Though I grew up in Miss Croft’s heyday, I have to say I was never her biggest fan. Through my affair with the PlayStation, I obtained several of her adventures, tried my best to brave them and see them through to the end, but I ultimately decided they just weren’t for me. As Lara evolved over the years and had her share of disappointments, it was a surprise when Crystal Dynamics announced that her latest adventure would be a completely different departure. Having dropped the Tomb Raider moniker entirely, it was revealed as an isometric action game that would put the spotlight entirely on Lara and a completely different adventure. I knew I’d have to give this differently-designed Croftian adventure to the test, and thus dove into Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light.
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Impressions: Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light
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Impressions: Ys Seven
The Ys series, a venerable and long-running RPG franchise from developer Falcom, returns to Sony’s portable darling with Ys Seven, the latest numerical sequel in a long list of releases, most of which haven’t made it Stateside. This entry found its way to gamers in Japan last September, while North American experience point junkies had to wait about a year for a followup to the brilliant Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim. Ys chronicles the adventures of one Adol the Red, or Adol Christin to those not acquainted with the swordsman, as well as the companions he meets along the way. Entries in this series have appeared everywhere from the MSX2 to cell phones, and it shows no signs of slowing. The latest addition was released in Japan last year and thanks to Xseed Games, lucky non-Japanese fans can now enjoy the latest addition to the stalwart RPG series keeps players comfortable and coming back for more.
Impressions: Blacklight: Tango Down
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BlackLight: Tango Down is a bit of a tricky little bugger. At first glance, it’s a great-looking multiplayer shooter that is, admittedly, something of a rarity on the Xbox 360’s XBLA service. Powered by Unreal Engine 3 technology, it’s a simple shooter akin to Call of Duty, Bad Company, or just about any other “modern” warfare contender out there, and it seems, at least, that it could stand on its own beside full retail releases. However, scratch the surface and you’ll soon discover that just beneath it’s deceptively shiny surface is a bullet hole-ridden experience that lacks polish where it counts and brimming with generic and lifeless gameplay throughout. Chances are you’ve already played what this game has to offer elsewhere, and probably – despite its budget-conscious nature – for less money.
Impressions: Princess Fury
A side-scrolling brawler is a tough game to completely screw up. When all else fails, bombard the player with enemies, an interesting graphical interface, and enough gore to beat the band. Use a combination of two or three of these elements and you should find you’ve got an enjoyable diversion on your hands. Princess Fury, $1.99 worth of 16-bit button mashing for your iPhone or iPod Touch from developers Mo-Star, demonstrates that a delectable blend of all of these things makes for a highly addictive experience that you’d be mad to pass up, especially at such a reasonable price.
Movie Impressions: The Loyal 47 Ronin
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Before viewing The Loyal 47 Ronin, or Chushingura, as it’s lovingly referred to in its native tongue, I had no idea that it was actually one of the most popular tales to adapt into a film in all of Japan. Traditionally, the movies are usually all-out affairs that production companies love to spend big budgets on in order to make them a success. AnimEigo has released a 1958 version of the classic tale, which was created by major Japanese studio Daiei. Though to many it may seem like another, run-of-the-mill samurai tale, fans of the story (based on factual events) and the many forms it has taken will find that this release is one of the better options available on DVD.