Tomb Raider: Legend

"Good; however, short and easy"

The world-wide popular game series is back - Tomb Raider. After the last and arguably very disappointing title, Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness, one may wonder if Tomb Raider: Legends can redeem the Tomb Raider series, and thus, restore its reputation as a quality and unique adventure game. Well, let us take a look...

Gameplay - 9/10
The gameplay is obviously the most vital part of a game, and Tomb Raider definitely keeps its tradition; one still has to solve puzzles, shoot at numerous enemies and jump and climb on all sorts of objects while taking advantage of Lara's amazing athletic abilities. One even gets the chance to ride on a motorcycle and utilize a forklift in order to complete the game. Furthermore, doing all this is relatively easy as the controls are fairly simple and Lara is very easy to move. However, sometimes one may need to change the camera angle so it is possible to see where one is jumping to; this can cause certain problems at times, and one may jump in a particular unintentional direction.

Replayability - 5/10
This is what kills the game. Tomb Raider: Legends is a very short game even when compared to all of the previous installments; and the very, very easy puzzles and bosses (even when the difficulty is set on "hard") that the developers created certainly do not add any replay value. One may re-play some levels to collect extra rewards, and thus, unlock some bonus features that include bios, outfits, and more. However, these are not required to beat the story mode whatsoever.

Graphics - 9/10
The graphics look great, and they are vastly improved compared to the “glitchy” graphics that Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness has had. Lara travels through all kinds of countries and regions in Tomb Raider: The Legends and one can experience the great graphics the developers have done with the environments. Lara looks smooth and real, too, but unfortunately, the designers have not done the same detailed job with the enemies, which is pretty much the only complaint here.

Sound - 10/10
The sound is definitely not the most important part of this game, but it pretty much what one might expect. Obviously during fights the music and sounds may get more dramatic while during "normal" play the music and sounds will seem relaxed and less hectic. Lara makes sounds as well, but I personally think it would make more sense if she screamed or groaned more while performing all the stuns she does.

Story - 8/10
The story is nothing too special (at least not for my taste), but it is enough to keep a player interested on what might occur next. Tomb Raider: Legends' story is not related to any of the previous stories of the past games, which means that Lara is looking for a new, rare and uncommon piece of artifact. This also leads her to find out more about her parents' past as well as hers.

Now before I conclude this review and suggest a purchase or a rental, let us go over the pros and cons of the game...

Pros
-Graphics
-Controls and movements
-Sufficiently interesting story for a gamer to keep playing

Cons
-Very short game
-Easy puzzles and bosses

Overall score 8.2 (or an 8 to match gamefaqs.com's scoring system)

Rent or buy the product?
I really don't think it is worth your money, especially not now, since as of this review you most likely will not find it anywhere below $50 if the copy is new of course. I would strongly recommend you find your free time and rent the game for two or three days. You will definitely beat it in this time period or maybe even quicker if you played other installments of the series. So, unless you really want to add this to your Tomb Raider's collection list, I strongly suggest you rent it first as the Tomb Raider: Legends is short and relatively easy to beat.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 04/19/06