tomb raider

Tomb Raider: Curse of the Sword

You play as Lara Croft (i’m sure you knew that) and have been attacked in a friend’s museum and seen a rare artefact (I think it was a sword – the title would suggest so anyway), and have to get it back. Irritatingly, you start off with no weapons, meaning you can be blocked off by bad guys who just stand in your way ominously, and hit you if you get too close. Those guys are real lazy – you can be jumping around, collecting keys, and they just don’t even move.

Celebrity gamers

J.A. Laraque

Gamer Profile: Cambria Edwards

I didn’t have gaming consoles growing up, but my cousins did and I was over there all the time. Donkey Kong was one of the first games I ever played and I fell in love. Whenever a new console came out, of course my cousins had it and monopolized it. So I would go in the other room and play my Donkey Kong on the Nintendo. Even in the early 2000’s I would always ask to play until they finally got rid of their system. I was a bit heartbroken and it still remains one of my favorite games to this day.

Movies & T.V.

Dan Epp

Soon after I purchased my PSOne, my cousin stopped by my apartment. I didn’t realize he was a big video game guy until I talked to him that day. He didn’t live too far from me and we talked about getting together. My brother was already over and I told him we were playing the Playstation. He told me he had one as well, and was going to bring over some games. I don’t remember any of the others he brought, because I don’t think we ever got past Tomb Raider.
“It’s an Indiana Jones chick who jumps around and shoots stuff.”

Game Reviews

J.A. Laraque

The PFI Tripe Awards: The Data Memorial Award

This is the Reverend Doctor Paul. We gather here today to pay our respects to our honored dead, The Data Memorial award, presented to films with the absolute worst endings ever. Let us start with a prayer. Oh Lord, hear our prayers, these movies know not what they do. They were good movies, faithful movies, yet sins kept them from maintianing sanctity, in this weary world. Tonight we first pay tribute to the finale of a fine trilogy, a pure trilogy, the first Data Memorial award goes to…..

Game Reviews

J.A. Laraque

The PFI Tripe: Video Game Movie Awards

NOTHING however can top the ending. She reaches the top of Tony Robbins' pyramid first, grabs hold of Tinkerbell. All of a sudden, the ice cave stars to collapse. She finds SNOW DOGS, and she sleighs her way out of the collapsing ice cave, SMILING and laughing the entire time. At this point I too was smiling and laughing, that the movie was OVER and that I can go home and do something more constructive with my time, like watch the chia pet grow. I hear the sequel is actually worse, I might just see it only to put it in these awards. Hey Pac Man, you saw Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, what did you think?

Editorials

Glen McNamee

Remake and Reboot

The Wii is also seeing several of these new “interpretations”, as evidenced by Klonoa. The original game of the series appeared nearly ten years ago on the original Playstation, and was a 2.5D platformer with the player’s movement controlled along set paths. Fast forward and the graphical makeover is very good (the dreadful Americanised character voices less so), but the movement restrictions remain. The old-school game mechanics may feel uncomfortable to the new audience drawn to Wii, but there is a real challenge in there.

Movies & T.V.

J.A. Laraque

Video Game Movies: The ones that got it right

Most games are made with very iconographic heroes and villains. You don’t have to worry about plot or story as much, and can focus on the core gameplay. Nearly everything is black and white. The Heroes are universally good, and the Villains are the purest of evil. As we get older, we learn life is really just shades of grey (or from “a certain point of view”).

Company Representatives Gamer Profiles

J.A. Laraque

Robert Muresan: Exosyphen studios

“I don’t try to make better games than the ones that exists. I come up with new game types that have never been created and played. Then I try to make them better than the first time”

Company Representatives

J.A. Laraque

Jessica Harper: Fallen Earth

The Tomb Raider series of games on the PS2 has to be my favorite game to date since it made me concentrate on the puzzles and the dexterity challenges while providing a lot of fun and entertainment. I loved finding new strategies to move up in the game. I love a good challenge.

Blog

J.A. Laraque

Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light

We all knew sooner or later Lara would settle down and find herself a nice man, in Guardian of the Light she found the man, but doesn’t look to be slowing down anytime soon.

Editorials

J.A. Laraque

Classic Gaming Beauty Pageant

This noble beauty believes in the more traditional role of fantasy princesses. Zelda spends most of her time either in a magically induced sleep or trapped in some dungeon waiting for a hero to save her. Being a lady of stature and prestige she refuses to show herself in anything beyond her royal gown, but we still like what we see. Zelda understands the key to being saved is looking good and patience, lots and lots of patience.