 Review By: Cameron Morris |
Developer: | Crystal Dynamics |
| Publisher: | Eidos Interactive | |
| Genre: | Adventure | |
| ESRB: | Teen | |
| # Of Players: | 1 | |
| Online Play: | Yes | |
| Accessories: | N/A | |
| Buy Now: |   |
The real meat of the game, of course, lies in how it plays: we were promised a revolution in the Tomb Raider franchise, a rebirth that would deliver it from the stagnation of the past few installments. Did the game majestically rise over its predecessors, reclaiming its proper place as king (queen?) of the adventure games, or did it stumble and fall into disappointment? Well…
Everybody knows the premise of Tomb Raider gameplay. You are in ancient locations, and you raid them, looking for ancient artifacts either for their great value, power, or just because Lara’s into that kind of thing. It really changes from hour to hour. This leads to having to find ways through very decrepit structures, often having to use the environment to go places that would be impossible for anyone without some kind of subtle death wish.
There are two basic components to exploring in Tomb Raider: platforming and solving puzzles. Now, I don’t normally like making comparisons between different games, not even in the same genre, but I’ve been spoiled by Prince of Persia for three installments and I can’t help but notice that in both of those areas, I find Lara’s little excursion to be lacking. The way the environments work doesn't quite mesh in any meaningful way, and it all feels remarkably artificial even in places where it shouldn’t. It doesn’t do enough to say that it isn’t as fun as it should be, it just doesn’t feel right and in places it doesn’t even work. On the whole it’s an improvement, and enjoyable most of the time, but there are areas that aren’t as fun as they should be. Worse, you might even get stuck just because the solution to a puzzle is counter-intuitive.
Combat is interesting at first – at least while you’re learning it. After you learn how to kick off of your opponent and backflip in slow-motion while pumping them full of lead in midair, that action loses its luster. By the time the game’s over, you might actually be bored with it, because each battle plays out the same way: run up to enemy, slow-mo mid-air jump, shoot, repeat. You can do this with any enemy in the game, even the bosses, save for one.
It does not help that the story is silly, the premise for it is silly and feels weird, and eventually it affects the combat, but in its own way it fits in the context of the game. That isn’t true of one scenario in this game, and that is the motorcycle racing. Basically an on-rails race against nothing, where you periodically have to shoot other people on motorcycles and maneuver around randomly placed explosives (what?), this has the basic build to be something fun but is severely marred by inadequate controls and baffling level design, which can kill you no matter how good you are if you aren’t ready for the brick wall right around the corner. I can see the intention behind the motorcycle sections, which is to break up the tomb raiding of other levels so you don’t get bored with it. However, aside from the fact that the motorcycle levels aren’t fun, there’s a very basic problem with this intention.
The game is only five hours long. There, that’s the ultimate sin. You have this game, fifty dollars on most systems and sixty on the 360, and you'll only get five hours out of it. Now, yes, there are reasons to play through more than once – a time attack mode, multiple costumes and skins to unlock, all kinds of things. But do they actually merit playing through the game again, when once is all it takes to learn everything you need to know about how to get through the game? No. The game isn’t just short, so short it’s like getting slapped with the ending halfway through a movie, it also gives you no really tangible reason to play through it again. Bummer.
Bottom Line:
I don’t want to be too harsh on Tomb Raider: Legend, because it really is a fun game with its own distinctive personality, and I’d even go so far as to call it good. If you’re a big Tomb Raider fans, congrats! This is what you have been waiting for. For the rest of us, though? Its brevity, motorcycle segments, repetitive combat, and silly story keep it from being among the upper tier of adventure games. It’s above average, it’s good, but it’s something I would at the very least give a rent before buying.
I take that back, renting it would let you see everything the game can offer you anyway.
| Pros: | Cons: | Final Score: |
|---|---|---|
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| 6.8 |
Posted: 2006-08-12 11:10:09 PST