Recommended: Pentium IV 2 GHz or equivalent, 512 MB RAM, 256 MB Video Memory-ory-
The bridge went down, mercenaries are shooting
at Lara and her "dead" friend is alive and walking. Welcome to Tomb Raider
Legend! This is what you should expect from the latest game in the Tomb Raider
franchise. The first impression when you enter the game is "WoW!". Crystal
Dynamics developed a completely new engine and you can see it in action even in
the main menu. If you have an appropriate graphics card, you can activate the
"Advanced Features" option and you'll meet the most beautiful virtual Lara
Croft you've ever seen.
The game isn 't just for Tomb Raider fans. The
storyline is easy to understand and the game even starts with an episode from
Lara's childhood. There are a couple of flashbacks during the game, thus making
the player familiar with Lara 's past. The flashback and cinematic design is
great. Actually, some cinematics are interactive. When you least expect it, a
white arrow appears and if you don't press the corresponding key, something bad
happens to Lara. So don't rest your hands if you see a cinematic starting. The
good thing is that the developers didn't make this aspect of the game annoying.
So, if you're not prepared and you miss the right moment to save Lara, you just
start over from the beginning of the cinematic. And don't get scared, it 's the
easiest part of the game and it 's pretty rare.
The control isn't perfect, but it causes no
problems. The mouse and keyboard work pretty good together and Lara goes where
you want to. Control is very important in this game, because half of the game,
if not more, is based on controlling Lara on steep ledges or in deep tombs. The
environment is really smartly designed, and sometimes you will not see the path
you need to follow instantly. Not everything is so obvious from the start,
because you must fully use the environment to get from one place to another. You
might need to shoot the ropes that hold a giant crate so it can act as a bridge
or use an ancient lift system so you can go to the upper level.
Of course, you 'll not only ask yourself "how
will I get to that door up there", but also "how will I open that door". These
are the puzzles that make this game worth having "Tomb Raider" as part of its
name. Discover ancient mechanisms and try to make them work again. What I liked
about these puzzles is that they really could be in an ancient tomb. In other
adventure games you might ask yourself "how did the ancient Aztecs make a system
to recognize the color of the rock you place in each hole in the wall?". In TRL
all the mechanisms are very ingenious and the way they work is pretty obvious
once you set them into motion. No hidden mystery component, you get to see all
the chains and gizmos that all make it happen. I enjoyed the TRL puzzles a lot
because their solution was logical.
You think a lot in TRL. From time to time, you
have to defeat a boss that has some special power and there's always a
different way to kill him. If he recharges his life with the help of some stones
you might want to destroy those, or if he doesn't like electricity you might
want to shock him. So, puzzles are everywhere.
There are different other things you can use to
do a particular part of a level. For example, there are really intense
motorcycle chases, during which you have to drive, dodge the obstacles, and
shoot the mercenaries that won't leave you alone. The motorcycle control is
very good, no problems there. You'll also use a Ducati to jump over a bridge.
In some levels you will find big machine guns that will help you kill enemies
that keep coming, or giant electricity/magnet machines that help you defeat a
boss or get a platform where you want to.
In the main menu you can access "Croft Manor",
Lara's home. It's a big house where you can explore different parts of it,
change Lara's clothes (there are a lot of outfits you can unlock), take your
dualie pistols from behind a painting and talk to the three men living in the
mansion: Zip, Alister, and the Butler. Zip is the tech guy, you hear him
wherever you are, he's the voice in the headset guiding you when you need help.
Alister is the smart guy who just so happens to know a lot about history and
does the research for Lara when needed.
Graphics:
With a completely new engine behind TRL, the game looks absolutely
amazing. Of course, you need a solid hardware configuration to activate
"Advanced Features" in the Display options. If you do, you will be viewing the
game with cinematic qualities. Excellent effects, water drops from Lara's skin
when she gets out of the water and dirt if she touches the ground. In short, the
graphics are excellent.
Interface:
The control system is almost perfect and the interface is easy to use.
You don't see the ammunition or remaining life when you don't need to, like
when solving a puzzle or jumping from one side to another. These are only
visible during combat, or when you point your weapon at something.
The saving system is based on checkpoints.
There are some checkpoints set in different parts of the level and if you save
the game, it will just save the last checkpoint.
tomb raider legend review
Gameplay:
There are a lot of puzzles, and a lot of thinking is needed to finish the
game. During intense cinematics Lara needs your help to get past the problems
she encounters. The environment is very interactive, you can use it to help you
solve puzzles, go further or kill some enemies. Different things you can use are
present during the game, like motorcycles, machine guns, different machines. The
mechanisms that you need to start or use to go further are ingeniously
designed.
Multiplayer: Multiplayer is not available in
this title.
Sound FX:
Nothing special to be honest. The sounds are well formulated and
everything sounds like it should, but there wasn 't really anything that stood
out and knocked me off my feet. Just your standard fare of footsteps, gun-shots,
and the like.
Musical Score:
Same as Sound FX. It exists, it does its job, but the Musical Score is
only present when something special happens and it is very
subtle.
tomb raider legend review
Intelligence & Difficulty: Difficulty can be changed at the beginning of
each level, there are three settings: Easy, Medium and Hard. The game can be
played by anyone, it's not too hard to learn. The AI isn't the brightest I've
seen, but it does its job. Mercenaries are, as I expected, a little dumb, but
TRL isn't about the mercenaries, but about the puzzles and the bosses. Speaking
about bosses, these seem a little smarter, as they recharge their life if they
can, or dodge your bullets.
Overall:
The game is excellent. It's one of the best singleplayer games I played
in the last year. There are people that say a good game must have good graphics
and some that say its gameplay is the most important. TRL has both. Great
graphics and a superb gameplay make this game a true jewel. All past Tomb Raider
fans are invited to play this game, even if they've been disappointed by Angel
of Darkness. It's a must have for all Tomb Raider fans. Those that didn't play
Tomb Raider before will find the game very enjoyable and the good thing is that
anyone can understand the story, as it's explained during flashbacks or
cinematics.Publisher: Eidos
Interactive