Take a famous icon, smear it with mod and dim the lighting, and you've got a successful franchise reboot. At least that is what Crystal Dynamics is hoping to accomplish with their latest Lara Croft project. Even though two Tomb Raider games were released in the last three years, apparently the franchise is in need of a face lift. Join us this week on the EXP Podcast while Scott and I discuss Tomb Raider's longevity, Dragon Ball Z, Jesus, and what it means to reboot a series. As always, we encourage you to leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

Discussion Starters:

- What aspects of Lara Croft remain iconic for you?

- Is Lara an immortal icon, or would a failed reboot mark her death knell?

- Can you think of any games that succeeding in rebooting a franchise for you?

- What games do you think desperately need a reboot?

To listen to the podcast:

- Subscribe to the EXP Podcast via iTunes here. Additionally, here is the stand-alone feed.

- Listen to the podcast in your browser by left-clicking the title. Or, right-click and select "save as link" to download the show in MP3 format.

- Subscribe to this podcast and EXP's written content with the RSS link on the right.

Show Notes:

- Run time: 32 min 35 sec
- "A Survivor Is Born: The New Lara Croft," by Megan Marie via Game Informer
- First-Person Tetris

- Music provided by Brad Sucks

There’s a huge amount of great video game writing out there.  Too much for your humble hosts to ever digest by themselves.  This week, we take advantage of 2010’s embarrassment of riches and discuss some of our favorite pieces of video game writing from last year.  As always feel free to join in and spread the word about your favorite game-related posts, essays, novellas, treatises, and tweets!

Pieces discussed:

- “Okay, Kids, Play on my Lawn,” by Roger Ebert, via Chicago Sun-Times
- “Groping the Map”, by Justin Keverne, via Groping the Elephant
- “Video games: The Addiction,” by Tom Bissel, via The Guardian
- “Making Men Uncomfortable: What Bayonetta Should Learn From Gaga,” by Tanner Higgin, via Gaming the System: Tanner Higgin
- “Castrating the Straight Male Gaze on Bayonetta (or at least making room for other ones!),” by Amanda Phillips, via The Humanities, Arts, Science, and Technology Advanced Collaboratory
- “The Presence of the Past in Fallout 3,” by Trevor Owens, via Play the Past
- “Riffing on the Flagpole,” by Michael Abbott, via The Brainy Gamer

To listen to the podcast:

- Subscribe to the EXP Podcast via iTunes here. Additionally, here is the stand-alone feed.
- Listen to the podcast in your browser by left-clicking the title. Or, right-click and select "save as link" to download the show in MP3 format.
- Subscribe to this podcast and EXP's written content with the RSS link on the right.

- Run time: 34 min 25 sec
- Music provided by Brad Sucks

This week, we stay just a bit longer under the sea, exploring the much lauded Bioshock 2 DLC, Minerva's Den. 2K's final journey into Rapture may just show other game developers how to create stand-alone additional content that puts other full length titles to shame.

Some discussion starters:

- How does Minerva's Den compare to Bioshock 2?
- How does Minerva's Den compare the DLC from other recent games?
- Does this game make you more excited/hopeful/concerned about Bioshock Infinite?

To listen to the podcast:

- Subscribe to the EXP Podcast via iTunes here. Additionally, here is the stand-alone feed.
- Listen to the podcast in your browser by left-clicking the title. Or, right-click and select "save as link" to download the show in MP3 format.
- Subscribe to this podcast and EXP's written content with the RSS link on the right.

Show notes:

- Run time: 34 min 31 sec
- Music provided by Brad Sucks

This week, we board our bathyspheres to revisit Rapture.  BioShock 2 was faced with the monumental task of following one of gaming’s most revered titles and it was initially met with trepidation from fans.  However, the game is much more than a cookie-cutter sequel, and we spend this episode discussing the significant systemic and narrative changes it brings to the series.  

Some discussion starters:

- Did BioShock 2 alter your feelings towards the original game?

- Did the moral choices in BioShock 2 carry weight for you?

- How did the game’s emphasis on defending Little Sisters impact your play style?


To listen to the podcast:

- Subscribe to the EXP Podcast via iTunes here. Additionally, here is the stand-alone feed.
- Listen to the podcast in your browser by left-clicking the title. Or, right-click and select "save as link" to download the show in MP3 format.
- Subscribe to this podcast and EXP's written content with the RSS link on the right.

Show notes:

- “Groping the Map: Pauper's Drop”, by Justin Keverne, via Groping the Elephant
- “On My Shoulder, Whispering,” by Michael Abbott, via The Brainy Gamer
- Run time: 38 min 04 sec
- Music provided by Brad Sucks