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Varied and inventive gameplay and level design

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 27 / 28
Date: February 10, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I played it on the GameCube, but it's also available on PS2 and XBOX.

Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy is a very well designed and beautifully animated action adventure that combines many different gameplay mechanics into a solid, consistently entertaining game.

What to expect:
* Through the course of the game, you play two different characters: the daring and powerful Sphinx, and the timid yet immortal mummy. Even though your characters start out in different locations and have different goals, their stories eventually intertwine, and each character's progress ultimately becomes dependent upon the other's.
* Playing Sphinx involves a lot of jumping, swimming, long-distance running, and combat. Sphinx does have puzzles to solve, but they're generally not as complex as those the mummy faces.
* The mummy's parts of the game involve more stealth and ingenuity than Sphinx's. Also, the mummy is immortal so he can do a number of things that Sphinx cannot. Many of the mummy's puzzles are timed. The mummy has no weapons and faces no enemies.
* The one aspect of gameplay common to both characters is platform jumping. And there's lots of it.
* The game mechanics are a bit different from some other action adventures with platforming elements. For example, both Sphinx and the mummy can jump after walking off a high cliff or ledge- something that usually means instant death in other games (like The Hobbit). In fact, the ability to jump from mid-air is required in order to perform some of the longer jumps (for both characters), beginning about halfway through the game.

What's good:
* Fantastic character animation, not only in cutscenes but during gameplay as well. Characters look done by professional animators rather than computer programmers.
* Extremely well-designed levels. Even smallish levels are designed in a way that conveys the epic feel of the game- chambers have bottomless pits and towering ceilings. Also, you almost never run into "invisible barriers" that prevent you from exploring further.
* Varied gameplay. The kind of tasks and skills involved in playing Sphinx vs. the mummy are so different that it's almost like you're getting two games in one. Additionally, there are a number of optional minigames where you can gain rewards for doing very well and develop skills you'll need in order to finish the game.
* Good, complex puzzles that require a lot more planning than in the typical action adventure.
* There's a lot of interaction with the environment, and even using aggressive creatures to help you in your quest.
* Each creature and boss has its own fighting techniques and weaknesses, a fact that keeps combat pretty challenging and entertaining. Once you figure out a creature's pattern you can dispatch it rather easily... as long as there's only one of `em!
* You're presented with a somewhat open-ended gameworld and a number of fast-travel options to get from place to place. The game and levels are designed in such a way that the game progresses as a direct result of your characters developing new skills, rather than simply ushering you into a new area. Early on in your adventures you'll notice plenty of inviting ledges, platforms, and doors that you just can't seem to be able to reach. Just take note of these places and return when you're better equipped for the job.

What's bad:
* You can only save your game at various "save statues" scattered around. When playing as Sphinx you'll often (but not always) find save statues located near important or dangerous areas, however when playing as the mummy there is only ONE save statue, which is located in the room where he starts each level. The reasoning behind this, I guess, is that the mummy is immortal and his game cannot end. The problem is, people who need to go to work, school, or church have no place to save their game if they're in the middle of a mummy level, and the levels can sometimes take up to an hour to complete. Your only option is to either pause the game and leave your GameCube on until you are able to play again or forfeit and later restart the entire level over from the beginning. That sucks.
* There is no spoken dialogue; all dialogue is presented in text captions at the bottom of the screen. While that's not a problem in itself, the text is so small that it's often not easily readable.
* While the controls are generally pretty smooth, Sphinx becomes a little unresponsive during combat. An improperly placed blow can cost you dearly because of the time it takes to recover.
* I found the ending unsatisfying... I won't spoil it but to say that it begs for a sequel would be an understatement.
* If you die and have to reload a game, you are forced to watch any intervening cutscenes with no way of skipping them. This is also a pain if you plan to replay the game, because since none of the dialogue is spoken you must keep pressing buttons to make the dialogue continue.

Difficulty (from Very Easy to Very Hard): Hard - Challenging not just because of the combat and platforming, but because of the puzzles as well.

My rating (from Very Bad to Very Good): Very Good

You will probably like this game if you liked these: Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, The Hobbit, American McGee's Alice, Zanzarah: The Hidden Portal

You cannot pass this one up!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 12 / 12
Date: January 04, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I purchased this game because I love everything ancient Egyptian and was intrigued by the description on the back. I had never heard anything about this game previously and had read no reviews; therefore, I approached this game with a complete open mind as I did not know what to expect. As soon as the game began, I was immediately hooked.

The graphics of this game are amazing! The colors are dazzling and vividly stunning. The animations are very smooth and very life-like. Even the environments and enemies are impeccably rendered offering a visual treat unlike any other!

The levels are immensely complex offering a variety of challenges and opportunities to fulfill numerous side missions if desired. Each mission offers a greater glimpse into the awe-inspiring landscapes in which the excellent storyline unfolds. Also, there are so many puzzles and mini-games that you will never grow tired of repetition and will appreciate the extensive amount of planning that went into creating one of the best gaming experiences ever!

The characters are very interesting while each contributes their own importance to the plot. Although there is no voice acting, I can only assume that the developers tried very hard to keep true to history and Egyptian culture by "interpreting" the ancient Egyptian language and placing it into English onto the screen. Having the characters speak in English would not have projected the same feel and would have greatly taken away from the overall experience and mood.

The music was scored so beautifully and presented in such a manner that it never became monotonous or annoying and only punctuated the events which were taking place. Every location had its own distinct melody which aided in creating an aurally stimulating experience. My favorite location for the music, landscape and overall feel was the Bedouin Outpost... who could forget the voodoo priestess that mended health ankhs and provided both an entertaining and memorable show! ("ha-la-la")

I have played this game multiple times now and each time is still as amazing of an experience as the first. I cannot recommend this title highly enough! It possesses a variety of elements that would appeal to any adventure-game lover. Definitely add this game to your collection as you will not be disappointed and will undoubtedly cherish it for many years to come!

Cool concept, Great game!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 10 / 10
Date: December 23, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Dont judge this game by the first 30 minutes of playtime. For some reason, this game happens to start of really s l o w l y, but by the time you get through the first areas- it picks up steam nicely.
Taking the standard platform game and giving it a little twist, THQ and Eurocom have come up with a great new addition to the genre. You can play as two characters who must accomplish tasks seperatley, but will ultimatley benefit them both.
The first hero of the game is Sphinx, a demigod who is sent on a mission by Imhotep. He senses trouble brewing and dispatches Sphinx to figure out what is going on. Although you start the game off with the ability to jump only- you soon acquire a sword and a shield. Add to that the ability to swim and fire blow-darts, capture monsters and ride on zip-lines- before too long Sphinx is shaping up to be quite the hero.
The mummy is by and far the most fun to play in the whole game. Mummies are dead right? So you now have to come up with inventive ways in which to use the reanimated corpse to solve puzzles and explore the great castle that you have been thrown in. The mummy can be sliced, flattened, lit aflame and even electrocuted...just some of the ways in which an otherwise unpleasant situation can be turned to your advantage.
The gameplay mechanics are great, and one of the best things about this game is that you can assign different funtions to different buttons on the controller, customizing it just the way that you like.
The environments are presented in stunning detail and the characters that you control and interact with are animated in great style and detail as well. At times I am amazed at the feats of computer animation that this game presents...a great framerate is present and there is no noticable slowdown at all. The only thing that might detract from the experience are the load times...while not long, they happen quite often when transitions happen from indoor to outdoor locations and the like.
While not an insanely difficult game, some objectives are not clearly lined out and explained so you will sometimes find yourself wandering about wishing someone would come along and help you. Other than that, there are no problems and the game is a fluid and enjoyable experience.
This game is great for those that love platform games that are infused with some great action/adventure elements. This game is as big a treat to watch as it is to play...the developers have done a great job...I cant wait for the sequal.

Lives up to my expectations

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: March 14, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Since I watched the first ads for this game I was interested in it, now that the price dropped I decided to buy it. The game didn't let me down. It's fun, all your weapons are useful, it's not other games that you may aqcuire some weapons that you may or not use and still doesn't affect the course of the game. You can use monsters captured or enticing them to attack you and avoiding them so they become weapons as well, to get objectives, open doors, destroy boulders or columns, you can't with your sword. Game play with the mummy is very original and he nevers die, you can catch fire, or be electrocuted, even split into three mummys to accomplish the missions. The only setback is no Voice Overs. But the story is very interesting too. There is also a side quest of collecting the monsters you enconuter capturing them using beetles. Then you can take one of the monsters to the museum and get some rewards or recognition, and some of them you can use to burn crates or destroy boulders. The game is challenging and sometimes you need to get advice on how to overcome some obstacles or solve some puzzles.

For Puzzle-Lovers...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: December 11, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Finally, a game that challenged the mind while enchanting it at the same time! The graphics were great, and if you're a lover of ancient Egyptian architecture/art, then you'll love this game! (Yes, I know some of it is not the most accurate, but it's a video game, for crying out loud! lol) The background music is soothing, and the puzzles, while challenging, aren't impossible. I like the concept of playing two completely different characters, too! My only complaint is that there were too-few save-points, and the camera angles were sometimes a bit wonky. Other than that, I give this game a huge thumbs-up!!!

Exceptional Game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: January 04, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This is by far one of the best games I have EVER played. I have three different game consoles and a pretty extensive library in each, and this IS STILL one of my all- time favorites. Beautiful graphics, cool storyline, and being able to change between Sphinx (the lion demi-god) and the mummy is awesome. Each has totally different abilities, and gameplay feels so different with each one. Captivating and addictive - you can't say that about many games!!!

A true action-ADVENTURE and a feast for eyes, ears and mind

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: September 07, 2005
Author: Amazon User

WOW! This game is a real treat! I just bought it as a "filler" to keep me entertained until the next "really cool" game was gonna come out and the next thing: HERE I SIT MEMERIZED AND CAN'T STOP PLAYING because Sphinx is just so gorgeous...

Here's what makes it such a great game
- Egyptian mythology: temples, pyramids, palaces, ancient cities and a whole pantheon of God's, demi-God's, mummies and mystical creatures (over 200 in this game!)
- Great storyline: revolving around two characters brought together by fate on a noble quest: 1. The Mummy - is an artist formerly known as "Prince". That's right: an Egyptian Prince gets betrayed by his own brother on his own birthday in his own palace and gets turned into his own Mummy by an evil sorcerer (not his own) who happens to work for his big bad brother. The prince is a funny fellow with subtle metro-sexual (read: gay) traits. Not only is it politically incorrect that his brute brother (probably a member of the Egyptian club of rednecks) cannot accept him but this is also a slap in YOUR face, the player, who controls the Prince/ Mummy in search of revenge. 2. The Sphinx - think Daxter's colors, Jak's body and Ratchet's tail! A Demigod who works for his master (I forgot the name of, but it sure sounded Egyptian...) and is sent on a quest for ancient magical artifacts needed to stabilize even more ancient portals between (super-ancient) alternate worlds connected to pre-historic (to avoid the term "ancient") Egypt.
You will get to play as both Sphinx and the Prince/Mummy in a plot that unfolds beautifully around you as you go. Both characters have totally different moves, abilities and ways of attacking enemies or finding solutions to problems. While Sphinx is the fighter and learns how to wield a sword, blow-pipe and how to improve his jumping and fighting techniques, the Mummy does not need any weapons. The Mummy IS the weapon. It's quite amazing what you can do once you're dead! The Mummy can set itself on fire or electricity and burn/sizzle everything in its path (obstacles, opponents...) or activate machinery. Furthermore it can be quashed flat good old Tom&Jerry style if there's a need to fit through tiny cracks. And boy, there are even more ways for the poor Mummy to get a bruising in order to solve puzzles or smother enemies - all of which are genuinely funny: I bet you'll laugh a lot watching all the funny animations!
- A vast variety of characters and monsters to talk to, interact with or (the inevitable) send straight to the deepest tombs if they act up in your face.
- Huge levels to explore! From palaces (with many many secret passages, yeah!) to Pyramids, to subterranean dungeons and cisterns to beautiful beaches and cities by the sea to desert ruins and mountain passes, caves and old fortresses (resembling Sauron's high, pitch-black, multi-pinnacled fortress in Mordor surrounded by volcanoes - if you're into Tolkien) and so on and so forth! You will be blown away by the sheer variety!
- Fantastic puzzles, which come in great variety and plenty of never-before-seen ideas
- Wonderful graphics and NO slowdown! Yup, the graphics are as fast as they are spiffy. You can see things in the far distance, textures are extremely crisp and detailed, special effects are very well done with no exception, characters and creatures look VERY detailed even at close range - and the lighting is the best the PS2 can do! Example: early on in the game you will explore the Palace as the prince. You leave your bedroom through a long gorgeous corridor. Rays of sunlight filter through colorful stained glass windows, which in turn look like they have real depth to them (you'll see this on many textures in this game even though the PS2 cannot produce bump mapping the effect is very well simulated). In alcoves next to the windows tower tall statues of Gods illuminated by green torches on the walls from one side and the sunlight from the other side. Add enormous texture detail on ALL textures and you get something that may be standard for X-BOX but is a GOD-SENT for PS2! Whoever delivered the graphics engine for Sphinx new exactly how to get the most out of the PS2 hardware!
- Wonderful sound! Sound-effects within the levels are very well chosen and placed (thunder above the mountains, gusts of wind outside the windows of the palace, moaning and chanting deep down in the temples). They catch the atmosphere well thus emphasizing the already impressive visuals. You will really feel like you're there just by the inspired sounds.
- Awesome music! It's clearly inspired by classic movie scores and could very well be heard in a top-notch Hollywood production. The Egyptian feel to it is definitely there but not overly obtrusive. You may want a soundtrack of this! The only reason why you might turn down the music a notch or two is to hear the FX a tad better!
- VERY inspired and inspiring ideas! This team of designers and programmers has apparently worked close together and worked happily together. You can feel they had fun creating the world of Sphinx coming up with a myriad of fresh ideas and concepts.
- it's an action adventure! You set the pace, there's no need to rush and some of the riddles will take a little longer to figure out. But then there's enough action too to quicken the pace.

Reasons why you may NOT like Sphinx:
- It is an action-ADVENTURE with emphasis on the latter. If you're just in for the action, get Jak&Daxter, Ratchet&Clank, Maximo instead. Even Sly Cooper plays a little faster than this title - but then: they're not quite as creative and innovative as Sphinx either, which has excellent replay value, because you may want to re-live the outstanding atmosphere again and again.
- You are not into Egyptian mythology at all
- You are an all or nothing person who goes either for a serious title or a comedic one. Sphinx is a little bit of both: it makes you laugh, it can be cute and cuddly, but also spooky, dark and very serious in terms of its story and character interaction.
- You really do NOT like riddles - but come on, have you forgotten about those good old Dungeons & Dragons days when you had more time or MADE more time to solve endless mysteries and riddles to rescue the princess?

Give this a shot! The game also got great reviews from official game-reviewers (anything between 8-9 out of 10, 4-5 out of 5 stars)

Have Fun! And don't forget to check out your local church after playing! :-)

The Reverend - blessed game reviews online.

GREAT GAME ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 7
Date: November 25, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This is one of the best games I have ever played! If you like action and adventure games this is the one for you. It's really fun!! The one thing I would change is that you can't save when ever you want. Besides that it is a great game!

Great Game for Egypt Lovers!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: December 03, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This is a great game for any of you people out there who love ancient Egypt! The game is very exciting but not very accurate. All the main charaters in the game are white. (The Ancient Egyptians weren't white!)But besides that the game is fantastic. The graphics are the best I have ever seen in my life! They are so detailed. And the music puts you right into the game. If you haven't played any PS2 games lately this is the won to get!
Ten Stars!**********

Not what I expected in the least!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: June 05, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I tend to be very picky when it comes to video games. I started playing Sphinx only a few days ago when I was still on vacation, but had to stay inside because I got very sick. I looked through the video game collection this household had and this was the only non sports or military game, so I figured I'd give it a shot. The title "Shinx and the Cursed Mummy" struck me as very corny, and I figured it would be semi-boring. This was certainly not the case.

It was put together beautifully, and the puzzles really keep you working hard. There's a lot of finding items, then going back to other worlds where it was implied they were needed. At some points, I honestly thought that there was no way for a certain puzzle to be solved, only to turn around and find a pot I forgot to break, or a creature I didn't remember talking to.

The only part even slightly bothered me was the fact that the characters only "speak" through the text at the bottom of the screen. It would be interesting to hear what they sound like, because there are so many characters to interact with!

The other reviews of this game touch on the "save statues" being a hassle, but I felt they really added something; part of the challenge.

Playing Shinx at times, and then The Mummy was an added curiosity. It's a very big part of the game, and the way they meld together to make things work is wonderful.

Another thing: A lot of times in video games or television shows, the writters and / or illustrators don't pay enough attention to where these characters were derived from... i.e. they label the wrong person the bad guy etc. This game paid very good attention to detail. Horus is a falcon with a cocky attitude, Anubis is a selfish hound bent on control, and Set is a true figure of evil with an identity that cannot be spacifically placed. It was just cool to know that they were true to the Egyptian Gods and their attributes.

THE END

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