Tomb Raider: Legend

"From good, to better."

Ahhh yes. The Great out doors. There's nothing more refreshing than climbing through huge walls, hanging from a grapple and shooting bad guys while wearing skimpy clothing that men love to stare .Yup. Tomb Raider: Legend gave a whole new meaning to hot and dangerous. And now, It's on the PSP! Now, you can do all those glorious manly things with the most advanced gaming handheld to date.

Tomb Raider: Legend was originally released for PS2, Xbox and PC. Until the guys from Sony decided to push the limits of this tiny console and just stick it in like canned tuna. And it just might be the best idea yet. But it does have it's weak points. After all, compared to it's console cousins, it's still is just a handheld.

The Story - 8/10
Sure the story is always the usual. Go around the world, collect ancient stuff and stop bad guys along the way. The "usual" always works for me. Lara tries to find fragments of an ancient sword and hopes to reveal the mystery of her mother's death.

The Graphics - 9/10
Tomb Raider: Legend has phenomenal graphics. Highly detailed characters and environments are eye-candy. Unlike many PSP games, her fingers are actually fingers! Not just a big spatula. Character animations are superb. From her gunslinger action to her gorgeous Swan Dive, you will find yourself appreciating every bit of the visuals. The developers really challenged the capability of the PSP, showing you how powerful this handheld is. But as expected, there are MINOR flaws with the frame rate and it's very noticeable. But It's very minor so you don't need to worry about that. Overall, Tomb Raider: Legend's graphics are superb.

The Sound - 8/10
The Sounds are to the highest quality. Every stage has a unique set of sound effects. Voice acting is top notch. Actors sound like they came right out of a movie. BGMs are fresh and really gets you in the mood. Nothing much to stay here.

Gameplay - 8/10
Same cool dungeon hopping, motorbike riding, rifle shooting sexy gameplay applies. It's a perfect blend of action and a bit of puzzle elements. You get to battle huge mindless monsters and annoying meanies. You can climb uber tall walls and open up gigantic doors. The interactive cutscenes are amazing.

Replay - 6/10
Comes down to this. Took me about 14 hours to finish the story. But there are lots of secrets to reveal in certain stages and in the croft manor. You can also try to unlock Lara's costumes. But still quite short and lacks the replay value. May sit around a bit before you want to pick it up again.

Overall - 8/10
Tomb Raider: Legend is a must have for any adventurer / fan. The game may be disappointingly short, but it will enlighten you with it's beauty and fun factor. Definitely a sure buy for me.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 03/11/09

Game Release: Tomb Raider: Legend (US, 06/21/06)