installment. If there is indeed a follow-on product, hopefully they'll find a good project leader at LucasArts to, er, crack the whip.
Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine
[street: moved down to $30]
LucasArts
ESRB rating: Teen ("T"), "animated blood," "animated violence"
Lighter Blue: Mini-Reviews
A Brief Look at Drakan
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| Drakan on the ground... |
| Click the thumbnail for full image. (41K) |
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| ... and in the air. |
| Click the thumbnail for full image. (34K) |
It's regrettable, the terrible delays incurred by the Grievously Overdue Software Reviews pile. Some interesting games can get buried far longer than they deserve. While Drakan: Order of the Flame can be described in terms of games that came before (and after) it, there's no mistaking that it set out to strike an unusual mix. Its background is comprised of fairly stock fantasy elements, right up to the fire-breathing dragon who plays such a central role. Certainly the Tomb Raider games served as an inspiration, in terms of third-person 3D gameplay as well as the (ahem) physical endowments of the main character, warrior woman Rynn.
Compared to Tomb Raider or Indiana Jones 3D games, the emphasis of Drakan is away from the puzzle-solving and more toward combat, which gets unfortunately repetitive. And Drakan has its own share of bugs, from the occasional crash to 3D clipping problems, though I didn't experience nearly as many problems as some others who have written about the game. Drakan's most unique element is how it seamlessly switches between familiar ground-based exploration and combat to dragon-riding flight combat - yes, dogfighting. With its beautiful graphics and large levels, Drakan remains a unique twist on a genre that has yet to become stale, even more than a year after its release. (And now it's bargain-priced.)
Drakan: Order of the Flame
[street: $20]
Psygnosis/Surreal Software
ESRB rating: Mature ("M"), ages 17+, noting "animated violence" and "animated blood and gore."
