Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine - N64

As far as films go, the earth-based action/adventure genre really came into its own in 1981 with the release of the first Indiana Jones film. Two decades later, the character is still recognisable and he’s now making his way into the games industry. As one of the franchise’s first 3D developments, The Infernal Machine on Nintendo 64 is certainly the most realistic and ‘faithful-to-the-film’ Indiana game to date.

First of all, Infernal Machine bears striking similarities to Core’s infamous Tomb Raider series. But that doesn’t mean the game is ripping Tomb Raider off, it simply means that Tomb Raider is the female incarnation of the Harrison Ford legend. The storyline is pretty much what you would expect, featuring lots of Nazis, a global-scale war, hordes of secret agents and an archaeologist’s view of the events at hand.

Typical of a 3D adventure, Indiana will be able to leap, climb, crawl and swim in the same way that Lara could in Tomb Raider. But Miss Croft is lacking one vital accessory that Indiana Jones is not – the infamous whip. This feature alone broadens level design greatly. Stages of the game now features steep chasms and cliff edges that can only be crossed by means of a whip; it’s intriguing. Your whip can also be used to avoid the plethora of hungry critters, hostile robots and the Red Army.

Infernal Machine is a well-structured game, and with 17 huge chapters, an arsenal of weapons and Indiana’s trusty whip, it’s a great playing experience.
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