No Time For Love Dr. Jones, You've Got A Game To Make

With Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull on the horizon it is only natural that a game adaptation is in tow. However, recent reports have made it seem like this game won’t meet original plans. Thanks to other things going on at LucasArts, the game that has been in pre-production for some time now has just started development.

Sidelined by the impending spectacle that will be Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, the new Indy game actually hit the development table just recently. A source at LucasArts released information at GDC last week saying as much.

Using “Euphoria” technology by NaturalMotion, Dr. Jones will be able to reach out for ledges, whip sling and toss Nazis over cliffs more realistically than the already amazing Indana Jones and the Emperor’s Tomb. Kingdom of the Crystal Skull will be in great company using the new engine. LucasArts favored child, The Force Unleashed and Grand Theft Auto IV will be using the technology as well.

For anyone who hasn’t heard of “Euphoria” and NaturalMotion yet, here’s a basic rundown of what it means. The computer-based tool gives the videogame a realistic world. No more pre-made animations of people getting tackled, crates will never break the same twice and you can watch with glee as your enemies really reach out and attempt to save themselves by grabbing onto ledges and branches while falling into a dark chasm. The interactivity of the world and the characters will prove very entertaining too. Imagine choosing poorly and thinking a rickety bridge will hold you, but won’t. Instead of falling and dying in a cut scene, you have a fighting chance of reaching out for a ledge, just like Indiana.

The movie is slated for a May, 22 release of this year, so if they want to cash in on the rush of Indiana Jones mania, they’ll have to work overtime to get it out.