Nice move Eidos! After Core's disappointing Angel of Darkness, Crystal Dynamics really put this game back on track!
I was very sceptic about Legend but now that GameTap gives it to you for free, I had to try it, and boy was I surprised! Right from the very first minute as Lara, I knew this is going to be an unusual experience. Apart from the most stunning views I've ever seen in a PC game, it also has an interesting story that revolves around a known myth and connects several locations in the world Lara must travel to. It is true that this game is a bit short. Two or Three more levels would have made this title nearly perfect in terms of length, but it does have a Time Trial mode that tests your skills leading Lara through the levels as fast as you can. This mode is usually overlooked in longer games because you're too tired to start it all over, but in this case, I think it's a good addition. It took me 8 and a half hours to complete the game on medium difficulty, so I will try to play the time-trial because I haven't had enough of it yet...
Lara wears a headset which allows her to communicate with Zip and Allister (The tech and history guys, respectively). They can see whatever Lara sees so there are a lot of interesting and funny dialogues throughout the game. Sometimes, the dialogues give you helpful hints to solve a problematic puzzle.
Another nice feature is the interactive cut-scenes. For those of you who played the Prince of Persia trilogy, this feature will be familiar. It basically makes a cut-scene somwhat open-ended, because as it plays, it shows arrows on the screen that the player must press to make Lara avoid a certain death trap or succeed in a hard jump. These cut-scenes certainly add to the adrenaline rush!
The game also packs nice unlockables such as concept art, outfits and pistol upgrades.
Disappointingly, there aren't many fire fights in the game, and they are pretty easy (even on harder difficulties). The game is much easier than previous titles in the series, not only when encountering enemies but also when trying to solve puzzles or when dealing with death traps.Fortunately, there's a Boss-fight in most of the levels, so you do get to use your guns sometimes. Lara's limited to carry one more weapon besides her trusty pistols - you can judge if it's a good or bad thing yourself.
In conclusion, this game is more than what I've expected it to be. The graphics, sounds, voice acting, puzzles, level design, story and gameplay are all amazing and I warmly recommend this game to any fan of 3rd person shooters. Can't wait for the next installment to come out!