The Revival Of A Legend...
Introduction:
Being simple is sometimes good; take an instance the brief and interesting introduction movie showing off Lara’s cliffhanger stunts, the music beat and the look in her eyes, that was enough to jolt you to your senses. The start menu changes every time you load from a new level. Lara’s outfit and the background will change) In Tomb Raider: Legend (TRL), Lara Croft searches certain ancient artifacts which were linked to her past and her lost mother. In the process of doing so, Lara will travel to various locations in the world, such as Peru, Bolivia, Japan and numerous others, just to name a few. The entire story is linked to an ancient sword and King Arthur’s story, and Lara would be hunting all over the globe to get what she wants.
Game play:
Controls are significantly improved, and though it’s smooth and easy to move Lara around, it is occasionally frustrating to perform stunts with some minor camera bug. For example when you are trying desperately to jump across towards a ledge, the camera will suddenly become close-up on Lara’s back and she will plunge to her death. In this game you will have to maneuver Lara and use her acrobatic stunts to the fullest extent, and the greatest satisfaction comes from seeing Lara perform all those crazy jumps and adrenaline-pumping moves which no ordinary girl could have done. Lara also uses a whip which sort of reminds me of the Indiana Jones’ whip and she will use it to swing across gaps, or grapple some enemies and pull objects. Staying true to its title, you spend most of your times in the tombs, and sometimes Lara will venture outside into labs or night clubs and social life is never boring. Lara’s standard double handguns come in really handy, as they have infinite bullets (which also become illogical), other than that you can pick up other weapons such as grenade launchers and carbines. You can only carry one extra weapon at any time, other than the double hand guns. As Lara encounters enemies in the game, the gun fighting element adds fun but rarely packs a punch. It’s all too easy with Lara hopping around and jumping off her enemies while blazing away with her guns (In slow motion too, ouch) You will carry some grenades with you through out the game, but you will rarely use them, since most of the times you can get through by running into your enemies and go trigger-happy; no need for long range attacks at all. Then the standard puzzles and traps that Lara have to manage, the puzzles will give you a sense of repetition after some time, with mainly moving around boxes and using Lara’s whip to pull items towards her, it’s not challenging in this aspect. Avoiding traps do take some skill and some traps or stunts would occasionally slow down your progress, but after a few attempts and quick-thinking most players would find it manageable. Worth mentioning is the Boss fight in this game, though you only come across few boss fights, some of them are certainly frustrating; you will require perfect timing and fast fingers to get through some of it, and sometimes you would be left in the wild wondering how to defeat the boss when the monster is constantly pounding at you while Lara is desperately playing around with switches to defeat it. This game also borrows certain new concepts in action gaming such as the “press the button when a button pops up on your screen” kind of mini-game where you press the right buttons as prompted and Lara will pull off some miraculous stunts. Lara also has a headpiece which lets her communicate with her male side-kicks in Croft Mansion. The side-kicks will provide Lara with information, tips, and though not helping out much, it certainly is delightful to hear them squeal and make some funny remarks when Lara attempts some crazy stunts. Adding spice to the game is part where Lara hops on a bike and a high-speed bike pursuit ensues. Bullets and enemies will be on your tail and other than that Lara’s extreme prowess with the bike would prove entertaining.
Graphics:
Beautifully rendered character model of Lara, makes her look alive and her curves realistic. Landscape art is good, and it really looks impressive when you are staring off a cliff and awe at the scenery. Superb by all means.
Music and Sound:
The gun blasting effects sound authentic, and Lara’s voice acting was to-notch. Her accent and mean sense of humor really stands out. The other characters in the game have good voice-overs as well. The only thing I find annoying is Lara’s scream when she falls or dies, it sounds exaggerated and her voice becomes very hoarse all of a sudden and it gives a sense of over-acting. The back ground music though not much in variety suits the event and brings mystical feelings when it is most needed.
Extras:
Just like most games in the market, this game comes with tons of unlockables, and you will discover medals through out the game, in hidden spots which you can use to unlock character models, profiles, cut scenes and there is even an option for upgrading Lara’s handguns Lara’s outfit can also be changed, and the difficulty level can be conveniently changed at the beginning of each level if one finds it too tough. You will find it interesting that after completing the game, you would have unlocked an “Unfortunate Mishaps” video where it shows how Lara misses some stunts or lost her footing and died horribly. Other than that you can also explore the Croft mansion to tune up your skills or find medals to unlock items.
Replay-ability:
Frankly speaking, this game is very short-lived, and you would be amazed when you find yourself at the end when you are actually expecting more. Though a short game, it does provide the suspense and fun as it last. Replay-ability is minimal I would say, as most people would not bother to go through the same traps and puzzles which are stereotyped.
Conclusion:
Tomb raider fans would feel right at home with this one, for action gaming fans that are looking for some fun over the weekend, a rental would be more than adequate. Though there are plenty of rooms for improvement, this game certainly brings hope and more expectations for its sequel, and they deserve a thumbs-up for reviving the Tomb Raider series.
Pros: A great revival of the legend, superb graphics, and Lara Croft’s voice acting is top notch, she looks as hot as ever, fun and satisfying stunts, genuine sound effects, keeping things simple and avoiding over-complicating it.
Cons: A little too short, repetitive and simple puzzles, gun fighting too easy, minor camera bugs which will cause annoyance and Lara’s scream when she dies sounds exaggerated.