Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com Review
"If adventure has a name, it must be Indiana Jones." So says the Temple of Doom movie poster, and--Lara Croft notwithstanding--Indiana Jones is still synonymous with glory, romance, treasure, and adventure. Previous Indiana Jones games were produced by the graphic-adventure game masters at LucasArts. This latest installment is an action-oriented romp made by the Collective, the same development house that produced the critically acclaimed Buffy the Vampire Slayer for Xbox. The Buffy game engine is a good fit for Indy, as he travels the world on a quest to prevent the discovery of an ancient Chinese secret that could spell the end of creation itself. Such a quest should be easy for an adventurer like Indy, and with game controls that are as well laid out as these, it is easy. Indy can run, jump, shimmy up ropes, swing with his whip, and duke it out with nasty villains. True to the movies, Indy also has to navigate an almost constant stream of deathtraps. Caves full of traps, ruins full of traps, medieval castles filled with traps, and guess what you find in China, yes, more traps. It gets repetitive, but the game has some clever tricks in its floppy hat. For example, skulls make noise, so Indy can toss a few and watch crocodiles target them instead of him. Indy can execute quick punch combinations to knock his foes out, or he can pick up weapons such as a chair, plank of wood, machete, or firearm. His famous whip can be used to disarm foes. The only problem is the camera, which is difficult to keep in the right position--you have complete control of it, but it's hard to manage a camera while you're fighting a martial arts expert, a Nazi with a gun, or a poacher keen on decapitating Indy. The graphics are good, pleasantly reminding you of some of the movies' more memorable locales. The in-game Indy mug looks like Harrison Ford down to the chin scar. Other nice touches include how Indy has to actually pick up his hat if it falls off during a fight, and the little '30s plane flying over the aged and weathered world map. The music is pure John Williams, and the voice work is handled by convincing imitators. The guy they got for Indy, in particular, sounds a lot like Ford himself. Sadly no other movie characters of note appear in the game. (I was looking for John Rhys-Davies at least, because he seems to be in every video game that comes out.) Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb does right by its license and provides hours of entertainment for anyone who's ever wanted to relive the movies starring the most exciting adventurer alive. Lara Croft, eat your heart out because if gaming adventure has a name, it must be Indiana Jones. --Bob Andrews Pros: - True to the films
- Great graphics and fight controls
- Good voice acting
Cons:- Too many trap sequences
- Camera problems common to third-person action games
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Customer Reviews
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
 Before TEMPLE OF DOOM., Mar 30, 2023
According to the Indiana Jones timeline, INDIANA JONES AND THE EMPEROR'S TOMB takes place immediately prior to the events in the movie INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM. If you play the movie to it's conclusion, it fits the pieces together well. I'm not really a gamer, but have played more video games in the last few years than any other time in my life except when I was growing up with an Atari. I'm also a fan of Indiana Jones.
With that said, I really enjoyed playing this game. It wasn't terribly difficult, but there were quests in the game that were challenging to complete. The graphics acted up every now and again and didn't appear as defined as they probably could have, but I didn't have any major problems playing the game.
The game's story line goes something like this: Indy is approached by an Asia man who wants to hire him to find an item called the Dragon's Heart that is located in the lost tomb of the first emperor of China. The Nazis are looking for the item, too and mysterious employer wants Indy to find it first. Unbeknownst to Indy, this man from Asia is really in cahoots with the Nazis. Of course, Indy eventually learns of the plot is helped throughout the game by a ninja lady named Mei Ying. Indy travels from the jungles of Ceylon to Prague to Istanbul and finally to China. Along the way you get to fight and kill a ton of bad guys from ivory traders to Nazis to demon-possessed Chinamen; shoot fighter planes from the top of a gondola; spear a giant octopus; and tangle with a Frankenstein-type monster. All for fortune and glory, baby.
In the course of beating the game if you are successful in collecting all 30 artifacts (there are 3 in each level & you can go back and replay a level to collect them later if you wish) you will unlock an art gallery that displays all kinds of concept photos, sketches, and designs. Just by viewing these pictures you can get an idea of the development process because there are several sketches or photos (whole levels) that can be seen which aren't a part of the game. Besides these missing elements it is also rumored that the character of Abner Ravenwood (Marion Ravenwood's father) was to have been in the game, as well as a boat chase level.
1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
 onehotjedimom, Jan 10, 2023
Ok, are the other reviewers brainless? Lucas Arts should fire the makers 'The Collective' or at the very least not hire them again. The controls are akward, and the views are horrible and change at random. Another horrible feature, there is no way to save any part of the game -- mess up -- tough, you do the level ALL over again. And what's with all of the 'loading' times? I haven't seen this many LONG loading times since playstation one.
My advice. Rent -- if you're really bored. Even on sale this game is not worth the effort. Well, maybe if you can get the game for free it MIGHT be worth your time.
Oh and by the way, I am also an 'advid' gamer. Rating -- only the creative guide book deserves the one star.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Great conversion from Platform to PC, Aug 26, 2023
I actually am an archaeologist, so I guess I have a special "thing" for Indy. But I'm also an avid gamer, and this game delivers the best of both of my passions.
If you are looking for the realism of Doom3, forget about it. This is a fantasy-style game, with gameplay emphasized more than realism. Taking the best from games like Tomb Raider (and leaving behind the mind-numbing back-tracking and key-hunts of this predecessor), Indy and the Emperor's tomb is fun from beginning to end.
It sounds silly, but being able to drop your weapons and just pick up a chair to smash your enemies is a rush that must be appreciated. You are never powerless, as random objects can often be used to bash in your oponents, and sometimes it's just best to use your fists and elbows to smash in those Nazis.
I ocassionally had to seek out a walkthough on the internet, since some level bosses had a "trick" that I just didn't get on my own.
In some ways, I would compare this game (favorably) to playing the hobbits in LOTR ROTK, possibly mixed with the Playstation classic Tomorrow Never Dies. Wonderful environments, lots of action, low gore (for the kiddies), and generally great gameplay.
I give it four stars instead of five, simply because the game can occasionally feel formulaic (not as immersive as some more realistic titles). But don't let this stop you from buying it. You won't be disappointed.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
 If you like the Indiana Jones Series you will like this game, Jun 10, 2023
When I recieved it I wasn't expecting much, but when I started playing it I soon got addicted. I am a fan of these type of games...Tomb Raider...Resident Evil...Silent Hill. I have to say that this game is enjoyable as well as challenging. If you are a fan of Indiana Jones, this is a must have game.
1 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
 Solid game for Indy fans, but ends undramatically., Apr 8, 2023
Many have already written on this game, so I'll try to avoid repeating what they've said, but ultimately, this game starts out strong and entertaining enough, but settles into a middle-ground groove that's neither bad, nor great, but not all too awe-inspiring as the game goes on.
The voice actor for Indiana Jones is passable, but not too convincing -- you can tell it's not Harrison Ford.
And unsurprisingly, it dusts off the long-lived stereotype of the dragon lady and at the end, Indiana gets the Asian (i.e. Chinese) girl, even though there's no plausible reason for her to have any sort of feelings for him -- she's little more than a toy doll for him to have his way with.
The ending is dull -- both the final boss battle and the ending cinematic are little reward for having ran, swung, punched and kicked your way through level after level, trap after trap.
Good if you're an Indiana Jones fan, but others should either rent or stay away altogether.
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