Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Legend

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.

7/10. Would've scored more if the game was challenging and long.

I've just joined the legion. And it's not just because the character redesign is absolutely beautiful (less about Lara's famous chest and more about her appearance as a whole). Lara Croft also has that sexy British accent, plus, she's clever, funny, and physically strong while still being totally feminine. The type of gal you take home to mom.

She's also incredibly athletic, something that comes in handy during the game-play of "Tomb Raider: Legend." As this is my first Tomb Raider game, I have no way of comparing it to the other games in the series. As it is, game-play consists largely of performing gymnastic feats while scaling mountains and hanging from cliffs. This actually takes a lot of thought, as it sometimes requires process of elimination to plan Lara's next move as she hangs from a ledge, possibly leaping to her death several times before finding the next foothold or handhold.

Battles with enemies also make use of Lara's gymnastic abilities. While locked on to a target, Lara can perform cartwheels, somersaults, and flips through the air to dodge bullets while returning fire with a series of weapons. But most of the game consists of wall climbing, cliff diving, and solving puzzles based on moving objects and manipulating items. Even certain bosses require more thought than simple running-and-gunning.

Anyone who still isn't convinced that this is more than a simple actioner merely has to enter "Croft Manor", a bonus game available through the options menu, and try to solve the riddles there to give their brain a workout.

Lara also has a series of tools to assist her. These include a pair of special binoculars and a magnetic grapple hook. The binoculars can be used to analyze the environment and provide hints to solve the puzzles, while the grappling hook can be used to swing across chasms, move distant objects, or even attack enemies. Of course, the similarities to Indiana Jones' whip make it obvious where the material is drawn from, but fans of the genre shouldn't mind.

Lara even has a headset that allows her to communicate with two sidekicks. Of course, this is part of the recent video game convention of having someone hiss orders at you the whole time, but here it actually works. Lara has two sidekicks, a hip American gadget expert and a whiny British historian. Rather than boss Lara around, the two sidekicks offer encouraging hints, but mainly provide someone for Lara to exchange witty banter with and serve as comic relief.

Several sequences also require the player to interact with cinematics, pressing buttons as they flash on the screen to save Lara from terrible fates. These are somewhat exciting, but overall a little too easy, and if they remain a feature in future games will have to be better perfected. There are also a couple of motorcycling levels that add some variety to the game-play.

The graphics are glorious, and not just the new Lara Croft design. Environments are eye-catching as well. The voice acting is also very well done. Keeley Hawes' voice suits the title character very well, while Kath Soucie, of "Rugrats" fame, plays the antagonist, a blonde, American ex-colleague of Lara's gone bad. The orchestral score and camera angles also add to the cinematic feel of the game.

Lara's main quest throughout the game is to collect shattered fragments of Excalibur and solve the disappearance of her mother that took place when she was a young girl, but with extra effort Lara can also uncover artifacts which will unlock special features and new costumes for the Tomb Raider. Levels can be returned to at any time to recover more artifacts. Once a level is completed, there's also an option to replay it with a time limit. This provides the game with at least a small amount of re-playability.

As much fun as the game is, it, like so many games, falls apart at the end, and not just because the storyline is left open for a possible sequel. The last couple of missions and puzzles and the final boss fight are far too easy, even anticlimactic. However, as my introduction to Lara Croft, Tomb Raider, "Legend" was well worth playing.

First off I'm happy as it seems most people are that this game completely ignores Angel of Darkness. The past two games before Legend didn't speak to well for the TR franchise.

Finally Eidos gave it to a new developer for a fresh look. While I started to think that anything would've been acceptable after AOD. That's not the case with this game.

This game is good and makes sure to stand out. It does bring back a lot of the good stuff that we missed from the TR games. Tombs galore for this game. That's a good thing since the game is called "Tomb" Raider. There are a few city levels, but they are done better than AOD's city levels.

The only flaws I have with the game is there is virtually only one vehicle in the game and it's plays very linear. Also the fact that there are only two main types of enemies excluding bosses. The humans are abundant. There is not a lot of variety with animal enemies in this, but at least they are in it.

There is one thing I kept feeling while playing the game though. It feels as if Crystal Dynamics made this game to draw back in the hardcore fans of Tomb Raider and show they there is hope yet for the struggling franchise. It's almost experimental in a way for something bigger to come and I can't wait.

Believe it or not this is the first Tomb Raider game I've ever played. I've been familiar with Lara Croft ever since I've owned a PSone. Although Lara Croft, whose character is mainly inspired by Indiana Jones, Lara is a heroine with her own style and personality. I never played any of the games in the series; this is due to the fact that I've had fairly any interest in the midst of FPS. Having owned an XBox 360, I decided to purchase this game out of curiosity. And by that I'm glad because Ms Croft has made me a new fan of her adventures.

The game has good production values with a stunning, James Bond-esquire intro that details our heroine's exploits across distant lands of the world. The controls are well-made and made playing the game a lot of fun though it took me awhile to get accustomed to Ms Croft's world. But after beating the game, I became more and more anxious to get my hands on the next installment in the franchise. And it's got great graphics to boot though they looked at bit too cartoonish for my liking; this is evident that the game didn't take full advantage of the 360's hardware. Even though I never played TR, I knew the story by reading a detailed synopses online back in the mid '90s. Not a great story per se, but it later on foreshadows future events in the franchise. As for TRL's plot, I say the story is really good, even going into the Arthurian mythology and Lara's past with plot twists and a few dangerous surprises for good effect.

I also liked how Zip and Alister provided useful hints and insights into the story with a dash a comic relief, giving the game a hip attitude to an otherwise dark story of betrayal and retribution. And the voice acting doesn't hurt either with Lara voiced superbly by Keeley Hawes and Amanda Evert played by Kath Soucie(my fave voice actor, BTW) and others as well. And the musical score is another achievement that encompasses rock, techno, and orchestral. It gives the game atmosphere and dangerous tension and excitement. Not one to accuse anything of plagiarism but if you listen closely to some of the music, it sounds a lot like the score in Batman Begins. Not that it's a bad thing, but it does give the game an added punch to some of the action scenes, that are, simply stunning in their execution.

It's true that combat isn't one of the series strong points but I wasn't fazed by it. Not by a long shot. And being a fan of FPS and action games, this is a nice change of pace as violence isn't the only option out of a dangerous situation(which our heroine constantly finds herself in). This game does what it does best: Exploration and discovering/raiding tombs.

Tomb Raider wouldn't be called...well, Tomb Raider, without huge levels. They are HUGE with pits, platforms, and crevices to climb on and jump/swing from not to mention some deadly critters. These levels are the main aspects of the franchise. Ironically, despite it's title character, the levels themselves are the TRUE stars of the show and almost steal the spotlight away from Ms Croft. A combination of brainpower, reflexes, and sheer skill are required to complete them. Some of them can be infuriating but that's part of the fun of it. And after solving them, you feel a great sense of satisfaction prior to what's around the corner.

After the disappointing The Last Revelation and the truly execrable Angel of Darkness, Lara has made a grand comeback as one of gaming's greatest stars. With improved controls, huge levels, more organic (and at times seemingly complex puzzles) and just great fun, Legend is the best out of them all. If your new to the franchise or just want to play a good adventure game, then Tomb Raider: Legend is a treasure worth seeking.

I have played all other tomb raider games and must say that legend is definitely the best one out there in my opinion. Though it is a rather short game (which i am sure you have read elsewhere) it is still a great game. For one the graphics are excellent, making characters look more realistic than ever, and also there is more conversation than the previous tomb raider games which makes you feel more involved with the story. Overall it does use a lot of elements from the Prince of Persia games, but then again there isn't anything wrong with that since they were great, so adding a few things from them isn't bad.

So great game, great graphics and story, rather short. Well if you don't like the idea of it being short, try renting the game, its definitely worth a try!