Bootylicious
Graphically Tomb Raider: Legend borders on the good side of average, the graphics are certainly not fantastic. There’s a fair few rocks, boulders, walls and stone buildings throughout the game and, although they show detail and care in construction, there are so many of them that they blend into one huge mass of grey/brown after a time. The artists must have spent a fair amount of time copying and pasting the environment (I doubt that’s the technical term).
Click for larger imageThe artists have done a fine overall job though, water looks fantastic even when swimming in it, and small touches, such as the smoking gun, and crumbling rocks are commendable, but the mountainous pathways and rigid structures of the first level may not do the overall game justice. I’ve seen screenshots of plenty of areas with bright sunlight and greenery, the first level is slightly disappointing in comparison.
The most time and effort in the character modelling and animation has obviously been taken on Lara. She animates superbly and fluently when attempting any acrobatic manoeuvres, and always looks rather sexy for an animation. Her detailed facial features and realistic eye movements are a huge improvement on previous Tomb raider games.
Click for larger imageIt would have been a nice addition to see Lara climb out of the water dripping wet, but she does get a bit muddy as she climbs the rough terrain. In comparison to the other characters, Lara is radiantly detailed.
The other characters in the game are fairly unimpressive when compared to other character models seen in other Xbox 360 games. They’re adequate, but you’ll adopt the ‘so what’ attitude as you raise an eyebrow and shrug your shoulders at the woodenness of the overall character design. Keeley Hawes, star of Spooks, lends her voice to Lara Croft. Her strength is clearly with T.V work and not voice-overs, the acting is certainly not BAFTA standard and, at best, adequate. Lara’s voice lacks animation and expression, it’s flat and uninspiring. The English rose accent feels homely and has a warm, tender tone but, it lacks a certain ‘je ne sais quois.’
The acting from other characters during cuts-scenes is also flat, and lacks any sort of depth.
Fortunately the soundtrack is right on the money. The music adds to the tension of situations creatively, by the use heart pounding Indiana Jones style orchestral pieces during action scenes. Even standard sounds, such as bird’s chirping, rock’s falling and branches breaking are extremely accurate and add to the whole atmosphere of the game. Based on my experience playing the first level of this game, it’s tough to tell whether Tomb Raider: Legend will stand the test of time. I’ve certainly had more fun playing the likes of Jade Empire and Prince of Persia. Both from a graphical and gameplay angle I feel Eidos’s latest game doesn’t quite make the grade. Of course I may be proved totally wrong.
Tomb Raider: Legend is available now on Xbox, Xbox 360, PS2, PSP and PC.
