Xbox

Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Legend

In some circles, Tomb Raider has become a joke. What was once a prized and praised franchise in its early years now evokes healthy skepticism, even from some of its fans. Thankfully, Lara's latest adventure is in good shape to reset perceptions for those still willing to give her a chance. Sporting a totally redesigned control scheme, for the first time a Tomb Raider game feels natural and intuitive. Even more importantly, this newest entry in the series brings back the adventure and awe that made those early games so exciting. Tomb raiding is fun again.

After suffering a bone-shattering fall from grace, the spunk has finally returned to this spelunker's step. Tomb Raider: Legend rekindles the thrill of adventure and sense of discovery that once made this series a juggernaut. Masterfully crafted architecture and lushly detailed landscapes fill your eyes with wonder. Your brain will twist over the ingenious physics-based puzzles.

Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Legend is not only a return to the classic form we have all loved from the beginning but it’s also a much deeper adventure that is engrossing from start to finish. While there are some small sore spots here and there, Legend succeeds where Angel of Darkness has failed. With gorgeous visuals, plenty of extras, a solid story and interesting new features, this is a Tomb Raider long-time fans of the old girl will certainly enjoy.

Nearly 10 years ago a little-known British developer crafted a title whose impact on the videogame world would be massive and permanent. Tomb Raider starring Lara Croft graced game systems in November 1996. Within a year, the sexy, smart and sassy heroine would go on to become world-famous for her voluptuous build, can-do attitude, and endless mass market appeal. Along with Shigeru Miyamoto's brilliant Super Mario 64, the first Tomb Raider illuminated new corridors in 3D game development, showing fresh possibilities in character and game design, 3D control, and camera work.

Control wise, it’s out with the old and in with the new…sort of. The clunky controls that were so limiting in previous Tomb Raider efforts have been replaced with a more free form mechanic. It’s not completely open-ended, as the geometry and level design ultimately determines exactly where Lara can explore. Those familiar with Legacy of Kain: Defiance will immediately notice how similar both games feel.

So adventurers step this way. With perfectly executed controls, combat and design, Tomb Raider - Legend is a must buy.

Oui le joueur est assisté, oui le jeu est globalement trop facile et ressemble parfois à un pot pourri de jeux Electronic Arts mais quelle claque après le décevant L'Ange Des Ténèbres. Crystal Dynamcis a dépoussiéré Lara pour faire en sorte qu'elle aborde un nouveau cap avec grâce et sérénité. Dire que cette renaissance ressemble par certains côtés à celle de Resident Evil n'est pas exagéré d'autant que le gameplay de cet épisode est à mille lieux de celui des précédents opus. Graphiquement superbe, jouable (malgré quelques défauts agaçants) et surtout très fun, Tomb Raider Legend fait plaisir à voir même si on aurait aimé que l'aventure soit bien plus longue. Ne reste plus qu'à attendre d'hypothétiques suites qui viendraient confirmer la bonne impression laissée par le retour fracassant de notre aventurière prodigue.

Lara herself looks as curvaceous as ever, if a bit more realistically proportioned. Judging by looks alone, she's gone from a mighty 36 DD to a more conservative 34 D. Her character is also decked out in some pretty snazzy duds (dig the tiny creases and folds in her short-shorts) but it's unlikely you'll be looking too closely at her wardrobe as she bends and flexes and bounces. One other detail we liked was the way her skin glistened after she climbed out of water. Subtle, tactile details like these give Lara's character more life and vitality than she's had in earlier games.

In the series' early titles, Lara spent a good deal of time sliding enormous square boxes around in an attempt to find the hidden switch that magically opened a far away door. Thankfully, those days are behind us, and we're instead treated to some puzzles and intricate contraptions that would make Rube Goldberg sit up and take notice. The game features a pretty robust physics engine, which allowed the developers to create some puzzles that don't have obvious solutions. You'll have to throw your memories of the previous games out the window, as you can now flip metal boxes through the air, push boulders off of cliffs, and float on coffins. While the puzzles are far from unfair, there are quite a few "Duh, why didn't I think of that in the first place?" moments to keep you humble.

Yes, Tomb Raider: Legend restores the franchise to playable, enjoyable form, but for fans of the original, this romp is more like watching a new Tomb Raider movie than partaking in a classic Croft adventure.

It's been almost 10 years since the first Tomb Raider was released, and while video games have come a long way since then, the Tomb Raider series hasn't kept pace. Problems such as clunky controls and a frustrating camera, which were excusable in the early games, have steadily degraded the quality of the series releases over time. The latest installment, Tomb Raider: Legend, finally brings the series into the 21st Century while staying true to the adventurous spirit of the early games.

It's a fact; Lara has made a successful comeback in Tomb Raider: Legends. This multi-platform adventure from the most popular lady in gaming is like you remember your Lara. Tomb Raider Legends is a good game worth your investment of time, although I would weigh the option of renting over buying mainly because of the games length. I feel the Tomb Raider series is back on track and I'm already anticipating the return of a clearly focused next generation Tomb Raider game.

Having never been a huge fan of the Tomb Raider series, this installment came as a pleasant surprise. After the abysmal Angel of Darkness, I thought for sure that this series was done for. Thanks to the hiring of Crystal Dynamics, however, Eidos has resurrected the series and presented gamers with its best title yet.