Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine
0 plays 2000 #Action
Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine is a 1999 action-adventure video game developed and published by LucasArts. The first 3D installment in the series, its gameplay focuses on solving puzzles, fighting enemies, and completing various platforming sections. The story is set in 1947, after the events of Indiana Jones and the Iron Phoenix, and puts the eponymous protagonist, the adventurer Indiana Jones, against the Soviet Union. In a race for a mythological Babylonian power source, he joins forces with the Central Intelligence Agency and collects four pieces of the Infernal Machine, an ancient device that allegedly opens a portal to another dimension.
The title was designed, written, and directed by Hal Barwood, who considered the Indiana Jones franchise a perfect fit for the action-adventure genre. Initially developed for the Microsoft Windows operating systems, the game later received an enhanced Nintendo 64 port jointly developed with Factor 5 and released exclusively in North America, as well as a 2D version for the Game Boy Color developed by HotGen. Infernal Machine received generally favorable reviews, having been praised for its detailed storyline and sophisticated level designs, though widely criticized for its unwieldy control scheme.
From Wikipedia's article Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine
Keyboard controls
| N64 | Player 1 |
|---|---|
| Stick | ↑↓←→ |
| A | X |
| B | C |
| Z | Z |
| L | A |
| R | S |
| C buttons | IKJL |
| D-pad | TGFH |
| Start | Enter |
Hotkeys
- 1 Quick save state
- 2 Quick load state
- 3 Change save slot
A gamepad with an analog stick plays much better than the keyboard.
Gamepads are detected when you press a button. Remap any key from the emulator’s Controls menu (gear icon).
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Keyboard controls
| N64 | Player 1 |
|---|---|
| Stick | ↑↓←→ |
| A | X |
| B | C |
| Z | Z |
| L | A |
| R | S |
| C buttons | IKJL |
| D-pad | TGFH |
| Start | Enter |
Hotkeys
- 1 Quick save state
- 2 Quick load state
- 3 Change save slot
A gamepad with an analog stick plays much better than the keyboard.
Gamepads are detected when you press a button. Remap any key from the emulator’s Controls menu (gear icon).
3.5 Good job
Metascore 75 · 8 critics
Review scorecard
- Graphics 3.5 out of 5 Overall fallback
- Sound 3.5 out of 5 Overall fallback
- Control 3.5 out of 5 Overall fallback
- Fun Factor 3.5 out of 5 Overall fallback
Overall fallback: Metascore 75 · 8 critics. Overall source The same 75/100 overall rating fills missing categories using the face scale; these are not separate category scores.
What the reviews talk about
Key wordsclunkyannoyingunresponsivepolishedintuitivesatisfying
What the critics said
Keith Ellis of Eurogamer shared the opinion and stated the plot to be "excellently woven", enhancing the feel of "being part of a big blockbuster movie".
— Eurogamer, 2000 (Keith Ellis)
While Blevins thought the variety of puzzles provided was sufficient and applauded the inclusion of a hint system, Michael E. Ryan of GameSpot found many of the puzzles in the game to focus too heavily on platforming and went on to state that they become "quite repetitive - even predictable" after the first few levels.
— GameSpot, 1999 (Michael E. Ryan)
Boba Fatt of GamePro said that the game "may be a direct copy of Tomb Raider, but Indy fans will be pleased with this whip-wielding, idol-grabbing, raft-riding roller coaster adventure that fits perfectly in the vein of the famed archaeologist's cinematic spectacles."
— GamePro, 2000 (Boba Fatt)
Jason Lambert of GameZone said "If you loved playing Tomb Raider and you really loved the Indiana Jones movie series, then you will love this game. With Christmas coming soon, this should be in every gamer's stocking."
— GameZone, 1999 (Jason Lambert)
Eliot Fish of Hyper wrote "The sound in Infernal Machine is great, the graphics are a bit of a mixture of wonderful and horrid, and I'm saddened to say that the gameplay is quite average. Indy fans will still enjoy the experience to some degree (I did have some fun) if you can put up with all the game engine flaws."
— Hyper, 2000 (Eliot Fish)
However, Edge said that the rating "reflects its worth to players who have the patience to brave its inadequacies."
— Edge, 2000
Tom Chick of Computer Games Strategy Plus called it "A tedious, frustrating, flat-chested, wisecracking Tomb Raider who's nothing like the Indiana Jones that you know and love."
— Computer Games Strategy Plus, 1999 (Tom Chick)
Joe Fielder of GameSpot did not share these sentiments and stated the adaptation of the keyboard controls to the console controller to be "rather clunky and unintuitive".
— GameSpot, 2000 (Joe Fielder)
From the Reception section of Wikipedia's Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine article.
Scores
- 80 IGN1999 8/10; 7.8/10
- 78 Nintendo Power2000 3/5; 7.8/10
- 68 Electronic Gaming Monthly 6.83/10
- 68 Game Informer 6.75/10; 8/10
- 60 CNET Gamecenter1999 6/10; 5/10
- 60 GameSpot1999 6.9/10; 6/10; 6.3/10
- – N64 Magazine true
- 97 GameFan1999 97% · other versions
- 90 Eurogamer2000 9/10 · other versions
- 82 GameSpy1999 82% · other versions
- 76 PC Gamer (US) 76% · other versions
- 60 Computer Gaming World 3/5 · other versions
- 60 GameRevolution1999 C− · other versions
- 60 Next Generation 3/5 · other versions
- 50 PC Accelerator 5/10 · other versions
From the review table in Wikipedia's Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine article.
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