It might be a year away from the shelves but just one look at Indiana Jones on the LucasArts stand and you can feel the expectation building. And despite running on development kits in demo form only, the game already looks like it might live up to almost any amount of hype.

Boasting what the team are calling Euphoria technology, the game uses the power of the next-gen consoles to do more than simply whiz tons of impressive graphics around the screen; it creates a world and fills it with enemies that react to Indy's attacks.

Strength, intelligence and position will always be a factor in every fight, so instead of using the same stock animations for every punch, kick or throw, each time you sock a foe one, the results will change. Some will fall, some will roll with the blow, some will fly backwards through a door that splinters as if it was balsa.

Oh yes, and did we mention that the world also reacts? But, instead of using the same canned animations, real physics dictates how each pane of glass cracks, each plank breaks and every crate explodes. Impressive, huh?

These are still early days for Indy and we can't wait to see more ourselves as well as bring you more info as Indy whips tomb raiding adventurists into a frenzy.

May 15, 2006