Re-Review #25: Tomb Raider: Legend

Tomb Raider: Legend

PlayStation 2

For my initial review of this game, click

>HERE<

I first played through Tomb Raider: Legend back in May of 2015. If you are interested in my thoughts, I posted the link to my initial review above. In my review, I talked about how the game was too short and how it was relatively easy compared to the classic Tomb Raider series. I liked the game, but I wasn't crazy about it. I raced through it in about 6 or 7 hours, and then I was done with it. I ended up giving the game the score of a C+. This usually indicates that I found the game to be just slightly above average. My memories of the game agree with this. Thinking back, I can only remember the game as being "all right". I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it, either. It was fine. That's about all I can really remember about it.

I hadn't intended to play through this for a second time. But I recently played through Tomb Raider Anniversary, and I really liked it. I didn't like that game when I first played it. I thought: if I can change my mind on one game, maybe I could change it for the other? So I decided to come back and play through this one more time, while trying to keep an open mind about things.

I ended up liking it a lot more this time around. I think it was a matter of adjusting my expectations. I didn't expect this to be a world beating title. I just wanted to play through it and have fun. And that's exactly what I did.

It's a fast moving game. The puzzles are easy. The combat isn't too overly difficult. It's a game that moves along quickly from location to location. And then before you know it, the game is over. It's short, but it is action packed.

If you are coming into this game expecting it to be like the classic PS1 games, you are going to come away disappointed. It's a more action oriented and cinematic experience. It is also a very forgiving game. I won't say it holds your hand, but it makes things much easier on you than its predecessors. I remember when this game first came out, it was essentially a complete reboot of the Tomb Raider series. They made it more like Prince of Persia than anything else. So I can forgive them for not quite finding their footing with this one. I think Anniversary was a lot better, and it perfected the things that this game laid the groundwork for. I can't speak on Underworld, the third game in the PS2/3 trilogy. I played it a looong time ago, and I can barely remember anything about it. I looked back through my PS3 trophy list and can't find this game on it, so I must have played it before trophy support was offered, which was common for a lot of early PS3 games back in like 2007 or 2008. But I assume it takes things and improves on them even more.

Would I recommend this game to others? Yes, actually. If you're a Tomb Raider fan, you have to play this no matter what. If you're a fan of the action/adventure genre as a whole, then you'd probably enjoy this as well. If you're expecting a 40+ hour epic, you've come to the wrong place. Compared to video game "masterpieces" out there, this is more of a Michael Bay movie than anything else. Or maybe a superhero movie. It's fun, it's fast paced. You enjoy it as you're watching it. But when it ends, you'll find it left very little impact on your life. One week after finishing it, you've forgotten it completely.

That said, I still enjoyed it. I can see why I gave it a C+ the first time I reviewed it, but I also liked it a little bit better this time around.

THE GRADE:

B

The C+ and the B scores average out to a B-, which is probably a bit more indicative of where this title lands.

For a complete index of all my past posts and game reviews, click

>HERE<