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Pretty Short for a "Legend."

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 26 / 29
Date: April 18, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I know, I know, nowadays the kids have been spoiled by open-ended RPGs that can take 70+ hours to complete, and you hear a lot of unfair complaints about the relative "brevity" of standard action-adventure fare. I'm not some video game shut-in with no life, so I couldn't spend 70 hours on a game even if I wanted to - and anyway that's not the point of an action game, nor should it be. When I hear people complaining about "short" games, I tend to take it with a grain of salt.

That said, "Tomb Raider: Legend" IS short, by any standard. "Leave 'em wanting more" was apparently the developers' philosophy here. If you ask me, that's preferable to the philosophy of the last TR installment, "Angel of Darkness," which was apparently "Frustrate 'em till they give up." Everything about "Legend" feels right, from the moment you take control of the newly-designed Lara as she scales the cliffs of Bolivia in the first level. It's actually fun rather than merely grueling to perform the various acrobatic stunts required to ascend the mountainside; and when you encounter enemies (the traditional generic bad guys and endangered cats), the ensuing battles are fairly satisfying, if not very difficult or technically sophisticated. Gone is the rigid grid upon which all prior TRs were based; gone is the clumsy control scheme that made navigating the grid such an unforgiving experience. Lara is finally a contender again in the world of game heroes. Of course, the fact that "Legend" is such a pleasure to play just means that you'll reach the end even faster.

"Legend" is essentially a 6-8 hour game. That's the bare-bones time to get through all the levels including the Croft Manor. If you really want to find all the "Rewards" (you knew them as "Secrets" before), you can probably tack on a few hours of replay; but there aren't any "extras" beyond that - no online, no mini-games, no unlockable "Tomb Raider" arcade or what-not. A lot of people will have a problem with that, and practically everybody will wish there was more here. But on balance, I have no qualms recommending "Legend." For me, what with my actual life and all, a 7 hour game is really a 7 day game at least; and I'm the type to replay a game I like over and over again just for the fun of it.

I mentioned the Croft Manor, which is one of many motifs from previous TR games to make a reappearance in "Legend." The developers - Crystal Dynamics rather than Core this time around, since the latter so conclusively botched "Angel of Darkness" - have truly done their homework, and "Legend" is packed with homages to classic moments from the series. Bolivia, for example, is like a wish-fulfillment version of Lara's very first Tomb Raiding excursion in Vilcabamba, while Ghana recalls TR3's South Pacific levels, and Kazakhstan brings up memories of Antarctica from TR2. But whereas before it took a definite act of imagination to believe in the blocky, pixelated environments, the sets in "Legend" are practically flawless. This is one of the most impressive games on XBox, graphically speaking. The levels are typically huge and exotic, the textures look great even close up (in most cases), and ambient effects like sunlight and mist are handled beautifully.

Gameplay is also leaps and bounds over the old titles, as should be expected; but considered against the backdrop of all the other excellent action games on XBox and PS2 (and now 360), it's nothing really exceptional. Enemies, as always in TR, are few and far between, and the combat segments are just convenient ways of breaking up the exploring and puzzle-solving sequences. When she encounters them, Lara can blast away at enemies with her trademark pistols or a single alternative high-powered firearm (shotgun, assault rifle, etc). She can also perform a special maneuver in which she vaults off an enemy's head and then litters him with bullets in slow-motion (a la Max Payne); and she has a grappling hook that occasionally comes in handy for some BloodRayne-esque snaring of foes from a distance. But that's pretty much all she wrote as far as combat. The "puzzles" themselves still revolve around pushing blocks and dodging rolling balls, but they're neither as difficult nor as tedious as they used to be, and you'll have no problem figuring out what to do next. Rope-swinging and pole-climbing are back, but fortunately with vastly-improved mechanics. As for wall climbing, let's just say Lara's taken some notes from Prince of Persia. She's much nimbler, and you can even make her "double-time" it by hitting Y in sync with her movements. Swimming also comes into play in a few of the levels (nothing as "involved" as those abysmal underwater portions of London in TR3), and the mechanic is simple and intuitive. To top it off, there are a few segments in which Lara takes off on a Ducati just to add some variety to the gameplay. All in all, she's a lot of fun to control - the only problem is that she feels like she could handle a lot more punishment than she's ever dealt in this game.

Basically, what we have in "Tomb Raider: Legend" is a beautiful game that finally brings the franchise up to date while remaining close to its roots. True, TR fans are used to MUCH harder games than this, and it's so short you could miss it if you blink. Still, it's nice to finally be able to say "Lara's Back!" - and mean it!

"Legend" is the best Tomb Raider yet

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 11
Date: April 21, 2006
Author: Amazon User

First off, the old Tomb Raider games give you a headace, just to perform basic moves, this is by far the best game control in any of the TR games yet.
Secondly, everything in this game works smoothly, and I like that, because I can't stand it when it gets to the point where a video game requires more work than your actual job. This game is awesome because the gameplay is realistic and easy to use, unlike frieken halo, which takes forever; how could it get a 10? If halo got a ten, so should that friken elmo game that was rated like ec or e or something like that.
Lastly, the length of the game, just right, not too short, not too long, and for all you little 8 year old kids who like failing 4th grade six times and would rather play games that are impossible to beat and are complaining and all pissed that lengend isn't 90 hours long, maybe you guys should get a life...

Legendary (sort-of)

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: July 06, 2006
Author: Amazon User

OKAY, here is the deal. I love everything about this game, from to storyline, which is involved, to the gameplay, which is SO MANY NOTCHES ABOVE THE REST IN THIS GAME SERIES, to the graphics which are steller to say the least...my only pet peeve is that fact that it ended before it began. The game is so short...took me three days to complete, and I don't play my games non-stop either...I mean, they had a wonderful thing going here. Legends, in any other area outshines most every game out there. It's smart, as are all the Tomb Raider games, it's stunning to look at which is a first since most of the other Tomb Raiders have been choppy and dark whereas Legends is easy to see, crisp and clear. The gameplay is brilliant, easy to controll and with added features like unique fighting and driving styles it made this game memerable and replay way up there...but with the lack of effort in extending the gaming experience it leaves the player at a bit of a loss. Like "I paid $50 for this...and it's already over!!" Yes, you can explore Laura's house and replay each level to find the hidden treasures you couldn't find the first go around, but only if it unlocks extra levels (which they do not) would it truly be worth it. What use in an extra outfit with no where to wear it? Anyways, I'm still an advocate for this game for it's perfect in ALMOST everyway, and maybe I'm spoiled from all the other 'long' games out there, but seriously, I've never finished a game this quickly. About five of my other friends own this game as well and we all played it at the same time, giving each other pointers, and we were all bummed at the fact it was over so soon. I guess if thats the ONLY complaint it's a good thing. So, don't block out your entire month, or week even, to devoting yourself to Laura for it will be over before you know it...but don't miss out on the wonderful gaming experience, no matter how short lived it turns out to be. Maybe the next game will be perfect in EVERY way instead of MOST of them!

Good Game, But Too Short

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: April 17, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Don't get me wrong this game is by far a better buy then "Angel of Darkness." However for a "Tomb Raider" game it was too short of a storyline. I was hooked on this game, the controls are so much easier to understand and use. Lara moves so much better then in previous games and the graphics are awesome.

As I said the storyline was a disapointment. In "Tomb Raider Last Revelation" it took me about a month or more to finish the game completely. This game I was able to beat in 5 days and thats from 5 hours of game play each day about.

This is game is worth buying but dont be surprised about how short it is. Eidos needs to know for future games a much longer storyline for Lara Croft game is far better. To this day "Tomb Raider Last Revelation" is still by far my favorite.

B...E...A...UTIFUL

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 6
Date: April 16, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Lara Croft has made a new comeback and she is more amazing than ever before. Fans and newcomers alike will simply be enthralled.
First off is the handling. Movement in this game is key to survival and your options are not limited in any sense. From scaling cliffs to moving in combat, Lara moves with un matched fluidity.
Combat is something you actually look forward to. She is able to carry her pistols and another weapon. She is also able to enter a type of bullet-time mode to take out enemies with ease. You are also able to use the environment as a tool of destruction for those who stand in your way.
The story is excellent and keeps your heart racing at a thousand beats a minute. The only drawback for the entire game is that the story is a bit short, so play the game in the hardest mode and take your time.
Puzzles can be vast and varied and can take a bit of unconventioanl thinking to work out. Lara also has some devices such as her binoculars and grappling hook to help with these puzzles or plan out a plan of attack.
So all in all, the new gizmos, weapons, overall style of gameplay and story will have you begging Lara for more!

just 2 comments for now...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 8
Date: April 17, 2006
Author: Amazon User

i've been playing this game for only a few days, and haven't gotten far along the game yet. but i do have two comments, mainly regarding the graphics and the movements/controls...
1)WOW!!!! 2) all is forgiven for "tomb raider: angel of darkenss" :)

this is a good game but hard

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 3
Date: July 26, 2006
Author: Amazon User

good fun game but very hard i like it because im a girl you play a girl

Glorious!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: August 26, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I'm not even remotely a Tomb Raider fan. In fact, I hated all the previous ones. But this latest installment proved to be worthy of a place among the finest games. Legend delivers in all aspects of greatness. The graphics are incredible, the environments are beautiful, and the gameplay is most definitely inspired by the new Prince of Persia titles, which means it resembles the best. The voice acting in English is good, but the German track is to die for (you'll have to set your XBOX to Deutsch to hear it - subtitles are available in English if needed). Although the game is short, it is quite re-playable, with all sorts of hidden stuff to find (or use gamefaqs to find...). I love this game, and have only two minor complaints. The first is the cliche: it's pretty short. About seven hours. The second is when you are trying to jump hanging from ledges, the directional control changes with the camera angle, causing occasional oops-I-just-jumped-into-oblivion moments. Luckily checkpoints keep you from losing too much progress. Anyway buy this game even if you've never played Tomb Raider or think the movies sucked (I won't express my opinion here), it is worth your money.

Drangonfly & Canyonkiva

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 3
Date: November 03, 2006
Author: Amazon User

We loved this game. It was everything a game should be!

Great game and lots of fun!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: November 30, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Well. I have to say I was so excited when I heard that Tomb Raider was now available on the Xbox. I have been playing Tomb Raider since it first came out. I have won all of the games and am a huge fan of most of them. I have to say, though, that Tomb Raider Legend is now my favorite Tomb Raider Game. It was so nice to have Lara back in tombs again (not to mention she looks so much better)!!! I also enjoyed the puzzles in this game. They are not quite as challenging as the puzzles in Tomb Raider 1, but they are still a lot of fun.

If you are looking for a good escape, I would recommend Tomb Raider Legend. They hit the mark with this game. Now if they would just redo Tomb Raider 1 with better graphics..... That is my dream!

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