Tomb Raider: Legend

"Tomb Raiding as it should be"

I've played every single Tomb Raider game known to mankind on my trusty PS1, which no longer works, and I've completed most of them. There was so much about Tomb Raider Legend that literally had me gushing praise non-stop until I realised that my non-tomb raiding friends couldn't appreciate the game like I did. However, I haven't finish TRL yet (I'm up to the boss in Kazakhstan) but I have gotten a lot of the rewards and basically finished Croft Manor. Yay for me. So, with the basic knowledge that I'm a dedicated fan of Lara Croft, I'll get on with it.

Game Play
Top notch. Brilliant. I tried to reply some of the older games recently and found it immensely frustrating not being able to use analogue. AoD was the first to put TR on PS2 and it wasn't actually a bad game…except for the lacking of actual tomb raiding. Lara's combat skills in AoD were shockingly slow, jerky and downright disgraceful. TRL has really set a new benchmark in this aspect. I've never played a game with such ease; the controls are smooth and very realistic. The matrix style is pretty awesome too, as it can be combined with shooting, something AoD didn't achieve. I'm thrilled that you only have a selected number of things to carry around with you on your ventures. It really gives you a more realistic feel as to how one raids a tomb. The game controls are simple, easy to learn, and you can do so much. Again, this brings me back to Lara's wicked combat skills; Eg. Jumping off nasty men and shooting at them. It's exceptionally satisfying. The puzzles are fun too, and I like the concept of being able to go back and collect what you missed with the rewards.

Graphics
I should have written this first because it's my favourite part of the game. Lara is basically brought to life in TRL. The magic of the 21st Centaury has finally influenced the TR games and it looks brilliant. Even on PS2 everything is beautiful, detailed and stunning; the reflections, the lighting, the backdrop, perfect. I often stop just to admire the view, a habit that has gotten me killed more than once. Crystal Dynamics created Spyro didn't they? Well, they have certainly made a difference to the terrible quality of the previous games.

Music
Whilst I enjoy the music immensely, in fact I'm listening to it from the TRL website as I type this, it wasn't as awe-inspiring as the London Sympathy Orcorstr was in AoD. It's the only concept of the game that AoD managed to beat, I think. Still, it is nice and blends in with the scenery but as in most things in life, it could be better.

Story
One of the main things I look for in TR games is a story line to base my own thoughts and imagination on while I play. AoD was the first one that really made an impression on the inner depths of the mind of Lara and at the time, I was very impressed by this. (Which reminds me, are they making a sequal to AoD? I wanna know what happened to Kurtis…) However the story line for TRL has been absolutely fantastic. I was completely drawn in within the first 5min, hook, line and sinker. What gives the game a comfortable, warm feeling is the constant chatter between Lara, Zip and Alistair. It's very quirky, and in the face of danger causes me to laugh aloud at some of the clever witticism that occurs. Plus, with the graphics, you can see the expressions of the characters more clearly, so you get a much better understanding of what's really going on.

If I have any problems with the game, it would prolly be the music and that the game is way too short. I'm not even finished and I can tell it's going to be short. I'm really, really hoping that the next game will come out within the next year, because TRL has revived the meaning of my love for TR and Lara Croft.

Game play: 9/10
Graphics: 10/10
Music: 8/10
Storyline: 9/10

In a word? Best. Game. Ever.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 05/30/06