Indiana Jones and The Staff of Kings - What Happened? 

Crash Purple and Spyro Orange: What Happened

Holy moly! A game I've actually worked on! 😳 I worked at Babel Media as a game tester back when they were making the PS2 and Wii versions of this game. The Wii version was quite fun. The PS2 version... we don't talk about that. 😶 Probably my favourite bug was the streetcar flying off into space... _whoops._

You only forgot that Moses's staff can turn into a big snake and that gandalf wielded it once. Other than that 100% accurate.

Okay that concept art of indiana jones racing through the parted red seas while a blimp is chasing them is honestly pretty sick. 4:36

The Indiana Jones Monkey King script was one of many commissioned and discarded part 4 scripts. It had Indy searching for the mythological peach tree orchard that grew peaches whose golden pits grant eternal life. It's been something like 20 years, but I do remember that the orchard was protected gorillas who in one scene beat up a bunch of nazis (I swear I'm not making this up), put on their uniforms and drove their tanks around like an episode of the Banana Splits. I may still have it around here somewhere. It was really bad.

The only part of Moses’s story you left out is where he retires to Fort Lauderdale and spends his afternoons at the local deli.

"Or enter the crumbling temple that is my twitter" Since you had to record this well in advance of the disaster that's happening today on July 1st, I think it's only fair to say that Matt's a prophet.

"That was made to apologize for the last one". Boy, guess that means they'll do one more movie to apologize for this one too, huh?

Uncharted and Tomb Raider seemed to fill the gap of whatever an Indy game could have achieved.

Would love to see a Wha Happun about No One Live Forever 1 & 2, albeit focusing on why they can't be re-released

Excuse me Mr. McMuscles, I think you might've gotten your facts wrong about Moses. I'm pretty sure he parted the Red Sea with a Beyblade. Thank you for your time!

I don't care how bad the game was, I had so much fun and enjoyment playing this game on the Wii. Couldn't get past the Nepal level, but that was a long time ago.

Wait, so Todd Howard is directing Starfield, Elder Scrolls 6, Fallout 5, and some Indiana Jones game... all at the same time!? ...boy, I can't wait to watch that 'What Happened?' episodes on those...

I had the wii version growing up and spent hours and hours trying to get past the chinatown level. I never beat it, and assumed I was just bad at the game. Imagine my relief when I revisited it as an adult and discovered that it wasn't punishingly difficult, just outright bad

You can't fool me, I KNOW La-Mulana background tracks when I hear them. Expertly done. Thank you once again for having great taste in background music for all your videos, there are always a ton of deep cuts hidden in there.

People like to say GC got great 3rd party support, but those of us that lived through it remember how many multiplat games skipped the system entirely 😭

The Wii version is still the only Indy game I've ever finished, not counting the Desktop Adventures demo. I don't know how I got past the electrocution scene at the end of the Chinatown level, but at the time, I didn't think the game was otherwise too bad.

This is the third Indiana Jones game-related video I've seen today. There was the AVGN video, and one from Mind Pulp, and now it's Matt's video.

I may just have watched an over 3 hours long retrospective on all Indy Games and know this story already but can't say no to watching a new What happened

“The crumbling temple that is my Twitter” is such a good fit for today.

Yoooo I actually was taught in university firsthand by Tony Rowe! Super cool dude, always mentioned his work on Force unleashed, never on Indy, lol. Neat to see people I knew for years in videos!

I had this game on the Wii and my most vibrant memories of it were actually the Fate of Atlantis, which was playable from the extras menu I think. I think it says a lot that the most fun I had with it was playing a completely different game, and that that game was a classic point and click controlled via wiimote

I actually found the wii version for super cheap and played it. It was surprisingly REALLY fun and i had a great time playing it.

It's crazy, but seeing the trolley-top fight at 13:09 remindeed me of something. BET once had a news show tailored to tech people and gamers called HotWyred, starring Lamorne Morris (New Girl) and it was there where I heard about this game for the first and only time, then I proceeded to completely forget that this was going to be a thing for years.

You should see if there’s anything to dig up with the new LOTR Gollum game. With how absolutely abysmal everything about it, there’s got to be some juicy behind the scenes development drama.

Ideas for new videos: 1. Forspoken - What Happened? 2. Redfall - What Happened? 3. Lord of the Rings: Gollum - What Happened? 4. Pokémon - What Happened? 5. Overwatch 2 - What Happened? 6. Saints Row - What Happened? 7. Gotham Knights - What Happened? 8. Diablo Immortal - What Happened? 9. Dead Island 2 - What Happened? This last one is for a game that hasn’t released yet, but you know it’s going to be bad. 10. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League - What Happened?

the official novelization of this game was also cancelled. It was to be written by Rob MacGregor, who previously had written the novelization of The Last Crusade, aswell as 6 original novels for the publisher Bantam Spectra in the 90s (which 6 more novels being written after he left the project, 2 by Martin Caidin, and 4 by Max McCoy). McGregor never gave up on getting his already finished novelization of Staff of Kings out, so he uploaded an audiobook version read by himself online, and in 2023 did release the full book as a free PDF everyone can check out.

On the PS2 version at least, there are 2 collectable hats that are completely impossible to get, 1 is stuck behind collision detection and one is completely impossible to get. Luckily the Han Solo costume requires all but 2 hats to unlock.

Always wanted a video about a game you worked on. I haven't seen all your library, but this is the first one I've seen you mentioned you worked on the subject. I loved this!

Honestly I'm one of those people who actually liked Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, cause the more I look at it the more I see a competent film at the end of the day, sure it has it's flaws and is different from what you expect a Indy film to be, much like the previous divisive Temple of Doom which I liked for a number of reasons despite having some flaws here and there, Indiana Jones as a franchise always has been a reflection of the time period they take place in, for better or for worse and I feel like Crystal Skull is a reflection of being in the 50's during the cold war with the Soviets which has all those, not to mention a decade earlier the Roswell incident took place and is more or less the origin of the good old conspiracy theories thanks to that incident blowing up as much as it did, not to mention in the 50's you did see a lot of media doubling down on the whole Alien Invasion thing, there's a lot Kingdom of the Crystal Skull did right and I feel the IP shouldn't have been abandoned so soon after bringing the franchise back, hell they should've said screw it and immediately worked on a 5th film and learned what worked and what didn't with the 4th movie, that's what they did after Temple of Doom, they immediately followed up with a sequel that ended up being even better than the previous film and an excellent trilogy capper as a whole, such a waste of an IP, I think Lucasfilm shouldn't abandon the IP again like before, I think doing a TV Show, possibly animated on a smaller budget and handled like they did with Star Wars the Clone Wars where it fills in gaps in the story while also being the IP at it's best and highly expand on the lore given.

I grinded objectives in the Wii version just to get more tank and plane stuff for the local multiplayer, it was one of the few games I played with my dad. Ah good memories.

I have low key wanted an Indy game similar to Emperor's Tomb since that game came out.

Please do Foodfight! I need to see an episode that uses the phrase 'corporate espionage'

Alternative title: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Troubled Development of the Staff of Kings! 😁

Good to see a what happened episode on my birthday today

Everyone knows Moses used a Beyblade.

My friends and I lets played this back in college. We changed Indy's name everybtime we died, exhausting all 50 states and most Canadian provinces. Fun times

I remember there was a brief time where I was really hyped for this game. I quite enjoyed Emperors Tomb and all the next-gen physics stuff they were touting sounded really cool. But ultimately It would've had to have been something really special to succeed in its day. Games were evolving really significantly at the end of the 00s and a lot of early 7th gen stuff ending up in this really awkward transitional era. Between that and Crystal Skull, it seems like it really just wasn't meant to be.

16:58 _Slow it down. Slow it WAYYYYY down!_ 😂😂

Thank you @MattMcMuscles for this channel and these videos! Love listening/watching to information like this. Great stuff!

You forgot where Moses used the staff to kill Hans Gruber and save an office full of hostages during a Christmas party.

I honestly liked Wet. The characters and action were fun, the graphics were pretty good, and the music was just top tier.

The best thing to come out of Staff of Kings was the fact the Wii version let you play Fate of Atlantis instead.

Looking forward to the trio with Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and this new one!

That response about the first Uncharted game is just priceless, and they're still trying to compete with the juggernaut franchise that is now the Uncharted series.

I really hope the game comes out. I enjoy pretty much all of Indiana Jones's content. I love the og Trilogy, crystal skull, and Dial of Destiny (go watch it, it's good don't listen to haters). So I REALLY want this game. Especially coming from Machine Games as Wolfenstein is another one of my favorite franchises.

Can you please do a “Wha Happun” on Back 4 Blood and why it didn’t even hold a candle to the original Left 4 Dead Duology 🙏🏾?

Yo, can we get a Wha Happun on "Sam and Max: Freelance Police" in the future?

Last year, I bought the Wii version for five bucks just to play Fate of Atlantis. Awesome game. As for the main game, I liked the gunplay parts (expect for one unfair part in the zepplin) but BOY linking the motion controls to walking and punching was an awful idea. Funny story: at the last motorcycle chase, I held the controllers as indicated in the diagram and I couldn't control the bike. Turns out you had to hold them parallel to the ground. That made me miffed, but it was actually a little fun. And the less said about the piano sequence, the better. I enjoyed the story sequences, though, so it wasn't a waste of time. Plus I just enjoyed listening to March of the Raiders at the title screen. Perfectly fine for a game to get cheap and get a better game to go with it.

Supposedly the staff of Moses is inside the lost Ark

I've heard the PSP version is the best version of Staff of Kings

no, you were correct with the use of the staff of kings. I think it was also used as a stir stick at the Yonge and Dundas Tim Hortons too.

Thank you waiting for this

Throwing the La Mulana theme in there was a nice treat.

Was great to see you supporting the OSW guys recently to review Fight Forever!

When I was scrolling on RU-vid I glanced at the thumbnail and thought it said Staff of Fucking Kings... No idea why. Great video though! Love your content dude! Keep being awesome! You are good at it.

I played Staff of Kings as a kid, specifically the Wii version, and I got all the way to the last level where its this section where Indy is using a crane to knock people off of the villains zeppelin. The motion controls for this section are AWFUL, like the games motion controls already werent great, but this one section was absolutely brutal they tried to have pseudo real physics where the crane didnt stop on a dime but it goes on for so long and the entire time you're getting shot at and taking damage. In retrospect I dont actually know if I beat this game as a kid. I do have fond memories of this game and it is endlessly cool that Fate of Atlantis is unlockable in the wii version but man I wish we got the HD versions instead.

Glad your still with us Matt

RU-vid recommends a Matt McMuscles video for the first time in months: "Finally some good f*ing food"

Seen the Wii version of this game sitting on a pharmacy bargain shelf for years before I picked it up for $17.

This one video is better than two hours of the new Indiana Jones movie that I watched but forgot how was it's called.

I lost my shit at the "o...ohhh f...fuck" lmao

Great Stuff, as always!

Actually had a decent time from what I remember with Staff of Kings on the Wii. Still have it too, definitely gotta give it a go once again to see if my opinion has changed. Regardless I'll always have those fun memories of playing it and waggling away! Thanks for covering this game btw. ❤

I bought and played the Staff of Kings for the Wii and remember it being quiet enjoyable! Felt like a classic Indy adventure!

Matt: "Lucarts was toying with the idea of Indiana Jones shooting Goku in the face." Me: "Jokes on Lucasarts, Bulma beat them to the punch. And that was at the start of Dragon Ball!"

What a coincidence I was just watching Wha Happun Wii U

My dad getting milk: What Happened?

Very soon you will have to make a "What happened" episode about "Dial of Destiny".

I'm glad I didn't know about this, I remember getting upset when the Dirty Harry game that got me hyped for the PS3 got canceled.

Was not expecting to see Rogue Squadron, nice to see it's not forgotten

It would be interesting to see a What Happened on Stargate Worlds. Everything from the reveal of it being marketed as narrative synergy with the Stargate shows running in the late 2000s.

Can’t believe I’m in time to watch as soon as it’s up! Definitely watched the whole video in 8 secs

13:30 when I heard the part where Lucasarts fired the key developer, I immediately recalled "One does not swap horses in the middle of a river crossing." It's a Russian saying.

I played the first level and part of San Francisco last summer but kinda forgot about the game after getting into another Wii title, Bionicle Heroes! I tried getting back into (exactly) two weeks ago in the lead-up to Dial of Destiny but my Wii Remote died and we didn’t have any batteries at the moment so that kind of ended that. If Staff of Kings is truly this mid, maybe I should just stick to the tried and true Indiana Jones games- the LEGO ones and Uncharted! Hell, I might even try some of the older Indiana Jones games if they’re any better, or maybe I should get back into Force Unleashed on the Wii (which I also played one level of last summer before randomly forgetting I owned it). It sucks that Indy games went out without this one when the series is so rife with potential for modern video games, which (again) Uncharted exemplifies, even if I love the two franchises for varyingly different reasons. If nothing else, I’m glad to see this game wasn’t forgotten, even if not for the most preferable reasons.

The reaction to Uncharted was pretty funny

I had the Wii version, and literally *COULD NOT* get past the plane section in the FIRST LEVEL. I thought I just sucked at motion controls, LMAO. I did unlock Fate of Atlantis, a MUCH BETTER Indy game, in the start menu, and played through it to completion, so I guess it wasn't totally wasted?

I can't believe it, but I've actually played this game to the ending back in my teen years on the Wii. Just...this is a nostalgia trip.

Finally someone who shares the same saltiness I did for the lack of Gamecube Lucasarts love, I didn't expect to see it addressed here but sure glad it did...

I low key loved the psp port of this with all button controls! Became a great wee game.

Still no idea if the Breath of Fire series has enough history to be a video or hit that algo; but with remasters like Star Ocean 2 getting announced, I can only dream Capcom may be thinking the same and then it would match the algorithm direction for a solid video. Regardless, thanks for these as always. ♡

"It's Just Bad" series prepared me for this

i really hope somone makes a sequel to indy and the emperos tomb, it was such a great game

17:48 GOD I CAN'T I'M DYING AT THAT TODD HOWARD JOKE XDDDDDD Also, What Happun to Telltale

I remember being a kid and growing up with the Indiana Jones movies and the Kingdom of the crystal skull was gonna come out, and this video game had me hyped, I played the hell out of emperors tomb, this game and swbf3 were definitly gonna be games that changed the industry. Tech like the euphoria physics engine was so exciting to see at the time.

Well-played with the Wilhelm Scream at the 3-minute mark!

I guess you can say that - among other things - the Staff... ...was cut short

Gotta say a God of War style Indiana Jones games could be pretty cool

That "La Mulana" music in the back is greta.

Good timing

The crumbling Twitter joke predicted the future today 😮

Considering how long of a dev hell it was and it involving quite the currently hot topic company, I'm surprised there hasn't been a Wha Happun on FF15 or KH3

Another great vid 🤠

Bro you absolutley have to make a video on lawbreakers!!

@MattMcMuscles, I recognize the Aladdin (Sega Genesis)Oasis level music you play at 4:40. That was the very first videogame I've ever played :)

Don't diss Wet. I love that game.

Rerez did a Just Bad Games episode on Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings Wii version (Bless their gaming sanity...😔🙏)

Thought this was going to be about a title that didn’t make it through a troubled production. I remember seeing a promo for the game, and then it not coming out. Gave up on waiting and had no idea this was ever actually released.

I played the Wii version all the way till the piano-crane sequence. Never could get it working and left the game. It's honestly got some of the worst controls I've played through. You had to punch with the wii remote and nunchuck, but it barely registered any of them, let alone the multiple styles of punches. Indy didn't look like Harrison Ford, and the game had very slow tutorials where Indy paused the action and explained everything, slowly. If they had just focused on making a fun action game it could have been alright, but they wanted to do motion controls. Man, I've wanted news from the new Indy game but it kinda seems we might not get it. I need a good Indiana Jones action adventure game, why can't we get it?

La-Mulana and the shenanigans pulled by Nicalis, would definitely be worth going over. They basically didn't do work on translating nor distributing the game, despite being contracted by Nigoro to do so. The cherry on top is that they didn't tell anyone that they canceled the deal. Nicalis also had various bouts of chicanery with other games, such as Cave Story.