Great but a little on the short side.
The graphics are pretty crisp on the PS2, and there doesn’t seem to be any drop in frame rates when you’re in the heat of the action. The locales all look great, really highlights cool light effects in the game. The sound is also commendable, and the dialog is pretty well done.
You can start the game proper, or just fiddle around in Lara’s (Croft) Manor. You’ll instantly realize however that certain rooms are locked, and can only be accessed after completing a few levels. Among the rooms you unlock are her library, study and bedroom, which also serve as a place where you get to try out new outfits which you unlock from playing through the game.
There are 3 difficulty settings: easy (explorer), medium (adventurer) and hard (tomb raider). These probably just affect the amount of ammo and medikit you collect.
Over time, more and more moves were added to Lara’s repertoire of moves to perhaps make her as realistic as possible. Tomb Raider Legend probably has the most amounts of new moves for Lara to utilize.
Pressing the d-pad will bring up a few options, for instance pressing left brings up a ‘kinetically charged’ pocket torch light, much like the light you use in the Silent Hill games. The light is of course limited, but switch it off (pressing left on the d-pad again) will allow it to charge. Pressing up on the d-pad will allow you to access her (very) limited supply of medikits. On the medium setting, you can only be allowed to carry 3. But should you get killed on a lower then full health level, you’ll be revived in full health.
On the other hand, pressing ‘down’ on the d-pad brings up the weapons options, which include her default dual pistols, which has semi-unlimited ammo. I say semi because you have 30 bullets at your disposal, and after 30, Lara will need time to reload another 30. Pressing down again will bring up her second piece of firearm, usually from fallen foes and which of course have limited ammo. Surprisingly, for a puzzle solving kind of game, you’ll be doing a lot of ‘3rd person shooting’ in this game.
Pressing ‘right’ on the d-pad activates Lara’s 1st person view binoculars, which can be toggled to night vision mode, which also serves as a mode that gives you hints when solving puzzles.
Apart from that, Lara is also equipped with a very useful grappling hook, which grapples on to metal objects (a ‘shining indicator’ will usually glow showing you where and when the grappling hook can be utilized).
However, Lara’s interactivity with the environment is where Legend truly shines. You’ll be able to jump from ledge to ledge, drop from ledge to ledge, climb and swing on ropes, shimmy across narrow surfaces, swim under water and ride a bike! This may sound all too familiar to the average tomb raider fan, but the interactivity is much more intense then previous tomb raider games. Nearly every nook and cranny can be used to Lara’s advantage.
The only downside to Legend is that it’s probably too short. I was expecting it to include huge levels and puzzles, but unfortunately, this wasn’t the case. While the puzzles can get you stumped for a while, the clues and answers are usually all there just waiting to be discovered. Unlike the initial TR games which had huge, huge levels and engrossing puzzles, Legend may fall a little short in terms of that. Nevertheless, it’s still a fun game, and what with all the cool bonus stuff to unlock, it all simply adds to great replay value.
A must for all Tomb Raider fans, and for those who’ve never played a Tomb raider game, well it doesn’t matter, as this game feels like a rebirth of the series, and personally I feel it’s just going to get better!