Video Game Review: Tomb Raider Legend

Tomb Raider Legend

PlayStation 2

The original Tomb Raider formula produced a lot of great games, but after a while people started to complain that they were too similar and that the series needed a change. I for one liked the old Tomb Raider games and played them religiously (well, except for The Last Revelation, because fuck that game). But unlike a lot of people, I think change is good. And I looked forward to seeing how they would shake things up with Tomb Raider Legend.

A fair comparison to this game when it first came out would have been Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. Nowadays, this game brings to mind Uncharted. Gone are the "grid" layouts of the levels from the older games. Lara controls much, much better than she used to. You don't have to be as precise with your movements and the timing of your jumps. She hangs, swings, moves fluidly from ledge to ledge, hangs on to things automatically. She also has a nifty grappling hook she can use to swing over chasms and pull objects closer to her. After the sometimes brutal difficulty of the older games, a lot of which had to do simply with the control system, Lara suddenly became a lot easier to handle. 

The series needed a change. In retrospect, they couldn't have continued on with the formula of the old titles. Lara needed to get with the times. I played this game when it had originally came out, and I thought it was terrific. It had upgraded one of my favorite games and had kind of given the world a glimpse as to the full realized vision of Tomb Raider.

I was so swept up by the game that I didn't see its glaring flaws. Compared to the older Tomb Raider games, it is laughably easy. The puzzles require little to no thought at all. I never got stuck while playing, never had to search online for what I was supposed to do next. Despite the control upgrade, the battle system remained the same. You pulled out your guns, they locked on to the enemies, and you held down the fire button. You can basically just stand there and blast away at your enemies and come through the battle intact. And the game is SHORT. Like, really really short. Anyone could easily beat this game in 6 or 7 hours. Which for a Tomb Raider game is like the blink of an eye.

So. We have established that when Tomb Raider Legend came out I thought the game was terrific. I didn't see any of those flaws. It is only in present day that I took issue with the game. When I first played Legend (it came out in 2007) I beat the game and never picked it up again. I was content that I would come back and play it again at some point. I usually will play a game at least twice before I pack it away or sell it off. But due to a dearth of gaming options, I never got around to Legend again.

Until now. 2015: 8 years after I had played it last. 

I should add that I played this on the Tomb Raider HD Collection for the PS3. I mention this every time I review a game that is re-released. When it is basically a graphical update with no significant changes, I will credit the review to the original version of the game. Unless the game is significantly different. But for TR: Legend, I deemed that the game is too similar to the original to consider it a PS3 title. So basically I am reviewing the PS2 version. OK, now that that is out of the way, we can proceed.

The game holds up... kind of. It's a fun game, don't get me wrong. But after having just played Uncharted 2, there is no way this game can compare. It is too easy. It's ridiculously short. The graphics are way behind the times (although I won't go and say they are ugly; they are not. They are just not as lush and detailed as we are used to these days). And the storyline doesn't interest me at all. I completely zoned out during some of the early cut scenes and lost track of what was going on. Something about Lara pursuing the lost sword of Excalibur, and of course racing against a bunch of evil doers who want to get it before her and manipulate its power. But I stopped caring after a while.

It seems like all I am doing here is complain. I will say that for the most part I had fun playing it. It's not an all time great but if you just play it for what it is, you might like it. The levels are all pretty varied and diverse. The graphics aren't Uncharted, but they are decent. The atmospheric feel of the game is pretty nice. And who knows - maybe someone who can actually pay attention when people are talking might like the story. There are hidden collectibles to find left and right. I don't remember much about the original version of the game, but on the PS3 they offer trophies as incentive for going through and beating the game on Hard, playing through the time trials, unlocking all the outfits, and finding all the goodies. So while the game is short, there is replay value here.

Basic gameplay consists of running through levels, shooting baddies, and jumping from ledge to ledge making your way to the end of the level. You can collect stuff if you choose, but its not necessary. You pick up extra weapons. Nothing too exciting. Just shotguns and machine guns and the usual fair. Oh and you can pick up grenades too. But I kept forgetting about them and I think I didn't use one to take out an enemy the entire game. At the end of each stage there is either a group of enemies you must take out, or a traditional boss that you must defeat using either your guns or the environment around you. I did enjoy the boss battles in this game. 

And who doesn't like quick time events?

*looks around*

To keep you on your toes, the game throws one in there every once in a while during a cut scene. Nothing too complex or challenging. Just enough to make you feel like part of the action when normally you'd be watching from the sidelines.

Overall, I enjoyed the game. I wasn't nuts about it, but it was all right. I just couldn't get it out of my mind that I was playing a poor man's Uncharted (although this came out before Uncharted, so I know it is an unfair comparison). But all comparisons to that other series aside, this was fun. I liked it a lot more when it originally came out. It was fresh, exciting, and a fun new direction for the Tomb Raider series. Now, the series has been rebooted a second time (with the simply titled Tomb Raider for the current/last generation systems) and it feels a little dusty. 

I have to look at it in perspective though. Yes, it is an older game. Did I have fun? Yes. Did I ever at any point chuck my controller at the wall and curse the game designers for making such a heaping pile of crap? Nope. Did I ever dread popping this in and playing it when I had nothing else to do? Nope. I had a decent time. This game is short and likely not very memorable at all. I will never look back at this and think "wow that Tomb Raider Legend was so awesome". So it is definitely not a classic.

But a fun waste of 6 or 7 hours if you are a fan of the genre? For sure. And it will last even longer if you want to unlock everything the game has to offer. Which I am still undecided if I want to do or not.

Overall

C+