10 Hugely Popular Licenses Video Games Can't Get Right

5. Indiana Jones

Surprisingly, games based on the Indiana Jones series tend to focus on new adventures for the character, rather than recreating the films. Then again, given the quality of game these new adventures have led to, perhaps it would have been better to shy away from originality. The globe-spanning adventures of Indiana Jones have taken many gaming forms but adventures and platformers are the most common. LucasArts actually managed to make a good point and click game out of the series (The Fate Of Atlantis), thanks to the SCUMM game engine, but sadly this was discontinued before it could really get going. Since then, nothing really impressive has come from an Indiana Jones game. The Staff Of Kings is probably the most prominent release since (for the Wii and PlayStation 2) but it was too quick-time event heavy, detracting from the experience somewhat. Elsewhere, Indiana has tried to cut in on Tomb Raider's brand of puzzles, platforming and gunplay with titles like The Infernal Machine and The Emperor's Tomb but neither game really amounted to much, mainly because Lara Croft had got there first. Still, the pulp adventure genre is ever popular with Uncharted reigning supreme right now - an Indiana Jones game with good controls, solid platforming and an intelligent story could actually be something glorious. Just keep the writers of Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull away from it, okay?