A note to our listeners: This episode will be followed by a one week break as we catch up and prepare for “season two” of The Short Game! We have a lot of great games to discuss in the coming months, and we want to hear from you! Let us know which current or upcoming games you would like to hear about on the show, or send us feedback on Twitter or at our website!

This week, The Short Game plays Tomb Raider.

Tomb Raider, a reboot of the classic action shooter series, was one of the most incredible games of 2013, but many people missed it when it was brand new and for one reason or another still haven’t made time for this great triple-A game. We discuss what makes this game stand out from other third person shooters, from the history of the Tomb Raider franchise, and from games as a whole.

Availability

Tomb Raider is available on essentially every platform you could want:

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This week on The Short Game, we discuss our first fighting game! Or is this a fighting game? Wait, what is this exactly?

It’s Nidhogg, a game in which two sabre-wielding duelists with infinite respawns face off in a frenetic, bloody tug of war for the right to throw themselves into the gaping maw of the titular Norse snake god Níðhöggr. Chew on that for a minute.

It’s also an incredibly tight and well designed, yet simple and approachable vs. combat game for two players.

We also have a good chat about Game Center CX and Mega Man II, as well as Civilization Revolution 2 for iOS.

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This week we delve into our shared Sega heritage with fast paced action platformer Freedom Planet. Launched from a Kickstarter budget of just $25,472, Freedom Planet from GalaxyTrail is a love letter to the character platformer and Sega nostalgia. One part Mega Man, one part Gunstar Heroes, one part Rocket Knight, and many parts Sonic & Knuckles; Freedom Planet is a high speed platform game that recalls the glory days of “blast processing.”

We discuss the game, and then spend a good long while talking about some of the kick-ass Sega Genesis games we played and loved over the years.

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We discuss the ways the game pays homage to its inspirations, from Mega Man to Zelda to Duck Tales to Castlevania, and how it improves upon those games with technology and mechanics that feel both old and new. After the spoiler break we discuss the game’s ending and talk about how it made us feel.

Availability:

Steam for PC, with Mac & Linux as soon as they’re available – $15, or $25 for the Deluxe Edition with Soundtrack and PDF manual

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