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-

I remember playing this Tomb Raider game on Sony PS2 and PS3 when I was a teenager. I think my sister used to have it when she was a teenager as well.

She finished it in late 2003. She thought she found it great but she actually found it kinda tedious. It's just not very good as the other Tomb Raider games. It's kinda very disappointing. I'm sure some fans were very disappointed with this Tomb Raider game.

I think it caused the British video game developer Core Design to go out of business after it received many negative reviews. That was a shame, wasn't it?

Go and play the PS1 era of Tomb Raider games instead.

I started this game with a certain amount of trepidation after reading the awful reviews, but having loved all the others I couldn't avoid it forever. IT IS NOT THAT BAD. Sure, the controls are a bit odd, sometimes, but just to check, I revisited Tomb Raider (I), and it was odd, too. Hard to run in a straight line even in that one.

Sure there are some things I might change - odd camera angles, some of the jumps are quite hit and miss, the combat is a little annoying, why have jump and roll swapped places?, why does the stick not control the menus? - but the puzzles, backdrops, vast chambers etc. are all vintage Tomb Raider and as good as any of the others, IMO, it just takes a few hours to get used to the controls.

Overall, I find this game pretty satisfying, and am glad I ignored the reviews when I eventually bought it.

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.