Tomb Raider: Anniversary (PS2/PC)
Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Anniversary is a celebration of Lara's original adventure in an entirely new Crystal Dynamics game. In 1996 the original Tomb Raider video game launched and introduced the world to Lara Croft, one of the entertainment industry's most successful and prolific cross-over properties.
"The anniversary edition is a fan-inspired celebration bridging Lara Croft's groundbreaking past with a revived passion for new adventures and technical advancements," said Bill Gardner, president and CEO of Eidos Inc. "Lara Croft is at the doorway of a new decade, and we've made sure she's ready to face exciting new challenges in the world of entertainment."
Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Anniversary takes advantage of more than 10 years of technical advances to faithfully recreate the sense of isolation, suspense and surprise of the original title, but with greatly expanded environments, enhanced puzzles, updated weapons and the smooth, athletic character movements introduced in Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Legend in 2006.
Said Matt Gorman, director of marketing at Eidos Inc., "Tomb Raider: Anniversary is an exciting adventure for fans of the franchise and a great introduction to Lara Croft for a whole new generation of consumers.:
The first Tomb Raider game sold more than seven million copies worldwide. Lara Croft went on to become a global entertainment icon, gracing more than 200 magazine covers, touring with U2 and topping $1 billion in brand equity. In total, the franchise has sold more than 30 million games, inspired two feature films and produced comic books, animated series and countless other licensed products.
Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Anniversary was developed by Crystal Dynamics, with versions available for the PS2 and PC/Vista. Versions for the PSP and the Wii console are forthcoming.
Hospital Tycoon (PC)
At the Sapphire Beach Medical Institute, the lives and loves of the hospital's doctors and nurses, as well as the sneezes and diseases of its patients, will come alive. In Hospital Tycoon, players take on the role of Hospital Director and take charge of the medical staff, keeping an eye on the patient numbers and making sure each facility has the equipment required to keep those cures coming through. Players will explore a plot involving certain members of the hospital's staff and some very interesting patients, while at the same time challenging them to find cures for bizarre new illnesses. Diseases range from the everyday Explosive Sneezing - where a simple sneeze can launch the unfortunate patient several feet into the air, to the more rare Monkey Nuts - where patients sprout fur, climb furniture and favor bananas over everyday person food.
Hospital Tycoon staff members have rich behaviors that players can nurture and influence throughout the game. Gamers may choose to encourage a friendship or a falling-out of sorts, and can train staff to improve their skill levels. Players will also be challenged to manage and maintain each hospital, creating dedicated areas to support additional medical needs, including surgery, diagnosis, physiotherapy and more. As more patients are cured, the more players can expand their medical empire and attract new and even more interesting patients. However, as the hospital becomes busier, players will have to be on the lookout for the spread of infectious conditions or they'll soon have an epidemic running riot throughout the facility.
Hospital Tycoon is available now for the PC for an SRP of $29.99 and is rated "E10+" (Everyone 10 and older - Crude Humor, Mild Suggestive Themes, Mild Violence - content that may be suitable for persons ages 10 and older) by the ESRB.
Puzzle Scape (PSP)
In a hypnotic world of entrancing electronic music and brilliant, interactive evolutionary backgrounds, "Puzzle Scape" players arrange blocks of different colors into chains that are exploded by 2x2 same-colored blocks. "Puzzle Scape" pulsates with 40 scenes of brilliant backgrounds and an original soundtrack of more than 40 songs by rising electronic music artists.
Level by addictive level, "Puzzle Scape" players unlock new themes and scenes bursting with lush colors and luscious beats. By exploding blocks, players create vibrant background landscapes in four different themes: Cells, Flowers, Machines, and Dream. Each theme contains ten scenes creating 40 brilliant levels. "Puzzle Scape" also rocks plenty of power-ups to pump up the action.
The addictive "Puzzle Scape" features time and goal-oriented play ("Architect" mode) or score-oriented play ("Artist" mode). Both single player modes can also go "Co-op" via the PSP's wireless connection, while "Duel" mode allows two players to go head-to-head in a given timeframe. The fun and frantic "Bomb Run" mode allows up to 8 players to compete at destroying a given amount of each of the colored blocks.
"Puzzle Scape" for the PSP system debuts with an MSRP of $19.99 (USD) and is rated "E" for Everyone by the ESRB.