Tomb Raider Reviews : Not Crap!

[Deadend]

The reviews for Tomb Raider : Legend, are starting to come out.

1up (http://www.1up.com) chimes in with an 8/10 (http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3149461&did=1).

Of course, Legend isn't going to change the world. It's hardly the monumental, influential work that the original Tomb Raider was, but it doesn't really need to be. It proves Tomb Raider's success was the result of a great gameplay idea that holds up 10 years later, not just the result of good timing at the cusp of the 3D revolution. And it's good, addictive fun that deserves a fair chance from Raider fans and detractors alike. It's been a long time in coming, but Crystal Dynamics has given us a great reminder of why we started playing these games in the first place.
Gamespot (http://www.gamespot.com) gives a 7.8 (http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/action/tombraidervii/review.html?sid=6147408).

The Good: Lara has tons of great-looking moves and abilities; varied levels take you to exotic locations all over the world; excellent voice work and sound; great graphics and detailed environments.

The Bad: The game is short and not very challenging; unstable frame rate; the camera is occasionally frustrating; weak gunplay.
Eurogamer (http://www.eurogamer.net) finishes with a 7/10 (http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=63793).

Tomb Raider Legend is not the stunning return to form we were hoping for, but is certainly a leap in the right direction that clings on by its finger tips to being generally solid, and mostly very entertaining addition to the series. Legend bodes well for future releases, and the Welcome mat may be out for Lara this time, but there's only so long Eidos can trade on past glories.
I am suprised, I was really expecting the game to be torn apart, and to never have to hear about Tomb Raider again, but...it seems that it might not suck.

[Royal Fool]

For the record, Eurogamer gave it a 7/10 (http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=63793).

Panning back to the bigger picture, there's no doubt that Tomb Raider Legend is, overall, a pretty entertaining game that long-term fans of the series will be reasonably satisfied by. The way that Crystal Dynamics has, on its debut for the franchise, managed to recapture a large chunk of what made the game such a hit in the first place is truly commendable. The adventuring, exploration, atmosphere and puzzling essence that we've been hankering after makes a stylish return, and with a control system that's - for the most part - slick and well implemented. After the shock of Angel of Darkness, getting the series anywhere close to being back on track feel like a victory.

But let's be realistic: Legend is not all that it could have been. It's justifiably irksome that the combat is so utterly lame from start to finish, and that there are some truly awful driving sections and pointless slo-mo action sequences that boggle the mind with their spellbinding rubbishness - and were it not for their fleeting appearances, the game could have easily been a disaster.

There's no doubt, too, that the game could and should have been much more impressive on a technical level. In 2006, on a machine as powerful as the 360, we should absolutely not have to put up with creaking frame rates and silly clipping issues (where metal jaws can apparently go through giant fish monsters and Lara can walk on air). It's fairly obvious that Legend game wasn't designed for the 360, but even against the best action adventures of recent times (like God of War or the Prince of Persia trilogy) it falls some way short of matching the standard we've become accustomed to in recent years - both on a gameplay and on a technical level.

Tomb Raider Legend is not the stunning return to form we were hoping for, but is certainly a leap in the right direction that clings on by its finger tips to being generally solid, and mostly very entertaining addition to the series. Legend bodes well for future releases, and the Welcome mat may be out for Lara this time, but there's only so long Eidos can trade on past glories.

Approach with caution. :)

[AndoCalrissian]

I'm predicting at least 3 more Tomb Raider sequels this generation.

[Heretic Machine]

I didn't have any frame rate problems on either the 360 or the PC in the demos... I am hesitent to buy it because of how short it is though, so I'll probably just end up renting it.

[askheaves]

The demo was great, that's for sure. I felt a lot more control over the character than I did in past iterations which turned me off of the series. I will probably give this one a rental.

[speeder]

The demo had big visible seams in the textures and parts of the background where not sorting right. Does the final version have these technical glitches too?

[Savok]

It's Crystal Dynamics, that they were gonna hammer out a halfway decent game, they always do. The important part is, does it have Michael Bell?

[TRiLoGY]

I loved it, the only bad thing was that it was too short, I finished it in 6 hours.. But very Enjoyable! Crystal Dynamics did a good job :)

[Deadend]

I loved it, the only bad thing was that it was too short, I finished it in 6 hours.. But very Enjoyable! Crystal Dynamics did a good job :)

Cool, I will probably try and figure out a way to give it a shot... Once I conquer the Thieves Guild, and complete the "Allies for Burma" Quest.

Oblivion is sucking away all my time with it's awesomeness, I have yet to even SEE the Fighters Guild, or be inside a Mages Guild building for more than 10 minutes (related to other quests).

Yeah... I will go tomb raiding, right after I finish looting some Aelid ruins, and some Oblivion Gates, and some caves...

I am probably not going to get around to Tomb Raider, I just realized.

[KidCactus]

I've always hated the Tomb Raider games, but this one is GREAT! Awesome control, which has been the major problem with Lara, and eye candy graphics. I really don't have anything to complain about, since this is pure quality fun gaming.

And I haven't seen any slowdowns either, this on the 360.

[Suicidal ShiZuru]

Just finished the PC Demo, really damn good Im tempted to buy it. Used to love Lara. Its pretty simple, aside from the platforming of course but its fun. Great graphics too, even though the "next generation effects" option for graphics wasnt available...

I hate how there are only jiggly bits in cut scenes though...

[KidCactus]

The demo had big visible seams in the textures and parts of the background where not sorting right. Does the final version have these technical glitches too?
I didn't notice anything like that in the demo on the 360, and nothing in the final version either.

[Suicidal ShiZuru]

There seemed to be a bit of texture glitching in the stream at a certain part but nothing major and that was it.~demo~

[Lutheran]

The game was a lot of fun , took me 8 hours or so to beat it but its really the best tombraider game since 1 and 2. I recommend it to anyone.

[Sl1pstream]

On the negative side, I hate the camera. The game itself is fun and you should at least rent it.

[Rirath]

The demo on the 360 (YAY Demos!) convinced me this is the first non-sucky Tomb Raider since the days of Tomb Raider and Tomb Raider 2. That's saying quite a lot, as I had completely given up hope on the series.

Personally, being short is definitely not a deal breaker for me. If anything, I prefer games of this nature to be short. If they were Oblivion lengthed, I'd simply lose interest. This is a perfect weekend rental.

[phantomhitman]

i agree with rirath about the game. I am going to give it a rent, if it woes me enough I will buy it.

[Vandenh]

You can Tomb Raid in Oblivion :)

Anyway.. I bought Tomb Raider because I wanted some fun platform action between long Oblivion sessions. Oblivion is super good, but it drains me :)

[EvilBob46]

I would consider a game that scores in the 7 range to be slightly above average. In other words, nothing really worth playing when there are so many better titles around these days.

[bean19]

If you have an X360 and like tennis games at all, I'd highly recommend Top Spin 2. It is "bargain-priced" at $40 and it is one of the best tennis games I have ever played.

[Wolfgang]

Yeah, IGN had a podcast talking about how they review games. They said a 7 and above is a good game. It is just gamers don't think it is good unless it is a 9 or above -- which they would like to reserve for awesome games, but gamers think anything below a 9 is a pass.

[bean19]

Yeah, IGN had a podcast talking about how they review games. They said a 7 and above is a good game. It is just gamers don't think it is good unless it is a 9 or above -- which they would like to reserve for awesome games, but gamers think anything below a 9 is a pass.


I think that gamers probably more accurately feel that anything below an 8 is a pass.

9+ is awesome, 8-9 is good, 7-7.9 is a rent-before-buying, and anything below 7 is trash.

And honestly, that's a pretty good rule system to go by.

[phantomhitman]

If you have an X360 and like tennis games at all, I'd highly recommend Top Spin 2. It is "bargain-priced" at $40 and it is one of the best tennis games I have ever played.


lets play on live one day. I suck really bad, but I want to try out this game online to see if any issues occur.

[KidCactus]

If you have an X360 and like tennis games at all, I'd highly recommend Top Spin 2. It is "bargain-priced" at $40 and it is one of the best tennis games I have ever played.
And this is relevant in this thread in what way? :D

[bean19]

And this is relevant in this thread in what way? :D

Because Tomb Raider is this week's supposedly big X360 title. Though it is multi-platform, the X360 version is the best version.

Thus I was pointing out that there is a better X360 offering.

phantomhitman - My gamertag is shai23. My router broke and thus I'm never online unless I switch the modem cables over though. Send me a friend invite and I'll do that tonight so we can play. I've barely started, got the game yesterday through gamefly, so I'm sure you'll tear me up, but it should be fun.

[NeuroMan42]

I have never played or even wanted to play ANY of the TR games. I played the demo and wwas impressed. Maybe once it is $20 or below I will get it, but it is not worth $40+. I have the same feeling for Condemed on the PC.

[Wolfgang]

I think that gamers probably more accurately feel that anything below an 8 is a pass.

9+ is awesome, 8-9 is good, 7-7.9 is a rent-before-buying, and anything below 7 is trash.

And honestly, that's a pretty good rule system to go by.

You should let IGN know how you feel :) -- they consider an 8 a really good game.

[captainspankypants]

I never really considered "not crap" to be high praise, but maybe that's just me.

[NeuroMan42]

The only thing that kills the game for me is the craptastic save system. You cannot save anywhere, you just have few and far between half-way points. Redoing things OVER and OVER is not my idea of fun. Maybe someone will make a crack to let you save, or at least put in MORE half-way points.

[Worldcrafter]

After playing the PC demo, I was instantly sold. It played a bit like the PoP games, which I love, and felt like what the first few Tomb Raider games were trying to capture. The full game might not be as fun all the way through (see: Indigo Prophecy), but since I can buy it new for under $40, I can't complain. Should be a fun adventure to play between Oblivion sessions.

[johnperkins21]

The controls in the demo were not very tight, and the camera was atrocious. How are the controls and camera in the final build. I loved the first 2 TR games, but with so many puzzles that involve precise jumping, having the controls just a little off and a camera that will not let me line up right (and quickly) is a deal breaker.

[Sl1pstream]

If the camera is that important, forget about it. I missed more than a few jumps thanks to the camera.

[Zanzibar]

I played the demo and loved it. Had no framerate issues, but I was playing it at 480i. (God damn HDTVs. Want one bad but can't afford 'em.)

I'll wait until the price comes down, tho. I've still gotta work on Oblivion (note I didn't say 'finish', I don't know if that's humanly possible) and I still haven't cracked GRAW.

[KidCactus]

Redoing things OVER and OVER is not my idea of fun.
Well, if you're doing things over and over again in this game, you're just bad. :p