Shawn Wallbaum

Adolescent boys rejoice, Laura has returned. Tomb Raider helped define the original Playstation. The game sold
millions of copies spinning many sequels and a brassiere-busting silver
screen turn from a pre-tabloid Angelina Jolie. Now Laura Croft returns
for another adventure with Underworld. Making her way through the
wilderness of the Mediterranean, the deep jungles of Mexico and other
exotic locations around the world that would give Indiana Jones a run
for his money. On Laura's plate this time is the quest for the
legendary Hammer of Thor. As with most of the Tomb Raider games you
have to make your way through mind-numbing puzzles and just about every
trap you could think of.

Most Tomb Raider games follow a basic
outline, and this one is no different. The layout of the game is
gorgeous, and the lush landscapes team with life. A lot of time was put
into the environments and animals to make them more realistic than the
original Tomb Raider game. Crystal Dynamics was able to blend Tomb
Raiders' old-school puzzle solving, shooting, and climbing so they
overlap each other. The result is smoother and more realistic. A neat
change also new to this edition is the melee combat system that makes
Laura fight and keep her distance from her attackers at the same time.

Yes it's (almost) February, but every other website or magazine
started, or ended the year, with a "Top 10" or "Best Of" list, so it
must be a good idea, right?
Either way, we're not sure if 2008
stacked up to 2007's monster gaming year, but there were certainly a
few bright spots worth revisiting.
10. Metal Gear Solid
4: Guns of Patriots. The original MGS was what hooked me on the first
Sony game machine and this title was well worth the wait. Could this be
the end of Solid Snake? Don't bet on it!
9. Mario Kart Wii. Even
though the Mario Kart franchise is 16-plus years old it still kicks
ass. With on-line multi-player for the next generation and addictive
game play, MK Wii never gets old.

Puff on this dragon.Ever since Mario took the game scene by storm there have been many
attempts to steal the limelight from the-little-plumber-that-could,
with little success. One exception is Spyro the Dragon.

The first
Spyro game was released in 1998 on the original Playstation. The game
was a straightforward platform game with Spyro freeing fellow dragons
from their crystal prisons. The game won praise from gamers and spawned
several sequels.
Now comes the latest Spyro adventure, which is
really more of a remake. The game uses an all-star cast of actors
playing the main characters, including Spyro and sidekick Cynder. The
game concludes much like the original game wherein Spyro must defeat
his archenemy Malefor, the Dark Master.

Even as Central Oregon snowboarders have been praying for snow, there has been something available in the video game world to get them through the drought. Shaun White Snowboarding comes at a time when snowboarding games like SSX and 1080 have all but disappeared. Why it has taken so long to fill the gap is a mystery, but developer Ubisoft has taken the reins. The game was created using the Assassin's Creed game engine - a wise choice - and will be released on the Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The Wii version was created separately from the other two versions and is capable of using the Wii balance board.

A lot of sports games are released with a star's name and face attached, with little or no input from the celebrity. Shaun White Snowboarding, however shows much of his personality and the laid-back humor of the sport of snowboarding. At this year's E3 he even gave a demonstration of the game. The characters in the game are stereotypically goofy, similar to the ones in the SSX games, but the attitude and mood seem to blend nicely. Even the snowboarding gear on the characters is used with permission from real life sponsors. The music is almost a character in the game itself; classic rock and indie artists thump your speakers while you tear up the slopes.

A glimpse of "Gears of War" – one of the reasons people keep buying games.Now comes the time of year when family and friends are wanting their favorite video games which probably means dipping into funds that might be a bit short. With video games popular as ever and an influx of family oriented games hitting the market, there are many ways that you can get them inexpensively. Here are a few tips that may stretch your holiday gaming dollar and leave a bit left over for you to get a game for yourself.

Sales: Many retailers this year are having big sales to make up for a slow year, this means a lot of good deals to be had. Some retailers like Wal-Mart are giving gift cards with game systems so you can pick up a system and use the cards to pick up a few games. Check the Sunday ads and be there early to get the best picks.

War! What is it good for?When the Xbox 360 was put into the hands of gamers, the one title that
was to ride its wave was Halo 3. That was true for the most part, but
another shooter has made a lot of gamers happy, the original Gears of
War, which was released back in the fall of 2006. The game sold more
than five million copies and garnered a huge following. The fact that
so many gamers continue to play the original Gears online despite a lot
of competition from newer games in the same genre says a lot about the
game's strengths.

A bitter, badder Bond. Ever since GoldenEye 64 was released on the Nintendo 64 there have been
many 007 games that try to emulate the classic. The latest is Quantum
of Solace, a first-person shooter based on the new James Bond movie.
The story follows super spy James Bond (Daniel Craig) and touches on
the events that take place from the previous Bond movie, Casino Royale,
and up through Quantum of Solace.
Quantum is a first-person shooter
that lets you switch to a third-person view. The game play doesn't pull
any punches. And from the first level forward, this game is in
overdrive with bullets flying all around you. The first part of the
game feels like it would fit on one of the final levels, so there is no
slowing down. At such a fast pace the levels seem to pass quickly.

Like you never fantasized about eye-lasering an alien. As a kid, the movie Alien gave me the creeps, the slowly building
tension and tight scenes made the sci-fi/horror movie a classic. Game
developer Electronic Arts has been able to recapture that sick death at
every corner feeling with Dead Space. This action horror game has much
in common with the way that the Resident Evil games play. With a third
person or over-the-shoulder perspective, this game is a nice change of
pace from the million-plus first-person shooters. With this being EA's
first foray into the survivor/horror genre, it doesn't repeat what
Capcom has done with recent Resident Evil games wherein the lead
character is a badass. Instead, this game takes a normal person and
puts them in a really bad situation.

Somewhere under the rainbow, robotic children play music.It's been a slow process for Nintendo to release games that use the Wii
balance board, but now comes Wii Music. This game was in line to be
released with the Wii system, but it ran into a few snags and was more
or less left in the dust. Well, it seems a resurrection has occured due
to the popularity of Guitar Hero and Rock Band and Nintendo wanted this
game on the fast track. Wii Music was overseen by famous Nintendo
composer Koji Kondo who has contributed music to some of the best games
Nintendo has ever released including Duck Hunt, Mario Bros., Zelda, and
many others. The game allows for either single or multi-player action
and lets you choose from up to 60 different instruments. Players can
choose to play the piano, violin, guitar, bongo drums, harp, trumpet,
and other instruments and the Wii Balance Board is used to play the
drums with pedals while the Nunchuk serves as the drumsticks.

Back to the Front!Well, it seems that we can't get enough World War II shooters on the shelves and sometimes it's a pain to pick the good from the bad. Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway is the exception and it's worth a look. This game is the third game in the Brothers in Arms series. Players assume the identity of Matt Baker, a staff sergeant during the late stages of WWII. Matt is a 101st Airborne squad leader who develops a close relationship with his men and feels great anguish when they die, so much so that he is haunted by visions of the deceased in different degrees throughout the game.
Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway is based on a real life WWII battle called Operation Market Garden, made famous in the 1977 film A Bridge Too Far. The offensive was put together by the British and featured three airborne divisions (two US and one British) who were supposed to land in the Netherlands behind enemy lines and secure bridges at three different points.