Tomb Raider II

"Not as bad as everyone says it is..."

I\'ve been hooked on the Tomb Raider series ever since the first game released. Tomb Raider was a highly successful game, and got a lot of people hooked on the series, like myself. Here\'s my review on Tomb Raider II.

Graphics
Well, to be honest, they\'re not the best graphics you\'ve seen. But who needs ultra-great graphics? The surroundings around you may seem a little rusty, but it\'s just like the first game. There is kind of more \'\'interactive\'\' places you can now visit in the second game, seeing as Tomb Raider only included places like snowy mountains and rocky places, Tomb Raider II now has places like Venice, with buildings surrounding you. Lara still looks cuter than ever (of course ;)), but the \'\'bad guys\'\' don\'t seem to look too good, but they\'re not too rough, either. Some will have big muscles and look quite realistic, but others will just look plain crap. The FMV movies look cool, and no complaints about them. Pretty average, really.

Sound
Can be quite annoying at times, but no major complaints. For example, if you pick up something, Lara will say \'\'Ah Ah!\'\', which could become irritating if you pick up around 3 items close to each other. Nothing really new since the first game, she will still do the sound effects like \'\'Oof!\'\', \'\'Aaaahh!\'\' (when she screams), etc. Now, onto a major positive. The music is totally cool in the game, and something which gives the Tomb Raider series that extra something. When you walk into a new place, some scary music could play, and you could think, \'\'There has to be a bad guy in here\'\', and it could actually scare you. While the music is playing and a big freaky guy jumps up onto the ledge and gets ready to attack, it\'ll make you jump ;). The music is a big thumbs-up.

Gameplay
Pretty cool. The game will take quite long to complete, as there is a few puzzles to get rid of while going through the game, and plenty of levels. You can go to places such as Venice, an Underwater Sea level (which includes Sharks) and many, many more cool levels. The controls are quite easy to master, but some people might have trouble with them at times. It\'s just like the first Tomb Raider game for the controls, though. The camera angle can be awkward at times, which could irritate you while playing the game, especially in a \'\'big\'\' part of the game, which includes a few bad guys in that area. No big complaints though, it\'s still pretty cool. Another cool feature is when you load and save. The game will keep track of all the levels you\'ve completed, and your current position. So, if you wish to play a certain level again, you can go ahead. There is also a \'Story so far\' part aswell, which plays the previous FMV\'s you have watched, all in one. Pretty cool.

Story
Well, it\'s a pretty good story. There is this dagger called the Dagger of Xian. Some ancient Chinese people believed that this dagger could bring extraordinary powers, for anyone who would recover the dagger. So, that\'s that. All you have to do is to find a dagger! Simple, eh? Well, not as simple as you think it is, as you travel around the world, and encounter extremely tough \'\'bad-guys\'\' on your road to the end.

Replayability
Not ultra-good, but it won\'t bother you really. Once you complete the game, and save it, you can choose a level to play again and re-live the fun. So, it\'s pretty average i guess. You will play it again somewhere down the road, maybe even start it again.

Buy or Rent?
Well, if you liked the first Tomb Raider game, and are hooked on the series, definitely buy it. I did, and i\'m pleased with the game ever since. It all depends on if you liked the first game, because a few people believe that the first game was much better, and you may not like the second one. I can tell you, that\'s not the case. Buy Tomb Raider II, now!

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Tomb Raider II is probably one of the best in the Tomb Raider series, in my personal opinion. Remember people, we all have opinions. Many other people believe that it\'s one of the worst. I can\'t see why many criticize the game, as it\'s more interactive than the first one, and you can go to much more fun places. Definitely a cool game, one you should pick up.
Overall: 8/10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 08/06/03