June 5, 2006 - Few video games, let alone novels, movies or television shows, have managed to shape and define a generation, but the Tomb Raider franchise has. The first time I ever set eyes on Lara was in programming class in early ‘97 when I should’ve been learning C coding. Home computers at the time were expensive and so, it wasn’t uncommon to see games such as Duke Nukem 3D installed on computers in our labs. And it wasn’t uncommon to see deathmatches take place while the teachers droned on and on. But when we glimpsed Tomb Raider on a lonely computer to the side of the class, we couldn’t help but all focus on it. A few of us, mid-class, walked over to enquire what it was. The teacher even stopped and had a look for himself. Instead of yelling, he sat down and played for a few minutes. That was the power of Lara and of Tomb Raider. When I first got a PS1, it was for Tomb Raider (Greatest Hits) and the newly released Tomb Raider 2. I had the Lara Croft memory card (still in its original packaging), T-Shirts, posters, calendar and I had even memorized facts about her by heart. On valentine’s day one year, I got a cake with Happy Birthday Lara written on it. Creepy, I know.

I remember finishing Tomb Raider 2 over the course of one weekend. 38 hours it took. And quite possibly some of the most hypnotic, brilliant and memorable hours of my life. As much as I’d loved Tomb Raider, the second outing was such a magical game that it eclipsed all other video games I’d ever played and certain set-pieces and levels still live on in my sub-conscience as if I’d done them yesterday. Mario, Luigi and Zelda may have been icons, but Lara was bigger than any one medium could contain. Everyone knew about her. Without her there would be no DOA girls, no Joanna Dark, no strong female leads to rival men. Lara broke the mold but also set the tone for everything we know of video games today. But while the Tomb Raider franchise remained successful, the games slowly waned and never managed to capture the pure magic of the two first games. Angel of Darkness was set to make things right, but we all know how that turned out. And now, after developer changes and a long hiatus, Legend is finally released to make amends for the transgressions committed by the later Croft outings. As a gamer, Legend is easy to recommend; it plays well, has interesting levels that are fun to play over and over and has great visuals. As a long-time fan of the franchise, Legend is akin to the Second Coming; it captures the magic and awe of the first games, feels like a long-lost friend and completely rekindles my obsession with the franchise. Lara’s back! And it’s oh so nice to see her again.

When you finally get passed the visuals (yes, Tomb Raider Legend looks amazing), you’ll realize that for all the changes made to Lara’s control mechanics, things feel surprisingly natural. We’ve used this control scheme before in other games and Legend just makes it more intuitive and flowing. You no longer need to set up jumps by slowly walking to the edge of a platform (for a small jump) or taking a jump back to initiate a long-jump. Things, however nostalgic this may make a few of us, have changed for the better. The left thumbstick controls Lara’s movements (slight motion to walk, hard press to run) while the right thumbstick deftly controls the camera. As with most camera-free games, any problems experienced in the view department are generally the user’s since Legend’s camera is set at the perfect distance from Lara and never hinders any of the action or exploration. Face buttons allow you to crawl, roll, jump and interact with items. All of Lara’s old tricks are back as well; she can still dive, leap while locked on to enemies, hand-stand onto platforms and perform slide attacks. She’s also learned a few new moves like using a grapple and swinging around poles (a la Prince of Persia). Vehicles return and some levels are geared exclusively towards motorcycle chases. These are a fun distraction, but aren’t as well integrated as in previous games (motorboat in Venice for example). For the most part, the controls (shimmying, running, jumping, swinging, shooting, pushing, pulling, etc) are all well handled, but when comparing the Xbox to the Xbox 360, the Xbox’s controls feel a little clunkier and the walk/run control sometimes seems suspect. On the 360, you really couldn’t ask for better controls.