Lara Croft Tomb Raider: L'Ange des Ténèbres

Lara Croft is back and she was supposed to be better than ever - but she is not! Eidos Interactive released the game half-finished and blamed Core for the poor quality of the game. But is it that bad as people or critics say? No, it is an entertaining action adventure with some small and major flaws. A.I is pathetic and textures fall apart but the controls aren't that bad. Worse than before but not bad. It takes few seconds for Lara to respond which makes the fighting very hard.

After getting used to the new control system I had a chance to follow the story - and a great story it is. Core made the best plot for Angel of Darkness and it totally surprised me. Kurtis Trent was great "new thing" but the controls were horrible and there was nothing that made him special - except he had lot of charisma. He is one of the only character in the world of Tomb Raider that can challenge Lara into a fight - which one we love the best!

The camera system was more or less bad but not all the time. It did quite well sometimes, except when Lara died or got too close to the wall. The controls and camera hurt the gameplay but not so much that "Laragame" wouldn't be playable. There were some difficulties to do some long jumping in the end and some minor problems in Louvre Galleries.

The Enemy A.I (like I mentioned) was bad. Actually, there weren't any. Just put the "Stealth" mode on, and they won't notice you. Yes, stealth mode is something new for Tomb Raider but bad controls, sloppy camera and non-excisting enemy A.I made an end to that one.

What would Lara be without new moves? Lara can now do hand-to-hand combat and kick some butt! But unfortuneately, this element is a poor show to run. By tapping action button once, Lara hits, by doing it twice she kicks. Where's the catch? There was no use to kick or hit them because there was barely any effect to the opponent. It was lot easier to use stealth mode and break their neks or just shoot them - and oh boy - Lara didn't forget her weapons home! There is many choices you can do when selecting a gun. All of them have different strengths and flaws. I just loved the action sequences in Louvre Galleries.

So, game play is not the best but the story, voice acting and music are. Jonell Elliot handles her role well and makes the most impressive voice acting in the history of videogames. London Symphony Orchestra has done good job and the athmopshere is great. The story and "looks" of this game was supposed to be dark but don't expect anything big from that part. The story is darker and begins with Lara finding her mentor killed and she is the one to take the credit for it. As Lara is fugitive on the run, she must find out who did it and why. She meets Kurtis Trent, who is after the Cabal Cult members, and so is Lara. Later in the game, these two make an alliance to defeat Eckhart, the man who killed Verner and framed Lara for it. Kurtis wants the man dead because he killed his father and is also the leader of the cult. Lara has to defeat the cult because they have plans for this world that she is not ready for. Eventually, this cliche story ends up being a total surpriser, Trust me, if you need a reason to buy this game, it is the story.

Core has always been great at level design and won't let you down this time either. Paris is stunningly well build and the graphics are something that makes it even better. Louvre is also one of the best parts of the game but then it gets worse. The time when Lara enters a tomb or few. I didn't wan't to go there but thank God, later I had an oppurtunity to go to Praha. That ladies and gentlemen, is a place you should go. It was just awesome.

Now, the graphics. The fix patches clears out some bugs but the graphics isn't good as should be. The lighting effects are stunning and some levels are beautifully textured and Lara looks good but it is not the graphics the game-engine should create. The graphics engine is a total mess. It demands a lot but gives little. At least Lara looks good and smooth.

Now, should you buy this game? Yes, if you don't care about few bugs, floppy gameplay and the fact that all the new elements brought to game are badly done. Tomb Raider fans should buy it but others, perhaps when it is cheaper. Anyway, I enjoyed this adventure but I admit there was lot of things so wrong and lot things so right. Lara is still cool character, the story is great and so is the music and level design. I didn't "love" it but enjoyed it for what it was. This isn't end of the Tomb Raider franchise, just one down hill. The next game is schedueled to be released summer 2005. Core was replaced by Crystal Dynamics.

8/10 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------

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.

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 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 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.