Playstation 2 - Tomb Raider Legend

Format
Playstation 2
Publisher
Eidos Interactive
Developer
Crystal Dynamics
Country of origin
US
Genre
3rd person adventure

Tomb Raider Legend

By David Rasmussen
18th Jun 06

When it comes to franchises, the Tomb Raider franchise is not in the best of conditions. I mean, what the, you’d think a franchsie that revolved around a hot British female lead, best known for wearing tight (sometimes small) clothes and packing guns would be a instant hit. And yet, after a couple of stumbles, a few bad games, and a failed sequel in theaters the franchise has been suffering as of late.
I can’t really say when people began to lose faith in the franchise, but they slowly did began to lose faith which brings us to the here and now, and the possible return of the Croft legacy… maybe.
What with BANDAI getting the rights to re-dress the original comic version in new graphic novels, and a new game (Legend) we might yet see the return of the one and only Lara Croft into fandom’s good graces. So, with that in mind, let’s take a look at the game that is part of the revival of the Croft franchise, aka Tomb Raider Legend.

First off let’s get something clear. Despite the discouraging title “Legend”, Tomb Raider Legend is NOT a rehash of a beloved PC Tomb Raider game. As the game starts you’ll strut Mr. Croft’s stuff as you tool around a Bolivian mountaintop slash ancient temple, finding out what buttons makes Miss Croft do what, all the while getting into the introduction of the game and the story it provides (which, yes, is a far better story than the one thrashed about in the much maligned anti-Croft game Tomb Raider : Angel of Darkness).
As you play this first level you’ll see how easy it is to pick up Miss Croft’s moves, which makes mastering her many abilities all that easier.
This is also (as I said above) the place where you get the 4-1-1 on the story, which in part revolves around an incident involving the seldom seen mother of Lara Croft (the oh so hot Mrs. Croft) and how she was sucked through an interdimensional portal and considered dead by the public at large… whether or not she is, however, is something I didn’t figure out since I didn’t get that far in the game (sorry).

This incident comes crashing into the present as Lara finds herself (now grown into a beautiful well rounded (yes that way) young woman -- va va va voom -- who used to have similarly well endowed (in that way) female friends back in her school days which is seen in a flashback) caught up in this ancient mystery which revolves around these worldwide “portals” and the stone sword “key” that is needed to open said portals.

The story, yes, is a good start to the game (because nobody likes a sucky story, ala the aforementioned Angel of Darkness) but what sets players’ ears on fire (not physically mind you) is the word of solid gameplay, which this game (for the most part) delivers without fail.
Learning to master Croft’s buttons is easy, and the gameplay offers you abit of options as to how you will push Miss Croft’s buttons. Yes, the story is set in stone being it is a linear plot with levels that have you traveling from point A to B, but that doesn’t mean traveling from point A to B isn’t fun (it is).

One interesting quirk about Legend is that it takes a page from the Resident Evil 4 playbook (a lot of games lately have been delving into that playbook as of late) by offering up “Action sequences”, which require a timed sequence of button pushes in order to overcome obstacles and staged sequences. The quirk about this is that the button pushes are set to correspond to the actual controller set up, I.e. the button you press correspond to the action that would normally happen in gameplay. For instance if Lara needs to jump you’ll tap the jump button, or if Lara needs to use her grappling hook you’ll tap that button.
(So basically if you remember your control set up you should be able to anticipate the button push for the most part in sequences like this).

The game has some solid puzzles to wrack your brain on, the first puzzle being a unique one considering you need to use a type of stone seesaw in order to launch cages up onto a higher platform in order to solve a simple stone switch puzzle. These are good, and for the most part work as they should, except for puzzles requiring the moving of crates/cages which is abit wonky. The first moment you grab ahold of a large crate you’ll see what I’m saying about misgiving when it comes to moving large crates right off the bat.
Now, the first time you need to move one of these is in order to bypass a section of opening and closing walls (the cage keeps you from getting crushed). However once you start pushing you’ll find out that you soimetimes push the object less than you “dance” with it. As you push it it occasionally wants to spin you instead of go in a straight path, which sucks if you “spins” in the middle of the closing wall sequence and get crushed. You’ll have to ply firm steady control of your analog stick as you move it (with as little jiggle as possible) in order to keep from spinning accidentially.

Everything else is solid. Even the swinging from vines and stuff was not hard, which is usually something that plagues me in games like this. Heck, I didn’t even mind the driving sequences even though it was less about driving as it was about dodging obstacles and shooting things. You can even unlock extras as you play, which gives the game that bit of extra oomph in replay value (a plus in my opinion).
Having trouble with your moves and don’t want to replay the first level over and over? Or what if you just have this urge to goof around and dress Lara up like a Barbie doll in different outfits? Head on over to the Croft Mansion (selectable in the main screen menu) and you’ll be able to take full advantage of the estate by using it as a place to hone your skills (a few rooms are perfect places to workout in), unlock new unlockables (the mansion has it’s own puzzles and items to find to unlock new extras), goof around, and change Lara’s clothes and see her in other outfits (one extra is the ability to amass alternate costumes).
Sorry, since this is T for Teen don’t expect a “Nude Raider” alternate outfit.

If you’ve been waiting for something as close to a “perfect” Tomb Raider game as possible, this should be the game you’ve been waiting for. A well rounded, quite solid bit of gameplay that should keep you hitting the levels for hours on end. A true Tomb Raider gaming experience for the true Tomb Raider fan.
The breakdown will merit my positive vibes about this game.

Tomb Raider Legend Breakdown
What’s Hot?
I think the whole review said it all, didn’t it? You should find hours of gameplay wrapped up nice and tight in this little PS2 disc, with easy to master controls, and fairly decent gameplay topped with a nice set of unlockables and interesting puzzles to think through. Overall a good game.

What’s Not?
There is the occasional hiccup here and there, but nothing too horrible to take away from the solid gameplay the game offers.

Moments to Remember?
I’d tell you, but you probably already know what I’m going to say about that… so I won’t.
That and I didn’t see all the bells and whistles of the game (and didn’t find the best of the alternate costumes to walk around in) so there is stuff even I don’t know about.

What to Ignore?
Yeah, we’ll never see a Nude Raider code in our lifetime. Sorry, forget about it.

Overall?
If you were ever darn certain that you’d never see a decent Tomb Raider game in the 21st Century you’d be wrong. At long last the definitive game of the new century has come, and if you are a fan of the franchise you should check it out. And who knows, EIDOS might do it again and we might get another good Tomb Raider game in the near future (for the next gen consoles or the new gen handhelds)… I wouldn’t hold my breath, mind you, but just in case…

-- David Rasmussen 18th Jun 06

Playstation 2 Tomb Raider Legend Images