Adventure

Reboots, remakes and reimaginings seem to be all the craze these days. This year we've already seen a different take on Metal Gear, a modernized Devil May Cry and now the highly anticipated reboot of Tomb Raider. This new version of Tomb Raider is more character-driven, cinematic and is reminiscent of many modern action-adventure titles. While it does capture some of what made the original games great, the exploration and puzzle solving play second-fiddle to intense shoot-outs and action-packed cutscenes.

Lara Croft is a gaming icon, a woman that, in the nineties, became the very symbol of video gaming and its place in society. Although many of the people who saw her in newspapers and magazines couldn't tell you that she came from a video game called Tomb Raider, they certainly recognized her face (and, perhaps, other part of her anatomy). The fame didn't last, and it didn't take long for the Tomb Raider franchise to drop in sales, and for Lara Croft to stop featuring on the cover of magazines. The last game in the series, Underworld, received mixed reviews ...

I have to admit that I didn’t have high expectations for Metal Gear Solid Rising: Revengeance... (Especially with a title that uses most of the english alphabet). Over the years, the series has deeply developed Solid Snake, a character we all know, admire and love and Revengeance seemed like a long-shot. In theory, this game shouldn’t work. Set in the Metal Gear Solid universe, we would normally expect a game with an intense and confounding story, stealth based gameplay as well as quite a few hours of intriguing cutscenes. Now that I have actually played ...

When Braid hit the Xbox, it was a wake up call to indie developers. Smart and simple games could flourish in this new generation of high-powered graphics. The Bridge is an indie 2D puzzle game where players control time and gravity to guide a man through a distorted world of M. C. Escher geometry. The Bridge owes much to Braid, both for paving the way for other indie games, but also for the quiet thoughtful tone that both games share.

I cautiously approach the gently glowing corpse, casting around for Splicers or other threats. The Little Sister on my shoulder squeals delightedly: “Look Daddy, it’s an angel!” Before we can gather any ADAM, I set up a perimeter of trap rivets and mini turrets, and make sure my speargun and drill are both fully loaded, as well as making sure I have the right plasmid equipped. When everything is set up, I carefully set the Little Sister down and prepare for the onslaught.

Family Guy is one of the top animations on TV and, whether you love it or hate it, continues to pull in massive numbers. It stands to reason that every so often they’ll push out a game. The first attempt at digitizing the most outspoken family on TV, the Family Guy Video Game! for Xbox, PSP and PS2, entertained fans of the show, but critics were far less forgiving. Early last year Activision announced Back to the Multiverse, an adventure in which Brian and Stewie must save their universe from the evil Bertrum. Is this another game destined for mediocrity?

Over the years the Playstation Network has given us some amazing and interesting titles. Such games like Flower and Journey have given us different , simpler ways to play games and The Unfinished Swan follows that simplistic formula. Just like thatgamecompany, Giant Sparrow has signed a 3 game deal with Sony and they have kicked that deal off in unbelievable fashion. The first thing that came to mind whilst playing The Unfinished Swan was simplicity. Unlike playing games that play out like a triple A Hollywood blockbuster The Unfinished Swan plays out more ...

Telltale Games have truly outdone themselves this time, providing such a phenomenal, interactive experience which would make any Walking Dead fan proud. The Walking Dead: The Game features five 2-3 hour long episodes that will keep you intensely hooked from start to finish. All the episodes combined share a common theme of survival, but taken individually, each episode places the player in unusual situations that are hard to come by else wise. Standing out in its genre, the game is incomparable to any other adventure experience, and I can assure players and ...

The Cave brings together Monkey Island alumni Tim Schaefer and Ron Gilbert for a brand new adventure game unlike anything you’re likely to have played before. Pick from a cast of seven characters and explore a dark cave where anything is possible, where your character’s traits are tested over and over again. With the hilarious writing and critical thinking that made the genre great in the nineties, The Cave is a nostalgic look back at a time when games were more about character than interactivity. This is its biggest asset, but it’s also its biggest fault.

Uber-small developer, thatgamecompany previously wowed gamers with Flower. The game was stripped down and simple, but also oddly beautiful. Furthermore, it proved insanely addicting with its "snowball effect on flower petals" mechanic. Flower is a perfect argument for the oft-asked and much- debated question, “Are games art?” And now the studio has upped its game (so to speak) with Journey a compelling and emotional title that is subtly deep and outrageously beautiful…it is a triumph.