Tomb Raider: Legend for Xbox Reviews by Gamers

Oh Lara, where have you been all my life? Oh right, in mediocre games. Yes, I will be the first to admit that I was not particularly taken with previous iterations of this series, because they were plagued with rigid gameplay, twitchy controls and spastic cameras. However, I have good news: Lara Croft just got a makeover. Tomb Raider: Legend addresses so many of the chronic problems of the series, making it more accessible and engaging. First of all, the graphics are far improved over previous games. In fact, the presentation in general feels more complete, from menus to voice-acting to sound effects to artwork. The gameplay is a big step up for the series. No longer do you have to be perfectly lined up with a ledge to make a successful jump. No longer do you simply stick your guns out and hope to hit something (you get auto and manual targeting). Lara can do far more this time around, taking a cue from the acrobatics of Prince of Persia. Searching for medals and the time trials adds lots of replay and incentives to the game. You can unlock a whole wardrobe for Lara (a torn evening gown is perfect for tangling with a bengal tiger). The varied scenic vistas of Nepal, Ghana, London, Japan, etc. seem vast and open. So, what's the problem? Well, the gameplay isn't perfect and there are times still some annoying camera issues (a problem when trying to do things like jump to the side instead of forward). And it's fairly short. I got 100% completion in about 11 hours. It's not quite as fluid as Prince of Persia, but the extras help out a lot. It's definitely a step in the right direction for Miss Croft. I look forward to raiding more tombs with Lara in the future (insert joke here).

WOW! I am only 12% thru the second mission, and...did I say "WOW!" yet?

With that out of the way, I have to say that I don't understand why we EVER had to endure TR:AOD at all. That is, given that this game is available on current gen. systems, I have no idea why Eidos bothered to make TR:AOD instead of TR:L. Clearly, they had it in them, and clearly, the technology is / was sufficient.

With TR:L, the controls are intuitive, and fluid. Lara moves fabulously. She looks amazing, to boot. Even my 8 yr old daughter noticed how...simply pretty...Lara's face is. Lara even stays visibly wet, for a period of time, after exiting water, in a way that looks VERY real.

The game play in TR:L is exciting and the story is inviting. Neither of these is true of TR:AOD.

I only have two minor problems with it so far. The camera is slightly limited (it can't be tilted to see everything above Lara in places where it should be able to be), and it is sometimes tricky to get context sensitive indicators to pop up at will.

That said, let me say, in summary, that if this game were not available on current gen. systems, it'd've been an XBOX 360 system-seller for me, whereas the price tag is otherwise prohibitive for me right now. That is, being able to have better graphics for this title is not enough for me to fork over that kind of cash, but, not being able to play this game without an XBOX 360 would have moved me to buy one (,had I seen a demo). It's THAT good, folks.

TR:Legend has, indeed, fully redeemed Eidos, in this reviewers eyes.