Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis

The Good
Boy, if only every licensed cash-in was made by LucasArts, right? I mean, here they go, making what's essentially a spin-off from an in-house gaming classic, sort of like Westwood churning in a brand new C&C, but guess what? Where others fail by blatantly trying to squeeze the last penny of a series, Lucas gives a masterpiece by simply putting effort and dedication in it. Indy's latest adventure game is without a doubt one of the finest adventures ever made, it has a great plot that mimics the fast-passed action and adventuring you see in the movies while offering a completely new storyline involving an ancient and powerful force long lost to the seas. The game also sports some of the most devious puzzles that have ever graced a computer game, and manage to be challenging yet rewarding (and that also make sense, not the "use-the-pinnaple-with-screwdriver-to-get-grenade" kind of puzzles). And the ending sequence alone is one of the coolest ones I've ever had the pleasure of playing in an adventure game.

To top it off you also get wonderful graphics and sounds courtesy of LucasArt's always impressive production values. But the real icing on the cake was something that really blew me away when I first played: different game modes!! That's right, after a brief introductory sequence you are given the chance to play the game with the aid of your brand new love interest, go at it solo (which gives you COMPLETELY different puzzles) or play in the "action mode" which has simplyfied puzzles and is instead filled with one-on-one classic Indy fistfights. Save for the beginning and the final act, the entire game plays differently depending on what choice you make, a refreshing and much more lasting experience than what you get on most adventure games.

The Bad
It always sounds extremely cheesy and fanboyish, but at the risk of sounding like a Lucas-loving whore, I got to admit that Indy & the fate of Atlantis has nothing wrong with it. The only thing you could throw at it is the faults and shortcomings of the adventure genre, but that only works if you don't like adventures. If you do, then you'll find that this is as good as it gets. Yeah, I'm dead serious.

The Bottom Line
Incredibly good no matter where you look at it. Indy 4 stands the test of time as one of the best adventure games ever made, sell your soul if you have to, but GET IT. They just don't make games like this with so much attention to detail and fantastic gameplay.