First Screenshots Of New Indiana Jones Game, Plus Details

The trailer leaked two weeks ago. But that was only a concept trailer. Today, we can finally see what the next Indiana Jones game -- "Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings" -- will look like, coming this spring for Wii, PS2 and PSP.

***

LucasArts confirmed today news that leaked almost two weeks ago when the concept trailer for "Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings" leaked to the Internet via a German TV show.

Graphics as good as you can see in this trailer may have been possible in the now-canceled PS3/360 "Indiana Jones" game shown a few E3s ago. But this new game, which runs on nothing more powerful than a Wii can't do visuals like that.

Instead, expect the game to look like it does here on shots taken from the Wii, PS2 and/or PSP versions (LucasArts hasn't told us which).

After the screenshots, check out the press release, which will likely raise as many questions as it answers. After all, what's "burst" gameplay? And "Hot Set (TM)" environments?

From LucasArts:

INDIANA JONES® AND THE STAFF OF KINGS™

Developer: A2M (Wii, PS2, Nintendo DS) / Amaze (PSP)

Release Date: Late Spring 2009

Description: Step into the shoes of the legendary hero, Indiana Jones, in an all new epic adventure! Set in the year 1939, Indiana Jones® and the Staff of Kings™ follows the rogue archaeologist on an allnew globe-trotting quest.

From San Francisco's Chinatown to the lush jungles of Panama, Indy must use his whip, fists and wits to fight through ruthless opposition as he spars with his nemesis, Magnus Völler, in a race for a relic of biblical proportions – the Staff of Moses.

Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings features completely interactive environments, where players need to call upon their wits and daring to make each spring-loaded environment a weapon in order to dispense of foes in clever and unexpected ways. Also, embark upon thrilling action sequences that remain true to the spirit established in scenes such as Indy's pursuit of the motorcade in Raiders of the Lost Ark, the mine-cart scene in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and the free-for-all aboard the tank in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

Product Information
- Wield your Wii Remote™ like Indy’s signature whip for a variety of uses – from
combat to navigation to puzzle-solving.
- Use your highly interactive Hot Set™ environments and your wits to defeat your
enemies.
- Explore exotic locations around the globe in an all-new story that puts you on an epic
quest for the Staff of Moses.
- Apply your smarts to navigate Indy through challenging terrains with the many
maneuvers Indy can do with his whip.
- Engage in burst gunplay moments and use careful aim and the environment to take out
enemies.
- Face overwhelming odds and escape signature run-for-your-life moments, like a daring
escape from a collapsing temple, by matching fast-paced onscreen gesture prompts.
- Experience thrilling chases and control vehicles – fly a biplane in a canyon trench, take
the reigns of a wild elephant through the streets of Istanbul and navigate a raft down a
raging river.
- Cooperative gameplay mode allows you and a friend to brave the challenges in a
variety of game modes in an entirely new quest with a familiar character never playable
before in an Indy game.
- Unlock four-player versus mode where you and your friends go head-to-head in a real
biplane combat or take on three of your friends in a free for all tank battle!
- Whether you are brawling baddies or wielding your whip, use the Wii Remote and
Nunchuk™ as nature intended with the intuitive gesture-based combat system.
- Discover more than 20 artifacts and rewarding unlockables throughout the game.
- For those old-school gamers there is nothing better than unlocking the classic Indiana
Jones and the Fate of Atlantis game!
- On the Nintendo DS, use the stylus as the whip to swing over pits, brawl with enemies
and to explore the world.
-The PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system version features six robust types of burst
gameplay including combat and physics challenges, puzzles and the trademark Indiana
Jones chase sequences.

I like old games being unlockable in new games. And I like the idea of a new Indy game. I'm confused, though, by the plan to make a four-player mode in the game an unlockable and I'm not sure what to make of the implication that the PSP version of the game is a mini-game collection.

Is all this good news for Indy fans?