Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness

"Tomb Raider? Wheres my goddarn TOMBS???"

Tomb Raider has become well known as being the only really rubbish games series to actually be hugely popular! This is credit to some really good marketing and selling Lara out to advertise things like Nike and Lucozade.

And yet, the games still come. This is Lara's first next-gen outing, so is it total rubbish or does it deserve more credit than it's currently getting?

OUT OF CONTROL.

Well, only a little. Angel of Darkness is definately not the total disaster that some mags are claiming it is. Nor is it the masterpiece other mags claim it to be.

The first thing you'll notice in the game is the unbelievably dire control system. Now, it's not all bad, as they did try to be clever. Many functions are executed specifically when needed. Theres also the ''hop'', a small jump which is good for small gaps and quick recovery, and you only need tap the WALK button to be in walk mode, where Lara won't fall off ledges. These features are very sound and work well.

It's just the extremely delicate control system. When you want to RUN, sometimes Lara just walks. Lining up jumps is time consuming, and as much as I love the new control-stick-adapted movement system, it's not always 100% reliable. So while the controls have refined in some areas, in others theres almost no excuse.

AN ENGLISHWOMAN IN PARIS.

Lara's main chunk of the adventure is set in the lovely scenery of Paris. The thing is, the game is still called TOMB RAIDER, hence indicating the act of raiding actual TOMBS. But theres no tombs, instead Lara finds herself working thorough some modern scenes, and sometimes in old ruins. But not a tomb to be found.

But at least the scenery is good, graphically this is an eye opener. The extra polygons have not been wasted, although Lara's ''bounce'' is a little on the jello-side. The level design is very well done, utilising Lara's new found skills in order to survive. And yes, there is still the ever-annoying feature of the PIT. But few spike pits. Hmm. I wonder why not...

Also, traps are very cleverly designed, also requiring the player to either traverse them with skillful jumps and sideway leaps. Or, and this is what REALLY is unforgivable, Lara's ''Army Crawl''. In fact, 95% of traps can be crawled under in this way without so much as a hint of danger. And yet no other plausible way to use this actually quite nice feature. So while level design is certainly much better now the square system has been ditched, it's definately not been used to it's fullest potential.

SHES GOT THE SKILLZ!

Lara's new skills are definately the most welcome of the series so far. She can scale most walls that look vaguely climbable, climb sloped walls and hoist herself over the awkward corners, climb drainpipes.
The hop, as I mentioned earlier, is much better in assuring you don't overjump small gaps and fly into a pit of oblivion. Zip wires can now be crawled over to traverse barriers in the way. Lara can kick open doors and push bigger objects if her new ''attributes system'' is increased (Usually by pushing or pulling things) Many walls can be pushed to reveal secret areas. And hand to hand combat, while not really much use but still fun anyway, is a welcome addition. Oh, and MGS-style stealth. Theres nothing like sneaking up behind a bad guy and snapping their neck, or hugging a wall and peering stealthily around the corner.

But the feature which has spared me the most now is the great Last Chance Grab. If Lara's grip meter is out, she can perform a last ditch grab onto the ledge to spare her a nice, unhealthy plummet. It's one of the better additions to the moves roster

... AND SHE'S GOT THE ATTRIBUTES!

The Attributes System isn't all for pushing and pulling though. It also increases the effectiveness of Lara's abilities. As her leg muscle strength increases, Lara can jump higher and further. Upper body strength allows her to push bigger things, and hit harder when unarmed.

But the predictablility factor hits hard in this rather interesting feature. When theres a door to kick down, you can be assured not far away is something to do which increases her strength. Sorry, but thats just a joke.

Another feature that was trumpeted was the ability to talk to people. Now, as welcome as it is, unlike the claims it doesn't usually change the storyline much. Take Mdm Carvier. Talk to her in the wrong manner, she won't give you the notebook and lock herself in her bedroom. Leaving Lara to - whoa! - go over to a drawer and get the notebook herself. Now, I'm so sorry developers, but that really isn't ground breaking. Talking is multiple choice and usually consists of two comments. One aggressive, and one inquisitive. Talk about variety...

And the camera. Finally, an intelligent camera - nearly. For the most part, you can control it and it will respond brilliantly, but occassionally it fixes at one angle - which is annoying when it's for a jump. Grr.

KURTIS THE AMAZING SUPERNATURAL BLOKE

Short bit here on the most well-known addition. The extra character, Kurtis. Now, he's seen a lot but you're 2/3rds the way through the game when you get to play as Kurtis, and you don't use him much at all.

Not to say playing as Kurtis isn't fun. He's actually - shock horror! - more fun to control than Lara! And has a better backstory. Probably. It's great Lara has some help now, but it's still an oversight that should have had more care and attention.

THE END?

As much as Angel of Darkness is a great game in some respects, in others it is still just shoddy. Considering the delay time we've had on this, there really is no excuse. It's great to play, but it's not converted me into a Tomb Raider fan.

So, who'd like this game? If you're a die-hard Lara nut or new to Tomb Raider (Which I refuse to believe. Sorry. You cannot have NOT played a Tomb Raider game.) then this is a very sound game with some small annoying places.

If you are a Lara hater, or not keen on Tomb Raider as a whole, then this won't convert you to the series. As nice as it is, it's still not got that edge the original had, it still doesn't have the spark which makes it a great game.

And if you're just like me, a die-hard gamer, then this game probably won't last you more than a week tops. But hey, it's fun and the endless killing of Lara Croft is still as pleasurable as it ever was. Big falls now make Lara bounce on impact - which is hugely entertaining.

In a nutshell, this is much better than the PS1 games. But it's still a dog. And it doesn't matter how much botox or plastic surgery this game gets, it's not gonna change it's personality. I think it's time Tomb Raider got a bigger overhaul and went in an entirely different direction...

A C-. Could have been. Not bad.

Breakdown
Graphics: 8
Very nicely done, a bit rough sometimes though.

Music: 3
It's Tomb Raider. And thats all that can be said of it.

Length: 6
It's not short, but it's not as long as the earlier games.

Enemies: 2
Skeletons. Big hulking men. Yawn. Bor-ing.

Difficulty: 6
Swings from sublimely easy to hair-pullingly infuriating.

Replay: 5
Kill Lara. Kill Lara. Slice Lara in a large trap. Throw her in a lava pit. Jump a long way down. Kill Lara.

Lasting Appeal: 5
A month tops. But hey. It's not bad.

OVERALL: 5

It's not a terrible waste, but it's not a shing comeback for Lara. And with the next film on the horizon, how badly will this damage Lara's credibility? Not much I suspect, but it's not won me over. And it's unlikely the series ever will.

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 07/06/03, Updated 07/06/03