Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is on the way, and with it set to release in only a few months, we'v????e learned quite a bit about the Bethesda Softworks title. Now, we're finding out why Indy won't be so focused on guns.

The Great Circle's place in the overall Indiana Jones franchise timeline, which legacy characters from the films will appear, and details about the story have all come to light. Developer MachineGames has also been revealed how the game will approach gunplay, with The Great Circle apparently leaning away from guns for the most part, forcing players to progress by other means?.

Speaking with Edge magazine (via GamesRadar), The Great Circle creative director Axel Torvenius explained: "We do not encourage gunplay. It's not being pushed as the primary? way forward. The primary way forward is always trying to use your wits and your whip."

Torvenius went on to assert that this approach was taken to remain true to the Indiana Jones character fans have known for decades. Since Torvenius made these remarks, some Indy fans online have questioned the validity of the claim, arguing that The Great Circle team made the wrong call with the game's relationship wi?th firearms??.

In reality, I think Torvenius is right. Extensive gunplay has no place in an Indiana Jones video game.

Indiana Jones is a professor, not a gunslinger

An element of Torvenius' chat with Edge that seems to be over?looked in the gunplay debate is his succinct explanation of who Indiana Jones is.

"At the end of the day, he's a teacher and a somewhat clumsy archeologist," Torvenius said. "He just happens to have this passion that puts him in these weird situations constantly with enemies and traps." Through that brief summary of Dr. Jones, it's understood entirely why trying to turn The Great Circle into just another first-person shooter?? ?title would be the absolute wrong move.

Ther?e's no denying that there is a certain level of violence to Indiana Jones' adventures. Enemies and allies alike are constantly being thrown into harm's way as Jones seek??s out the world's most powerful and mysterious artifacts, hoping to keep them out of the clutches of evil. More often than not, his fists, whip, and cunning are enough to keep him and his friends alive. Whittling the tools at players' disposal down to these bare essentials minimized sounds like it should make for a more authentic Indy portrayal and a more engaging game.

Even the movies minimize gunplay

At the same time, there is a case to be made for Indiana Jones' gun use. After all, when push comes to shove, he's never afraid to pick up a firearm to get out of a bind. Who could forget the iconic Raiders of the Lost Ark confrontation with the Cairo Swordsman, who tries to pull Indy into a fight with his flashy sword skills only to be shot in the blink of an eye? There's also the Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade rescue of Dr. Henry Jones?? Sr., where his son mows down a group of en??emy soldiers with a machine gun to aid in their escape. Thus, it's evident that to some extent guns are tied closely to Indy.

However, the key thing to understand is that in the aforementioned examples, and pretty much any other one could pull from the Indiana Jones movies, guns are only used briefly. After he shoots the Swordsman, he holsters his pistol, and once the enemy soldiers are laying dead on the ground, he tosses the machine gun aside. Taking conflict to such an extreme isn't Indy's goal, but he's willing to do it under specific circumstances, particularly in life or death scenarios. Maintaining that mentality in The Great Circle is the right way? to go if Torvenius and the other mi??nds behind it want to emulate Indy's movie characterization.

Clearly, the folks at MachineGames have done their homework on Indiana Jones and his unorthodox conflict resolution skills to prepare for The Great Circle. Time will tell how their efforts pan out when?? the game launches on December 9 for Windows, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series? S.

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The latest Indiana Jones and The Great Circle trailer captures everything ?fans love about the iconic movie franchise, an??d even includes a nod to where it all started.

During the Xbox Games Showcase, Bethesda provided another look at Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. The trailer did not confirm an ?official release date beyond the 2024 release window already known. Still, it did show Indy and his sidekick Gina in action deep in the Himalayas as they hunt down an artifact ca?lled The Great before the Germans get to it first.

The first-person, single-player adventure is set between the events of Raiders of the Lost Arc and the Last Crusade, meaning Indiana Jones is still in his prime. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle features a mix of puzzles, dramatic action set pieces, up close and personal fist fights, and gunslinging. Also, it wouldn't be an Indiana Jones title without being able to use his trusty whip in actio??n.

This is a developing news story and will be updated as new information is available.

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There are countless LEGO sets available to purchase and, if you’re trying to keep to a certain budget, things can get a little complicated. With sets costing hundreds of dollars, it’s not always easy to find an affordable LEGO set to gift or hoard. 

However, as a collector with a child who is also turning into something of a LEGO fan, I’ve had to get thrifty, and I’ve become pretty good at finding LEGO sets on the cheaper side. On this list, I’ve included something f??or all tastes and the best part? None of these se??ts sell for more than $50 USD.

Bonsai Tree

Price: $49.99 USD

The Bonsai Tree LEGO set allows you to create not just one tree, but two. ??Well, almost. You can build one trunk and then have the choice between greenery or Cherry Blossoms to complete the look. I love this set and have it in my bedroom, changing the leaves depending on the season.

Venomized Groot (Marvel)

Price: $49.99 USD

I can’t be the only person whose favorite character from the Marvel universe is Groot, and this set combines him with another favorit?e - Venom. You can build this set to be either half-venomized or completely venomized, al?lowing for some customization and variety if you decide to deconstruct and build the set again. 

Dobby the House Elf (Harry Potter)

Price: $34.99 USD

One for the Harry Potter fans, Dobby the House Elf doesn’t come alone. You also get a LEGO version of Tom Riddle’s?? Diary from The Chamber of S??ecrets, complete with soggy sock, and the cake which results in bars being put on Harry’s window. Dobby’s giant green eyes and happy smile are just too cute.

Everyone is Awesome

Price: $34.99 USD

The Everyone is Awesome set is definitely a display piece, with its rainbow backing and solid color minifigs. Designed by Matthew Aston, it’s a celebration of inclusivity, positivity and kindness. Even if it’s not designed to be played with, this one’s still a pretty cool set to have. Bonus p??oints if you can avoid getting the song stuck in your head.

Dinosaur Fossils: T. Rex Skull (Jurassic World)

Price: $39.99 USD

Even if you’re not that much of a fan of the Jurassic World franchise (though I’m unsure how you couldn’t be, at least when it comes to the origina??l movie), this set looks really nice sit??ting on a shelf. You get both the T. Rex footprint and fossilized skull to display, as well as a small plaque relaying details about real-life T. Rex. 

Isabelle’s House Visit (Animal Crossing)

Price: $39.99 USD

Part of the fairly recent inclusion of Animal Crossing as a LEGO collection, Isabelle’s House Visit includes not only the house and surround??ing greenery, but also a floating present and two minifigs - Isabelle and Fauna - which complete the scene. Th??e set has only 389 pieces, so it's one children can help with and enjoy dismantling just to put it back together again.

Orchid

Price: $49.99 USD

My fiancé purchased the Orchid set for me as a gift and we built it together, so I may be a little biased here, but I cannot overstate how good value this set is. It’s actually pretty big, standing at 15 inches tall, so it’s replaced the real plant on my dining table. I can attest that, as someone who is terrible at keeping houseplants alive, LEGO flowers are an excellent alternative!

Escape from the Lost Tomb (Indiana Jones)

Price: $39.99 USD

If you’re a fan of the Indiana Jones franchise, or Egyptian iconology, or just LEGO in general and hankering to build something, the Escape from the Lost Tomb set is good value for money. It has 600 pieces and, when built, has?? interactive parts which make it good for both kids and ??adults. 

Spider Tank (Star Wars)

Price: $49.99 USD

This mechanical spider from the Mandalorian comes with three minifigs: The Mandalorian himself, Grogu, and Bo-Katan Kryze. The Spider Tank itself has a?? shooting function, designed to fling tiny bits of LEGO across the living roo??m for you to find hours later once the kids are in bed, so I’d argue that this one should be kept out of small kids, lest your feet feel the force of the LEGO step.

The Sword Outpost (Minecraft)

Price: $44.99 USD

I have to admit, my first thought when the Minecraft collection of LEGO was announced was, “What took them so long?� I mean, it’s a world built entirely from blocks so it just makes sense to make things from the game out of LEGO. Well, this is one of the sets now available f?rom the Minecraft LEGO collection, including an oversized version of a Diamond Sword an??d multiple minifigs, like the adorably blocky pig.

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Last week, many of us were excited to see the official reveal trailer of MachineGames' upcoming Indiana Jones title The Great Circle. But footage shown at Developer Direct last week appears to be hinting at the return of Quake.

During the showcase of the upcoming Indiana Jones release �at around the 11:35 mark �we see a quick shot of a whiteboard, covered in barely legible red ink. However, among these scrawls you can clearly make out the iconic logo from the first Quake game.

Just above that, it's also possible to make out the characters "AKE 6." Given that t?he first letter is almost cut off from the screen, it could be inferred that this is the other half of the word "QUAKE."

Indy goes gothic

This could easily be nothing more than a throwaway reference, but the fact that it appears at all is interesting. Now, you don't need me to tell you that there's been no confirmation of any Quake projects in the pipeline. At??? least none that we're aware of.

Having said that, with developer MachineGames taking the reins on the modern Wolfenstein titles �not to mention last year's Quake 2 remaster, in which the studio contributed new maps �no one would be surprised if the team turned its attention to the original Quake.

Whether this would be a reboot or a new entry cannot be said, but given that the number six is present in the Indiana Jones trailer, it could be a continuation. If you're thinking there are only four games in the Quake series, consider Quake Champions the fifth installment. Or even Enemy Territory: Quake Wars.

In any case, these are just rumors at the moment. Chances are, if anyone was going to bring the legendary FPS back, who better than id Software? But MachineGames would definitel?y be a solid choice, so we'll just have to wait and see if the hidden clue in the video is more than just an Easter egg.

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Microsoft is ready to get 2024 rolling. The company has announced that it will host an Xbox Developer Dire?ct on January 18.

Xbox teased several of the projects that we'll be seeing during the January 18 Developer Direct. Amongst them are Obsidian Entertainment's Avowed, MachineGames' Indiana Jones title, and Ninja Theory's Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2.

The Xbox Wire shed a few more details on what to expect from the event, including our first real look at Indiana Jones. The Developer Direct will spend about 10 minutes on the project, which includes the first ga??meplay tra?iler and details on the title's setting and story.

There weren't really any details given for Hellblade 2's segment. Instead, the Xbox Wire says to expect a behind-the-scenes look at the game courtesy of Ninja Theory. We last saw the title at The Game Awards within an impressive new trailer and a release window confirmed for this year.

Avowed is getting a "deep dive into the gameplay experience" from Obsidian Entertainment. The studio will detail the game's Living Lands and the a??ction RPG's "deep themes, dynamic gameplay, and thoughtful reactivity."

Also at the Developer Direct will be Oxide Games' Ara: History Untold. We'll get a new look at gameplay and features from the history strategy game crafted by veteran developers of the Civilization series.

Xbox also notes that there will be a standalone presentation from Zenimax Online Studios following the Developer Direct. Here you can expect details on The Elder Scrolls Online's 2024 roadmap, including a new zone, storyline, and gameplay features??.

The Xbox Developer Direct wi??ll stream on Xbox channels on Thursday,?? January 18 at 12:00 p.m. PST, 3:00 p.m. EST.

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Though Game Pass may pick up the slack

Both Starfield and MachineGames' Indiana Jones are going to be exclusives for the Xbox. As such, not only will a lot of PlaySt??ation owners be pissed off they won't get to play either of these games, but some may question whether Microsoft has considered that this move will likely mean le?ss sales.

However, the Xbox company has anticipated this, it seems. Screenshots from court documents used in the Microsoft vs. FTC case (as uploaded by games journalist Stephen Totilo) reveal that Tim Stuart, chief financial officer for the tech giant, belie?ves exclusivity won't be a problem.

//?twitter.com/stephentotilo/status/16793079507063726??11

In fact, Microsoft is confident both Starfield and Indiana Jones would ??sell "more than 10 million units" if they were going to be released on PlayStation. Testifying in court, Stuart said that the company had "evaluated exclusivity of ZeniMax [parent company of Bet??hesda] games in December 2020".

Ten million is a huge potential loss

Having said that, Microsoft is certain it can offset such a potential loss through Game Pass. By making Starfield and Indiana Jones available on the Xbox cloud service, the company hopes to make up for not selling 10 million units via its bigges??t competitor.

In the grand scheme of thin??gs, it doesn't seem like Stuart or Microsoft are concerned about not being able to shift millions more on the PlayStation. Given the immense hype surrounding Bethesda's upcoming sci-fi RPG, there's no question about it being able to make a significant profit.

Starfield is due for release on September 6 for Xbox Series X|S and PC. If you want something to do until then, may we suggest this 1,000-page compendium?

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No Ticket

It has been a very, very long time since we last heard anything from Bethesda's exciting new Indiana Jones title, but we have some new news straight from the horse's mouth �Though i?t might? not be good news for everybody, with the reveal that the epic adventure will indeed be an Xbox/PC exclusive.

As reported by pundit Stephen Tolito, the revelation comes from no less than Bethesda Softworks own vice president, Pete Hines, who made the announcement during the preliminary questioning for the Microsoft vs. FTC lawsuit. According to Hines, Bethesda initially made a deal with IP owners Walt Disney to develop an Indiana Jones game for multiple platforms, but this was changed following Microsoft's acquisition of Bethesda, mirroring the circumstances surrounding the recently released (and maligned) Redfall.

//twitter.com/st?ephentotilo/status/1671939745293688832?s=20

As we have reported on many an occasion, The FTC's lawsuit against Microsoft has been filed in order to argue against the latter's proposed $67 billion purchase of publisher Activision Blizzard. This long-running and increasingly cumbersome deal has had to climb over many hurdles and walls on its way to fruition, with the FTC lawsuit set to prove one of i??ts largest obstacles. While preliminary h??earings are underway, the case will go to U.S. courts in August, though both parties will have the right to appeal regardless of the result.

We can very? likely expect to h?ear more behind-the-curtain tidbits before the summer is through.

The as??-yet-unnamed Indiana Jones title is currently in development for Xbox and PC at MachineGam??es.

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The former Darkness designer looks to make an Indy project

Game developer Jens Andersson, who's worked on projects like The Darkness and Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay, is taking up a new role at MachineGames. Andersson is joining the team to work on its upcoming Indiana Jones game.

In a statement shared on Twitter and spotted by VGC, Andersson confirms he's joining the project as the Design Director on Indiana Jones. Andersson says that in 2009 he accepted an offer to lead design on an Indiana Jones pr?oject??, but the game was cancelled before he got there.

"Now, I get a chance to do what I [originally] hoped to, but this time I get to do it with some of my oldest and best friends," said Andersson. "Joining MarchineGames is like coming home—amazing people I worked with during Riddick and Darkness??, but also tee??ming with new ones, whose talent daily [blows] me away."

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfVYgWYaHmE

Alongside Riddick and The Darkness, Andersson has also worked on Colors Live and the surprisingly fun Metroid-meets-pinball game Yoku's Island Express.

"I'm so excited about what we are building, and the way [we] get to do it—featuring one of the most iconic characters ever, in coll??aboration with my friends at Lucasfilm, published by one of the biggest publishers in the world, and doing it at an amazing studio like MachineGames," said Andersson. "This will be something special."

A new adventure for Indiana Jones

The new Indiana Jones project was revealed to the public in 2021, and it's been fairly quiet since. MachineGames, of Wolfenstein fame, is deve?loping the new take on Indy. Presumably, there are top men working on it. Top. Men.

It does seem like the new Indiana Jones is a ways off though. With a n??ew design director on board, we'll hopefully start to see more of wh?at MachineGames is putting together.

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