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The Tomb Raider franchise has followed a particularly
star-struck career-path since its first release in 1996. Having been
released on SEGA’s ill-fated Saturn, much like the Resident
Evil series, it wasn’t until the title was ported to the
PlayStation that it received the attention of both the public, and
the mainstream media. Having been released on every format
under-the-sun, had two Hollywood movies produced and a comic book
series, not to mention a vast array of merchandise, Tomb Raider
has become a reputable series in videogaming and it is heroine, Lara
Croft, has become an iconic figure of the nineties.
But it’s no longer the nineties – and Lara hasn’t
performed all to well since the turn of the century. Lara Croft;
Tomb Raider: Angel Of Darkness was commonly accepted – even by
its own development team – as being a wasted opportunity, and a
wasted use of the last of the PlayStation/Tomb Raider home
console exclusivity agreement. So now, Lara arrives on a multitude
of formats, including Microsoft’s new beast; the Xbox360.
As an Xbox360 release, Lara Croft; Tomb Raider: Legend provides
a touch of curiosity. With the only real competition the title faces
being Kameo: Elements Of Power, which is a vastly different
construct in itself, Eidos’ new champion finds itself in an
immediate rush for bountiful Platform/Adventure entertainment. The
title keeps many key-traditions honed within the series, but also
hasn’t been afraid to look elsewhere for interesting ideas and,
furthermore, isn’t afraid  to let the players know it’s been
“liberating” ideas from other titles appreciated by the
industry. The key-and-click puzzles remain – enter a room to note
obvious clues, then work out how to use them together – while many
simpler gameplay elements have been reformed.
Platforming devices have been borrowed from The Legend Of
Zelda’s 3D efforts and translated for this offering into a Prince
Of Persia:
Sands Of Time-esque solo-room structure. Each room acts as
an individual and, while puzzles you solve in one room may affect
objects in another, a puzzle will never be continued from one to the
next – each puzzle is contained within its own boundaries, never
extending out of the player’s immediate reach. The hops, swings
and dives are often gifted for the experienced player; a jump from
one ledge will instinctively result in positioning for the immediate
next, but the less-seasoned player may often find themselves at the
Loading Screen for simply miss-timing or miss-judging jumps.
Cut-Scenes
are also a major source of Lara Croft; Tomb Raider: Legend’s
inspired insertions. Literally ripped still-breathing from Resident
Evil 4’s inspired presentation, FMV will often involve the
player by asking for correctly timed button presses in conjunction
with commands appearing on-screen.
The
title sees you travelling through a variety of locales, including Ghana,
Bolivia, Tokyo and, of course, England, as well as presenting you with the opportunity to visit Croft
Manor. Each of the Levels is distinctive and offers plenty of scope
for variety in the core gameplay; the motorbike sections offering
distinct distraction – even though they may be inevitably flawed.
The variety of weapons available is limited; but each is distinctive
and none are more satisfying upon impact than the Shotgun. Your
Twin-Pistols feature infinite ammo, as well as a subtle Upgrade
System which at best adds a little initiative and at worst is simply
ignorable. Lara now also has a Grapple Line in her inventory. A
click of the X Button launches a wire directly in the direction your
avatar is facing, with X to retrieve it or the Y Button to pull the
line towards you, along with the object it’s attached to. A novel
addition surely, but due to the title’s nature has succumbed to
many of the flaws noted in other mainstream AAA releases such as the
Metal Gear Solid series, Driver: Parallel Lines and True
Crime: New York City. Creating objectives reachable by only
cunning videogaming skill, with a playing field levelled by
highlighting the useable objects.
Graphically,
Lara Croft; Tomb Raider: Legend is akin to the Xbox360’s
outsider Launch Title Amped 3. While clearly far from pushing
the system’s capabilities, the title is more than competent and
has plenty of nice touches. Eidos’ insistence that the title has
had more than a spit-and-polish for the Xbox360 release may lead to
disappointment,  however this would be unjustified as it remains
clear that some thought has gone into the port of the title for the
next-generation system. The sound quality is of a very
high-standard, featuring lip-synching during cut-scenes and
plot-progression throughout play simply by the use of Voice-Over
Comm. Talk.
Lara
Croft; Tomb Raider: Legend had a lot to prove and none more so
than its release on the first next-generation console. Both
accomplished and slighted, the title achieves a muddled journey to
its ultimate destination. Tomb Raider has always been a
flawed perception of a stylised, eccentric gameplay; and that vision
has now been realised. Little more could be asked of a title hoping
to reinvigorate a series long-since departed from its origin, and
the future has never looked rosier for Ms. Croft.
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