In the newest edition of Tomb Raider, super hero archeologist Lara Croft uncovers proof of the Norse underworld in this fun, face-paced fantasy adventure for one player and a variety of platforms. Our middle-school-age child testers compared the PS3 and Wii versions (Nunchuk required for the Wii) and found both to be fun and easy to play, with slightly better graphics on the PS3. While Laura Croft’s tight clothing was amusing to the teenage boys, no worrisome content was detected. As you might expect, there is a lot of smashing, fighting and shooting, but this is mixed with problem solving, and there were no bad parenting surprises.
You will play as Lara, using her acrobatic abilities to perch, balance, swing and ride an all-terrain motorbike through different worlds that include fictional versions of Thailand, the Arctic Sea, and the jungles of Mexico. New features include the ability to kill or pacify bad guys, target multiple enemies, and shoot with one hand while suspended with the other. Navigation is made easier thanks to a sonar map that emits a ping, providing a 3D image of Lara’s surroundings. If you’re looking for a fun, one-player thriller, this is a good choice. Our testers recommendation: borrow or buy it. Note that this is one of the few video games with a female lead character. Prices are $60 for the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions, $40 for the Wii, and $30 for the Nintendo DS.
Details: Eidos Inc., www.eidos.com. Ages: 13 years and up. Platform: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, Nintendo DS.
This Korean massive multiplayer online game (MMOG) shows off some nice animated graphics and state-of-the-art game sharing technology, with free-chat abilities. It was first released in 2006 and appeals primarily to middle and high school age players. (Note that you first need to download and install a small file to play the game. It would not work on our Macintosh.) While the game has no cost to start playing, some of the game items cost real money, presenting a type of velvet rope approach.
The game puts you on journeys that require cooperation with other players. Your job is to protect Maple World by fighting monsters (there are plenty of battles) and eventually build your own house in a quiet rural village. There’s a variety of settings to explore — an island, a town and back alleys of a city. You can choose one of four roles: Warrior, Bowman, Thief, or Magician. The more you play, the more skills you earn.
Jon says, “This is a fun way to spend a boring Saturday. Whether you are a serious adventurer looking for a challenge, or you just want to walk around fighting monsters, MapleStory is fun. You start as a beginner with no particular skills. The controls are easy to learn and there’s a lot to explore.”
MapleStory is free to play, but some items can be purchased with real money online. There is also a MapleStory trading card game which includes cards with codes that can be entered into the game to earn special items. With cute characters, fun music and loads of character customization, MapleStory is worth the download, providing you have a Windows computer.
Fun, fast, and full of surprises, the Wii edition of Mario Kart provides some top notch racing, and is an ideal way to transform your TV into a racetrack. This edition comes with the Wii steering wheel, a peripheral that our testers deemed unnecessary for the game. In fact, they preferred to race with the Nunchuk instead.
Once you sign in by either creating a Mii or using an existing Mii icon, you choose a car and Nintendo character. Or you can put your personalized Mii behind the wheel.
There’s a wide variety of multiplayer features in this game. You can play either in split screen mode or compete against 11 other players online. There are 32 racetracks (16 new and 16 from previous Mario Kart games) and a variety of cars, including a rocketpowered baby carriage. A big part of winning the race is in your ability to defend your car by dodging missiles, mud baths or zaps of electricity. There’s plenty of random events to keep things interesting, including a set of cows that might wander onto the track. With Mario Kart Wii, Nintendo also announced the “Wii Wheel,” a non-electrical accessory that is rally more a prop than a controller. You can also drive with the Wii Remote, Wii Remote & Nunchuk combination, or older Nintendo GameCube controller in case you can’t afford Nunchuk/Wii Remote sets. Visit www.mariokart.com to see the latest scores. Our high school intern, Jon, says, “This game has the best controls for a Wii racing game I’ve played yet.”
Put an entire arcade in your pocket, with this collection of 23 classic table-top mini-games for the Nintendo DS. The games are divided into three categories: Cards (Solitaire Classic, Power Cell, Uplift, plus six others), Skill (Hot Hoops, Trivia, Word Search, plus four more) and Puzzle (Crystal Balls, Mahki, Mah Johngg Pairs, and four more puzzlers). Players can use the Nintendo DS wireless connection to compete in tournaments, post their high scores, and compare personal bests with their friends. The games have no connection to one another — there is no common theme, and quality varies. For example, in the Word Search game, the print is small and hard to read. All in all, however, this is a nice selection of no-fail games, that nicely integrate the DS touch features. Developed by PhoenixSoft for Midway.
