When discussing action franchises that defined a generation, you can’t forget to bring up Tomb Raider or its protagonist, Lara Croft. As one of the first major 3D action-adventure games to hit it big, Tomb Raider became a cultural phenomenon. However, after so many games in the venerable series, the popularity died down and the quality of each subsequent entry became less stellar. In short, the series needed a fresh take, and thus providing Crystal Dynamics a chance to start anew. Bringing us back to Lara’s very first adventure, Tomb Raider is a return to form for a series that desperately needed a new beginning. READ MORE
We all like game characters we can relate to, especially protagonists. We want to be able to take control of a like-minded individual and guide them through obstacles, whatever they may be, to ultimately see them succeed. It’s not all fun and games, though. Witnessing a character we’ve grown to like as he or she struggles is never enjoyable. However, it makes overcoming that inevitable challenge that much more rewarding, especially if it happens under your control. READ MORE
I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned Pandemic a few times before, most notably in my review of Matt Leacock’s other major cooperative offering Forbidden Island. It also made a brief appearance in my Best of 2008 list, but I’ve never given it a column to itself. Now seemed like a good time to correct that, as a new edition has just hit the shelves of your local game store — and, perhaps more visibly, your local Target and other mainstream retailers as well. READ MORE
The PlayStation Vita is a powerful piece of portable hardware! Because of that, we’ve been able to enjoy a handful of ports and updates of games that were previously only on consoles, such as Street Fighter X Tekken and Persona 4 Golden. Tecmo Koei contributed to the trend in the form of Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus, which was an update of an update of an update, bringing the mid-aughties classic to a portable system for the first time and somehow managing to conjure up even more new features. READ MORE
Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds is comfortable in its own skin. The side-scrolling beat-’em-up from Mages and 5pb knows it’s going to come across as very Japanese, so it just embraces it. The result is a game akin to a sugar rush; there’s not a whole lot of nutrient-rich depth here, but it’s certainly fun as a complement to a healthy gaming diet. READ MORE
