Indiana Jones Staff of Kings Wii Review

I have to start off by saying that I’m an Indiana Jones fanboy. `Raiders of the Lost Ark’ is one of my “Five Desert Island Movies”. That along with the idea of using the Wii-mote as the whip and being able to pummel Nazis using the Wii sensor controls was too good to pass up. There was no way I was not going to pick this game up the day it came out.

I can’t say this game surpassed any expectations I had but I will say that I was not disappointed. The graphics don’t set any new standards but are good for the Wii. The sound is pretty good and the soundtrack is dominated by well placed cues from the legendary scores of all four films. Some new music is thrown in as well but the newer cuts are few and far between. The voice acting is as good as one could hope for without having any of the original cast. Indy is well done as is Henry Sr. in the multiplayer co-op mode. The dialog has the tendency to be drowned out on occasion by music or other sound effects but no key plot points are missed. Also, a staple of the Indy film series, the “Wilhelm Scream” is featured a couple of times, for those who know what I’m talking about.

The story is okay. There’s no scene that really sets up plot and tells you what the ultimate artifact is that you are after. It could have been developed better but I honestly didn’t buy an Indiana Jones game for the Wii to experience and award winning story. There’s an artifact the Nazi’s are out to get, you need to get it first. Save the better developed stories for the movies.

The controls are good but may take a bit of time to get used to. Using your six-shooter takes some practice but taking out the bad guys is easy once you get it down. Sometimes the only way to defeat an enemy is to shoot objects around where they are taking cover. Throwing punches and using your whip to swing across pits is easy enough but things can get a bit more difficult when you are facing multiple enemies. There is a simple strategy that I employ when I find myself outnumbered; stay near a wall, grapple your enemy, ram them into the wall. This will either kill them or take away 90% of their health. If there are no walls nearby then stay on the move, whip a baddie around the neck, reel him in and deliver a knee to the face. The brutes are easy; just wait until they rear back to throw a punch and simply dodge.

One difficult spot I ran into was in the Istanbul level. There comes a part when you need to throw a skull into a gear to jam it so Indy can move on without being flattened. I must have thrown hundreds of skulls and was almost ready to throw my Wii-mote through the wall but I found out the solution was amazingly simple. When you come to this part just pick up a skull, go to the gear, and make a throwing motion. Don’t push the `A’ button.

The levels are well designed and definitely add to the “Indy” feel of the game. The first level is pretty much just a tutorial on how to use the controls. It’s capped off by Indy having to make his escape by flying a German plane through a narrow canyon. My favorite level has to be the one in Panama, especially when Indy gets to the temple. That entire part of the level completely captures the spirit and inventiveness of the opening temple scene of `Raiders’.

I have completed the game on both the Wii and PS2 and the versions are nearly identical. Pretty much the only difference is that the combat tutorials on the Wii are narrated by Indy and therefore take a bit longer. The Wii also serves up slightly better graphics. Shooting is obviously easier on the Wii but controlling vehicles and other modes of transport is easier on the PS2. Taking on multiple bad guys is also a bit easier on the PS2 but once you get your strategy down on the Wii, it’s nearly as simple.

I have to say I prefer the Wii version for the fact that it serves up a more authentic Indy experience with the use of the motion controls. Also, having the ability to unlock 1992’s `Fate of Atlantis’ is a huge selling point. It is presented exclusively on the Wii platform in all of its talkie glory which makes for a great trip down memory lane. The co-op levels on the Wii are neat if for no other reason than it features Indy and Henry Sr. on an adventure together. I’ve actually been able to complete the first two co-op levels on my own, with a controller in each hand, and they were pretty fun.

In all honesty, this is a pretty short game but I, and I imagine most other Indiana Jones fans, will find reason to go back for more. Hardcore and more experienced gamers may not find it all that challenging. It’s a great introduction to the Wii for Indiana Jones and hopefully just the first of more adventures to come.