Saves the series, but.....
posted by kaiosama (BOSTON, MA) Apr 19, 2006
Member since Sep 2004
5
out of
7
gamers (71%) found this review helpful
First off I want to say that I gave this an 8 based not solely on this game itself but also because it gives the Tomb Raider series some creditability again. Honestly, if this wasn't a Tomb Raider game I suspect people would be rather less enthused about it. As a regular game I would give this game a 6.5, maybe 7.5 at most when compared to the amount of schlock that is out there...
The plot is nice, since it does give you some insight Lara's past; though it does suffer sometimes due to inane chatter of Lara's flunkies. One can definitely do without a wannabe hipster, cynical tech guy and some stereotypical, nerd historian doing commentary as you are risking your virtual life...
As for the gameplay itself, its pretty decent but lacking in some parts. The puzzles are well designed, they will definitely cause most players to pause and have to think the first time through. But most of the gameplay is based around traversing the environment of the levels, which can be a flaw or a strength dependent on you style of play.
But the biggest flaw, in my opinion, is the absurd level of mental retardation on the part of the enemy AI and the lack of challenge when it comes to any parts involving a weapon. Even if you only use the dual pistols through the entire game, the enemy AI will present no real challenge. The boss encounters are no better, they merely force you to use the surrounding environment as a gimmick; rather than provide test of your skills. The final boss is by far the easiest fight in the entire game, in my opinion, which is rather anticlimactic.
Ultimately, if you are looking for a decent game to kill a few hours with this as good as any. But if you are looking for a future classic or an innovative game, this is not it.
The biggest issue I have with this game, and much of the Tomb Raider series, is when Tomb Raider came out, back in the day, it was fresh and innovative. But now its not really making any new improvements, rather its just fixing past flaws.
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