Tomb Raider: Legend
April 10,2006 - It’s been ten years since globetrotting Lara Croft vaulted into the gaming world with a resounding bang. Saddling the curvature to bring men to their knees with brains, determination and a penchant for the daring has endeared the back-pack-adorned Brit to the hearts of many. In fact, it’s likely down to the immense popularity of Ms. Croft that the Tomb Raider games have remained a gem in the public’s eye for so very long.

Tomb Raider: Legend sees a return to the roots of the series, distancing itself from the ambitious elements of Angel of Darkness that ultimately signaled the death-knell for Core. What with original Lara Croft co-creator Toby Gard working on a Tomb Raider game for the first time since the original, he and the rest of the Crystal Dynamics team prove that the basics need to be concretely in place before loftier goals seep into the groundwork. As such, Legend proves to be the accessible creation many were hankering for, married to an improved camera and superb visuals.

Legend’s boxart bodes well for the ensuing game, depicting a sultry, husky-faced temptress with the form of a backpack in the background. You realize it’s Lara, but she’s looking wholly more lifelike than before. In game, she sports a fairly realistic mug too with tinges of anime, while moving like the athlete we’re accustomed to, with the opening cutscene dually depicting the adventurer dangling from a cliff-face. In time-honored fashion, we’re drip-fed all the characteristics of the Lara we know and love, with the suitable voice and confidence emanating from the heroine.

Legend sees Lara in familiar explorative mode as she searches various archeological sites in the quest to unravel the weaves of mystery shrouding the King Arthur “myth” which, if the game is to be believed, may not be a myth at all. Do away with those snide smiles and rolled-eyes however, for the story is a gripping one and is a testament to the fact that action games need not solely concentrate on the aspects cited in the genre’s title.

The plot unfolds via cutscenes and in game dialogue between Lara and her couplet of informers, Alistair and Zip. These two live in the Croft manor and occasionally accompany Lara on an expedition. No matter their positioning though, they’re always on hand to relay pertinent information and you’ll be given full exposure to the dialogue between the informers and the adventurer herself. In logical terms, it all works thanks to a headpiece and microphone attached to Lara’s head, and this simple gameplay mechanic effectively translates the characteristics of the trio across to the player. Despite the one-dimensional nature of the threesome (though Alistair seems to be particularly concerned for Lara in times of trouble…) you’ll likely enjoy the notion that you’re not solely alone during your treks.

If anything, Legend succeeds in assuaging frustration. Puzzles never encroach on the aggravation of yester incarnations due to a RAD (“Remote Analysis Device”, accessed through the binoculars with a press of the “Interact” key) that identifies objects of note. It’s reminiscent of Grim Fandango in the sense that you’re not left to hunt around wildly for the key elements in a conundrum. That said, even identifying the role-players in a brainteaser doesn’t ensure an easy passage, with climbable crevices obscured from the unwary eye. Thankfully, acrobatic trickery is less fraught with danger as the game often reads your intentions, and ill-attempted jumps can still be rectified at times. The gist of what we’re saying is this: you don’t need to get the jump perfect to be successful. Most pleasing of all is the way Lara subtly shakes her when instructed to interact with an object that is unable to have the heroine’s hand hoisted upon it.

Aside from the RAD, Lara’s now able to administer health-packs, suitable in times-of low-health scenarios and activate a torch, slyly named a “Personal Light Source”.

Should Crystal Dynamics have been a writer penning the final novel in a trilogy after the untimely demise of its creator, you’d be impressed at how fitting it is. In short, this is a Tomb Raider game through and through and its set apart from its forebears through the inclusion of worthy, feasible features rather than an underlying feeling that it simply doesn’t “feel right”. Because it does feel right – It feels like a worthy increment in a long-standing, highly popular series and proves that a new team repeatedly breathes life into a series of games verging on the mundane.

One of the more appreciated additions is the ability to move the camera with your mouse. It’s one of the first things you’ll notice as you slip into Lara’s leather-clad boots, and greatly lessens the frustration of being unable to see during certain junctures. Naturally, the camera pans automatically in conjunction with Lara’s movement, so it never plays as a first-person shooter from a third-person viewpoint, as say, Max Payne does. As a result, you’ll get the odd moment of desperate “Lara searching” as the camera obscures your view, but it does allow a good look at the curvaceous creature when you wish.  

Still, despite the better interface, problems persist. For a start, gunfights in Legend are maddeningly console-orientated with a lock-on mode that negates much challenge. Furthermore, the game automatically holsters your weapon after a certain period of inactivity and this renders a modicum of caution unfeasible. There are other bindings, but these too are saddled with constraints. There’s an advanced toggle mode that allows for holstering when need be. Sadly, it doesn’t incorporate the ability to lock onto new targets without a great deal of fuss. In essence, you’re forced to stow away the weapon, re-equip it and turn to face the new foe at the same time. Absurdly fiddly you’ll agree. On easy, bullets inflict very little damage, and as such, you can easily bypass shootouts with the unproductive controls withstanding.  In fact, even with the game set to Hard, difficulty levels never encroach on Max Payne or MDK territory; granted, these are both action-orientated.

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