I got through Indiana Jones and the Great Circle last week and am enjoying it more than most triple-A games these days. The demands on the player are limited, it's well written and well paced, and the story that unfolds is quite engaging. This might be the best Xbox exclusive to grace the platform in years.
What do you mean that guy is Troy Baker?
But when I play, I can't stop thinking that I'm looking at Harrison Ford's face and hearing Troy Baker's voice. For what he set out to do (do a killer Harrison Ford impression), Baker did a great job. Even the developers couldn't distinguish him from Ford. Harrison himself praised Baker's performance on stage at the TGA last December, saying he would have performed it himself if he had known Baker was “so good.”
In Baker's interview with MachineGames ahead of release, we saw him admit that he was sick of seeing this guy in every video game. But unfortunately, he was the best person for the job. Bethesda head and Great Circle executive producer Todd Howard himself reportedly “rolled his eyes” when Baker was given the role.
A lot of focus was placed on making the characters feel “authentic.” This meant that Indy had to feel, look, and sound like Harrison Ford. So it means 'the best person to do a Harrison Ford impression'. But why did it have to be like this?
Can Indiana Jones live only through Harrison Ford?
Indiana Jones was played solely by Harrison Ford, except in shows like Young Indiana Jones Adventures where the character appears at various ages. Aside from his highly competitive role as Han Solo in Star Wars, this is probably Ford's best-known role. Many people say that Indy could not exist without Ford and that Indy is synonymous with him, which is probably why his likeness was used in the game.
But I find it strange. This character is already iconic and unique in its own right. If you see the silhouette of a man with a fedora and a whip, you probably know it's Indie. You don't even need to know it's Harrison Ford, so why does Ford's face have to appear every time Indy is depicted?
The Great Circle is a video game, and video games routinely utilize IP without using the likes of Hollywood games. We still recognize those characters for what they are because they are iconic. We've seen characters like Superman and Batman reinterpreted over and over again across different mediums and eras. These characters continue to be revitalized with new takes and new actors. Why can't indies follow in their footsteps?
There were hints that Shia LaBeouf could take the whip at the end of Crystal Skull, but that ultimately didn't happen. Perhaps it was because the film was criticized after its release, or perhaps because the studio was cold-hearted.
I'm not saying that the decision itself was a bad one. Many people liked Baker's performance. I don't feel positive or negative about it. Because I didn't grow up watching Indiana Jones. I don't have any perfume that makes me miss it. BE Harrison Ford. But I think video game adaptations are a great opportunity to give characters new interpretations, new faces and voices. Indie will always be indie. Indie doesn't always have to be Ford.
Uncover one of the greatest mysteries of all time in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle™. raiders of the lost ark and last crusade. In 1937, an evil force is scouring the world to discover the secrets of an ancient force known as the Great Circle. There is only one person who can stop them: Indiana Jones. You will become a legendary archaeologist in this cinematic action-adventure from MachineGames, the award-winning studio behind the recent Wolfenstein series and executive produced by Hall of Fame game designer Todd Howard.
