Tomb Raider: Legend
Platform: PlayStation 2
Publisher: Eidos
Review Type: Touchy
Version: Retail
I'm not what you'd call a "graphics whore," but I was slightly disappointed to discover that my review copy of Tomb Raider: Legend was the version for the PlayStation 2. Sure, it would be nice to see the game rendered in a shiny, next gen fashion. But the first thing on my mind was the fact that I wouldn't be earning any achievements for playing the game. I didn't really get the appeal of these Xbox Live points until I started playing the games and seeing my Gamer Score slowly rise with every landmark in Oblivion or Kameo. It's a brilliant bit of psychology on Microsoft's part -- doling out semi-meaningless numbers as a way to create brand loyalty.
But we're here to talk about Lara Croft.
Playing Tomb Raider: Legend is kinda like getting together with an old girlfriend -- one that I had some really good times with before everything went to shit. These kind of reunions usually happen in a familiar place, the neutral territory of a coffee shop or a Mayan ruin. I'm flinchy at first because she still has the power to really hurt me. The last time we met things got pretty ugly.
Its a relief that she's doesn't appear to have any ill will. Lara wants things to be like they used to be. And for the most part they are. There are treasures, hanging vines, killer felines and plenty of boxes to push around. It's hard not to feel a warm fuzzy the first time Lara executes her signature handstand as she pulls herself over the lip of a ledge. The move is completely superfluous, but its familar and it reminds me why I love her.
But things are different too. Lara's got new friends. Annoying friends with stupid accents who are always piping in on her headset with advice or "witty" bon mots. Like the motley crew on Solid Snake's Codex, they're essentially "narrative buddies" -- characters whose only purpose are to deliver important story information or act as a sounding board when the main character needs to express how they feel.
I sorta miss the old days when it was just me a Lara in stillness of the tomb. There was something calming about being there alone amongst all that old stuff. And also frightening. There was no buddy on the line to call in an airlift should Lara fall and break her back. It was either make it out with Lara's wit and skill or die alone in the dark.
The good news is that I can grouse about these slight differences. Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness was a game so fucked with bugs that there wasn't time to think about how crap the story was. Tomb Raider: Legend improves the old, punishing control scheme by melding it with controls from the new gold standard for action, Prince of Persia. And the story is a personal one, revolving around Lara's mom (who died in what can only be described as a Fargate accident) and some old friends who perished in an archeological dig gone awry.
We've both gone our seperate ways. Lara's been in movies and seen her franchise crash and burn. I've gotten married and stopped trying to play action games with WASD controls. But I can totally see us hooking up again -- especially if I get my hands on a copy of Tomb Raider: Legend for the Xbox 360.
Recommended
Publisher: Eidos
Review Type: Touchy
Version: Retail
I'm not what you'd call a "graphics whore," but I was slightly disappointed to discover that my review copy of Tomb Raider: Legend was the version for the PlayStation 2. Sure, it would be nice to see the game rendered in a shiny, next gen fashion. But the first thing on my mind was the fact that I wouldn't be earning any achievements for playing the game. I didn't really get the appeal of these Xbox Live points until I started playing the games and seeing my Gamer Score slowly rise with every landmark in Oblivion or Kameo. It's a brilliant bit of psychology on Microsoft's part -- doling out semi-meaningless numbers as a way to create brand loyalty.But we're here to talk about Lara Croft.
Playing Tomb Raider: Legend is kinda like getting together with an old girlfriend -- one that I had some really good times with before everything went to shit. These kind of reunions usually happen in a familiar place, the neutral territory of a coffee shop or a Mayan ruin. I'm flinchy at first because she still has the power to really hurt me. The last time we met things got pretty ugly.
Its a relief that she's doesn't appear to have any ill will. Lara wants things to be like they used to be. And for the most part they are. There are treasures, hanging vines, killer felines and plenty of boxes to push around. It's hard not to feel a warm fuzzy the first time Lara executes her signature handstand as she pulls herself over the lip of a ledge. The move is completely superfluous, but its familar and it reminds me why I love her.
But things are different too. Lara's got new friends. Annoying friends with stupid accents who are always piping in on her headset with advice or "witty" bon mots. Like the motley crew on Solid Snake's Codex, they're essentially "narrative buddies" -- characters whose only purpose are to deliver important story information or act as a sounding board when the main character needs to express how they feel.
I sorta miss the old days when it was just me a Lara in stillness of the tomb. There was something calming about being there alone amongst all that old stuff. And also frightening. There was no buddy on the line to call in an airlift should Lara fall and break her back. It was either make it out with Lara's wit and skill or die alone in the dark.
The good news is that I can grouse about these slight differences. Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness was a game so fucked with bugs that there wasn't time to think about how crap the story was. Tomb Raider: Legend improves the old, punishing control scheme by melding it with controls from the new gold standard for action, Prince of Persia. And the story is a personal one, revolving around Lara's mom (who died in what can only be described as a Fargate accident) and some old friends who perished in an archeological dig gone awry.
We've both gone our seperate ways. Lara's been in movies and seen her franchise crash and burn. I've gotten married and stopped trying to play action games with WASD controls. But I can totally see us hooking up again -- especially if I get my hands on a copy of Tomb Raider: Legend for the Xbox 360.
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