Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light Critic Reviews

You will rarely find a game that offers such phenomenal value for money, even at full price I would wholeheartedly recommend it. It's an exciting reinvention for a heroine whose light has unfortunately faded in recent years; an exciting parade of action, puzzling and exploration elegantly crafted with fresh direction, all while retaining that familiar Tomb Raider ethos.

Bottom line; you won't find a better game on the Xbox Live Arcade this summer (perhaps ever) and you won't find a bigger bang for your $15.

The balance between puzzling, platforming and combat is, well, delightful.

The replayability is immense and after spending a whole weekend blasting through both single and co-op campaigns, I still went back to perfect my speed and score runs as well as collect up missing upgrades and items.

Out of all the Summer of Arcade titles, Lara Croft earns that $15 the hardest. It could be my favorite Tomb Raider game of all time, and it is something no fan should miss.

It doesn't reinvent the wheel, but great co-op gameplay and solid action keep this title on point.

Even if you're one of those people who has completely written off the Tomb Raider series, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light is still worth checking out.

Though the game would still be fantastic with its co-op dungeon puzzles alone, Guardian of Light contains a surprising amount of substance; each of its many levels offer a series of achievements that add interesting weapons and items to your inventory.

This has to be one of my favorite downloadable games to date. With great game play, great co-op, tons of collectibles and a great price, you can't go wrong with Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light.

An exceptional game that's in no way restricted by its modest price tag or status as a downloadable game.

Heck, it's one of the strongest games of the season, period.

Bursting with exploration, puzzles, and platforming, the pace isn't encumbered with unnecessary narrative, dialogue, or even character development.

In terms of level design, pacing and gorgeous visuals, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light topples last year's XBLA king, Shadow Complex. But while a lot of this content is perfectly suitable for a six-hour single-player session, I'd urge you to discover the game for the first time with a co-op partner.

There are few download games that offer this kind of value for money, and few that are as clever or effortlessly exciting. Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light might be a move away from the Tomb Raider name, but it's a tremendous homage to its spirit.

I feel comfortable saying that Guardian of Light may be the most fun I've had with Miss Croft in 14 years; it's that good. Guardian of Light covers a lot of bases -- solid action, clever puzzles, nail-biting platforming, and remarkable cooperative play; it's not to be missed.

It is an expertly crafted, addictive experience that, while short, is easily worth the asking price. Especially in such a slow month for video-game releases.

But whether you venture out with a pal or on your own, Guardian of Light is like a breath of fresh air in a corpse-cluttered tomb, and it signals a triumphant return for one of gaming's most iconic heroines.

A superb blend of twin-stick shooting, platforming, exploration, and tactical combat.

Pick it up and enjoy it and when the online patch comes out late September, play it all over again with your friends.

Guardian of Light crackles with energy, and Crystal Dynamics has clearly relished adding a different dynamic to the franchise. By marrying top-down shooter mechanics with a tidy co-op mode, it adds something the series was long thought to have lost: a sense of fun.