Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine :: Education by Design Store

Customer Reviews

A Fantastic, Magical and Brain-Stimulating Adventure!

2008-06-18
I'll start off by saying that this is BY FAR my most FAVORITE PC game-title EVER! Why, you might ask?

Well, for one, the musical score is phenomenal! It is grand and cinematic, and when it plays (since it doesn't exactly play very often) it truly feels like you are watching a movie!

Second, the environments; they are simply divine! I know, today these graphics might seem laughable, but I for one still prefer these over many of the newer titles out there! In any case, the various levels are masterfully designed and satisfactorily expansive. All the unique elements of each individual locale really help to capture one's imagination! (Kudos to the graphic designers for their glorious use of such rich, vivid colors throughout all of the locations in this game! 'Tis truly a visual feast! Wow!)

That said, however, expanisive levels and diverse environments go toward making this much more of an "adventure" game than an "action" game. In fact, giving these locations a high exploratory value was clearly the makers' primary aim. As anyone who has already played could tell you, this game is not as fast-paced or as "adrenaline-pumped" as, say, a Tomb Raider game, but it's not really meant to be! On the contrary, this game goes for the much deeper effect of creating ambience with moody lighting and textures and backgrounds. Titilating music tracks also often set the stage for an engaging little stroll through a new and exciting environment. In many instances, though, the absence of this very music helps to create that same effect!

As prior mentioned, all this has a profound effect on the player, stimulating his (or her) mind and driving him/her toward a yearning to continue playing so as to continue making such wonderful discoveries! (Heheh...well at least it was so in MY case!)

The puzzles were, on the whole, quite fun; challenging enough to be entertaining; and were usually quite whimsical in nature (take the seed in the Sanctuary, for example)! The wide variety of puzzles - each requiring a decent amount of memory, at best - plus the fact that the sets were just so darn memorable, made it so that, after a while, I actually found myself DREAMING about this game! In fact, at one time I found myself completely frustrated from being unable to advance ONE BIT (in a certain stage of the Shambala Sanctuary) until one night that the answer came to me IN A DREAM!!! And I tried it AND IT WORKED!!!

Well, onto some other topics. The fact that the sets are SO diverse and lush and memorable made me, the player, anxious to make various discoveries by way of the game. For this reason, I am eternally grateful that the game developers went to such lengths to research the ancient civilizations and locations present in this game! I can truly say I learned quite a lot from this game! (Which only led me to want to learn MORE about the now-fascinating cultures mentioned therein!) What can I say? I was eager to learn! Why, I went so far as to purchase one academic volume each on the Egyptians, the Aztecs and the Babylonians, all as a direct result of having played this game! (Parents, that's a little cue for you!)

Okay, now in terms of "fun" I'd say for the most part this game IS fun! But there are various times when one can become extremely frustrated! Such as when there's a ledge that you KNOW you have to reach, but the game creators clearly "left out" any means by which to reach it! (This was the answer that came in a dream!) Or other, equally stressful times such as when Indy gets stuck for no apparent reason when you jokingly had him jump into a corner and now find yourself unable to bring him back down and you've forgotten to save after progressing quite a bit and now have to start over! (For your reference, there's actually a code you can use to fix this, although I did not know this at the time - I'm not one to use cheat codes! But if this happens, just enter the code-entry mode [F10] and type FIXME, then hit [ENTER]) Again, the "fun" comes in exploring and learning about new cultures and literally visiting new and exotic locations without ever leaving home! Although you can't discredit the gun fights and cool and extensive arsenal that Indy will amass on his trip! Thing is, that's not the MOST memorable aspect of the game, but it IS there and it IS quite fun!

The Infernal Machine: I'd say, a truly solid title!

On a final note, if you're a HUGE fan of Indy then this game is definitely for you, and you would do well even with the jewel-case copy. However, if you're merely a moderate Indy fan or you're a HUGE Indy fan, but also an Indy collector by hobby (as I am) then DEFINITELY get yourself a copy that includes the instruction manual! That thing is beautiful! Full-color and EVERYTHING! With wonderful illustrations and in-depth descriptions of all characters, enemies, and even weapons! Why, that's a collector's item in and of itself!

Also, once installed, look on your hard drive - in the Infernal Machine folder - for the awesome concept art drawn for this game! You'll be glad you did! Gosh, that stuff re-inspired me to continue making my own drawings! (This game is just chock-FULL of inspiration!!)

Well, I hope I've just about covered everything here. (I BETTER have, right? With the size of THIS behemoth! Hahaha!)

Windows XP---the true Infernal Machine

2008-05-18
Pure Action, Pure Adventure, Pure Indy. The tagline says it all: this is a 100% pure action/adventure game worthy of the Indiana Jones franchise. A classic for its time, but a tad clunky by today's standards, Infernal Machine steps outside typical Indiana Jones adventures by placing you in 1947, removes the Nazi threat, and replaces it with Communist Russians. The story is passable--Indy must find the pieces to an ancient Babylonian machine before scientist Pudovkin can use them for evil. The thrills are pretty heavy here, ranging from a Jeep Trek to a Mine Cart ride, but some levels have a tendency to drag on with sometimes hair-tugging puzzles. These puzzles are far and few between however, making the rest of the game rather enjoyable. The downside to all of this isn't anything to do with the game, but the compatability issues with the game and Windows XP or higher---once there was a patch for these issues, but it no longer resides on the internet. My advice? Avoid using any weapons more powerful than the auto pistol and save often. The game is a solid buy for classic gaming fans despite compatability issues, and is worthy of carrying the title Indiana Jones.

Very cool game

2008-04-19
If you're an Indiana Jones fan, there's no question; you're going to love this game.
Excellent, with a story that, unlike many other games, makes sense and makes you care about it.
I don't find this game so difficult as some people say it is. You just have to think like good old Dr. Jones in order to solve the puzzles and beat the bad guys.

Pick this one up

2004-03-11
This game plays very much like the tomb raider series - seasoned gamers will be able to jump right in, but casual gamers might find themselves scratch their heads from time to time. Most of the puzzles are fairly straight-forward - you either perform a series of switch-pulling, or locate a key item to open the door. A small portion of the puzzles require clever maneuver of tools (some of which also double as weapons), which in my opinion is the highlight of the game. The platforming is on the easy side, and most of the enemies are pretty idiotic - if you toss a grenade at them they usually don't run away. The graphics are a bit granny in today's standard but I believe was handsome at its day. Fans of the movies will be pleased to find the music in this game is variation of that from the movies, and they even managed to find a voice-over for indy that is pretty close to Harrison Ford. The game has 17 levels, which is plenty to keep you occupied for a while.

Tomb Raider? Relic Hunter?! Gimme a Break!

2003-12-02
Wow! This game is so fun! I've just taken a break from playing it(I'm still only about halfway through!) to express my feelings.

This is my first Indy game, so I really didn't know what to expect. I do remember hating tomb raider so I figured The Infernal Machine couldn't be that bad.

Like I said, I'm still in the middle of playing, but I've managed to piece together a list of pros and cons I've encountered so far:

Pros- 1) Good original storyline.
2) The whip. 'Nuff said.
3) Your ability to find hidden treasures on the levels.
4) Indy's voice. Not quite the same, but almost.
5) The level cinematics are awesome!
6) Hair-raising trap after hair-raising trap.

Cons- 1) Lots of confusing puzzles that can take hours to solve.
2) Somewhat annoying aiming system for your guns,
though you kinda get used to it.

As you can see, I heavily favour the pros of this game. Indiana Jones and The Infernal Machine is a definate buy for Indy fans and anyone who craves action and seeks adventure.

A Great Action Game! 2003-07-03
His parents may have named the dog Indiana, but for millions of fans there's no better name associated with adventure than the moniker Dr. Jones took for himself. For Indy fans, the follow-up to a 1992 Indiana Jones adventure game has been a long wait, but trust us--it was worth it. A solid 3-D third-person role-playing game, Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine was built on LucasArts' own Jedi Knight engine, putting an entirely new spin on the series formula.

While his lady friends throughout the years may have considered Indiana himself "infernal," the title actually refers to a Babylonian device that has fallen into the wrong hands. In the past Indy took on monstrous Nazi officers; now he's working with the CIA to capture the machine before it falls into the hands of Soviet agents. This fight takes players through scores of wonderfully rendered scenes, both underground and aboveground.

There are some drawbacks, of course (and we're not talking about its similarity to a certain other tomb-raiding game). The primary fault is that it's single-player only, so don't plan any KGB-versus-Dr. Jones death matches. But the famous Indy wit and attitude goes a long way towards making up for that flaw. Also, Infernal Machine is easy to jump into and simple to play--unlike other games that require memorizing key assignments before even beginning.

A much-anticipated title, Infernal Machine--like the globetrotting, dust-covered, nick-of-time treasure hunter himself--delivers the goods.

This game [stinks]! 2003-05-03
When this game was first released, I thought it was OK but nothing special. I have played it to the end level but never managed to beat the 'boss' and therefore did not get to see the ending. Additionally, I have no intention of replaying this rather moderate adventure game.

PROS:
The voice acting is reasonable,
The graphics are alright considering its time of release,
Indy makes sarcastic comments as in the films,
There are a large range of weapons, though these are nearly all guns.

The game uses bullet time, which makes dodging fire at a range easy!
The controls work properly, though they may be unresponsive at times.
The system requirements are fairly low, so people with out of date hardware should have no problem running this.
There are a wide range of in-game levels and environments, from a canyon to a Russian cruise.

CONS:
The combat is so boring and is linear. Fistfights are pathetic and Indy's trademark whip is nothing more than code scraps.
Just like Tomb Raider, it takes three to five pistol rounds at close range to subdue a guard!
The guns seem all the same!
The game puzzles are too hard and it will take weeks to beat the game. I even needed a walkthru at times!
There is a small range of enemies and the AI is such that a guard can see you from behind a wall.

FINAL VERDICT:
This is not true to the wonderful Indy films and is like a clone of Tomb Raider. Infact the only level I enjoyed (i.e. did not get frustrated with) was the level in which I had to escape from a Russian cell aboard a ship and then defeat a duo of tough, almost invincible soldiers. Buy this if you like solving puzzles, because it consists of 90% puzzle solving and 5% combat. (Oh, the other five percent is spent sitting waiting for it to load). I would strongly recommend Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb INSTEAD of this.

Not too bad 2003-04-14
Even though I bought this game not that long ago, and it has been out for a while, it didn't take away from the game play. Yes, the graphics aren't that great, but what do you expect from a 3 year old game. But if you have a chance to play the newest Indiana Jones game then I suggest you play that instead. Or if your like me and don't have a system to support the game yet or don't have an Xbox then I would highly rocommend this game.

Very Good Game 2002-10-18
This game is VERY challanging. That's why it's good.
There isn't very much action so that when there is action, you get all jumpy.
The graphics are ok. The controls are a bit difficult to memorize.

An excellent adventure game 2002-09-02
I like it very much, although some parts of the game are very difficult to complete, I'm not talking about puzzles(they are wonderful). I prefer the first generation Lucasarts Indiana Jones adventure games, mainly based on puzzles, not fights or difficult jumps. It is a must have for Indiana Jones fans