Tomb Raider: Legend

"Rejoice! The Tomb Raider series is good again!"

Story: 6/10

I didn't care much for the story, although it did have some plot twists in it. Lara Croft, the famous female adventurer (think of a female Indiana Jones) is searching for fragments of a sword and has to keep it out of the hands of people who wish to use it's mysterious powers for evil. It's an unrealistic story, like other games in the Tomb Raider series, since it involves magical artifacts. It was nice that the story also delves into Lara's past, something that had always been a bit mysterious throughout the TR series.

Graphics: 8/10

This is an enhanced port of a last-gen game, so the graphics aren't up to par with some other 360 games but still looks really good. Character models are the worst looking part of the game: they are jagged and lack detail. However, the environments are beautiful, and the scenery never gets boring. Every area looks different, and the design is very convincing, as if you really are in these places. Lara's animations for flipping to the sides and jumping are similar to the old games, so you get a nice feeling of nostalgia when seeing her move. Also, the lighting in the Xbox 360 version creates more realistic shadows than any other version. This makes the 360 version look even better than the PC version.

Audio: 7/10

Voice actors are good, although sometimes your partners that feed you intel talk too much and ruin the atmosphere.
Sound effects are also good, but music is pretty forgettable except for the main theme.

Gameplay: 9/10

The basic elements of the old Tomb Raider games are intact. Most of the game consists of exploration, platforming, and puzzle solving. You have a wide variety of moves at your disposal, such as climbing, doing hand over hand movement across cliffs, swimming, rope swinging and climbing, and pretty much anything else you can think of. You'll need these moves to reach new areas and avoid clever traps.

Other parts of the game rely more on combat. You can pick up a few basic firearm types, as well as throw grenades. There is a target lock-on feature, so combat does not play like your typical shooter: it's much simpler, but it works. You just need to hold the fire button while watching where you are running, and avoid getting stuck in a corner. You can also use "environmental hazards" (as the game calls them) when an on-screen icon appears. These are things like pillars or rocks that can be shot to collapse on enemies if you time them right, and of course exploding barrels.

My favorite new gameplay features in Legend are the physics-based puzzles and the new grapple hook. Puzzles in Legend consist of more than "pull the switch" or "move the block" like the original games relied on a lot. You now think about the way everything reacts, like things that are not sturdy can be knocked over, and lightweight objects can be launched into the air by catapaults. The grapple hook you have can pull objects to you, or let you swing across certain places. These new gameplay additions allow the level designers to create interesting new puzzles, and breathe new life to the Tomb Raider name.

Controls have also been greatly enhanced. You have full analog control like every other 3D platformer these days, instead of the slow controls of the old games had, which made you turn slowly to the side before moving forward, and required too many buttons presses to do basic actions. Now you just push the analog stick in the direction you want to move, and button layout has been simplified. You don't need to press a "grab" button: Lara will automatically grab the edge of a platform you jump at.

The low point would have to motorcycle chase scenes. There are only 2 in the game, but the first one was enough. You dodge obstacles while holding the fire button to shoot enemies who also have vehicles. They are repetitive (the scenery and obstacles are set to loop forever until you have killed all enemies) and take too long to get through.

Play Time & Replayability: 5/10

The thing some people will hate. This game only took me 8 hours to complete on my first run. There are time trial missions unlocked once you beat a level. Here, you replay a level with a time goal to run through a level and finish it as quickly as you can. This is not that hard, since after you play a level you already know how to get through the obstacles and can finish the entire game in only 2 to 3 hours.

There are also secrets to pick up throughout the levels (like the old games). Collecting these unlocks concept art, new outfits, and even cheat codes. Finding the secrets is a fairly good challenge, and requires you to have mastered all of Lara's moves to locate them.

Overall: 8/10

Tomb Raider: Legend revives the series, and the new physics-based puzzles and gameplay engine are better than the old games. The only major flaw with this game is the short game length, but it's such an enjoyable experience that I didn't really mind the length. Plus, this game is cheaper to find now so you won't feel ripped off. The Xbox 360 version is definitely the version to buy, as it has the best graphics and controls.

If you liked the other Tomb Raider games (or even the Prince of Persia games) I definitely recommend buying this one.
If you haven't played a TR game, rent it (or just buy it cheap).

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 07/10/07