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Reviewed by UK Guest, 3rd Jul 2003. |
| Review Summary: Devolution not Evolution. |
Overall Score: 3/5
 
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Review: Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness on the Sony PlayStation 2, the brand new installment in the Tomb Raider series, will no doubt sell by the bucket-load, however, this does not alter the fact that it would appear that Core Design has bitten off far more than it could chew in attempting to take Ms. Croft into the "Next Generation". The game would have appeared to have gone through several downgrades in graphical excellence in order to gain a playable framerate and , as such, disappoints those who would expect the kind of graphics first seen in trailers for the game when it was first showcased.
Playability has also taken a backward step, with Lara now sporting an array of moves more likely to be pulled off successfully each and everytime by a Rubik's cube champion as opposed to an average gamesplayer. This is not due to complexity of controls but, the usual nemesis of 3-D games, annoying camera angles.
It is all too frequent an event to be moving in one direction only to have the camera suddenly shift around you and cause the angle you were pressing the analogue stick towards, equally suddenly, to be incorrect. Welcome to happy frustration land.
Despite the flaws, there are some good points; excellent level design, good storyline and superb sound all contribute to make you want to play that little bit more to uncover the next gripping turn.
So much was expected of this "landmark next-generation" title but it would appear that not enough care was taken to ensure a thoroughly enjoyable playing experience.
If you're a fan of the series you may tolerate the annoying controls/camera issues, if you're new to the series and are considering this as a first Tomb Raider game, feel free to play it but I doubt you'll be looking forward to the next installment. |
Ratings
| Value For Money: |
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3 |
| Review Score: |
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3 |
| Recommended? | |
No |
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PC & Video Games