The Saga continues... (Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness (PS2))

Member Name: pol0408

Product:	Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness (PS2)
Date:	30/07/03 (160 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good gameplay, New additions, Exciting action

Disadvantages: More of the same, Glitches in production

Unless you have been on a pilgrimage to Mars for the last 7 years, I'm sure anyone reading this will know who Lara Croft is. Ever keen to stretch the Tomb Raider marketing franchise that bit further, Eidos Interactive and Core Design have teamed up once again to bring us Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness, Miss Croft's 6th adventure so far. Not only is there a new storyline, but also our intrepid explorer finds herself this time in totally new surroundings - the Playstation 2!

Before I continue I must point out that I have not played every game so far in the tomb raider series so if I am wrong in saying that this game has a new feature when it as already been seen in a previous tomb raider then I apologise.

I am not going to pad out this review describing the complex storyline or plot of the game as if you're that interested I'm sure it is out there on many internet sites or you can go into any computer game store and read the box. And anyway to be honest and quite frank - I'm not sure that I fully understand the storyline myself but anyway I like to just dive in and play again without getting bogged down too much in any back plot.

Too begin with, the graphics in this game far surpass those seen in the original titles on the playstation. Lara's movements are fluid and smooth - even, dare I say it, realistic. Lara's facial expressions can be observed much more clearly than before while her movements seem to "interact" more smoothly with the environment than in previous titles.

But let's face it you're not gonna buy this game just to admire the clear graphics or fluidity of motion, you want to play it. So how is the gameplay? Well to be quite honest, it can be confusing. For a start, the developers seem to have overhauled the control system and now buttons used to perform one action in previous adventures perform totally different actions now. This change can range fr
om simply annoying to downright life threatening (literally). I mean at one point where Lara is standing right at the edge of a high platform ready to take a standing jump and grab the next ledge I press the square button and forward and what happens? Not a standing jump, but that 180-degree army roll that Lara does. Be aware the functions of the circle and square buttons have been swapped about. Anyone used to playing the other games I'm sure will have the same problem although after a few hours I did seem to get the hang of it although to be honest I wonder what?s gonna happen the next time I feel like playing one of the older titles and have to revert back to the old system.

This also brings me to another point. It seems to me as if the game has been rushed by the producers in order to get it out on the shelves as it seems to me that there are places where the game manual do not link up with what happens on screen. For example, the manual says that there are 3 pre-defined control configurations selected through the in-game options menu. Fantastic I thought, as I would then be able to revert back to the original controls and save the frustration mentioned above. I press the start button and scroll through the options and guess what?there is no controls menu as stated in the manual! On another page of the manual it states: "At the start of the game, Lara has only a blood stained fax as a clue" and further down the same page, "Lara starts her adventure with 2 bandages". But when you actually check your inventory at the very start of the game, guess what? Yep, you've got it in one, you have absolutely nothing in your possession but the clothes on your back! Maybe I'm missing something, if any dopoyoo members can clear this up I'm all ears.

The game does have a definite movie feel about it. Action packed with plot twists and turns and cinematic views of Lara when she is in certain areas. But with

any blockbuster movie there are irregularities such as unexplained costume changes, etc which I admit don?t affect the gameplay one bit but you'd think after 5 previous releases, the developers would make sure that this kind of thing had been ironed out by now.

All in all I do like Angel of darkness. The new stealth moves whereby you sneak up on an enemy before "disabling" him is riveting stuff. Also the new area of unarmed combat is great. I mean taking on 2 guys who are both fully armed at once with nothing but you're bare fists and boots is sooo rewarding. You really feel like you've accomplished something.

Another word of warning, be careful if you're one of those players who religiously save their games every few minutes, you may inadvertently get stuck with no way back. I believe that this is the first time that you're actions directly affect the outcome of the game. For example if on the Louvre Galleries level, you trip a safety beam and save when you see the guard in a fit of panic then I believe you are stuck as I couldn't find a way to continue once the doors had been sealed - I may be wrong but just a word of warning. Another new feature is the ability to control the dialogue in Lara's conversations with other characters. At various points you have to pick from a selection of phrases. Certain phrases make your job easier as characters actively help you, other choices you may regret - I leave it at that.

I do think that Angel of Darkness is a good game but it will probably disappoint the die-hard Tomb Raider fans out there. If you simply enjoy the exploration/action type of game that Tomb Raider delivers then you can't go wrong with this. On the other hand there are other titles now out there and I fear that after this 6th adventure it may be time for Lara to hang up her boots and enjoy her early retirement.

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