Machine Games and Xbox finally gave us a look at their new Indiana Jones Game, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. It’s been a few years since Machine Games’ last release and even longer since a good Indiana Jones game. With the Great Circle expected to drop later this year, here are ten games to play before it comes out.
Tomb Raider Survivor Trilogy
The Tomb Raider franchise has as storied a history in gaming as Indy does in film. The recent rebooted trilogy from Square Enix keeps the fun exploration of the original titles while adding a needed overhaul to combat and story.
All three titles in the Tomb Raider series are excellent in their own right, but the final title, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, is the best of the series. Shadow perfectly refines all the themes and combat from the previous two games, giving a satisfying conclusion to Lara Croft’s arc.
Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus
What better way to prepare for Indiana Jones and the Golden Circle than to play Machines Games’ best game to date? Machine Games revamped the Wolfenstein franchise with their 2014 game The New Order, but their follow-up in 2017 was an improvement in almost every way.
It’s always fun to shoot Nazis as BJ Blastowich, and The New Colossus delivers this fun in spades. Combine the tight first-person shooting mechanics with a truly engaging masterpiece, and you have one of the best Wolfenstein games in the long-running series.
Uncharted 4
The Indiana Jones films heavily inspire the Uncharted series. We think the second game in the series is the best, but the fourth game is an easy entry point and a great way to get ready for the Great Circle.
Uncharted 4 concludes Nathan Drake’s journey and gives the hero a fitting send-off. After a decade of games, Naughty Dogs‘ final Nathan Drake adventure perfects the combat and delivers the best story of the series.
Pitfall!
Pitfall! is a classic 2D adventure for the Atari 2600. The game and setting are heavily inspired by Indy’s first adventure, Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Pitfall! is pretty dated by today’s standards. The controls are quite clunky, and the visuals are exactly what you’d expect from an Atari 2600 game. That doesn’t mean it can’t still be a fun time and a game completed in a short afternoon.
Dishonored 2
Dishonored 2 isn’t just one of Bethesda’s best games. It’s also an incredible first-person action-adventure title. If Indiana Jones and the Great Circle being first-person gives you pause, it’s worth giving Dishonored 2 a playthrough.
The team at Arkane Lyon did an incredible job using the first-person perspective to their advantage. We hope Machine Games can deliver something similar.
Myst
Before diving into Indiana Jones’s first-person mystery, why not try the original first-person mystery game? Myst is a classic computer game that drops you on a mysterious island with tons of secrets to uncover.
Myst has been updated numerous times, runs better than ever, and is available on just about every piece of hardware known to man. The game can be a little obtuse, but plenty of helpful guides are out there for when you get stuck.
Red Dead Redemption 2
First-person games are often reserved for shooters, but occasionally, we get massive open-world titles. Red Dead Redemption 2 offers players the option of going first-person, which can be a great way to revisit this classic and prepare for the new Indiana Jones games.
Rockstars’ third game in the series is a masterpiece on its own and deserves a playthrough. Most players rarely use the first-person perspective, but experiencing the story from this perspective gives players a reason to try an old game again and makes it feel fresh.
Firewatch
Firewatch is a fantastic narrative-driven first-person story set in the wilderness of Wyoming. It follows a middle-aged man as he assesses his life and decides where to go next.
Firewatch may not contain as many bombastic set pieces as Indiana Jones, but it does have some beautiful scenery. The short narrative will leave you wanting more before The Golden Circles’ release.
Lego Indiana Jones
There are two different Lego Indiana Jones games, but the original is a much better playthrough. Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures loosely follows the plot of the first three films infused with classic Lego humor.
Indiana Jones isn’t the best representation of the Lego franchise, but they are still a blast for those nostalgic for the films.
Rick Dangerous
Rick Dangerous was released in 1989 and is a direct spoof of Indiana Jones. In the game, you play as British secret agent Rick Dangerous, searching for a lost tribe in the Amazon jungle in 1945.
Much like Indy, Rick has to dodge traps and punch Nazis in this short three-hour adventure. The humor and charm are in full tilt and will make you nostalgic for Indiana Jones.
