As an iconic videogame heroine Lara Croft needs no introduction, after a fairly blocky 16-bit start she has become one of gaming’s most enduring and streamlined characters. In this incarnation Crystal Dynamics have taken Lara’s pedigree and given it a fresh twist by changing the playing field and throwing in a spin by adding a co-op mode.

Begging the question after a campaign of pretty impressive titles in recent weeks, has Microsoft saved the wrong game to close out their Summer of Arcade? More »

Up until recently I was a bit of an offline RPG junkie. But thanks to many a session of Gears of War 2, Borderlands, and Halo: ODST online with the ButtonMasher community I have embraced the online shooter and now enjoy a good multiplayer evening. Even so it was still a strange feeling to actually want to get online with a new game and check out it’s multiplayer content, which in the case of Monday Night Combat is pretty much it’s entire content. But whatever the outcome, a game that has a shotgun shell high-fiving a piece of bacon for the loading screen is already a winner in my books!

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The second release in the 2010 Winter of Arcade, Hydro Thunder Hurricane, may seem familiar to some out there. This is because it is a sequel to the original 1999 arcade great, Hydro Thunder, which also appeared on the Dreamcast, Playstation, and N64. Various spin offs where also made including 4X4 Thunder and Arctic Thunder. So what we have here is a good solid arcade jet boat racer that really reminds me of Star Wars: Episode One – Pod Racer, which is a good thing in my books.

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A classic franchise returns with a long overdue refit, touch-up and tweak. From a time when point and click adventures were vogue and players thrived on the mix of puzzles and humorous narrative this series stood out and firmly lodged itself in the rose tinted memories of anybody that lived through it’s adventures.

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Uncertain of his sister’s fate, a boy enters LIMBO. That is all the plot and narrative you get for the whole of your Limbo experience. But it is really all you need to know before embarking on your black and white silhouetted adventure. The opening release for this years Winter of Arcade, Limbo, has some big shoes to fill after last years Winter of Arcade smash hits, Shadow Complex and Trials HD. Well, after playing Limbo I can safely say that the high standard set for the Winter of Arcade is safe, very safe.

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