GamesFPSIndiana Jones and the Great CircleIndiana Jones and the Great Circle looks like the best series adaptation since Temple of Doom on the Atari ST over 30 years agoWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
GamesFPSIndiana Jones and the Great CircleIndiana Jones and the Great Circle looks like the best series adaptation since Temple of Doom on the Atari ST over 30 years agoWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: MachineGames)
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. As far as addendums to silver screen dynasties go, you’ve likely heard better. The Great Circle doesn’t have the same oomph as The Temple of Doom, The Last Crusade, or even The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. But when it comes to MachineGames and Bethesda’s long-awaited video game adaptation, even a whimsical strapline wasa lotmore information than we had before the latestXbox Developer Direct.
Whip it good
(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)
Big in 2024(Image credit: Future)GamesRadar+ is exploring the most anticipated video games of the year withBig in 2024, with new articles dropping every day throughout January
Big in 2024
(Image credit: Future)GamesRadar+ is exploring the most anticipated video games of the year withBig in 2024, with new articles dropping every day throughout January
(Image credit: Future)
GamesRadar+ is exploring the most anticipated video games of the year withBig in 2024, with new articles dropping every day throughout January
Visually, the Great Circle looks stunning. With MachineGames at the helm, that was likely never in doubt – having risen to prominence when it revived the Wolfenstein series in 2014, the studio launched Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus three years later, both of which also looked great – but the artefact-laden museums, leafy jungle paths, and vacuous tombs in the trailer, all viewed through Indy’s eyes, looked amazing. We saw thoughtful environmental puzzles, breakneck traversal, and the same brutal melee and weapon-driven Nazi-killing combat MachineGames is renowned for.
Through all of this, it feels like Indiana Jones and the Great Circle understands the essence of its source material, leaning into the sense of adventure that brought this character to life 40-odd years ago, and has retained his place as a household name ever since. The likes of Tomb Raider and Uncharted have long aped the formula with great success, but it feels like the Great Circle stands tofinallydo the wise-cracking, crypt-plundering protagonist justice.
His Lego ventures aside, I’d argue that there hasn’t been a decent Indiana Jones game since the 1989 Temple of Doom MS-DOS incarnation, which was itself a desktop port of Atari’s 1985 arcade game. Despite its crude eight-directional controls and a plot that barely reflected any of its cinematic inspiration, Temple of Doom had some of the most satisfying platforming mechanics of its time. I played on the Atari ST in the early ’90s, and can still recall the joy of lashing Indy’s whip at bats, snakes and ghouls, throwing myself over chasms, and battering down mine shafts in the back of a cart less reliable than a wonky shopping trolley.
(Image credit: Atari)
Lest I digress further, I suppose my point here is: yes, a decent Indiana Jones game has been a long time coming, and yes, we’ve known about this one for some time, but none of this matters until we’re shown something that works. Having been announced way back in January 2021, Bethesda, MachineGames andLucasfilmGames were always going to go big with our first proper glimpse here, but even still, the little we’ve seen so far has really whet the palette for more. It’s early days yet, but the Great Circle looks on course to put Indy back on top – be that while sneaking around silent tombs, letting his silver tongue get him out of (or land him in) trouble, shooting planes out of the sky, and/or hopping between the wings of airborne aircraft.
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Combine all of this with MachineGames' history with video games that portray Nazi slaughter, and, surely, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is on the right track. Now boasting a tentative “2024” release window, more information on this one can’t come soon enough.
GamesRadar+ is exploring the most anticipated video games of the year withBig in 2024, with new articles dropping every day throughout January.
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GamesRadar+ is exploring the most anticipated video games of the year withBig in 2024, with new articles dropping every day throughout January.
GamesRadar+ is exploring the most anticipated video games of the year withBig in 2024, with new articles dropping every day throughout January.
GamesRadar+ is exploring the most anticipated video games of the year withBig in 2024, with new articles dropping every day throughout January.
GamesRadar+ is exploring the most anticipated video games of the year withBig in 2024, with new articles dropping every day throughout January.
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GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension"2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package"3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure"4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years"5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths"1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show"2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie"3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action"4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien"5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite"1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat"2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses"3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist"4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands"5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
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1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
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2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
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Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
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4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
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5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
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Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
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Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
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3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
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4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5
Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
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1
Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2
Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3
Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
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4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4
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5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5
Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”