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Lara's gotten her groove back and has been successfully resurrected! Amazing!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 13 / 17
Date: April 11, 2006
Author: Amazon User

After Angel of Darkness, which I did like, people immediately lost hope in getting a fun Tomb Raider, the kind with great gameplay reminiscent of the first installment. After three years though, fear no more for Lara is back in a solid, fun game for everyone to enjoy!!!

Graphics: 10/10

Okay, the graphics are mind blowing. You definitely feel an epic scale production here, from the massive temples to the intricate details in almost every thing in the environment! The water and other effects are beautiful to look at and even Lara, upon closer inspection, exhibits many different realistic qualities such sa getting wet.

The characters, especially Lara, are all greatly well-done. Lara, in particular, is very detailed, moving with grace and showing high fidelity to an actual human person.

On the PS2, You may even feel like playing in the next gen consoles! Amazing!!!

Gameplay: 10/10

Gameplay is great, as compared to the previous installments. The exploration of lost tombs has returned, after departuring from this concept in Angel of Darkness. No more frustration here for Lara moves fluidly and realistically, making her more agile.

Also, combat is more fun here. New moves are introduced and the unlimited pistols are re-introduced for more shooting fun! THe long explorations are punctuated with little cut scenes requireing you to press particular buttons to help Lara along a bad situation. These things balance everything out, giving you a wider variety of activities to tackle, including vehicles and more stuff.

Puzzles are easier, less martian-like, and utilizes actual physics, giving a fresh challenges for players. Great concept has been put into the game, you can tell.

Sounds: 10/10

Voice acting was superb, far better than other games. The ambient sounds mixed with some effects and the chirping of birds and flowing water support a great atmosphere. The music, sometimes punctuated by stronger sounds, are spot on. Everything works, leaving nothing feeling forced or unnatural.

Longevity: 7/10

This is the only boo-boo of the game. It is simply too short. After 7-10 hours, its over!!! There are, however, unlockables like costumes... by collecting bronze, silver, and gold statues lying around the stages. Going through this maybe fun but after that, boasts minimal replay value. If it was longer, it would have been a perfect game.

Overall: 10/10

Still 10, after everything Lara has been through. Buy this. Totally worth your time and money! Lara's back, back for good. she is here to stay.

Archeology has never looked so hot!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: April 13, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Wow! That is the first word that popped out of my mouth when i started the game. From the graphics to the story to the music and to the playability, this game does not dissapoint. About ten years ago, the first tomb raider game came out for the psone, redefining 3-d gaming and creating one of the most popular video game characters ever. i was a fan of the first two games in the series but after that the games started to lose their flavor. I was sad for tomb raider was my favorite game. It made it all the worse at the time but makes it all the better to welcome in Tomb Raider Legend. This game brings back the experience the originals gave you but with better graphics, (MUCH better graphics. I cant imagine ps2 graphics getting much better) with a more in-depth storyline, better camera control, better in-game movement, better fighting and plenty of bonus goodies to spice things up a bit. Over all, the game is fun and intriguing. I had trouble putting it down and when i put it down, i came back to it a few minutes later. Any old fan of the series or anyone jus lookin for a fun game shouldnt pass up this title.

I love this game.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 5
Date: April 14, 2006
Author: Amazon User

The graphics are awesome, the gameplay is good, the story is interesting enough, and the puzzles are just hard enough to make you go "hummm" :(.
The only faults are the controls are still a little off, the game is too short, and the mansion should have been able to explore more. Other than that it's a good game.

Keeley Hawes Is Positively Awesome!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: April 14, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I was lucky to experience this game a few days early, and I have to say I have not had this much fun in a long time.

Tomb Raider is back, with a vengeance. Forget the used Tomb Raider Chronicles, forget the botched Angel of Darkness. What Crystal Dynamics is giving us here is a completely rethought franchise.

Depending on the quality of your hardware, you'll either be amazed by the graphics, or completely bedazzled. Tomb Raider now actually looks good, and not just the lush curves (and expressive face) of its archaeologist heroine. The environments are masterfully crafted, and (thanks to an game engine completely rewritten since the past episodes) manage to successfully break from the cube-geometry we've all been used to.

But, but, but-Tomb Raider doesn't only *look* good, it also sounds wicked!! I would never have imagined how big a difference the audio voice-over makes. Indeed, Keeley Hawes is excellent (*excellent*!! "I haven't the foggiest."), and gives Lara some added depth and class. I promise you'll come to love the witty banter exchanged by Lara and her faithful geek team.

The obvious aim of the designers was to make this feel as much as a movie as possible-hence the "action sequences", sort of interactive cinematics. While I have to confess they do not always succeed (and, having to play through the same, at the beginning of a checkpoint "interactive cinematic" over and over, is maddening!!), they are none-the-less a commendable attempt to diversify the action. On the other hand, the vehicle sequences were always fun (if sometimes a bit long), and the race behind the Russian built train in Kazakhstan was a memorable one.

Now, as for the controls, they are exceptionally fluid-think Prince of Persia-, and make controlling Lara one of the most exhilarating experiences. Even though sometimes I cursed the complexity of them (in one boss, you have to shoot, then put your gun away, then throw the hook, then the pull-this is not particularly easy, and I was swore quite distinctly under my breath before I finally got a hang of it). While frustratingly, the camera on occasion has a mind of its own, I think you'll find this to be, at the worst of times, not much more than a nuisance (it does a great job the rest of the time). The grapple hook is reminiscent of Indy's whip, and adds an extra element that was much needed to make the puzzles interesting.

The weapons though, are a bit disappointing. Well not disappointing, because I was completely happy using Lara's trademark dual guns. They have unlimited ammo, and are so efficient that there is never really a need to use anything else. The grenades, I found, were particularly useless. (But to be honest, I *never* have any luck with grenades, ever.)

The plot and locations. Well, as I said above, this game is like a movie. Never a dull moment, and the plot motivates you to go along (you'll play the game as much to see what happens, than to shoot down bad guys). Supernatural is very efficiently mixed with real-life myths, ? la Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis (in which the designers blended several versions of the myth of the Lost City to produce their own interpretation), to create a believable (well, at the very least, not so far-fetched as most) story.

You begin your journey in Bolivia. This is the tutorial level, that eases you into the game. Then you go to Peru. Peru is good old fashioned tomb-a real tomb, in which you do some digging to discover a friend you thought was dead, actually isn't either (isn't a friend, and isn't dead). You then discover elements that point you to a mafia boss in Japan. Japan in one of the most fun levels, I found, because how often to you get to swing (and occasionally motoride) through the skyscrapers of Tokyo?! (That, and Lara's outfit is pretty smooth!)

Then you go to Ghana in West Africa, in a tomb that is mostly a big giant puzzle (well, it's much more fun than that). The puzzles in this game, by the way, is not the old trademark "Push a bunch of cubes around until you feel like jumping out the window." The puzzles here are actually interesting, never illogical, and never impossible to figure out. In doubt, you can always use the R.A.D. mode of your binoculars to discern what you'll have to move, what you'll to shoot, etc. After Ghana, there's that Kazakhstan level that I *really* enjoyed (I'm a sucker for Soviet experiments awry) ... and then England (in an odd King Arthur museum), Nepal and Bolivia again for the final confrontation. The ending practically announces the next installment! (and yes, perhaps the game is a bit on the short side.)

I have to confess I've never been as much a Tomb Raider fan as I am now. This is one of the most enjoyable and gripping games I've played in the past two years, and I highly recommend to all action game fans (regardless of whether they've enjoyed the previous instalments).

too bad

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 2 / 10
Date: April 14, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Angel of darkness wasn't all that bad.
It was those wierd screen-space controls
that made in unplayable. One would think that
this would be the first thing to fix but, no.
Still the same disorientating controls, that are
constantly changing, depending on the (often
just as disorientating) camera.
Why?!
Angel of darkness, Legend, same major flaw.
I gave it 2 stars because it looks nice.

Amazing Return

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 3
Date: April 14, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Lara Croft is here to stay!!!!!!!!!this game is simply amazing..
It has everything you could think of,reaction commands,intense battles,cool story,a sexy heroine,a challange,and an awsome return to the tombs buy it it is worth every penny

Improvement in a Declining Series

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: April 15, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Tomb Raider started off Great on the original Playstation. Over time, though, the series began to decline. Tomb Raider: Legend is much better than previous installments, but not really the best game out there.

An ancient sword has been broken and its fragments are scattered around the world. Lara is out to find these fragments which will ultimately lead her to unravel the mystery of her mother's death years earlier. There's nothing complex about the story, and it'll take Lara to many different places all over the world.

The gameplay is pretty basic, keeping mostly with the gameplay established in the original. As Lara you'll get in plenty of gun fights, swing from ropes, hang from ledges, and solve various puzzles. Most of these puzzles involve you opening up a pathway to take yourself further through the games levels. They're not overly complex, and they're not really hard at all. In addition, you'll be able to pull of many of the same acrobatic moves you pulled off before. The camera angles aren't very good at most parts, but that doesn't really present much of a challenge. The game makes it hard to miss certain ledges you're jumping to anyway. You couldn't miss some ledges even if you tried. This doesn't really detract from the gameplay either.

There aren't a whole lot of bad guys populating Tomb Raider Legends. From time to time you'll run into a wild animal or someone's goons and you'll have to take them down. You can lock on to enemies and then just cut loose. The gameplay, unfortunately, isn't a challenge. Some of the moves you can pull off look spectacular, but that doesn't make a game hard. There's little--if any--challenge to the game at all. There are moments, however, where during a cutscene you'll have to press certain buttons to keep Lara from meeting her demise. The mechanic works about the same as it did in Resident Evil 4. If you're not fast enough (or press the wrong button) you could die. The controls, safely to say, are better than what you'd expect in a Tomb Raider game.

The game is also fairly short. Five or six hours to complete all together, and the replay value doesn't really serve highly either. There are different difficulty level settings, but they're not really much of a challenge either. You can play through levels again on a time trial, or to try and collect everything, but that's all the replay really offers. Nothing much beyond that. Which is sad to say. The game is fun overall, there's just not much of it. It's short, of little challenge and of little replay. Even in gunfights, they're aren't very many of them, and when there are, again, it's not really a challenge.

The game does look good though. Not utilizing the full power of the PS2, but looks good nonetheless. There are moments where the game slowsdown, though. To the point where it got on my nerves. A little slowdown is all right, but here, there's more than I'd like for there to be. It's still a beautiful game, though. It also sounds pretty good. The voice acting is really good. The voices work really well to flesh out and help develop characters. Easily it's one of the strongest parts of Tomb Raider Legend.

The game isn't perfect, I'm sorry to say. Better than most of the previous Tomb Raider games, but not perfect. It's too easy, and lacks great length, and those two things alone keep this game from acheiving the greatness it was capable of. It's good for a rental, but not really worth forking over fifty dollars for.

On the Positive Side
+The game looks good
+It sounds good
+The gameplay, for hardcore Tomb Raider fans, remains the same
+Improvement in the controls

On the Negative Side
-A few framerate issues
-The game isn't really a challenge at all
-It's just too short
-There's no real depth to the storyline
-It lacks replay value

Lara is back, equipped with a multitudinous amount of fun!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 8
Date: April 15, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Let me start off by saying, that I am a huge TR fan. (Since 96 when the first game came out.)
And even I was a bit disappointed with the Angel of Darkness. Not a lot, but a bit.
When I got to the mall on Wednesday and bought the game, just seeing the front and back was enough to tell me that this was "something".
I brought it home, and beat it the next day.
The graphics are EXCELLENT. Picture the Angel of Darkness with out the glitches, and in Tombs and Jungles. (And picture those graphics X 10)
The gameplay is outstanding. Traps upon traps, and puzzle upon puzzle haunt Lara's every move.
There are numerous vehicle scenes, and quite a few brand new features added.
Lara's Mansion is a titanic level full of unlockables. Not to mention the fact that you get to explore it.

There are only two flaws that I find with this game:
The very small array of enemies. (Mainly soldiers and leopards.)And the shortness of the game. It was the shortest Tomb Raider yet.

However, the replay value is tremendous. There are over thirty outfits to unlock, about ten secret cheats to unlock, time trials, movies, upgrades for Lara's pistols, character bios, artwork, etc.

This is probably the best game that I have played since The Angel of Darkness came out. And that was a long time ago.

If you are a fan of Lara, Tomb Raider, great graphics, or even just adventure, this is a great game to pick up.

Graphics: 10/10
Sound: 9/10: When Lara communicates with her buddies back at the mansion, it is sometimes hard to either hear their conversation, or the background sounds that are occurring.
Replay Value: 10/10
Originality: 10/10
Tomb Raider Fans will enjoy? 10/10 (Most Definately)

This blows AOD away. No glitches, bugs, or annoying Boaz spiders to worry about.

Generic brainless 3D Platformer, no return to past glories :(

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 12 / 18
Date: April 16, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Tomb Raider 1 (On Playstation) was a landmark. Tomb Raider 2 was breathtaking. Tomb Raider 3 spoiled the formula somewhat with too many 'sudden death' traps and overly complex levels, but was still generously huge, engaging and varied. Then they gradually lost the plot, and the rot had truly set in by 'Chronicles'.
'Angel of Darkness' was a major disappointment, being the first serious overhaul of the series. Lara ran as if through treacle, the camera didn't track you effectively - leading to diastrously misjudged leaps into the abyss, and the levels were unpopulated, with often simplistic problems to overcome. So all us Tomb Raider fans were praying for a return to form when 'TR Legend' was first mooted. Now it's out, I fear many reviewers have heaped praise on it after a superficial glance, or without any memory of the qualities of the first three.
Legend fails spectacularly on several fronts:
There is no exploration, it's absolutely unerringly linear, and compared to all previous Tomb Raiders, very short. Part of TR's charm was exploring; seeing a ledge far above and wondering "how do I get there?". Trying to see a ledge at all. WORKING IT OUT.
All that is gone, and to make matters worse they've dumbed it down even further by giving Lara a pair of binoculars that can reveal all the moveable/switchable/grabbable objects in view. No challenge. Facing leaps over crevasses, a floating X icon indicates your grapple hook is needed. No challenge. No thought.
Levels are punctuated by awful QTEs (Quick Time Events) that are basically sudden FMV clips requiring specific button presses. Always unexpected, requiring annoying reloading if (that is, when) you die.
Lara talks far too much (she used to be the strong silent type!) and now has two idiot assistants who 'joke', bicker and offer yet more 'useful' information on a regular basis (like "Hey! Now THAT'S really COOL!"), shattering the silence that used to be part of the series atmosphere.
Instead of making the bonus items hard to work out how to acquire, they just made lots more of them. Mysteriously, some can be drawn in with your grapple (Yawn) but identical looking ones can not, even within the same range.
The distinctive theme from the first 3 is gone, a big mistake - now they have a generic techno-bond theme for the titles, and a tuneless, oppressive soundtrack during play.
The motorcycle levels don't bear description - useless, but mercifully few of them.
In actual play, the game is a clone of Prince of Persia, which is kind of ironic as Tomb Raider was originally a 3D interpretation of the original 2D Prince of Persia. But Prince of Persia was totally linear too - yet far better than this within such limits. Very little of the old Lara remains.

Tomb Raider should have stayed true to it's roots and delivered exploration with 'big reveals' (Lost Valley, St Francis Folly, remember those levels?).

Eidos should re-release the original 3 PS1 games for PS2, or maybe PS3, heck - all formats, with nothing but a graphical smoothing. Leave the grid based system intact, leave the music intact - change *nothing* except the option of Analog stick control, and let those who haven't experienced them see what they are missing. I'd buy them all over again - THEY were the legends.

But not another one like this.

Better than AOD but not meeting expectations!!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 7 / 9
Date: April 16, 2006
Author: Amazon User

O.k. don't get me wrong I did like Legend but there are some flaws with this game. I thought all the previous flaws from AOD would be worked out but sadly not all of them were. A BIG improvement yes!! but not perfect by any means. Here are the flaws with this game.
1. Some of the camera angles were bad.
2. The button sequence parts got annoying after awhile.
3. Blasted grenades! Yeah you got them but so do the enemy and they love to use them!!
4. Tigers & leopards. Annoying plus how many bullets does it take to actually kill a leopard. Too many if you ask me.
5.Sound wise sometimes it was hard to hear Lara talking to Zip and the other guy. This lowered my enjoyment of the game since I didn't really know what they said to each other half of the time.
6. THE MAJOR FLAW WAS IT WAS MUCH TOO SHORT!! THE ENDING WAS VERY GOOD BUT MUCH TOO SHORT!!!
7. NO replayability much like KINGDOM HEARTS 2.

The stuff They improved:
1. The detail in this game was awesome!! From the smoke coming from her just fired guns to when she gets out of the water she actually looks wet(her hair, her clothes, her skin), realistic shadows, her breath coming out when it's cold.
2. Love Lara's new moves!!
3. Love the motor bike parts in the game.
4. New Personal Light Source Yes! so much better than flares!!
5. Plenty of health packs
6. plenty of ammo and weapons
7. Cool outfits (what can I say I'm such a girl)
8. Sound wise (music) pretty good.
9. Binoculars (RAD mode) pretty dang helpful
10. Excaliber oh yeah!!
11. The ending though short was good!! Pistol whipping Amanda was priceless. She So deserved it!!
All in all good game but still kinda of disappointed with it. The shortness factor. If it would have had a longer ending it probably could have redeemed itself.

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