Tomb Raider: Legend

"Tomb Raider Legend.... or Myth"

First and foremost I'd like to say wow. This is most certainly an improvement over, well all other tomb raiders. Sadly that is the extent of my praise, because this game is frustrating. So just read on and get the hardcore information you're looking for.

Graphics: 8/10 Well they're pretty enough. Though the cloned enemies, and highly pixelated shadows are seemingly last gen. Lara is looking as good as ever, but some of the supporting characters look questionable, Zip you tech guy is a overly ripped gangsta rasta guy? The backdrops are most certainly the stars of the game.

Gameplay: 6/10 Your true enemy in this game is the spas camera. The creators went for a high action movie feel and instead brought on intense frustration. After playing the game for five hours I was truly annoyed by it. I was killed several times because Lara would miss a jump by about a half inch. By the way watch out for those massively powerful enemies. A basic human takes about fifteen rounds to drop.

Sound: 7/10 Fitting, and oh so annoying. The music is very cultural based, depending on where you are. But sometimes its simply annoying third world drumming and moaning. Guns sound pretty good although they could have differentiated between guns a little better.

Replayability: 3/10 They included a time trial mode.

Overall: 7/10 Tomb Raider Legend was a mediocre platformer, with very poor gun sequences, and a few action sequences carbon copied from Crash Bandicoot. The camera will kill you! If the enormously powerful human enemies don't do it first. As well as some of the puzzles taking very, very long to discover what to do. While challenge is good, the game is supposed to entertain, not bore.

The game could have been better. But to see Lara back was nice, a few good memories returned, but were quickly replaced by memories of frustration and annoyance. Lara seems like perhaps her fifteen minutes have passed and its time for her to retire. Honestly is she going to push it like Harrison Ford with the Indiana Jones license?

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 04/17/06