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Tomb Raider Legend Review
Written by Robert Falcon on Thursday, June 22, 2006
Lovely graphics and sound; great mixture of action and puzzles.
Quirky controls; camera problems aplenty; multiplayer games are useless.
Lara Croft's kinda had a bumpy ride when it comes to her portable efforts. While the N-Gage version of Tomb Raider wasn't terrible, it was based on a PlayStation game from years before and didn't really offer anything new to the experience. Her Game Boy Advance adventure wasn't too bad either, but its top-down perspective failed it involve us like the 3-D ones did, you know? It's like you weren't with her during the adventure, just keeping track of her. Fortunately, it looks like Eidos has remedied this situation with the release of Tomb Raider Legend for the PSP, a game that manages to nail down most of the aspects from the console hit...although it does hit a few speed bumps.
In the game, Lara once again embarks on an adventure that will take her through a series of locales, and also help her learn more about the shadowy past of her mother. It's a flimsy plot at best, but, hey, at least it's a plot that somewhat makes sense and sits as a backbone for a somewhat worthy adventure. Crystal Dynamics has stepped in to the place of Core Design and handled the game with much more care, and that's the reason the console versions have succeeded thus far.
So, does the PSP version succeed? Well, sort of. The game does feature superb graphics that show off some environmental detail, especially in the lavish jungle levels or on the mean streets in the middle of a frantic motorcycle chase, without the frame rate ever missing a beat. The music and sound effects are also top notch, complete with solid voice work by Lara's character. So the game looks and sounds good, and you're able to comprehend the action pretty effectively, with barely missing a beat. The mixture of action and puzzle-solving is also a nice touch, so you just don't go around shooting everything.
However, not all the flowers in the garden are roses. There are a few thorns about. First off, the controls, while somewhat solid, take a little bit of getting used to, thanks to an overactive use of the analog nub that sometimes forces Lara over an edge or makes for a quirk in the gun combat. And with the limited button interface on the control pad, you'll also have to constantly readjust the camera, which can be a pain at times. If you're looking for a ledge to get further ahead or have to move it around to get a better look at enemies in the area, you actually have to hold down the square button and then move the analog nub to look around, and the camera fails to readjust back to a distant angle right away when you're done, which can get confusing.
Also, the game is pretty much a facsimile of the PS2/Xbox adventure, so if you've played through and beaten that game, most of the magic has already been shown. That means you'll run into the same puzzles you've solved already, as well as knowing where enemies are at so you can go in with guns blazing right away. The PSP version does contain some new bonus mini-games, in which you can compete against a friend with motorcycle races or collect artifcats in a level before your friend gets them, but they're minimal at best and will probably only hold your attention for an hour or so.
Tomb Raider Legend is by no means a failure. It's still a fun game with some interesting boss fights and some well-done design that shows that Lara's still got it, especially in the hands of Crystal Dynamics. But the gameplay and camera control could've been addressed, and the PSP extras are limited to gimmicky multiplayer games instead of all new levels that would've made this a great accompanying piece to the console game. Lara fans will love it, and those looking for some platforming fun on the go should invest, but everyone else is probably best off with just a rental or sticking to a superior console edition.
On the bright side, though, I'll take this over a blocky N-Gage port any day.
