BioShock 2 had you playing a lumbering Big Daddy in search of the Little Sister you were meant to protect. Minerva’s Den is a separate story for the same game: you play a different Big Daddy with a different goal. You’re looking for The Thinker, a punchcard-driven artificial intelligence developed to run Rapture’s automated systems.

That means you start from scratch, in terms of weapons and abilities, but they come fast enough for you to quickly tool up for the play style you like. The additions to the combat formula are all worthwhile, but don’t change it dramatically. That means it’s still creative and fun, but doesn’t feel refreshingly new.

There’s a Gravity Well plasmid that sucks enemies into a singularity and spits them back out – entertaining, but a pretty slow way of dealing with the least dangerous enemies. And the new Ion Laser weapon is a very straightforward damage-dealer, as is the new Big Daddy type that uses it.

The most enjoyable novelties are the new security bots: firing rockets, lasers and electricity. When hacked to follow you around, the electricity one is a hilarious and handy companion, repeatedly shocking your enemies so you can take your time with their fate.

Minerva’s Den takes around five hours to play, and the story is intriguing and substantial. It’s also focused: there’s almost no peripheral backstory lying around, every audio diary you find is a piece of the puzzle.

Accordingly, it asks you to do more exploring than the main BioShock games. Most areas are large hubs with no clearly marked goals, riddled with Adam, Tonics and Plasmids to upgrade your abilities.

For the most part that’s great, but you’ll occasionally hit a dead end and be unsure how far you’re supposed to backtrack, or what you’re looking for. And if you miss a major audio diary, the plot makes less sense.

Not that it makes perfect sense even if you don’t, of course – it involves powerful ideas, but operates under the same magical logic by which a secret city on the ocean bed is a viable thing. The main thrust of the plot requires a credulity leap of that kind, which is a shame, but it doesn’t prevent the game being engrossing.

As with both BioShock games, the antagonist isn’t nearly as convincing or interesting as the conflicted characters along the way, and his taunting wears thin. But Minerva’s Den is more consistently engaging than BioShock 2, because the meat of the story isn’t diluted by a lot of empty philosophy. The sting in its tail isn’t quite as potent as either of its predecessors, but it’s a satisfying ending once you make sense of it.

One warning: you need to buy the DLC through Games for Windows Live, even if you didn’t get BioShock 2 from there. Once it’s downloaded, run BioShock 2 normally and find it under Extras.

Aargh, me hearties. Aargh. In almost every way, Lego Pirates is one of the best of the Lego Whatever series, from its swaggering Jack Sparrow to the epic range of locations from the movies.

Its cute, mimed retellings of these are genuinely funny. Even the traditionally very basic combat feels oddly satisfying as cartoon swordfighting, greatly helped by excellent battle themes straight from the original movie soundtracks. The main problems are, as ever, that the Lego series shows as much interest in changing its formula as the Chuckle Brothers, and anything that’s annoyed you about previous games will still be here. The puzzles are still about smashing everything until you find the relevant hidden object. The AI remains dreadful. Where Lego Pirates takes a step up is in its level design and humour, which both gel perfectly with the movies’ style and characters, and provide some amazing set-pieces.

Unfortunately, as entertaining as all this is, Lego Pirates is one of the dodgiest ports in recent memory, with the longest loading times. Getting into the game takes minutes, as does waiting for individual levels and their many cutscenes. There’s still no online support for the two-player mode, and – at least at the time of writing – good luck even finding the PC version in a shop, although it’s available at Play.com etc.

When Jack gets repeatedly slapped in the face by his crew, then kicked hard in the balls for good measure, it’s hard not to sympathise. The only difference is that you haven’t done anything to deserve it, except choose to play his game on PC.

Think of Beep as a quantum physicist wearing tie-dye trousers: it’s clever with the physics, but not so easy on the eyes.

It’s a 2D platform game where you control a little robot on wheels, or Wall-E as forged by Korean merchandisers. You visit different planets in a solar system (there’s a cute level selection menu with a rocket) to collect chunks of flaming gold rock. These rocks unlock more levels and more planets, but as always, it’s a little more complicated than it sounds.

Through the 24 short levels you’ll have to dodge the attacks of robots, blast lasers and most cleverly use your antigravity beam to move bits of the environment around. For example: plucking a square of desert and dropping it to block an invisible laser, then carrying it with you to climb higher. Or moving separate pieces of environment around like those old picture slider puzzles. You even have to pile up the carcasses of your enemies occasionally. Death to the robot traitors! Early on the real challenge is getting used to the mouse-and-WASD setup in a 2D environment, but only because it’s sensitive like a pimply drama student called Malcolm.

The levels span swamp lands, desert, dark caves and ice, but there’s a distinct lack of eye candy on offer unless blocks coloured in slightly different colours are your idea of visual sherbert. There are some nice puzzles, but the looks lack that final slick of lipstick and blusher: they’re bright, but ultimately boring and too simple. The Undergarden has the same style of 2D puzzling and platforming, but with more originality

Combining all three of these elements you come up with a game that just…. works. It’s a beautiful mix of using your brain at a crime scene, using your brawn in a fist-fight, and using your cunning to outsmart a suspect and get a confession out of it. What you end up with here is the most unique gaming experience you have ever had to date, and likely it will be the only one of its kind that you will ever have. I’m not sure if Team Bondi or Rockstar have thought about a sequel, but really I feel as though the only way we’ll get this kind of experience again is if we get a direct sequel. So, that said, let’s tackle some of the standard review criteria and see what we come up with.

The graphics of the game are jaw-dropping, even with some minor graphical glitches along the way. It goes without saying that the MotionScan technology that brought us the super-detailed and realistic faces of our characters is a huge pay-off for the narrative. I was initially worried that we would be delving a bit into the “Uncanny Valley” where the faces would look almost too realistic and therefore be alienating, but that simply was not the case. It was easy to get lost in the 1947 Los Angeles that was created, and that is largely due to the facial animation system in play here. The car models looks stunning (though I admit my bias towards classic cars), the buildings have a good amount of detail on them, and eveything seems to come together to present a great graphical package. One frustration that I had, however, was the tendency for assets to pop-in or take a while to load, and the frame-rate takes a hit every once in a while. This might be due to the fact that so much of the data is read from the disc, as my disc seems to spin a lot throughout the game. However these items are not nearly large enough to eclipse the feat of artistry that is the graphical presentation of L.A. Noire.

The audio composition, from music to sound effects to voice acting, is top-notch as is expected. The sultry jazz music, the fierce cracking and popping of firearms going off, and the engine roaring, tire-squealing action of taking a way-too-heavy car around a corner at speed all serve to immerse you all the more in the game universe. The voice acting deepens the experience all the more. It helps that you are seeing the face of the actors who are doing the voice-overs – heck, I’m not sure I would even call it a voice over though… Basically you’re watching their performance! I am personally a fan of jazz. I’m not talking about Kenny G smooth jazz crap, but the real-deal, big-band swinging jazz. The soundtrack is pitch-perfect and serves to lay the best background audio canvas that I have experienced in a game for quite some time. All said, the audio direction in the game is definitely one of its strongest points.

In terms of gameplay, there are a bunch of hits, and just a few misses in my opinion. There is not much to go into detail with while investigating and interrogating, but there is one stand-out feature that I like. Team Bondi/Rockstar made it a point to keep the game as HUD-less as possible, so you find interesting methods of player interaction involved as a result. For instance, if you are looking at a murder victim, you can inspect different parts of the body to look for clues. Rather than use a cursor of some kind, you simply direct Cole Phelps’ arm towards the body part you want to inspect. Also, when you indicate which body part you want to inspect, or if you pick up a piece of evidence, you can use the right analog stick to manipulate the object or body part, rotating it around to look for clues. It helps foster the sense of immersion. Your job is not done simply when you walk up to a clue and hit A.

When driving a car, initially I had some concerns. If I am driving a huge boat of a car down the road, I do not expect it to be squirrel-ly when I first start a turn. It just seemed like the cars were a little too quick to respond when turning, like they were lighter than I thought they were going to be. However, when I had more time behind the virtual wheel, it seemed to be less of a concern, and I was able to use the hand brake to kick the rear of the car out and power-slide around corners. So while it may be initially frustrating to some users, I would urge you to be patient and learn to anticipate the way the cars handle – you’ll be rewarded. If you are expecting GTA IV controls and physics for the cars, you will not have the experience you are anticipating, and that’s not a bad thing, either.

I found myself consistently being pleasantly surprised by the little details in the game. If you are in a fist-fight and your hat gets knocked off (keep in mind there’s an achievement for making it through a fight with your hat on!), you can walk over to it and Phelps will grab it and put it back on. I love the way they solved for the fact that in 1947 there was no GPS in cars. Rather than painting a line in your mini-map in the corner for you to follow along, you simply get an indicator of where the waypoint is along the outer circle of the map. You just need to learn the roads and get there as you know how. However, if you find yourself turned around, simply hit X and your partner will give you your direction for the next intersection. So he will say something like “Take the next left” or “Straight on through this next intersection.” It’s a nice design element that both serves to get you directions if you need them, and provides you with a bit more of a relational backdrop with Phelps and his partner.

I could literally go on for hours and hours, but I will sum things up here: L.A. Noire is an experience that everyone should play, providing they are mature enough to take it. No punches were pulled in exposing the gritty nature of the criminaljustice system in old-time L.A. Grisly murders are explained in clinically-exhaustive detail and accompanied by thorough examination of (sometimes completely-nude) victims. Truly this is the most mature game that Rockstar has been a part of. In the end it is something that will go down in history as one of the most innovative games of our time, and for good reason. You are simply supposed to have this game in your collection, if you consider yourself a gamer by any definition of the word. Seriously, stop reading this and go out to buy the game. What are you waiting for?

However, the simpler, cluttered visuals do mean that Sega Rally Online Arcade boasts a silky-smooth frame rate. It’s difficult to tell whether it’s actually locked at 60 frames per second, but regardless, you probably won’t notice any slowdown, even with the mud starts flying.

The game’s announcements, audio stingers also stay true to the Sega Rally series’ proud heritage. This includes the classic Sega Rally co-driver, who’ll dutifully serenade you with the likes of “very long easy right maybe”, though thankfully he no longer blurts out “woah!” every time you scrape inelegantly around a corner.

The soundtrack is composed of what I can only describe as “Sega rock” — the kind of generic, synthetic rock music that blends so well into the background of a video game that you probably won’t ever notice it. Veteran Sega fans will know exactly what I’m talking about.

When it comes to actual gameplay, you’ve got a reasonably-sized single player experience, at least considering the fact that this is an Xbox Live Arcade title. There are five tracks to see, ranging from deserts to jungles to alpine peaks, and a host of well-known rally cars in which to tear them up. With a wealth of previous titles to draw content from, it’s a little surprising that Sega only included five tracks in this game, however each stage that has made it across is unique in its own way.

The differences between the cars are largely cosmetic, but at least that means you can pretend you’re 10 again and choose a vehicle based on its color or the size of its spoiler, rather than some arbitrary engine statistic.

The main single player game mode is campaign mode, and this consists of four back-to-back races during which you work your way up the pack, hoping to come out on top by the final lap of the last track. There’s a moderate difficulty curve as you progress, though it’s nowhere near as punishing as earlier Sega Rally titles. Whereas the original Sega Rally would brutally and repeatedly clean your clock in later campaign mode stages, Online Arcade merely shrugs and throws in the occasional hairpin to try to throw you off.

There’s a similarly low skill ceiling in single race mode. On the “canyon” track, the easiest in the game, you can probably never take your finger off the accelerator and still finish in the top three. This is by no means a difficult game.

Time trial mode extends the single player game’s replayability somewhat, with downloadable ghost cars for various lap records, and there are even some bonus vehicles to unlock. But most of staying power of Sega Rally Online Arcade lies in the online part.

In addition to a local multiplayer option, the online component matches you against other gamers, and quickly throws you into a lobby where more challenging human opponents await. Player counts aren’t massive, as you’d expect form an XBLA title, but there are enough people currently playing to make it easy to find a match with at least one other human being present. And the matchmaking system is usually fast enough to get you racing within a minute or so.

The long-term success of Sega Rally Online Arcade depends on how much of a community forms around its online component, and at the time of writing this is something that remains to be seen. A best-case scenario would be a bustling hard-core of players challenging each other on a daily basis. A more pessimistic prediction might involve the game flat-lining just weeks after release. Time will tell.

My biggest complaint, though, centers around an aspect of Sega Rally Online Arcade that could arguably earn it most of its sales — the nostalgia factor. Gameplay-wise, little has changed since the 1995 original, and in many ways the series seems a little too eager to cling to the past. This risks alienating new players who have no experience of Sega Rally. To them, Online Arcade might seem like a boring, dated experience.

But still, as an XBLA title, Sega Rally Online Arcade isn’t really trying to topple the likes of DiRT or Forza. Instead, it asks for a few hundred Microsoft points and delivers a solid few hours of nostalgia-fuelled entertainment in return.

You could criticize Sega Rally Online Arcade for being a hotch-potch of earlier Sega Rally games, thrown together to make a quick buck on XBLA, but that wouldn’t be entirely fair. It’s still a decent title, just one with nostalgia at the heart of its game experience. And for 800 MS points, Sega junkies could certainly do a lot worse.

Sega Rally Online Arcade is available now on Xbox Live Arcade at a cost of 800 Microsoft points.

The game-play is very reminiscent of Strider, and to me that is a great thing. One reason this comparison makes sense is that Kouichi Yotsui of Strider fame had his hands on this project. Moon Diver isn’t a sequel in any way, but I feel comfortable using the term “spiritual successor” here. There are other comparisons to be made here too, in that any fan of NES, SNES or Genesis-era side-scrolling platformer action games will see things that make them nostalgic. We’re talking about Ninja Gaiden, Shinobi, Castlevania, Legend of Kage, Contra, etc. You run and jump from location to location while hordes of enemies, fodder for your blades and magical abilities, do their best to come at you and drain your life bar until you are no more. Occasionally barriers form at either end of the screen, boxing you into an impromptu arena of sorts where you have to dispatch all your foes before proceeding. You have the always-handy double-jump to get yourself up and out of the fire if things are getting too hectic, and there are a bevy of magical abilities you can use and level-up in addition to your trusty blade.

So the main question is – how does the game fare? Very well, in my opinion. The action is frenetically-paced at times, the controls are simple but have a decent amount of depth in that you can change your magical abilities after each level. Graphically-speaking the game is very bright and colorful. It can be hard at times to keep track of your character with enemies flying everywhere and blowing up and so on, but that is not enough of an issue where you get frustrated. The Anime-inspired art style is crisp and comes off really well.

The sound design is a bit of a mixed bag. The sound effects are really good – you hear some really nice metallic-clashing sounds when you shove the business-end of your blade into the torso of an enemy, and explosions have an awesome “sci-fi futuristic” sound to them (just watch out for the yellow guys who blow up like BomberMan when you hit them a couple of times!) and all that. But the music in the game, in my opinion, is kind of repetitive and doesn’t really stand out as being anything special.

So the bottom line is this: If you are looking for an action-packed game that is reminiscent of some of the best side-scrolling action games of yesteryear, you can do far worse than Moon Diver. If you can get past a slightly-repetitive soundtrack you’ll find a great experience that is well worth those aforementioned hard-earned MS Points. Well done, FullPlus and Square Enix.

Duke Nukem Forever picks up 12 years after the events of Duke Nukem 3D. After defeating the Alien Forces and destroying the Cycloid Emperor Duke has become the center of the universe. Not only is he the richest man on the planet with his own sports stadiums and casinos but he is also the role model for every young adult, man-child and woman of childbearing age. Now that the aliens have returned Duke Nukem has to kick some ass and save the world’s babes. This type of devotion and one dimensional character archetype might have flown in the 90s but with no flaws or character development Duke himself feels like a cardboard cutout with guns attached.

Earlier I said that Duke Nukem Forever may have been inspired by the Halo series. This might come as a surprise to the casual observer because Duke Nukem Forever has had a development cycle that has lasted longer than a decade. The truth is that the version of DNF that we are playing now began development sometime between 2002 and 2004. Instead of a health value that goes to 200% Duke Nukem now has an “Ego Bar” that acts like the shield system from Halo 2. Similar to Master Chief’s series Duke can only hold two weapons at a time and a selection of trip mines and pipe bombs rather than being able to hold all 10 of his classic weapons.

The gameplay flow in Duke Nukem Forever is a mix of linear corridor monster battles separated by NPC character interaction and boss fights. The gunplay provided by DNF is satisfying and using the classic freeze ray and watching Duke Nukem smash a pig cop with his foot can bring a smile to your face but these moments are few and far between. Unlike DN3D Duke is no longer able to take on a group of 4 or 5 monsters at once. Instead firefights lead to you dismembering one or two enemies before taking cover and waiting for your ego to recover.

During the game’s long gestation period one of the big selling points trumpeted by 3D Realms was the insane amount of interaction the world had to offer. Some of these ideas have been implemented but for the most part it doesn’t amount to much. Duke can turn on faucets, flush toilets and pick up cans but the game doesn’t take advantage of this. Apart from a few half assed physics puzzles and some forced item fetch quests the interaction only serves as a slight diversion from the main path. This really feels like a squandered opportunity.

The boss battles fair a little better than the standard gun play. They are large set pieces with huge over the top weapons, from Duke’s massive twin rocket launchers to a large plasma cannon. The boss characters are all varied in design and each encounter is a fun diversion from the main gameplay. It is unfortunate that the game only has 5 or 6 of these large scale fights. The difficulty curve for these boss battles also varies greatly. The opening two are easy and fun adrenaline packed vignettes but there is one near the mid-point of the game that has a difficulty curve as large as the Eifel tower. On the harder difficulties the game may spawn multiple foes as the main baddy bleeds out. This can lead to some cheap deaths when you are within seconds of finishing off the big baddie. Should you die at this point it means starting the whole fight all over again. For a campaign that lasts about 10 hours that means that you are going to be coming across one of these fights at the end of each 1 – 1 and a half hour chapters.

On the audio front Duke’s classic one liners return and unfortunately the same problems of repeating dialog that plagued Manhatten Project return in Forever. It seems that each chapter only has a select number of one-liners and victory chants. This becomes a problem when Duke is telling the Pigcops to “Squeal Like a Pig” every 2 or 3 minutes. Some of the context sensitive/story mode one-liners fair much better. One of the best liners has to do with a cameo of Master Chief’s Mjolnir Armor. The audio tracks range from generic guitar rock to music meant to pump you up. The original “Duke Nukem Theme” makes a number of appearances and it is nice to hear. None of the new tracks are that memorable but they do set the mood during the campaign.

The graphics in DNF range from impressive to downright weird. The opening remake of Duke Nukem 3Ds cycloid emperor fight boasts some impressive rain effects and looks great. As you make your way through the multiple chapters of the single player some parts of the game will make you wonder if the game was finished before being pressed to the disc. Walls and small objects suffer from blurry textures and on at least two occasions supporting characters began talking to Duke without moving their lips. That sort of animation might have passed back in 2002 when DNF was in the planning phase but now it just feels funny and awkward. The gun models and Duke’s hands do look quite good. As you fire each weapon there is a satisfying amount of particle effects/lighting emphasizing their power.

Duke Nukem Forever has had a long and checkered history but it has finally arrived. Is it worth your $60? It all depends on your outlook. Duke Nukem Forever has been positioned as a AAA title. Unfortunately for Duke he just doesn’t have the same amount of polish we’ve seen in other first person shooters on the platform. The promise of a fully interactive world isn’t fully realized and the small physics puzzles that are present are simple and straight forward. If you can get passed the muddy graphics, dated character design, difficult first person platforming and throwaway multiplayer there is an enjoyable single player campaign to be had.

Without spoiling too much of the plot F.E.A.R 3 boasts an impressive amount of environments. Unlike other shooters released just this past month F.E.A.R 3 doesn’t lock you into industrial complexes or short corridors. The game opens in the aforementioned Armachan Facility, which resembles a prison. Here Point Man has access to various barrels, railings and crates he can use as cover. When you move in to the city streets and urban areas cover becomes less abundant but the range of enemies and amount of firearms available to you increases. This keeps the experience fresh and exciting instead of making the enemy encounters a series of “pop-up” targets the game will throw a mini-boss. These mini-bosses can vary and one standout example occurs during the beginning of the game when the Armachan forces deploy mechanized suits against you. Sure your standard “fire and hide” tactics will work against them but if you think outside the box the encounter will be over a lot sooner.

After completing a chapter of the single-player, or by taking the game online, you have the option to play as Point Man’s brother Fettel. He is a ghostly figure who possesses other worldly abilities. Unlike his brother he cannot normally wield weapons. Instead he has two different “spells” he can cast. The first is an offensive red ability that can suspend enemies in the air and damage them. The second ability allows Fettel to cast a shield around his brother. As long as Fettel is not heavily damaged this protective shield essentially adds extra hit points to the other player. By far his coolest ability is that of possession. At any time Fettel can posses any enemy that he can see on screen. This allows him to pick up weaponry and join the fight. This also means that Fettel can reach strategic points that Point Man cannot via possession.

Day One has also trumpeted their online component. They took what I feel is a really refreshing approach their online multiplayer. Unlike other shooters they are not trying to be the next Call of Duty or Halo. Instead they invented 4 unique multiplayer modes – a survival mode for up to four players fighting against waves of enemies called “f***cking run”, “Contractions” which plays similar to Activision’s Nazi Zombie mode lasty Soul Survivor has four players facing off against an omnipresent “Specter” who can possess A.I generated enemies to collect Souls dropped by the other four players.

F.E.A.R 3 is a very rounded package with a few loose threads. The game’s single player is short, clocking in at about 4 or 5 hours, but when you factor in the ability to play the game cooperatively with a friend from a completely new vantage point this gives it some much needed depth. The addition of new and inventive multiplayer modes means that you won’t be climbing through the same 50 ranks just to unlock machine guns and ‘perks’. If you haven’t played a previous F.E.A.R title you might want to least read a synopsis or two before diving in. Once you’ve decided to make the jump you’ll find a fairly fresh take on a genre that has become all to stagnant as of late.

From a gameplay prospective Child of Eden is a mixture of rhythm game and rail shooter. You have two weapons available, a lock on missile and short range laser, to use against multiple foes. The game progresses on rails and moves through multiple encounters during each 15-20 minute “archive”. Some enemies are only affected by your lasers or missiles. At any time you can chain together the missiles and attack multiple targets at once for a bonus to your score.

One of the major issues I had with Eden was the small amount of levels. Since there are only 5 levels the game requires that you play through each level multiple times to earn the number of stars to unlock the next archive. At the end of each episode the game deviates from the on rails formula and throws you in to a boss battle. The boss battles all differ, from a phoenix virus that is only harmed by your lock on laser to a flying whale-like virus who has multiple weak points. Each of Child of Eden’s bosses are inventive and leave a very strong impression when you first face them.

Graphically Child of Eden is a mixture of vibrant color, transparent 3D models and flashy particle effects. As you progress from the start to the finish of each mission the color scheme may change drastically. During the second mission for example as you navigate through the water themed portions of the archive everything is draped in blue textures and particles. As you move forward toward to the phoenix boss everything shifts to a deeper red tone complete with a change in enemies. Everything has a very polished and stylized look that works well with the audio tracks Mizuguchi and his team have selected.

Navigating the world of Child of Eden couldn’t be simpler. The game pushes you through each level using an on-rails system. Using the Joystick or your hand (with Kinect) you are able to highlight multiple targets. When using the controller you are able to fire missiles with the A button and the short range laser with the right trigger. While using kinect weapons can be changed by putting your hands over your head. Shooting enemies with kinect is great and it is some of the best use of the peripheral to date. Kinect isn’t exactly necessary to enjoy the Child of Eden experience but it definitely adds to the immersion.

Child of Eden is a visually appealing title that is unlike anything on the platform. The simple controls mean that anyone can pick up the game and play but only the dedicated will want to repeat the levels over and over for the best scores. The game does offer some limited online functionality in the form of leader boards as well as several unlockables that can be viewed in Luma’s Garden. The immersive Kinect controls are worth keeping the game around, especially as demonstration for what the Kinect is capable of. Even playing Child of Eden for 10 minutes leaves you with a sense of happiness.

Guardian of Light finds Lara deep in the Yucatan peninsula having just located yet another powerful MacGuffin. This particular item releases a nasty old demon, and soon Lara is off on his trail through the Mayan jungle. One of the best things about Guardian of Light is that it makes exploration enjoyable and rewarding. The levels are lush and moody, beckoning you onward with thoughtful details. Though your primary objectives are always straightforward, the levels vary widely in terms of length and layout, mixing long, multistage puzzles with dramatic moments of desperate action. Fully exploring every level is an unqualified pleasure, and aside from the natural thrill of discovering the unknown, there are many tangible rewards for thorough players.

Some of these rewards are immediate, like new guns, skill-enhancing artifacts, and health and ammo power-ups. Others, like red skulls and score-boosting gems, help you complete the many challenges each level has to offer. Rewards for high scores and speed runs are offered on every level, usually in addition to an array of level-specific challenges. These include finding hidden symbols throughout the level, passing a dangerous section on your first try, or perching a giant stone ball on top of a pedestal using explosives. Challenges are enjoyably varied, and completing every challenge in a level the first time through is extremely tough, if not impossible. Fortunately, Guardian of Light makes it fun to replay levels, and the challenges that fuel this replayability always seem tantalizingly within reach. Striving for a high score and speeding through for a quick completion time are two very different yet very entertaining ways to play, and even though you can get through many levels quickly, there are hours and hours of adventuring to be had here.

Of course, Lara Croft’s brand of archaeology involves more bullets than brushes, so expect to be gunning down plenty of enemies in your quest. The simple combat controls make maneuvering nimbly and shooting accurately a breeze, provided you are using a gamepad. The keyboard and mouse controls aren’t precise enough to handle some of the acrobatics, notably jumping at odd angles between small platforms. Though you can tough it out and progress through the game, the action is much more enjoyable with a controller. To help maximize your fiend-vanquishing potential, you can equip a few weapons at a time for slick, instantaneous access. You find or earn a large variety of pistols, shotguns, rifles, and heavy weapons, as well as artifacts that you can equip to bestow boosts to your basic battle attributes. When Lara does sufficiently well in combat without taking damage, her power meter fills up and eventually grants her a special ability. These abilities, which are governed by your equipped relic, include a powerful attack boost, enhanced speed, or, if you’re lucky, a combination of a few powers. Keeping your power meter full requires that you avoid taking any damage, but it’s key to completing high score challenges (you earn more points per vanquished enemy). This helps make combat more than just pointing and shooting, and the variety of enemies you encounter encourages you to make good use of your arsenal.

While all of your weapons, artifacts, and relics are effective, they are not all created equal. Some deplete your ammunition supply faster than others, and it’s fun to search for new weapons while sticking with your favorites. One of those favorites is probably going to be your spear. Aside from sticking into enemies with a satisfying thwack, this weapon can stick into walls, where the light-footed Lara can use it as a platform to reach higher areas or traverse dangerous pits. Another favorite is likely to be your remote-detonated bombs, which, in addition to the obvious applications, are used in a variety of different environmental puzzles.

Whether you encounter them in the normal course of the level, through diligent exploration, or in one of the many challenge tombs, these puzzles are another big highlight of the game. They use Lara’s skills in conjunction with environmental elements in a variety of clever and surprising ways. Using Lara’s grappling rope to rappel down a cliff seems straightforward enough, but add in some moving pillars, and you’ve got something a bit trickier. Maneuvering large stone balls onto pressure pads is simple; using bombs to accurately propel large stone balls through the air requires a lot more precision. Whether the challenge lies in executing a particular action or just figuring out what to do, you won’t want to leave any of these engaging puzzles unsolved.

Between exploration, combat, and puzzle-solving, there’s a lot to enjoy as a solo player in Guardian of Light. But team up with a friend to play cooperatively, and you’ve got a whole new set of challenges. While one of you plays as Lara, the other plays as Totec, a muscular ancient Mayan. Though Totec’s voice actor is hammy and unpleasant, you are subjected to his voice only during the rare cutscenes that string along the equally cheesy and forgettable plot. The action is the star here, and when you play cooperatively, the game changes in significant ways. Totec is the only one who wields the aforementioned spear, but unlike Lara, he can’t stand on it. To get him to higher ground, Lara must lend a hand with her grappling rope. Totec also carries a shield that can be used to reflect enemy projectiles or provide a makeshift platform for Lara to leap from. Totec can also wield firearms, though he lacks Lara’s magical pistols of unlimited ammunition.

The two must combine their abilities to solve puzzles that are different from the single-player puzzles in crucial ways. Solving these cleverly altered conundrums and fighting the emboldened hordes of enemies makes for a very fun time, providing you can get someone over to your house to play with you. The entertaining mix of exploration, combat, and puzzle-solving in Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light is perfectly matched with enticing rewards and engaging challenges that will have you tripping over yourself to replay levels again and again, especially if online leaderboard competition is your cup of tea. Cooperative play makes this adventure even more enjoyable, and though the disappointing lack of online support may sting for weeks to come, it shouldn’t stop you from enjoying this impressive arcade adventure.