Lara Croft and the Guardian of the Light: Lara Croft is at it Again

Lara Croft, heroine of the Tomb Raider series, is back for more in the new game Lara Croft and the Guardian of the Light. Tomb Raider was the basis for many new and popular games like Uncharted and Assassins' Creed, which owe the Tomb Raider series much of their three-dimensional physics and gameplay.

But enough about the past. This new game is, quite simply, a cut above the rest. While Sin and Punishment: Star Successor seems to be bringing back the old style of gaming, Guardian of the Light sweeps S&P off its feet. Lara Croft is all about traps, puzzles, and working under time pressure, because your life depends on it.

Anyways, on to plot. Guardian of the Light has an actual plot to it. Instead of being dumped into the middle of a bunch of bad guys fighting and being told to kill them all, Lara Croft is on a mission (no surprise, I'm sure). Deep in the heart of the Mayan jungles lies the Mirror of Smoke, an item as powerful as it is mysterious. As such items tend to attract hordes of people trying to get hold of it, so is Lara and her interesting new companion, Totec, a Mayan tribesman.

They are up against a most formidable opponent, however. Xoxotl is an evil spirit released from the mirror, and he has the power to bend all other spirits to do his will. Expect a bunch of flying zombie bits, endless hordes of miniature Frankensteins, and even reanimated animals on your path to find the mysterious artifact.

However, the game isn't all talk and no fight. There's enough fighting and endless waves of enemies to satisfy even the most hungry zombie killer. But it gets better. Guardian of the Light supports a multiplayer function, where one person plays as Lara and the other Totec. This leads to multiple different co-op moves to reach locations otherwise inaccessable.

I found the graphics in this game immensely appealing. This game is about as real as it gets on a pixel screen, with flickering animations and plenty of depth to keep your face glued to the screen. The viewpoint is also fantastic. Instead of just having a side-view or a top-down view, Square Enix has put in a three-fourths view so that you're looking down at your character from an angle, which feels more satisfying than a straight-on or straight-down view.

This game is available for download via Xbox Live Arcade as of August 18, 2010, and September 28, 2010 for both PC and PlayStation. Co-op play is available both globally and locally.