Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom & Rampage retrospective: Smash’n grab | NES Works

A curious release this week, as we come to a game that shipped twice for NES: Once with Nintendo's approval, and once illegally. Ever the rogue, that Indiana Jones. Like Tengen's early conversion of Gauntlet, Temple of Doom adapts an arcade game but makes quite a few changes to its structure, format, and objectives. Capcom didn't have the monopoly on dramatic reinterpretations of coin-op titles for NES, it seems, although Temple of Doom is no Bionic Commando.
On the other hand, we also have Data East's disappointingly literal interpretation of Midway's Rampage. Of all the games that could have benefitted from some sort of enhanced gameplay loop or added depth for its console iteration, this is it. But no, Data East simply stripped it down and removed features, making for a game with little challenge or variety over its entire running length.
Production note: NES footage captured from ‪@analogueinc‬ Mini. Arcade footage captured from MiSTer FPGA cores; special thanks to ‪@MiSTerAddons‬. Video upscaled to 720 with XRGB Mini Framemeister.
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[@logisticsnerd9699]

I remember playing NES Rampage solo until I made it to my own home town. Was really boring and took forever but when I got there, it was only mildly fascinating destroying it.

[@markaitkenguitar]

Dude just in case you read this: I love your videos. Insightful, entertaining, well delivered. I look forward to every one of them. Thank you and keep it up!

[@anthonybradley1555]

definatley you can see the work that goes in to these videos, there are rarely youtube channels that as soon as a new video is uploaded i stop and immediatley watch, this is one of them.

[@edguty3811]

Same.

[@jamiejackson3903]

A couple of personal arcade favorites and a really excellent retrospective of each, as always. Thank you for the nostalgic return to childhood's carefree days.

[@kevinrichardson4472]

Playing Temple of Doom at a friend's house as a child, I remember it as a confusing assault on the senses. Thankfully said friend also owned Contra and Life Force.

[@bane1229]

As a Louisville resident, the last thing I ever expected to hear on one of these videos was a reference to The Courier Journal.

[@daviddalrymple2284]

I remember renting Indy as a kid, and my brother and I each played it for about five minutes before giving up. Far too opaque without a manual. As for Rampage, once my friend showed me that you could continue indefinitely, I just went and beat the game in one tedious afternoon.

[@doctorwolfman5221]

Beating Rampage with a buddy in 1st Grade was our own personal “drink your Ovaltine” moment. I’m not certain what we were expecting that would have made the 5 hours of monotony worth it, but saying we were disappointed is putting it mildly.

[@MCastleberry1980]

I was going to comment a very similar story lol In 5th grade me and my best friend powered through the entire game (we paused and did other stuff to keep from getting bored) and when we saw that ending we were just like "That's it!? Son of a bitch!"

[@JanusKastin]

Wait, Rampage even HAS an ending?! I never knew!

[@MCastleberry1980]

@@JanusKastin it's just the map screen and says "Congratulations" with no music if I recall, so it definitely ENDS, but calling that an ending is a stretch lol

[@LorenHelgeson]

Last time I played through the game, I did it on an emulator with save states. Got through it in about a week, only playing it in portions until I would get bored with it and childhood memories of trying to burn through it all in one play fresh in my mind.

[@timmckernan8135]

@@MCastleberry1980 came here to say the same thing, I beat it on my own in an odd moment of my father letting me actually play for the 4 or 5 hours needed to get to the end and I saw the black end screen with some text and felt let down. I think that’s the last time I ever played that version of the game.

[@jeffnussbaum716]

"Touch kid to see prize." Lines that make you wonder.

[@JeremyParish]

The prize is Chris Hansen

[@DaneeBound]

Ah yes, Temple of Doom. One of the many games responsible for the many one-sided conversations we’ve had about what does and doesn’t constitute a collision.

[@CheapJabroni]

You are too young to appreciate the greatness of this game.

[@shannonwilliams7249]

As we’re barreling towards the void, your histories are beautiful escapes. Very grateful for your work.

[@2dskillz]

Rampage provided a great power fantasy at a time when games could often leave you bruised from the difficulty. I too suffered the confused rental of Temple of Doom.

[@HPRshredder]

Wow! A licensed game that actually uses the music from the movie! At least on the title screen... I find the camera follow kind of slick-looking. Always had a soft spot for Rampage since playing it on my friend's older brother's PS1 as a kid.

[@orpheus2626]

Music still not that great for an indiana jones games, the best is probably the last crusade by taito on nes... Can't beat tim follin !

[@JanusKastin]

A Boy and His Blob used more of the Indiana Jones Theme than Temple of Doom did....

[@orpheus2626]

@@JanusKastin yeah, hydlide too... XD

[@Sixfortyfive]

A childhood friend and I once committed an afternoon to beating Rampage. It was maybe 15 worthwhile minutes of game at most, spread across hours. Couldn’t even sniff the “decent rental” tier.

[@Questorps7]

Another great video. Sorry we missed you at RetroWorld Expo!

[@shabmaster7128]

Good God the perspective in Indy is nearly Escher like

[@jasonblalock4429]

Yeah, even at the time people thought it looked terrible.

[@JeremyParish]

I'd call it "forced perspective" in the same sense that Jack forces his way through the door in The Shining (deranged, with an axe)

[@DefendYoungstown]

"I'm goin' up the stairs, and goin' down the stairs, and goin' up the stairs, and goin' down the stairs, and goin' up the sideways stairs!"

[@theblocksays]

Awe, I was wondering if he had stumbled upon the bizarre glitch in the NES Rampage where if you see the toilet icon and hold down the punch button while eating it, suddenly the screen started fading in and out into blackness and the music stops, but the stage carries on normally aside from that.

[@Aqua_Xenossia]

Oh hey, it’s that game what sounds like Hydlide!

[@nilzero5686]

good to see you covering indy gaming

[@GargusSCP]

I've played quite a few of the Rampage ports and sequels over the years, and they all share the problem of being immensely fun to dick around in for five minutes thanks to the lizard brain appeal of Big Monster Smash, and then asking you sink ten hours into the same with little variation for little reward. All the GameCube one offers atop that is fart sounds. I still played it to completion as a preteen for some reason.

[@ArcaneAzmadi]

Presumably because "farts, lol". No need to be embarrassed, you were a preteen.

[@GargusSCP]

@@ArcaneAzmadi I think it was more than me and my brother really liked assigning personalities to the various people you found in the buildings and riffing on the game through them. And also "farts, lol."

[@jamesmoss3424]

Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom is an fantastic sequel to a legendary movie series. 😀👍🎮

[@jason7478]

I remember playing Rampage, solo, with a Game Genie to make your character invincible, as a youth. Beautifully underwhelming end screen.

[@thingsiplay]

We had indi games before indie was even a thing.

[@Dystnine]

Temple of Doom also had a Tengen Cart. Most I seen were the Tengen carts at retro shops.

[@JeremyParish]

Yes… that’s a big part of this episode’s discussion.

[@Dystnine]

@@JeremyParish You also earned a sub from me. Another Tegen cart I had from a shop was Rolling Thunder which was pretty kinda fun. Rampage NES was okay. Master System verison was better.

[@JeremyParish]

Love me some Rolling Thunder, but track down the Famicom cart if you can. It uses a special mapper chip for enhanced sound.

[@jbanks979]

I think there was a standard board the newly formed Atari Games must have used roughly 84-85. The (arcade) music has that Marble Madness harsh metallic sound, and those sound effects sound the same as the Gauntlet voice screams. Had a cousin who had NES rampage. I think we got bored 10 levels in (this is never one of my favorite games but one case where the Master System is significantly better)

[@Jolis_Parsec]

0:22 “Touch kid to see prize” Today on things that didn’t age particularly well, we have Indy and the Temple of Doom for the NES. 😜

[@brandonb6005]

To call Temple Of Doom a massive disappointment would be an understatement. The arcade game it is based on by Atari Games was a favorite of mine in the mid-80s. The NES version? Dreadful. This is where trying to alter a game for home release failed miserably.

[@LKitesar]

oh shit - didn't expect to hear my city, Louisville, pop up in one of these. Nice.

[@jhoughjr1]

Man I remember when I first saw Indy at get a way arcade. Nothing will recreate seeing the progress of arcade hw over those years

[@TheTacticalRPGOdyssey]

Can't wait for the NES conversion of The Doors!

[@ginormousaurus8394]

Gameplay: Jim Morrison must smash blocks to break on through to the other side.

[@fazares]

Another cool NES Indiana Jones game was Young IJ ^^

[@dezm101]

Rampage was one of the first games where I would leave the NES on for a few days to try and beat it with my little sis. 😅

[@neurath2638]

I loved Rampage on PC, never tried the NES version

[@MissAshley42]

I once slept over at a friend's house, and we rented Rampage with the intent of seeing the end. After playing late into the night for three straight hours, we gave up. I can't look at Ralph, George, or Lizzy now without remembering how badly my eyes burned and my head throbbed that night.

[@Mansini77]

I fondly remember playing both Indy and Rampage in the arcade. I equally remember my disappointment in both NES ports.

[@RappingNinja]

The “rinse and repeat ad nauseum” description of the Temple of Doom arcade game could more accurately be worded as “rinse and repeat four times.” Then you get the final boss stage on the rope bridge, and then the bonus challenge stage where you collect golden statuses - that last one being designed to let you rack up points until you finally drain all your lives to its onslaught of enemies and the game ends. Mazeltov.

[@alannaevans2402]

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. My parents rented this for me once, because they loved the movie and wanted to check it out for themselves. I thought the game was ugly and confusing, and they didn't like it much either. Rampage I rented a lot when my cousins came to visit and we would swap controllers between us for each stage. We spent hours playing this and I only have fond memories of how funny it was eating naked ladies and smashing helicopters.

[@retrogamestudios6688]

Can't wait to see the new Indy movie

[@Jaxxblaster]

I found your channel yesterday. I've binge watched a lot of your selection. You're one of those guys that has an absolutely criminally low subscriber count compared to the quality and quantity of content you're putting out.

[@Applemangh]

Used to love Rampage on the NES. I think we only played to the very end once, not worth it, but it was always fun enough for the first 30 minutes or so, if you played with someone else.

[@ginormousaurus8394]

It's too bad Konami didn't get the license to make Indiana Jones games for the NES. The Castlevania games featured whip-wielding protagonists and Arumana no Kiseki for the Famicom Disk System was obviously inspired by Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.

[@MaidenHell1977]

Oh man, I finished Rampage with a buddy once like 30 years ago. Never again, worst ending, haha

[@FallicIdol]

I have a soft spot for Temple of Doom

[@nfugitt89]

Is this the Works debut of Dwayne Johnson?

[@JeremyParish]

Yes, and I can't believe it took this long.

[@Rando1975]

@@JeremyParish well, it almost could have been the Spy Hunter episode, but that movie was never released.

[@Riz2336]

That Indy game looks way too complicated for a kid to play when it came out, hell it looks too complicated for an adult now a days

[@LorenHelgeson]

Looking forward to that next one. One of my favorite movies, and one of my least favorite NES experiences. And yet, it's one I go back to quite regularly whenever I need to waste a few minutes waiting for a Zoom call or some such.

[@RabbitEarsCh]

Nintendo Power was pretty quiet about these two, huh. Not that there's a whole lot to say - one game is kind of a pile of fluff, and the other came out right before the big lawsuit.

[@lucianonicolasgarcia7311]

Amaizing there is so much to say about such a horrible Indy game. Your script is way better than any attempt to play that game.

[@HughGenuts]

As a heads up, Rampage has 128 levels, not 50. And yeah, I somehow managed to play through this with my brother when I was in 2nd grade or so; Rampage became shorthand for "disappointing ending".

[@JeremyParish]

128?? That’s even worse. My god.

[@flyingerasehead]

Count each state as a level, problem solved.

[@HughGenuts]

Not all 50 states are visited in the game. None of the cities in the game are in NH, VT, CT, RI, or SD; there might be others, I only did a quick look.

[@jhoughjr1]

Now I wonder which version I rented. wanna say tengen but idk.

[@jamesmoss3424]

Rampage still kick ass today. 😀👍🎮

[@MrEd20901]

Wasted a lot of quarters in the arcade version. As an adult I know see it as the quarter muncher it was intended, similar to gauntlet. Both were timer based games where you could slightly increase the timer, but at some point the timer would move faster than you can add. The home ports of games that changed a lot of the arcade gameplay were not interesting to me and disappointing. Probably short sighted on my part. 🙃

[@dreamlandnightmare]

I totally disagree. Temple of Doom is the MOST fun out of all the Indiana Jones movies. It's a nonstop thrill ride from beginning to end, and while it may have "darker" moments, the movie is a lot more tongue-in-cheek and humor-filled than Raiders. It's the movie that made me an Indiana Jones fans. Also, the much-maligned heart extraction scene wasn't any more gruesome than the imploding/melting/exploding heads in the climax of Raiders. Never understood the complaints about this scene while the gory stuff in Raiders always got a free pass. The one valid criticism is the racial stereotyping of the Thugees. However, the Thugees were an actual historic gang, and the film paints the rest of the Indian cultures in a positive light.

[@Dustin_VG]

Atari really had a talent for making just… the ugliest NES games possible

[@djvoid1]

Arcade Rampage was great, Master System was so so, NES looks worse

[@alanelkins2408]

"Rampage: 128 Days of Repetition" Also, regarding the title screen of Temple of Doom, I always found that "touch kid to see prize" to be a really awkward choice of words...

[@Larry]

I did read years ago that the original plan for the NES Rampage was for to star Donkey Kong and Bowser as the monsters, but I've never seen any proof of it. I also always pondered if Midway only ever stepped into console publishing because Acclaim stabbed them in the back over the NBA JAM license.

[@nintendianajones64]

Temple of Doom is still my favorite movie in the series. I don't care what anyone says. Someone should remake the nes game with the arcade games graphics.

[@fandabidozi3191]

Same. And that soundtrack! Perfection.

[@LorenHelgeson]

I hear you. I don't understand the hate for it either. I like the other two films of the trilogy more, but Temple of Doom was my intro the series. I have watched it many times over the past 30+ years and have yet to get even close to being bored with it.

[@allluckyseven]

Your archeological work, Doktor Parish, is exceptional.

[@2Plus2isChicken2013]

I think Temple of Doom the movie is just as good as the other two. As for the dark tones, I don’t see how it’s more dark and gross than anything that happened in Raiders of the Lost Ark or The Last Crusade. It didn’t have any melting faces, at least.

[@ginormousaurus8394]

The Temple of Doom feels darker than Raiders of the Lost Ark because we see violence inflicted on an innocent man and children instead of Nazis and other bad guys who deserved it.

[@jessragan6714]

Rampage on the NES lacks the grandeur of the arcade version, which the Sega Master System version somehow retained. It feels very cheap and compromised, like something you would get at the bottom of a Cracker Jack box. You play the Master System version and while it's not arcade perfect, it's damn good for the hardware. Gorgeous graphics. vivid colors, FM sound! The NES version by contrast feels more like a bunt. No, SS Sakata, just good enough is just not good enough! I have a sneaking suspicion these jerks made the craptastic NES version of Xenophobe as well... it would be what I'd expect from the makers of Tag Team Wrestling. The cheap, contract hire bastards.

[@nfugitt89]

ToD is not only ugly in its graphics, but the color choices are bizarre and garish like it's a PC game with a CGA card

[@nfugitt89]

Damn, I should have actually commented this: NO TIME FOR FUN, DOCTOR JONES

[@JeremyParish]

Yeah, the color palette is really bizarre.

[@iwanttoseemrshow]

I got Temple of Doom for Christmas a millenia ago. It was 50 bucks so I had to play it and pretend I liked it, otherwise I'd discourage Santa Claus and thus wouldn't see another game the following year. Merry Christmas, Indy!

[@absolutezeronow7928]

I wouldn't have expected Temple of Doom to have come out as the better game this episode. Then again, Rampage on NES is probably the worst version of it although I imagine some computer ports could be really bad too? And next time, Sunsoft boldly starts the NES game of R-rated films trend.

[@Dystnine]

I kinda liked Rampage's music when you destroy one of the states. It wasn't bad. I prefer the Master system onem

[@highscores8593]

Temple of Doom the film is a masterpiece. I wouldn't change a thing. Snake surprise anyone?

[@ginormousaurus8394]

I think The Temple of Doom has a rousing beginning and ending and a dreary middle section. Indy's love interest Willie Scott is annoying and a downgrade from Marion Ravenwood. The scenes of violence directed towards an innocent man and children are unpleasant to watch. It's not as good as Raiders of the Lost Ark, but I do give it credit for not being a rehash of Raiders. The action sequences and music are great. The film does capture the spirit of 1930s pulp magazines, comic strips, and movies, such as giving Indy a kid sidekick. The Last Crusade always felt like Raiders of the Lost Ark Lite to me. The filmmakers toned down the shadier aspects of Indy's character and put a greater emphasis on comedy. The action sequences seemed less exciting, except for the terrific tank chase near the end. What made the movie was the interactions between Indy and his father. I also liked how the film revealed more about Indy's past. The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was the worst of the series. It tried to replicate the humorous tone and familial theme of The Last Crusade, but it descends into self-parody and Shia LaBeouf is no Sean Connery. I was also annoyed that a film about the importance of knowledge contained so many historical and scientific errors. On the positive side, it was good to find out what happened to Marion after Raiders of the Lost Ark and I liked how the film weaved together many references to the 1950s.

[@TheSmart-CasualGamer]

I actually prefer Temple to Raiders...

[@massivepileup]

What did Nintendo Power say?

[@JeremyParish]

Nothing. Just a tiny preview box for each and not worth mentioning.

[@bart.grantham]

That Indy/indie pun is one for the ages.

[@exit2262]

I had the misfortune of trying to get the Tengen version of Temple of Doom. I don't know if there was just a bad shipment to Toys'r'Us in the area or there were production issues early on in its release, but I had to get my dad to bring me back twice to get a new copy because it didn't work. I ultimately had to get something else.

[@shane1489]

I have nightmares about that NES Indiana Jones game

[@FiveElementNinja]

I remember getting Rampage for Christmas and then playing it all day until I beat it. It was a slog and I never did it again but I did play the heck out of that game since it was the second NES game I got.

[@customURLfor]

Loved the urbanistic contextualization on Rampage, it kinda makes the game a little better (not much though)

[@sneakyskunk1]

So the title screen of Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom says," Touch kid to see prize". I feel like someone did that on purpose.

[@CONTROLLINGHORROR]

No Nintendo Power insights?

[@JeremyParish]

There are no insights to share when there was no coverage.

[@picc9000]

I definitely beat Rampage over a rental, bored to tears by the end but impressed I actually beat a game in one night. Temple of Doom I only ever saw on a Game Players NES Game Tape. I wasn't a big Indy fan growing up and the stage layout seemed confusing so I passed on it.

[@EvilHienSan]

I remember coming back home from school on a Friday and my Mom she had a surprize. She rented Temple of Doom for me for the weekend and its was also my favorite Indy movie at that time. As hard as the game was, I loved every bit of it and will always hold a special place with me.

[@evenmorebetter]

I feel like that Rampage port holds a similar position with Kung-Fu Heroes, throw on some music (or podcasts 👀) that you want to listen to and veg out with your NES alone or with a buddy with mindless but fun enough gameplay for an hour or two

[@Sambeck63]

I love this YT channel so much!

[@tipulsar85]

Well, there goes the musical cues to Indy again.

[@TheVideoGuyfromOhio]

I'm pretty sure Rampage had nothing to do with gentrification, it's just big monsters crashing buildings, cause... they're big Yeah I'm pretty sure that was a joke and I'm just flapping my gums

[@MisterAzathoth]

The Rampage mini-arcade game by Basic Fun is an oddity; it's the NES ROM running on a slightly upgraded Famiclone with Ralph the Wolf hacked into it. It uses the high-color mode of this particular Famiclone flavor for the title and character select screen, and nothing else. Nowhere is there any credit given to Data East or anyone involved with the original port. Strange, I don't know if Warner now owns the NES port code or if Basic Fun just ripped it off and assumed no one would care.

[@lilwyvern4]

50 stages is bad enough. Doesn't the original arcade version of the game have something on the order of 700-something cities? I find it hard to believe that any string of kids would keep a game running that long consecutively. Nah, Peoria, IL is just going to get the short end of the stick like every other time in its existence.

[@genghisbunny]

I still love the arcade of Rampage. It ate so many of my childhood quarters!

[@abraveastronaut]

I immediately assumed the choice to keep George and Lizzie in particular had less to do with which player slots they occupied in the arcade and was more because of a certain other giant gorilla and lizard.

[@txemanovelo]

Jeremy Parish, what would you say was the best tactical rpg on the gameboy is there was any?

[@JeremyParish]

The original GB? Game Boy Wars seems like the closest thing. Not really a GB speciality.

[@txemanovelo]

@@JeremyParish thanx! And last but not least, narrative wise, what would you say was the best story (literature standards) on a Gameboy, could be any genre or on GBC!

[@JeremyParish]

I can't think of any GB game that holds up to a work of great literature, though Link's Awakening does at least tilt at meaningful themes and imagery.

[@elphive42]

The Rampage movie still irritates me to this day. There is literally one story element to the games - humans get turned into giant monsters through experimental side effects - and Hollywood couldn’t even get that right.

[@rickdavis32]

Am i the onlynperson who loved this movie!

[@susanfit47]

I played Rampage on the NES at a church that I used to go in San Antonio, Texas back in the late 90's-early 2000's. It was good. But Rampage was Data East's home version of the 1986 Bally/Midway arcade game of the same name.

[@num488]

Played Rampage via Game Boy Color ages ago. Basically was my long car trip game.