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Awesome! Awesome! Awesome!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 3
Date: April 25, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This is one incredible game! The graphics are fantastic and the controls are fairly simple. There is a good bit of fighting sprinkled with puzzles that are very challenging. Don't worry though - you won't get "stuck" anywhere for too long. The motorcycle racing/fighting is a real plus in this game. Don't miss out on this one.

A return to form and then some

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: April 27, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Oh, Lara how I love thee. Only not really. Truth be told, I could never get into the series from day one because of the clunky controls. I appreciated the step in the right direction with the original Tomb Raider but I regard it as a catalyst for what third person games are now as opposed to a great game. The following games all had the same controls, but the gameplay devolved into the horrific Angel of Darkness.

Now, we have Tomb Raider: Legends and man is it nice. Having passed reigns to Crystal Dynamics, the creators of such games as Legacy of Kain and Soul Reaver, the gameplay was scrapped to create an entirely new property that, mostly, washes off any malingering stink. In place of controls that are based on a grid system (creating improper jumping controls among other issues), the new movement feels fluid and is easily manipulated much like the new Prince of Persia games.

Action takes the side seat as the game focuses mostly on Lara and tombs (what a novel concept). When action does take place, Lara can easily lock onto a target and then switch from target to target via flicking the right analog stick. It's pretty simplistic, but it is fun and easy to get into. Sometimes, there are context driven situations where instead of shooting at an enemy, a possibility will open to shoot an exploding can or a precariously balanced ruin that will take out multiple foes. While the gunplay isn't difficult, it does create some scenarios that feel like they would fit in perfectly in an action movie.

The action is also broken up with some motorcycle based missions. These mostly involve getting you from point A to point B, with plenty of chasing enemies in the middle. Again, much like the combat, this isn't the focus of the game. I won't go so far as some reviewers to say its needless, filler and poorly implemented, but I do think it could have been strengthened a bit more. It makes sense, in the context of the game, to be driving. It never feels tacked on. However, if you're going to do it, you might as well make it as exciting as possible.

All of this is dressing for what really counts: the Tombs. They are really fun. Figuring out how to get from point A to point C, with a step at point B, is most of the fun much like it is in Prince of Persia. The game touts "physics based puzzles" and it's true. But, I don't think the physics engine is all it's cracked up to be. A lot of times, items don't feel like they have the weight they should.

A story involving Lara's past and a search for a sword rounds out the action, providing a context for what you're doing. It's pretty decent as far as these games go and of course can't live up to excellent stories like those found in Dreamfall, but it's okay.

As far as value goes, you're spending about $60 for about 10 hours of gameplay. That's a problem in my book, not because of the length (although I do prefer longer games), but because of the HUGE price differences between the systems. If you're looking at just consoles, then yes I would recommend shelling the extra $10 for the 360 version over the others. But, Xbox 360 games are costing us $10s more, blah blah HD age/next gen blah blah, but the game looks better on the PC, has better resolutions and doesn't have as much frame rate issues as the Xbox 360 version. And its $20 cheaper. So, if you have a computer top lay it, plug in a Xbox 360 controller into your PC and you have a game that's cheaper, plays just as well and looks better. You tell me what the best deal is.

Great game, but not very re-playable

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 1
Date: April 27, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I was a big fan of the first Tomb raider when it came out. The series went down hill and it was a fairly poor franchise for a while. But this game is a great return to Tomb Raider's roots.

The graphics for the 360 are very pretty. The lighting and textures are good, better than the PS2 and x-box, but not as good as other x-box 360 titles.

The game play is intuitive for anyone who's ever played tomb raider before. The camera is a little tricky, but in a game like tomb raider where you're constantly moving up, down, left, right, forward, and back - it's pretty hard to have a standard camera angle that would work all the time. The opening level has a tutorial so it walks you through how to jump, swing, shoot, etc.

The major downside of this game is how short it is. The game could easily be beaten in under 5 hours (especially if you set the difficulty to easy). There are lots of hidden "treasures" that you can collect to boost your "achievements" score; but it gets a little tiresome to find all of them. There's also a time-trial to beat levels under a set time (and it is VERY hard to do, I might add).

But the time trials and hidden treasures don't really add much to the game. There's no reason you couldn't pick this up, play it over the weekend, and beat it and return it. Overall, I thought it was a lot of fun, and then I returned it to the video store.

And, of course, if you have x-box live, you can download a demo of this game on the live marketplace.

Fun game with great graphics

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 2
Date: April 28, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This is the first Tomb Raider game I've played and I liked it. Initially, my biggest problem was to focus on what I was doing and not watching Lara's cleavage. The framerates have been mostly smooth and the graphics are good. The characters can look a little blocky and the camera is a bit frustrating, which cost me a couple of deaths. The game on default is also easier than the Prince of Persia series and makes this game feel short. Some have said that the PC version looks better and that may be true. But in my experience, the 360 games have looked very similar to the PC games I've played, although I only play at XGA resolution. As for the price, yes it is too high, which is why I only buy used games now. This requires a little patience while you wait for the early adopters to sell their copies, but I have a backlog of games to keep me busy in the meantime.

Lara Croft meets Dragon's Lair!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 7 / 8
Date: April 29, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I've never been a "huge" big fan of the Tomb Raider series, and I don't like third-person games in general. But I picked up Tomb Raider: Legend on a lark, and now I'm addicted. I have completed this game on all difficulties and earned all of the Xbox 360 achievements for this title.

The game storyline dives into the Arthurian legend which reveals an interesting parallel to Lara's personal life as you uncover more about the story. It's an interesting spin and makes for a great epic adventure. To really connect you to the story, there's "Super Actions," which are parts of the cut-scenes where, as you're watching a predicament unfold, you're suddenly required to hit a specific button on your controller (to move, duck, jump, grab, or fire your grappling hook) or Lara will meet an untimely death. These Super Actions will remind older player's of Dragon's Lair, a game where you were required to match your button presses with the on-screen directions. In short, it's a great way to remove the monotony of cut-scenes and makes you really focus on the story, because it could mean the difference between life or death.

The rest of the game is a well-done adventure story. Navigating Lara through the adventure with a 360 controller is nearly flawless, a testament to the many years of experience behind the series. The only problem comes with inopportune camera redirects, such as the change between climbing on the ledge of a cliff and pulling yourself up above the edge. When you do so, the camera will spin around; changing the direction that pushing "up" on the controller will move you. This will cause you to occasionally direct Lara back to the edge of the cliff or, sometimes, to leap off entirely and plummet to her death. Aside from this flaw, most users will find that this is one of the best controller layouts for a third person game, which is something I'm always hyper critical of.

If you've read the other reviews, you know this game is short. In fact, I would say this game only has 7.1 levels, since the last level is nothing more than a glorified "boss fight" (usually the ending of a level where you face a super powerful foe) which could have been tacked on to the previous level. However, Tomb Raider: Legend does offer a considerable amount of replay-ability with the massive amount of unlockables and secrets the game offers. Hidden on every level are bronze, silver and gold treasures, often in unusual and interesting places. Bronze are easily found while gold treasures will require all of Lara's skills and a bit of ingenuity to find them all. The most exciting find may be the gold treasure hidden in Croft Manor (an extra level unlocked as you play through the single-player campaign.) The Xbox 360 achievements are tied to finding most (but you do not have to find all) of these treasures, as well as earning points for finishing each level and the game (with separate achievements for completing it at the hardest and easy or medium difficulties) and the time trials. There's also an incredible number of additional features (outfits for Lara, cheat codes, developer's content and more) for completing each level and the time trials.

So, if you love scouring levels for secrets and unlocking special features, this game is for you and will easily quadruple the amount of playtime you get from this title. If you're a fan of the Tomb Raider series, you'll be absolutely delighted with this well-executed and exciting episode that will, most certainly, leave you excited for the next installment of the story.

Fun Platforming - But Quick

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 15 / 18
Date: May 13, 2006
Author: Amazon User

The Legend member of the Tomb Raider series combines both traditional platforming and shooting along with some Dragon's Lair style button pressing timing.

I'm very pleased that Lara Croft has moved beyond being a "huge cleavage woman that male gamers simply like to watch" and turned into a legitimate action heroine. Yes, she's still quite busty, but she's actually admired now for her ability to shoot, think and puzzle her way out of solutions.

Many of the puzzles she faces are traditional. You climb up pipes and walls to reach higher areas. You push boxes in order to block spinning fans of death or to cross flaming passageways. You kill off bosses in a variety of ways.

In addition, you have timed sequence actions. These are much like Bond Moments from James Bond games, or the gameplay of the old classic Dragon's Lair. In these games the game makers would create gorgeously fluid sequences of animation and you would be instructed to hit buttons at precise moments in order to keep the animation flowing. I always found this style of gameplay to be a bit hokey - it took you out of the 'immersion' of the gameplay - but on the other hand it does mean you can view some fantastic cinematics when you get the timing right.

The game is relatively quick on the first pass, but there are plenty of secrets and items to find to get you to go back and replay a number of times. Still, for the high price you pay for 360 games, I really would have expected this to be MUCH longer. On one hand, you have games like Elder Scrolls Oblivion that you can literally play for months and months and enjoy it. On the other hand, you have games like this where you could play through in say 6-8 hours and be completely done. Surely there was plenty of room on the DVD to fit more levels.

The graphics were quite impressive - from the lighting to the flickering flames and dark tombs. The way in which you light up your world as you look around really added to the feeling that you were down in a dark world, with perhaps new secrets lurking just around the corner. Little touches like the swing of Lara's braid added to the realism.

The sound was reasonably good; the voice acting wasn't Drama Movie quality, but it certainly did well as a fun action game atmosphere.

I would really recommend renting this one first to see how much the game grabs you. If you're a real Tomb Raider fan, you might be thrilled to have this in your collection. However, if you're not sure, it's best to give it a quick try before you pay out the full price for what amounts to a weekend game.

Tomb Raider CRAZINESS!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: May 20, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This game is one of my favorite xbox 360 games I own. I've loved the Tomb Raider series ever since TR1, and I have had fun playing each and every one. The Tomb Raider games really bring action and adventure together to make a great gaming experience. When I first heard about Tomb Raider Legend, I was a little skeptical about how good it was going to be. I mean, no offense, but the previous Tomb Raider game, Angel of Darkness, wasn't as good as it was supposed to be. The story was there (sort of) but the gameplay wasn't up to my Tomb Raider standards. After seeing some previews and trailers for Legend, however, I knew that this was going to take me back to the Lara I had grown to love.

First things first, the story of TR Legend is awesome. It really kept me into the game and worked so well. I'm already looking forward to the next game in the series. Although the game is a bit short (about 7 hours to completion) it is still an amazing game. The graphics in this game are very good also. Things like the water effects (especially on an HD tv) look stunning. They are some of the best water graphics I have seen to date. Other than the water, the environments and Lara herself look great too!

Overall, this game is great. Although the game is a bit short, there is so much more that can be done. If you're into xbox live achievements, there are plenty to go after. Some of them you get just by simply beating the game on either the normal or hard difficulty setting, others you get by finding all of the rewards in each level. There are bronze, silver, and of course 1 gold reward in each level, even in the Croft Manor. Beating the time trial for each level completes another achievement. The achievements are fun to go after and searching through the levels for rewards is also a lot of fun. I mean, come one, this is a Tomb Raider game an all. This was such a fun game and is a definite buy (in my opinion) for any xbox 360 owner looking for a great action adventure title.

AWESOME!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: May 28, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This game is great. The controls are simple unlike the other tomb raider games and the graphics are not the best but they are pretty good.The game is basically a combonation of puzzle solving and shooting, oh yeah and some mototcycle riding.

This game is pretty short but only if you stick to just playing the main quest on normal difficulty. But if you go to the croft manner and try to find all of the rewards,do the time trials, beat the game on all difficulties and find all the rewards through out all of the levels it will last you a while and be one heck of a ride.

I strongly recomend this game. What are you reading this for hurry up and go to wal-mart or something and buy this awesome game.

BUY THIS GAME! IT IS THE BEST GAME I'VE EVER PLAYED!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 1
Date: June 09, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I am a huge fan of the Tomb Raider series, and and avid gamer in general. This has been the BEST OF ANY GAME I HAVE EVER PLAYED AND I HAVE PLAYED ALOT! It's beautiful for starters, full of action, puzzle solving and fun motorcycles. It has something for everyone. IT IS WORTH EVERY PENNY SPENT AND THEN SOME. In general the entire series is a blast and super addictive, but this is the best yet. Eidos even has you play in Lara's "memory" at one point and she's wearing her original Tomb Raider cloths. They have catered to every aspect of pleasing the gaming community. (Though we always have the complainers no matter what, don't pay attn: to those in this case) THIS GAME IS ALMOST TOO FUN, WHEN YOU DO BUY IT- DON'T PLAN ON GOING TO SLEEP ANY TIME SOON! GREAT JOB EIDOS!

Best of the Series

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 1
Date: June 15, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This is a pretty good game. The only compaint i have heard is the length and i for one am not bothered with that. The graphics are very nice, the tombs and jungle sections were in fact magnificent. Gameplay is good. Puzzles take some thinking but not so much that you get discouraged. It left itself open for a sequel and i look forward to that. The only thing i would like to see is the controls be a bit quicker. While not bad by any means there are a couple of places where a quicker reaction would have been a help. All in all i would recommend this game, however the more hardcore gamers might be able to beat this game quickly and may consider renting instead of paying the price.

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