I'll go out on a limb and declare the following: This is the best Wii release of the year so far, and certainly the best game I personally have played on this system. It's entertaining, it's dynamic and it mixes Wii technology with a fantastic storyline. In the words of Indiana Jones, there is "fortune and glory" in this game.
So far we've only played through the first tutorial level, set at the foot of a dusty mountain, but that's given us a reasonable feel for the game. Think Tomb Raider meets Star Wars: The Force Unleashed and you're not far off. It's a third person adventure with a focus on motion-controlled, whip-based action. Come across an opening concealed by foliage? Hold down B and swing away with the Remote to clear it. Your path's blocked by a gaping chasm? Get your whip out, hold B and swing across. It feels natural and for the most part really satisfying.
Both Infernal Machine and Emperor's Tomb were breathless adventures, and Staff Of Kings' scope just keeps growing. In addition, a co-operative mode is promised, not in the single-player game (this isn't 'Indiana Jones And His Rotund Comedy Sidekick And The Staff Of Kings', thank God), but as an entirely separate mini-quest. Who could this second character be? We're betting on fez-wearing Egyptian chum Sallah or Mr Henry Jones Snr, though we'd love the mode to be a bumbling, awkward curator sim starring Marcus Brody.
# Wield your Wii Remote™ like Indy’s signature whip for a variety of uses — from combat to navigation to puzzle-solving.
# Use your highly interactive Hot Set™ environments and your wits to defeat your enemies.
# Explore exotic locations around the globe in an all-new story that puts you on an epic quest for the Staff of Moses.
# Apply your smarts to navigate Indy through challenging terrains with the many maneuvers Indy can do with his whip.
# Engage in burst gunplay moments and use careful aim and the environment to take out enemies.
# Face overwhelming odds and escape signature run-for-your-life moments, like a daring escape from a collapsing temple, by matching fast-paced onscreen gesture prompts.
# Experience thrilling chases and control vehicles — fly a biplane in a canyon trench, take the reigns of a wild elephant through the streets of Istanbul and navigate a raft down a raging river.
# Cooperative gameplay mode allows you and a friend to brave the challenges in a variety of game modes in an entirely new quest with a familiar character never playable before in an Indy game.
# Unlock four-player versus mode where you and your friends go head-to-head in a real biplane combat or take on three of your friends in a free for all tank battle!
# Whether you are brawling baddies or wielding your whip, use the Wii Remote and Nunchuk™ as nature intended with the intuitive gesture-based combat system.
# Discover more than 20 artifacts and rewarding unlockables throughout the game.
# For those old-school gamers there is nothing better than unlocking the classic Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis game!