- Publisher: LucasArts
- Release Date: Feb 24, 2003
- Also On: PC, PlayStation 2
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This is high adventure in the grandest sense, and running around in the shoes of Indiana Jones is truly a great thing. Not to mention the manual has got to be seen to be believed. It’s so bloody cool, it’s amazing.
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Playing The Emperor's Tomb is just like watching your favorite Indy movie; it's got everything, and strikes a wonderful balance of platforming, puzzle solving and combat.
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It's all top notch Indy stuff and perfectly captures all the ace elements of the man and the movies. Monsters, exotic locations, suspicious characters and back-stabbing. He even looks and sounds like Harrison Ford which makes it all even more believable, charming and utterly essential. [GamesMaster]
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Official Xbox MagazineThe huge number of levels and their often epic scale is backed up by a worthy storyline. [Mar 2003, p.40]
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With a great musical score, fantastic gameplay and great graphics (for the most part), this is one adventure you do not want to miss!
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If there is a problem with the game it's that it offers nothing new to this style of game that hasn't already come from the Boob Raider saga. That's not to say it's a bad game. It a great game.
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Game InformerLet's put it this way: Anything you see Indy do in a movie, he can do in the game - the control is that good. [Mar 2003, p.86]
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LucasArts did a fine job making the closest thing to a replication of all the movies thrown into a video game. The gameplay is fantastic, the level design is overwhelming at times, and the graphics and sound make their own positive arguments.
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GameNowIt's like "Tomb Raider" with a better fighting engine. [Apr 2003, p.54]
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It might be some time until the Xbox sees another adventure that's this enjoyable again.
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Thanks to the use of the Buffy engine, the game features an excellent combat system that refuses to tire on you and a compelling story to pull you through the game.
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Excellent graphics and sound, but may be spending too much time on that puzzle-heavy road.
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This combination of adherence to the Lucas/Spielberg rules and innovative game design not only makes this a convincing depiction of an icon, but also makes for a satisfying and rewarding play.
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It immersed you in a pit of action and puzzle solving, all classic adventure game elements, and it was just fun controlling Indy and his whip.
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The fights, though violent, are unfortunately completely bloodless—not a drop of claret is spilled—and the bodies of his enemies, once beaten, magically vanish. This makes the game feel as tidy and antiseptic as a Disney ride.
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The combat is especially well executed, although the amount of punishment opponents can take is a tad unrealistic.
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Play MagazineI think LucasArts should have The Collective make all of their A-list movie games. Howard the Duck beckons. [Apr 2003, p.59]
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Issues like graphics that are clearly below Xbox standards also keep the game from becoming great.
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Manages to capture the spirit of the films and packs a ton of combat and action sequences into a good old-fashioned adventure game. The puzzles are mindless so check your brain at the door.
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If not for the abundant technical glitches, repetitive level design and spotty camera system, recommending The Emperor’s Tomb would have been a no-brainer.
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Electronic Gaming MonthlyGorgeous graphics, inspired combat, fun minigames, and cool puzzles and platform challenges bolster play immensely. [Apr 2003, p.130]
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Entertainment WeeklyAt times the game has all the pulse-pounding thrills of an archaeological dig. [7 Mar 2003, p.78]
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Better than average combat through exotic locales is always fun. Just steady that camera, grab your wetsuit and don't eat the monkey brains.
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Look past the glitches and the mediocre puzzles and you can find a fun action/adventure for just about anyone.
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You’ll be looking for opportunities to heave enemies off catwalks or crack them against a wall so Indy can smack them silly.
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Xbox Nation MagazineSadly, however, not even the best Indy console game necessarily makes for a great Xbox title. [Apr 2003, p.80]
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GMR MagazineWhile the action runs smoothly, textures and level design are a bit on the simple side, making some of the more ambitious "natural" levels feel a little too grid based. [Apr 2003, p.67]
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It's a blast from start to finish and somehow manages to be greater than the sum of its parts. It's perhaps a classic example of the ideal game to rent.
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It’s just a really good fun game that does not take itself at all seriously and for fans of Dr Jones it is absolutely fantastic and I cannot recommend it high enough.
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My copy of Emperor's Tomb had occasional moments of severe slowdown and music stuttering. These instances never occurred during a life or death situation, but they were aggravating all the same.
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The over emphasis on action and less emphasis on using your wits drags it down to a pretty standard evolution of the Tomb Raider formula.
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While these are disappointments, there are few games that have you leaning into every jump you make, your heart in your throat each time Indy barely grabs onto a ledge with his fingertips before pulling himself up.
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Cheat Code CentralThe graphics themselves are good but not befitting of the Xbox. The gameplay is challenging to an extent but is more targeted at novice gamers.
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A poorly done camera is the only true blemish on what is a fantastic game.
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It’s pretty much a given that beating up Nazis is inherently fun, but the developers threw in some truly entertaining wrinkles into the combat to make the Nazi-bashing especially enticing.
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While the game does a lot of things right, severe technical issues surface at almost every turn and really drag down the game's high points, leaving behind a game with tons of untapped potential.
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It's fun and a bit addictive. But there are a ton of flaws to be found and the puzzle design is so incredibly meager it hurts the game a great deal.
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Despite the occasionally clunky controls, Emperor’s Tomb does impress with its hand-to-hand brawls (Ms. Croft would be lost without HER weapons) and the free-range exploration allowed within each level.
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What Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb amounts to is lots of riddles, lots of combat, too many deathtraps and jumping puzzles, and a decent, if contrived story.
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Plays it safe for the most part. It takes familiar gameplay and runs with it, without trying to innovate much beyond the fun brawling.
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Falls short by being vastly repetitive and not offering much new to gamers. A rental at best.
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netjakAbout the only thing that I didn’t absolutely hate in The Emperor’s Tomb (but it was still lacking) is that there are a few cool big boss fights.
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Edge MagazineInstant deaths, glitchy combat, uninspiring boss encounters and twitchy controls conspire to make this a below-par experience. If it wasn't for the occasional flashes of imagination and the familiarity and richness conveyed through the license then The Emperor's Tomb would be utterly forgettable. [May 2003, p.99]
Awards & Rankings
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82
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54
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#54 Most Discussed Xbox Game of 2003
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User score distribution:
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Positive: 20 out of 23
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Mixed: 1 out of 23
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Negative: 2 out of 23
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May 23, 2021
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Feb 11, 2021
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Aug 22, 2020