Lara Croft's face (And boobs and ass) has been one of the most well-known faces of the previous gaming generation. Instead of embarking on another adventure to show off her boobs and ass, Lara's framed for the murder of her mentor, and she spends a fair amount of the game dodging authorities and wondering if a serial killer is stalking her. It was rated "T", but I personally feel that it should have been rated "M" due to the grisly violence and way the serial killer deals with his victims.
The graphics of this game are unacceptable. While the first three Tomb Raider games looked staticy, this one doesn't, but it unfortunatley fails to look like a current generation game. People's fingers look like breadsticks and Lara looks like an alien-eyed refugee from Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, and the game slows down alot. It's like Lara's hand is always on the slow-motion button on the Dagger of Time! The game features a few nice shadowings, but this overall looks like a launch title.
A new feature added is the simple-as-hell “level-up” system. It is based not on skill, but is based on whether you can open a door or not. Such as how you can punch a punching bag, she feels stronger and has a level-up. It's incredibly boring and isn't based on skill at all.
The A.I is probably the worst ever. I have more risks of being killed by a box of Milk Duds than I have to be killed by the enemies here, which are programmed to either walk by going "Duuuuuuuh" or attack when it's physically impossible. Also, Lara Croft can't even step on a rat that's harming her. It's incredibly annoying, though sometimes entertaining.
Lara Croft is one of the most agile women in gaming history, yet for some reason, she handles like a truck (I bet her Mune-Mune sized chest and butt finally caught up with her. > [img]tongue.gif[/img] ) while her hand-to-hand combat is just as fast as .hack//SIGN's plot!
While some puzzles are a simple as pushing a button, some are rather nifty, such as a clever use of security cameras, the whirling lock in an archaological dig. There are also several sidequests and an alternate way to play through the game, you will most likely not want to play through a second time.
The camera control is the biggest downfall. It finds several excuses to get as much boobage as possible (This is Tomb Raider! Not Beach Volleyball!) while still delivering a good storyline. The camera controls are also some of the worst ever created. End of story.
As bad as Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness is, it does have something even remotley good. It starts with Lara's mentor being murdered and her bieng framed, but it later brings an organization and how the serial killer deals with their victims. It is a rather well done plot, but if only it could have had a good game to go with it.
Overall, Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness was probably created by the Angel of Darkness. It is a huge blotch on Lara Croft's resumee, and I highly doubt she will get another game after this. We can only pray that Betty Boob and Betty Butt in the same body can return to her former glory after this embarrassment. 3.45/10
Pros:
-=A somewhat well done plot=-
-=Some nice shadowing at times=-
Cons:
-=It looks almost worse than a launch title=-
-=Lara moves far too slow for an agile female=-
-=Combat is as slow as hell=-
-=The camera control is some of the worst ever recorded in the history of gaming=-
-=The puzzles are just as simplistic as a Preschool jigsaw puzzle=-
-=Awful leveling up system=-
-=Pathetic AI=-
[ November 03, 2004, 09:34 PM: Message edited by: Thowachairatmi ]