How Infernal Machine could have been better (Any Lucasarts spies, read this!)

Posted by Moribundman from olive.ulcc.wwwcache.ja.net on May 02, 2000 at 17:00:28:

Don't get me wrong - I liked Infernal Machine a LOT. The Indy feel was cool and the game was good, but it only felt like a Tomb Raider game in Indy clothing, and Tomb Raider is much more shallow than Indy offerings ever were...

I recently saw a rolling demo of a PC game, "*something* Eagle" I think, which was set in WWI and allowed you to choose 3rd/1st person views while flying a biplane, driving a tank or truck, running around, using all sorts of guns AND inventive weapons like gas grenades, swimming around ships and whizzing around in speedboats... It was all VERY Indy in its action feel and, coupled with a SMALL amount of wandering round temples pushing blocks would make a SUPERB Indy game. I thought there was a disproportionate amount of the push me/pull me school of puzzling in IM.

I also think there was way too little character interaction or development in Infernal Machine and the puzzle elements of a Tomb Raider style game are a lot less satisfying than the more intelectual theme of the previous Point 'n' clickers. More set pieces, more dialogue with choices, mappy/artifact based puzzles and a little more of the "Point and click adventure" feel would have made it SO much better for me.

As it stands, IM was a good GAME but not as great as I'd hoped for an Indy outing. It was basically Tomb Raider with Indy. A kids/Playstation game with a character that deserved DEEPER handling, not released on Lara's turf: the Playstation anyway.

Please GOD, let Monkey Island 4 and any future Indy Games take the good foundation of Infernal Machine and add some more DEPTH and ADVENTURE to it!!!

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: Don't get me wrong - I liked Infernal Machine a LOT. The Indy feel was cool and the game was good, but it only felt like a Tomb Raider game in Indy clothing, and Tomb Raider is much more shallow than Indy offerings ever were...

: I recently saw a rolling demo of a PC game, "*something* Eagle" I think, which was set in WWI and allowed you to choose 3rd/1st person views while flying a biplane, driving a tank or truck, running around, using all sorts of guns AND inventive weapons like gas grenades, swimming around ships and whizzing around in speedboats... It was all VERY Indy in its action feel and, coupled with a SMALL amount of wandering round temples pushing blocks would make a SUPERB Indy game. I thought there was a disproportionate amount of the push me/pull me school of puzzling in IM.

: I also think there was way too little character interaction or development in Infernal Machine and the puzzle elements of a Tomb Raider style game are a lot less satisfying than the more intelectual theme of the previous Point 'n' clickers. More set pieces, more dialogue with choices, mappy/artifact based puzzles and a little more of the "Point and click adventure" feel would have made it SO much better for me.

: As it stands, IM was a good GAME but not as great as I'd hoped for an Indy outing. It was basically Tomb Raider with Indy. A kids/Playstation game with a character that deserved DEEPER handling, not released on Lara's turf: the Playstation anyway.

: Please GOD, let Monkey Island 4 and any future Indy Games take the good foundation of Infernal Machine and add some more DEPTH and ADVENTURE to it!!!

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