Customer Reviews

Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is one of the best games I have played in a while. The graphics are superb as is the storyline. Very challenging puzzles and top notch cut scenes make it a high quality and fun game to play. My only gripe with the game however, the reason I gave it only 4 of 5 stars, is that the save feature is really lacking. You have to find statues that serve as save points to save the game. I have no problem with this style of saving the game. The problem is ,however, that the statues are few and far between, so it gets really annoying when you're forced to go through a long period without being able to save and then you get killed and have to go all the way back to the previous save point again. In short, the save feature was poorly applied in this game. Other than that, it's an excellent game and well worth the money.

This title really seems to be flying under the radar and I am hoping that it will get the attention is deserves because it really is a fantastic game! If you like Zelda then you will love this game!! If you are at all interested in Ancient Egyptian mythology then you will love this game too. Its got elements that really do remind me of Wind Waker but its also very original. I would say that this is a must have for any Gamecube owner.

Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy is definitely a good play, if not for the great storyline then for the amazing gameplay. The storyline is ancient eyptian and may be quite hard to understand for the younger players, it also lets you play as two people, Sphinx and the Mummy. When you're Sphnix, you can use a sword, lift heavy things, run really fast and you beat all the bad guys. With the Mummy, you basically just sneak around the Castle of Uruk trying to find items to help Sphnix with awesome capabilities such as you get to be lit on fire, lit with electricity, go invinsible and you can get split into 3 and swap with them by using L or R. It's actually quite "neat" for it's a new option I've never seen before.
The gameplay plays excellent, the movement is great. The only downside to this game is that one of the save statues is actually a glitch in the game and can screw you over, to find out go to Game Faqs. With Sphinx, you run quite fast but can run even faster when you get a running pad. He jumps pathetic at the beginning until you get the Wings of Orisis and then you can double jump. The Mummy runs quite funny and can crawl. He can also sneak around walls. It's very easy to control.
The game length is actually quite short. I've only rented this game and I beat it within 6 days (14 hours in gameplay I believe). BUT this is a great game. Another downside to this is if you save after teleporting to the Castle of Uruk with Sphinx is that you can't go back so you can't go and do all the things you never got to do before. I'd suggest to just create two files.
Without cheating (ie. using a guide), this game can be quite difficult. Even with a guide, some of the tasks can be hard and frustrating. Overall, this game is great, I would consider buying it even after I've beat it. It could provide a lot more gameplay, considering I skipped over a lot of the things you don't HAVE to do. Hopefully we'll see a sequel!

I wish THQ would spend more time testing their games before they are released. Sphinx has a lot of glaring problems. But don't get me wrong, these problems don't make it a bad game, they just detract from the overall experience. There seems to be a dying niche for solid adventure games, except for the occassional Zelda, but Sphinx proves adventuring hasn't lost its flavor yet. A very refreshing game bursting with originality, cleverness, and life, and while the game is decidedly linear, it really doesn't feel like it. Take on the roles as the sword-wielding Sphinx or the clumsy mummy. While Sphinx's levels seem more open, it's playing the mummy where the game truly shines. Pure puzzle genius. Worth picking up just for these parts.

Some games where you have to switch characters are just okay, but this one is unique in that one character is alive and the other is dead, and you have to play in different worlds. Playing as the mummy is the most fun and entertaining out of the two. This is a game that can be enjoyed by everyone of all ages.

OK, I am a bigtime Video Game fan and own 55 Nintendo GameCube games myself. THis past Christmas my wife and I got 9 games, including the big ones, like Mario Kart and Return of the King. Much to our surprise though this game owned our GCN until we beat it. We hadn't had this much fun with one game since Wind Waker... WE didn't have any Camera problems and the control was Great. It is true that the Mummy levels were by far the Highlight, but that is not to say that the Sphinx levels were in any way "bad." Like I said, my wife and I have a lot of Video Games, and this is one of the BEST in recent history. We can't wait for the sequel... just look at all the reviews, not a bad one among them... Give this game a rent, but be warned, if you don't finish it you will probably end up seeking out a purchase...

This is a game that should be amazing. The graphics are excellent; everything runs smoothly and it's one of the prettiest game cube games I've seen. It's essentially an adventure/puzzle game set in ancient Egypt and the mythology and story are interesting. The puzzles are challenging without being throw-the-game-out-the-window frustrating and the control system works fine.

However, despite this, for me at least, the game was not that fun.

First off, it's short; not ridiculously so as it still took me a couple days to beat but the plot and the characters could have used more development. A bit more explanation of why I need to go find some mystic artifact or why I care about my character would have reduced the tedium. There's also the unfortunate thing that happens in many adventure games, where by the time you can afford to buy the cool stuff, the game is essentially over so it's pointless.

There are also a few technical problems, including a couple of glitches that, while rare, can force you to start the entire game over. Also, the combat system for Sphinx starts to become somewhat repetitive and there are a few too many loading screens (although that's probably the sacrifice we have to make for it running so smoothly). One of my biggest complaints is just the lack of a decent map; I don't need anything fancy but it would have been nice, when the game told me to go meet someone at "Great Wall Entrance I" to have some idea of where that was. Being lost is not the same thing as exploring.

Now this is by no means a bad game. If you're looking for a relatively fun way to pass some time and you have a decent sense of direction then you might want this one. But don't expect a great game, because it could have been but it's not. (And really, I prefer my games to be slightly less blatant about the possibility of a sequel).

I'm a gamer who prefers adventure type games akin to "Banjo Kazooie/Tooie" or the "Spyro The Dragon" series, so this game definately caught my eye. I wasn't sure what to expect with this one because so many can be disappointing, but I was pleasantly surprised with how much I liked it. It's pretty straight forward for your seasoned adventure gamer, and it has a good mixture of puzzle solving, collecting, and fighting skills.

It can be convoluted at times, I.E. you can't choose when you're going to switch between the Mummy and Sphinx characters, some of the boards involve a lot of long distance running for seemingly no good reason, and there's not as MUCH good stuff to find hidden in corners like some other games.

Still, if you're like me, it's hard to find good adventure games among all the tons of first person shooters and sports games dominating the market out there, so this is a pretty good find for the money. It has some decent replay value as well.

HOWEVER, like a few reviewers mentioned previously, it DOES have a MAJOR glitch as far as saving is concerned. I played for a good six hours worth only to be stuck at the same point as one of the reviewers before me, with absolutely no way out of it. To continue into the rest of the game where I left off, I'll have to go back and repeat about six hours of game play which, I think you'll agree, takes away A LOT of the fun of it.

So I give the same advice as the other gamers before me. When you switch between characters in this game, SAVE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. Once you're finished with any big mission as the Mummy, save immediately when you return to being the Sphinx and you'll enjoy this game. If you don't, you might wind up losing all of your progress and it just HURTS.

That's the only thing in this game that I dislike but at least it's a glitch that's easily remedied if advice is taken. This game isn't as classic as "Banjo Kazooie" or the Spyro games but it really is fun for those who enjoy these types of games. There's lots to look at, puzzles to solve, cool places to explore and fun skills to learn. The main skill being finding those save points and doing it as often as possible!!!

Actually just a word of advice... I have been playing this game for awhile (I am not a hardcore gamer and only occasionally have time to play), but I must agree on the save issue and make an addition... 9 hours into the game - having completed the mummy portion where I get the atun statue - I then was killed as Sphinx. Am back to save point with the mummy - but the door is closed and locked and I can't get through... must now start at beginning again. Moral of the story... find the stupid statue and save all progress no matter how far you must walk to get to it...
So sad... other than that - it's a pretty cool game...

This is one of my all-time favorite games. It's got a cool mix of monster battling and platforming, all in an awesome-looking acient Egypt setting. If you like Prince of Persia, Sands of Time or Beyond Good and Evil, you'll really like this game. I highly recommend it (my only gripe is that apparently no sequel will be coming).