Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness

I am a born PC gamer, so I have played all subsequent Tomb Raider games on that particular medium. First and formost, I have always loved the game for the adventure and the action and the fact that Lara Croft is a great roll model. I started playing these games when I was thirteen, as that's a tough age for girls, seeing Lara do all the stuff she did, well, it was empowering. Anyway, I digress, the previous Tomb Raider games have been quite fun and enjoyable. On the PC. It has taken me a few years to get a PS2, and I decided in honor of that, I'll play the next TR game on my PS2. eh heh....Not exactly a good idea, but I wil get to that.

I like shiny and sparkly things that look good. I am not going to lie, I am a typical girl. I like pretty things. So, that's why I like the menus a whole bunch, They were quite pretty too look at. A huge improvement over those barfy menus of TR:Last Revalation and TR: Cronicles. The overall look of the game is amazing. Probably much better than what I would get on my craptacular PC. Lara's look is fantastic, very urban and slick. I miss the teal tank top though, but that's just me.

The soundtrack is fabulous and rich and full of what you would expect in such a game with all the ambiance. Speaking of that, a hallmark of a good game ( to me, at least) is if the enviroment you are in is good. If the ambiance makes you want to come back. I really found this particular enviroment engaging. I really liked it. Deus Ex was like that, there was an awesome enviroment to play in.

I kinda liked the realism about the game. Like, Lara has one gun in one hand. I have always thought that no matter how strong she was, it would pretty hard to fire twin guns in quick sucession and deal with the recoil. So, that was a plus. Also, the stength meter. Okay, I don't know WHO thought this up, but it's a pretty stupid idea. Yes, it's realistic, but come on...five past games and there was no need for it, so why now? Oh, and no vechicles. I dunno whether this is good or bad, so I'll just not put my opinion in on it.

Okay, the controlls. They bite. Pure and simple. They are really hard to get used to, especilly for someone who is fresh off the PC version. I can only hope that that the PC controlls stay true to the pervious versions of the game. Honestly, I love the D-Pad, and having to use the analog stick is a pain. It's painful. The controls are just bad. I think this has been said over and over adnausem, so I am just going to end my rant now.

I like being a TR purist, while I liked the first movie, I didn't like the fact that it was sans-teal tank top. Now, the second movie is deriving even more by getting rid of the braid. >.<...I didn't like how this game went so far away from the other games. I don't care about this "New Generation" crap. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Like I said, this game has it's merits and it's pitfalls (no pun intended ;D), it's not excellent, or really, really bad. I like the game. I don't love it, I don't hate it. I think what should really be done is just sit back and play, and enjoy it for what it really is, a game.

TheForlornJedi-

This is a hardcore Tomb Raider fan since 1998 talking.

Tomb Raider was already damaged. Everything started when little changes occurred in Tomb Raider 4, removal of the ring menu, change in the save system, Lara's model was done badly, introducing Jonell Elliot as the voice actor, etc...

Then there was Chronicles who thanks to the lack of storyline and pathetically bringing back dead characters back to life (timeline doesn't matter, since Larson and Pierre apparently died in both TR1 and TR5).

Then this piece of junk was released (Unfinished, full of bugs and glitches after being delayed by 1 year and 6 months). The controls are horrible, the game boring and the moving Lara while in combat mode is absolutely a nightmare. it's clear that Core design had lost all interest in Tomb Raider. Maybe if the same team that worked on TR1 stayed things would've worked differently, but sadly, we all know the outcome. What makes things worse is the beta version of the game, which looks a lot easier to control and a lot more Tomb Raider. Not to mention moves like wall jump and parts of the levels that had Tomb Raider written all over them were cut out. Replaced by the boring and never ending empty streets of Paris and Prague.

Since when does Lara bribe people to run errands for her? Since when does she ask for directions? Since when can she level up? How did Core even think that it would be a success? They couldn't have gone any lower.

Thank God Crystal Dynamics were brought into the picture by Eidos. Tomb Raider legend wasn't the best Tomb Raider game due to the lack of challenge, linearity and shortness of the game. However, the controls did give a great feeling, so just think of what can be achieved if they fix the flaws.

If they can fix the stuff mentioned above, bringing back the "Current Position" (Meaning; replaying levels, when you save, you restart from that checkpoint when you load and not restart the whole level), keeping your equipment when replaying (and not finding stuff in the final part of the game and have it in the beginning when reloading a level), beating a replayed level, the game will take you to the next one and not to the main menu, and making Lara hold the guns in the classic way, I think it would be safe to say that Tomb raider really IS back.

Now I'm not an obsessive Tomb Raider fan, nor do I dislike the series (I like it, it's just not my favorite), but this was just lame. The controls were sloppy beyond belief, the plot holes were gaping and Lara was just plain unlikable in this game. Now I'll bite, I appreciate that they were trying to take the series in another direction, but they did it wrong. I know it was meant to be darker and Lara was grittier as a result, but it just went in too many wrong directions. Then there's Kurtis who would've been better had his story been more developed. But the worst of it all was the gameplay where Lara controls like circus clown balancing on a rolling ball. If there are any redeemable qualities, they are that the graphics are nice and the dialogue is well written. Other than that, just scrap this crap. It damn nearly killed the franchise, but thankfully Tomb Raider: Legend (a far more superior game) came out and reversed that.

The game is a total mess its unplayable, i never finished or get into the story because the controls are awful. I would like to see a remake for this game though the story looks nice and the Lara looks fresh and badass.

I believe that Tom Raider: Angel of Darkness is an excellent game. The story line and graphics are great. Sure, there are many glitches and points where the camera angle goes into Lara's head, but overall it is very well done. The controls are not at all hard to pick up, of course there are moments you want to yell at the screen, or she just won't line up perfectly, but other than that the controls are fine. Fighting is easy, and there is no limit in the sprint bar. You must try particular parts over and over until you get it right, but that's the same with heaps of games in this kind of category. The new player Kurtis is a great addition, even if he is much heavier and harder to control than Lara. The game is a lot better than the last instalment, Tomb Raider Chronicles. Although many people say the battle against Boaz is hard, it isn't! You just need to jump around a lot and shoot whenever you can. I'll defiantly be playing Tomb Raider: Legend, even if I don't buy it. I'd give it a 9/10.