Lara's back... and she's not alone!

Emil Mujanovic · Sep 2010

What do you get if you cross God of War, Prince of Persia and Diablo? Well, you'd get the new Tomb Raider game: Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light.

This new title from Crystal Dynamics, featuring their ever popular busty protagonist, Lara Croft, was released on XBLA and PSN late August is now seeing a Steam release on the 29th of September. I was pleasantly surprised when I first caught glimpse of this game as it looks completely different from previous Tomb Raider titles. Not only does it vary in appearance and gameplay by adding a new co-operative gameplay feature, but the game no longer has the "Tomb Raider" label.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHc4t5eIwss

Environments

The environment art has always been a tremendous focus in the Tomb Raider series and this hasn't changed one bit as the environments look fantastic... However, one crucial thing HAS changed and that's the camera system.

In this game, the camera is located in a fixed position above the player (ala Diablo) which gives you an open field of view of your surroundings. This has opened up the art direction to do some really interesting things with the environment, such as showing you the end goal from the start of the level and seeing it loom closer as you progress. Not only that, but it produces open expansive vistas and some mouth watering visuals!

The game mainly takes place in ancient ruins and cavernous areas, but all have been magnificently crafted and lit superbly to create an amazing atmosphere to the game. The environments really are a visual treat and the game is worth checking out based on this alone.

Characters

Lara hasn't changed much in terms of her design. She's wearing the same clothes she's been wearing since the 90s, her boobs are just as big and her shorts are just as skimpy. But who am I to complain! It's Lara Croft!

Totec, Lara's partner in crime, seems to be wearing even less than she is! Yet he's been giving a more of a tribal treatment as he is the ancient and the Guardian of Light.

This tribal theme seems to carry across with a lot of the characters in the game, but having said that they have been executed really well. Even though they have been designed to be viewed at from a distance, they hold up extremely well up close and it's some of the best quality character art I've seen on an XBLA/PSN title.

If you haven't picked this up on XBLA or PSN, then now is your chance. Or you can take advantage of the Steam offer, where if you pre-order before the PC release you'll receive Tomb Raider Legend as a free gift.

Check out the live demo taken at E3 by IGN. Keep the Kleenex close because this game looks HAWT!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4j7siyCwAk

Are the quality of low-budget XBLA/PSN titles improving or are there only a select few gems in amongst all the rubble?

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cman2k · Sep 2010

This is a great game. My daughter and I have had a blast playing it co-op, and the difficulty levels feel just right. Try the demo on xbox live and see for yourself!