To being this review I will go ahead and say that the score I gave the game was more of a personal score, but with this review I plan to score it based on what it was built as. The begins you with the usual cinematic opening sequence, and my initial thoughts were "Oh boy, PS2 level cinematics, I can't wait for the lack of voice acting." To my surprise, the game did feature full cast voice acting, and through playing more of the game, found the voice acting to be decent to good at varying points. Then again, it seems British voice acting always seems awkward. The cinematics as well as in-game graphics are the same level of detail. This isn't always a bad thing, but given the games character designs and detail, I don't want to look that closely at them. Bad flat detailed muscles on males and oversize bosoms and stick bodies on females are a major turn off. Even more humorous is the level of detail on the lips of female characters... thanks Angelina, thanks. Overall, the characters have very nicely done textures, but the core modeling matches right up with lower XBox or high PS2 levels. The characters also seem a bit "stilted" at times, in that their movements are clunky and unrealistic. I guess a good plus is that Laura's chest doesn't flop around hyper ragdoll like the DoA girls' do, which adds some respectability to her character. The environments however, are fantastic. Very nicely textured, fairly interactive, and are very open. I am not joking when I say you will just stand there and look around at the floor and walls, they really are a sight to behold (even more so for the time it was released, by now I am sure it has been bested). The gripe here is, this has only applied (so far) to the dungeon/crypt levels. Everything else seems a little bland. Which is fitting I suppose, because after all, this is TOMB Raider. Gameplay ranges from Grand Theft Auto style shooting to Prince Of Persia style sneaking and acrobatics. The shooting combat is a little linear and feels out of place to me. To shoot, all you really have to do is lock on and hold the trigger until your enemy is dead. You always carry your dual pistols, and have the option of one other weapon you can pick up (Usually rifles) which will transfer from level to level. To make the situation even less out of place, you have infinite ammo for your pistols, making this feel like a typical children's by-the-hand platformer than a serious game. When it comes to the "Cave Diving" the game really shines. With Prince Of Persia style ledge climbing, pole swinging, and gap jumping, the game can really make you feel like you really need to play this as if it were a life or death scenario (which it sometimes is, but don't worry, there are bountiful checkpoints). The game also has a decent bit of puzzle solving, usually in the way of moving large objects to hold switches down, circa the Legend Of Zelda or Legacy Of Kain series. The game also features Bronze, Silver, and Gold treasures which will affect your Achievements. The Bronze items are relatively easy to locate, but some you will have to look a bit harder for. The Silver and Gold ones are many times harder to locate (with some exceptions) in dungeons. Lastly, the sound. The sound in this game is mighty impressive, but doesn't quite reach a Ten because I feel more sounds could have been incorporated to make the player more immersed. The quality of the sound, however, is top notch, and could be compared to being at the location in person. Overall, I think as GS stated, anyone could enjoy this game, some more than others, some less. It is really a mixed bag. Good textures, levels, sounds, and exploration gameplay make for a good time, but bad character models, a bland combat system, and sometimes iffy voice acting make for some "WTF" moments.
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