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Gears of War Game Review: xBox 360

Thu, 23 Nov 2006 00:00:00 +0000

With all of the hype surrounding Gears of War, has Emergence Day been worth the wait?

There have been trailers, E3 demos, million dollar ad campaigns, and even an MTV special about Epic Games' newest release, Gears of War. With all of the publicity behind it, Gears of War is the video game equivalent to a big-budget summer blockbuster movie.

Gears of War is the kind of title designed to appeal to those gamers who feel the size of one's gun is directly connected to the amount of fun one can have.

It's a third-person shooter, exquisitely-designed and with the kinds of graphics prowess that will give new PlayStation 3 owners a deep pang of regret at spending $600 on their new machine.

From the moment the game starts the beauty of the world that has been created is breathtaking. There might be a touch too much grey in the palette but the visual splendour of buildings, domes, towers, interiors and exteriors would not look out of place in a Peter Jackson movie.

You take control of disgraced soldier Marcus Fenix who is released from jail to help the army battle an alien horde that has long since taken control of Earth.

The principal action of the game revolves around mini-battles: finding cover and unleashing your hellish arsenal on the enemy.

The game utilises a cover system, and wherever you find a wall, piece of smashed masonry, pillar or post you can crouch behind it and then fire of your weapons from a first person perspective.

The cover system is essential - if you go wading into a battle you will soon find yourself dead. How fortunate then that every space in the game is littered with potential cover.

Although the cover system works as advertised it constrains the game.

Each battle becomes a succession of 3D space invaders: The aliens climb out of an Emergence Hole at some distance, you crouch behind the nearest piece of cover and pick them off one by one until they are dead.

The fights are broken up with a series of essentially shallow mini games. In one section you must blow up a series of conveniently located gas canisters in order to illuminate the darkness and ward off a flying horde - similar to the creatures in movie Pitch Black.

Gears of War is still a lot of fun to play because - like the great arcade games of the 1970s and 1980s - it sticks to its core principles and doesn't deviate for a second and there is an exuberance about the game that survives despite the many flaws.

It's been criticised for being innovation-free but that's a bit unfair. A title like Halo didn't innovate, it simply did everything very well.

Gears of War is not in the same class; the visual gloss is magnificent - even on non-high definition TVs - but you soon stop looking when you're constantly engaged in yet another battle of hide and seek.

There are lots of neat touches - the use of the Y button to draw gamers' attention to cinematic moments of importance works well, while the online co-operative play is a successful evolution of something Doom 3 started on the Xbox.

Other elements such as the documentary-film camera angle when you run is a lovely moment initially but because you can only really run in a straight line you soon stop doing it once the visual impact has worn away.

Gears of Wars is a fine game but - because it is indecently short -all the gloss and glamour wears off very quickly.

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Article Source Gears of War Game Review: xBox 360

Pro Evolution Soccer 6 Game Review

Fri, 24 Nov 2006 00:00:00 +0000

The Pro Evolution Soccer series is renowned for its realism, and Pro Evolution Soccer 6 is abundant with new gameplay additions.

Player AI has been massively upgraded, with players running intelligently into space when not in possession of the ball and pointing where they want the pass placed to continue the attack. Similarly, the physical side of play has been refined, with players working to turn a defender as they receive the ball, while defenders must learn to stand off slightly to prevent such moves.

Pro Evo 6 is the first time Konami's flagship title has appeared on a "next-generation" console, giving the developers ample opportunity to stretch the game into new directions for the Xbox 360.

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The graphics have been given a high-definition gloss, yet remain far short of the photo-real revolution we come to expect.

The commentary remains lack-lustre, the menu system has been given a few tweaks but remains baffling to all but the very dedicated, and the online play is still a token gesture.

Pro Evolution Soccer 6 Improvements

Pro Evolution 6 is still the finest football title on any platform because it remains the most dynamic articulation of the 22-man game. Even minor changes to the way the game is played result in hours of agonising by hardened fans of the series.

Pro Evolution Soccer 6 also has a number of new teams licensed for inclusion, with the International roster now featuring the official kits for Argentina, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain and Sweden. Details on official club teams and more national squads will follow.

The improvements are immediately obvious - no longer does the slightest hint of contact between players result in a foul; instead you can pressurise and contain opposition players without fear of undue free kicks.

The animations of all the players are startlingly real - with seemingly hundreds of variations for every conceivable pass, run, shot, stumble, dive, trip and soaring header.

Players run onto a ball with more realism, retaining momentum rather than careering into the nearest defender. The pace of passing seems to have picked up, with slick interplay now a reality and quick free kicks have also been introduced.

Pro Evolution Soccer 6 Lack of variety

There are more tricks and feints for the "show-boaters" to master - something that disconcerts a vocal section of Pro Evo fans - and crossing has improved greatly, resulting in far more goals from headers.

The biggest disappointment is the lack of variety with the online options, which offer basic match-making for one-versus-one games.

There is no option to play co-operatively, no league, or any of the depth offered by rival title Fifa 07.

But purists are unlikely to moan too much - for anyone who was in doubt, Pro Evolution remains the undisputed gold standard for videogame football.

Article Source Pro Evolution Soccer 6 Game Review

Zoo Tycoon 2 - Marine Mania - PC Game review

Thu, 09 Nov 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Marine Mania is an expansion for Zoo Tycoon 2, but this time you're building and running your own aquarium!
You can build your own aquarium from scratch and look after everything - including all the money! But don't worry if you're not good at budgeting as you can just choose to play with unlimited cash and have fun building the best attraction you can imagine. Once you've got everything set up, you can even take a swim with some of your animals and get them to put on shows. The game also has lots of cool facts about all the animals in it.

Playability
There's loads of new animals to adopt for your zoo. You can choose from smaller critters like sea otters and penguins right up to huge sea creatures like orcas, dolphins and even whale sharks!
The sea life all like different environments, friends and food, so you need to work hard at keeping them happy. But it's not just the animals, you need to make sure your guests enjoy themselves too!

Fun
When you've built your aquarium, you can wander around it just like one of your visitors and take photos of your animals!
Building the tanks and laying out the zoo is great fun and you can really let your imagination run free.

Graphics
All the animals have their own look and everything's bright and colourful.
It's not amazingly detailed but the amount of things on screen at once makes up for this.

Difficulty
It might seem a bit confusing at the beginning because of all the different things you need to keep track of, but it has a friendly tutorial to help you out. And everything's very clearly presented so you won't get lost.

Experience an ocean of fun playing Zoo Tycoon 2: Marine Mania! Care for 20 marine animals, including the fun-loving sea otter, the feisty rockhopper penguin, and the fearsome white shark!

Article Source Zoo Tycoon 2 - Marine Mania - PC Game review

SPLINTER CELL: DOUBLE AGENT

Sat, 21 Oct 2006 01:00:00 +0100

Sam Fisher is back - and this time he is in high definition, if you are playing on an Xbox 360. Splinter Cell has become one of the most important videogame franchises in recent years and helped redefine third-person stealth titles.

The fourth outing is the most radical change yet - not because the gameplay mechanics have been altered dramatically but because the element of choice in your actions has become inescapable.

Double Agent explores the moral complexity of a spy's life - having to make life or death decisions when the ethical outcome is not always clear.

The narrative of previous Splinter Cell games has always been a mix of the dynamic and the hackneyed but in Double Agent the balance is to the former rather than the latter.

SPLINTER CELL: DOUBLE AGENT

Format: Multi, Xbox 360 (reviewed)

Graphics: 9

Sound: 9

Gameplay: 8

Enduring appeal: 8

Overall: 8.5

The weakness in computer games is traditionally the realisation that your sense of choice and of freedom actually leads you to the same conclusion no matter which path you take.

But in Double Agent you actually feel as though your decisions count.

The first level is a primer for the game - infiltrating a geothermal plant in Iceland with a young sidekick.

The game's designers have generated real atmosphere and a sense of place.

Throughout the game you get to explore parts of Shanghai, Iceland, and large ships, tankers and office buildings galore. Variety of actions in these locations is also impressive - rappelling off a skyscraper in Shanghai is a real highlight.

Visually the game is stunning, using the high dynamic range of high definition gaming to great effect.

The musical score is spot on, rising and falling in tempo with the slightest change in action.

At the end of the first level Sam is left rock bottom with two great losses in his life. This emotional turmoil then permeates the rest of the game and sets the scene for the moral choices you must make as Sam Fisher.

Early on Sam finds himself in the company of a group of terrorists called the JBA and in these levels there is a range of tasks to complete with a number of sub-objectives.

The tasks are engaging and give rise to plenty of opportunity to explore the landscapes/environments in which they are set.

This is old school stealth - creeping around with high tension and high stakes.

The control mechanism of Splinter Cell remains largely intact - the developers have also worked hard to ensure that the fancy moves and cool equipment get used and while the signposting might irritate some, it does make the game feel more rounded.

The big development of the title is in the use of Directed Moments.

These are interactive situations that force you to make a difficult choice in a tense situation. The first is having to decide whether to kill a helicopter pilot: If you kill him you gain the trust of the JBA but an innocent man dies.

If you do not, you lose the JBA's trust, but grow the confidence of the National Security Agency and keep a man alive.

They are interesting choices - not least because as video gamers we are used to arbitrarily killing characters with little thought to consequences.

As the game progresses, the decisions get tougher and tougher leading to decisions that could cause the deaths of thousands of innocents.

Ubisoft has managed to inject real originality and innovation in a five-year-old franchise and produced the best stealth game I have played to date.

And the multiplayer element is still one of the best twists on online action around.

Snake has got his work cut out if he is to top this game in the next Metal Gear game for PlayStation 3.

Article Source SPLINTER CELL: DOUBLE AGENT

FIFA 07 Game Review

Sat, 21 Oct 2006 01:00:00 +0100

Fifa 07 is the best footbal game ever created. There may be no next-generation version available yet - the Xbox 360 version is out later in the year - but the PlayStation 2 version still looks sprightly despite the ageing hardware.

The game engine has been re-designed, the artificial intelligence of the players is no longer the preserve of the stupid, the ball physics are new and there are plenty more animations for the players.

But how does it play? The answer is surprisingly well.

Gone is the sense that the action is out of your control. The passing and movement of the real-world game is reproduced well and no longer does Fifa reward players who simply charge up the wings and cross the ball.

Shooting too has been overhauled and now you have the sense that you are the one kicking the ball rather than being a bit part in a cut-scene animation.

The online options for the PlayStation 2 are impressive and have been geared to connect the virtual and real world.

You can play as your favourite team through real-life fixtures on a weekly basis against players from all over the world.

And while you are online, breaking news, live scores and results are shown on-screen as part of a deal with ESPN and you can even update your teams with the latest transfer news.

The typical EA spit and polish is present - from the menu systems, soundtrack, commentary and overall visual gloss.

Loyal fans of the series will relish this latest release which is sure to dominate the games charts for some weeks, while some hardened supporters of rival title Pro Evolution Soccer may even give a nod of approval.

And that is high praise indeed.

Article Source FIFA 07 Game Review

ROCKSTAR's TABLE TENNIS - GAME REVIEW

Sun, 21 May 2006 01:00:00 +0100

As one of the first commercially available video games, Pong seems to have an almost academic importance, but not enough credit is given to the simple elegance of its design--two bar-shaped "paddles," one square "ball"--something that was born largely out of technical limitations. There is an obvious correlation between Pong and the newly minted Rockstar's Table Tennis for the Xbox 360, in that Table Tennis is literally a ping-pong simulation. But it also follows the same philosophy of stripping the experience down to its essence, something focused and intense. Rockstar's Table Tennis treats the game like a serious sport, taking incredible care to present some of the most realistic player characters ever put in a game and delivering frenetic and nuanced action.

The decision by Rockstar, the developers behind Grand Theft Auto, to create a ping pong game has taken many by surprise. There are no guns, no fast cars and no prostitutes, just two bats, a ball and a net.

Table Tennis for the Xbox 360 proves an unexpected delight - fast, frantic and fun. This is the first game by Rockstar for the next generation of consoles. The developers are already working on a new version of their genre-defining Grand Theft Auto series. But this will not see the light of day until late next year.

ROCKSTAR TABLE TENNIS

Format: Xbox 360 (reviewed)

Graphics: 8

Sound: 8

Gameplay: 8

Enduring appeal: 7

Overall: 8

Instead, Rockstar's first steps into the next generation gaming world is a sports title for Microsoft's Xbox 360.

The beauty of table tennis is that just about everyone understands the premise of the game.

This is pretty much the case in the 360 game. You can simply slip the disc in the machine, wait a few moments for the game to load and start playing.

At first, Table Tennis appears deceptively easy as any of the buttons will produce a shot and the direction is set by moving the joystick left or right.

The longer a button is pressed down, the more powerful the shot. Similarly, vibrations in the joystick act as a warning sign that you may overshoot the table.

There is also what Rockstar have called a focus mode. As you play, this builds up to create more powerful shots. This technique is beautifully executed in the game, with the shot being shown in slow motion. This may sound like it would interrupt the flow of a match. But it somehow manages to convey the tension in key moments of a heated exchange.

One other key part of the gameplay does not work quite as well. Each shot is colour-coded to match one of the buttons on the 360 controller. The aim of this is to return the shot using the same colour in order to score a point. This seems a good idea but proves difficult in practice, as it is hard to spot the colour as a ball speeds towards you.

Players can choose from 11 characters with a range of skills and styles and compete in 15 international arenas. It makes for a welcome change and makes it easier and quicker to get to the action.

In single-player mode, gamers can try their hand at tournaments to unlock additional players and goodies such as new outfits.

There is also the opportunity to pit your skills against the world via Microsoft's online gaming service, Xbox Live. It is easy to see the appeal of challenging friends online and earning bragging rights after a closely-fought match.

Table Tennis might end up being the sort of thing you pick up from time to time for a few games or to test your skills against a mate via Xbox Live.

Rockstar seems to have factored this in as the game is expected to retail for around £30, well below the cost of other Xbox 360 titles.

Article Source ROCKSTAR's TABLE TENNIS - GAME REVIEW

The Da Vinci Code Game Review

Sat, 20 May 2006 01:00:00 +0100

The Da Vinci Code revolves around secret societies, ancient cover-ups and calculated vengeance in an action-oriented suspense experience. While attempting to solve a murder, Harvard professor Robert Langdon and brilliant French cryptographer Sophie Neveu uncover a 2000-year-old conspiracy through clues encoded in paintings by Leonardo Da Vinci.

The Da Vinci Code takes you on a heart-pounding non-stop race through Paris and through time to find the truth and protect a secret that could shake the world.

The game promises players the chance to break the code for themselves, as they try to solve a murder mystery that has its origins more than 2,000 years ago.

THE DA VINCI CODE

Format: PlayStation 2 (reviewed), Xbox, GameCube

Graphics: 8

Sound: 9

Gameplay: 5

Enduring appeal: 5

Overall: 5

In reality, gamers are served up an often frustrating movie tie-in, with endless cut scenes and patchy gameplay. At times it feels tedious, and at others like the ancient mystery is being played out in real time.

But despite its glacial pace, the game makes a good stab at recreating the mood of the original story and gives gamers a chance to explore Dan Brown's world in detail.

Gamers familiar with the novel will recognise the basics of the plot as you set out to solve the bizarre murder of Jacques Sauniere in the Louvre Museum in Paris.

However, game developers the Collective have added extra locations and puzzles to appeal to gamers who do not just want a walkthrough of the novel.

You play as either Harvard Professor Robert Langdon or Sauniere's cryptographer grand-daughter, Sophie Neveu, as you make your way around 11 chapters of familiar locations solving cryptic posers as you go.

Wandering aimlessly

As you would expect, these anagrams, ciphers and puzzles form the backbone of the game and are clearly where most of the development effort has gone.

At times they can be gallingly hard, particular for people who have not read the book or seen the film. At times, players are reduced to pure guesswork by the needlessly elaborate clues.

That said, there is a certain sense of satisfaction when you are confronted by Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man that signals when you have solved a particularly complex riddle.

The vast majority of play involves aimlessly wandering around churches, art galleries and stately homes hoping to stumble across an object of interest.

This can lead to long periods of play, endlessly retracing your steps and painstakingly poring over rooms in the hope that you will trip over the missing object.

Until you have completed the required tasks in a particular section you cannot move on through the game.

These tedious walkabouts are occasionally punctuated by formulaic fighting sequences that seem out of place and, at times, tacked on as an afterthought.

Light and shadow

Visually, the game is good with fairly accurate and detailed recreations of famous locations including the Louvre Museum and Westminster Abbey.

Article Source The Da Vinci Code Game Review

DRAGON QUEST: THE JOURNEY OF THE CURSED KING GAME REVIEW

Wed, 12 Apr 2006 01:00:00 +0100

Better known to American as Dragon Warrior 8, Dragon Quest VIII brings the long-running RPG series to the PlayStation 2 for the first time. In it, players are able to capture monsters that inhabit the battlefield. These beasts differ from the creatures you'd normally encounter in battles, as they have special names and abilities unique to them. Once a monster has been scouted, it's added to a growing arsenal of creatures that can then be assembled into teams of three for use as support characters in battle. Outside of using these monster teams in combat, players can also use them in Dragon Quest VIII's "Monster Battle Road" tournament grounds. Other new additions to the series include full day and night cycles for towns, first-person conversations, and the ability to look around the 3D environments.

Four million Japanese people cannot be wrong. That was the number of people that rushed to purchase Dragon Quest on its release in Japan. The game has now landed in the UK and the developers hope for similar adulation.

The eighth game in the series, Dragon Quest is one of the longest running franchises in the world of role-playing games. For 20 years, it has been brandishing its own mix of swords, sorcery and very silly hair.

Playing as a suitably coiffed young hero, you and your party have to venture through the usual fantasy environments, travelling around the world from vibrant villages via creepy caverns and deadly dungeons. As you move through the more traumatic locations, you are randomly plunged into conflict with a variety of monstrosities. You have to strategically deploy your ragtag band of adventurers, using war craft and witchcraft to defeat enemies.

DRAGON QUEST: THE JOURNEY OF THE CURSED KING

Format: Play Station 2 (reviewed)

Graphics: 10

Sound: 9

Gameplay: 8

Enduring appeal: 9

Overall: 9

So far so Final Fantasy. But what sets this game apart from that other quintessential Japanese role-playing franchise are the graphics.

They are in a word, stunning. And in two words, very stunning.

All the characters and environments are gorgeously cell shaded, providing an enchanting world, with some fantastic set pieces and environments.

This is coupled with some great voice acting, making for an experience that often feels more like an interactive anime movie.

But this is the sort of movie that could put even Apocalypse Now to shame.

Dragon Quest is seriously long. Boasting more than 100 hours of gameplay, it took me more than six hours just to finish the first dungeon.

The fact that for the first time outside of Japan, this game is co-published by the makers of Final Fantasy is no coincidence.

Everything is beautifully crafted by those at the top of their monster-mashing game.

It does not break the mould in terms of story. Essentially it is boy with lowly background and strange hairdo saves the world. But everything it does, it just does so well.

With gorgeous graphics, luscious longevity and marvellous mechanics, Dragon Quest is a must-buy for any role-playing game fan.

Article Source DRAGON QUEST: THE JOURNEY OF THE CURSED KING GAME REVIEW

Top Spin 2- Game Review

Wed, 26 Apr 2006 01:00:00 +0100

Top Spin is the Xbox Live enabled title which lets players define their tennis playing style, take risks, pull off world-class shots, and work the crowd to develop a unique image on the court. Players can also train with a coach, to master shots and playing surfaces and work your way up the online rankings to become the best in the world.

TOP SPIN 2

Format: Xbox 360 (reviewed), GBA, DS

Graphics: 8

Sound: 9

Gameplay: 7

Enduring appeal: 8

Overall: 8

Happily, if real exercise isn't your cup of tea, tennis has now made its way onto the next generation platform with the release of Top Spin 2 for the Xbox 360.

There has been no particular shortage of tennis games in the past and Top Spin 2 doesn't really deviate from the kind of experience we've become used to.

You've a choice of different modes to play through, including of course the requisite online multiplayer option, but the main thrust of the single player game undoubtedly comes with the Career Mode.

This involves creating an original character, complete with facial customisation, and starting out as a completely unskilled amateur. As you play minor tournaments and undergo training you win stars, which you can then allocate to various skill subsets - forehand, backhand, power and so on.

Top Spin 2 Best Deals
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As you progress and your character's skills improve you'll find yourself climbing through the rankings, earning lots of money and unlocking various other challenges, such as a rough equivalent of the Davis Cup.

At the end of each season you'll get a rundown of your achievements, and after a little while you'll be contesting the Grand Slams, trying to get that elusive Number 1 ranking.

Career best

The controls for the game are fairly simple to learn, especially as there's one button that hits a shot guaranteed to go in. This is the "safe" shot, and will form the basis of your game in the early days.

On top of that there are the other usual suspects - topspin, slice and lob - and as your player improves, more aggressive "risk" shots become available. These are much harder to play, but offer a greater chance of hitting a winner.

The presentation of the game is reasonably good. Visually the game does all it needs to, and a decent atmosphere is generated in the larger stadia.

The Grand Slam venues are recreated nicely, even including an umpire speaking in French for the French Open. A nice touch.

As well as the Career Mode there are Exhibition matches and Tournaments you can play for a quick fix, but in the long term the online multiplayer is quite rewarding.

You can either jump in as one of the game's 24 licensed players (including Tim Henman, not including Andy Murray) and play unranked matches, or using your Career character you can battle it out with other players' Career characters and move up the global leaderboard.

But while the game is quite addictive and maintains a good blend of action with a nod at realism, there is a considerable amount of time spent staring at loading screens between events.

In addition, because the game is viewed from the same end of the court all the time (as you'd see it on TV), when your player is at the opposite end it becomes more difficult to control, at least for the first few hours.

Overall Top Spin 2 is a nice, neat tennis game that combines a lot of what's been done well before in one place. Ultimately it delivers little that's original, and can be frustrating to play at times - but that's mostly because you're drawn into the tense psychological battle as much as anything.

Article Source Top Spin 2- Game Review

Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Legend Review

Tue, 11 Apr 2006 01:00:00 +0100

Gaming’s most famous heroine makes her triumphant return in Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Legend! Lara Croft travels the globe in search of an ancient artifact and is pitted against rival forces...

With the seventh in the Tomb Raider series, it feels as though the sorry mess of the previous episode, Angel of Darkness, has been wiped away like dust on an Inca relic.

TOMB RAIDER LEGEND

Format: PlayStation 2 (reviewed), Xbox 360, Xbox, PC, PSP (due spring)

Graphics: 8

Sound: 9

Gameplay: 8.5

Enduring appeal: 9

Overall: 8.5

Three years have passed since we last met Miss Croft. In that time, Eidos have dropped original developers Core Design from the project and brought in Crystal Dynamics, best known for the Legacy of Kain series.

So, a new design team. But from the word go, Legend feels like the vintage game the world fell in love with in Tomb Raider I and II.

It is not without fault, but it has an engaging plot, neat puzzles, epic landscapes and a nifty new trick or two tucked in Lara's holster belt.

After a James Bond style title sequence, we are even treated to some character development. Legend starts with a flashback in which a young Lara and her mother are travelling in their private plane, discussing Yetis, naturally, when it catches fire and crashes.

It soon becomes clear that Lara's present-day hunt for artefacts will also be a quest into her own past.

Playing controls

The game starts in classic TR territory: a pre-Incan palace on a mountain top in Bolivia which hides some Arthurian magic.

From there, Lara visits Peru, Japan, Ghana, Kazakhstan, England and the Himalayas, solving puzzles, meeting old adversaries and blasting baddies along the way.

The graphics are smooth, particularly on Lara, who has had quite an overhaul, and the scenery is rich and varied with a different feel on each level. The first level is a chance to try out some new moves and kit, including a set of binoculars and a magnetic grappling hook.

The gameplay is fluid. Lara is easy to control and she has a much-improved range of movement. It is usually fairly obvious which is the next ledge or rope to grab hold of, although you will have to work hard to find the gold rewards.

There is less prescriptiveness than before in the moves. For instance you don't have to take off in exactly the right spot to pull off a leap.

While this all speeds up play and helps avoid some of the more frustrating aspects of earlier Tomb Raiders, it can also feel nannyish at times.

Clever shooting

When it comes to combat, Lara still has the trademark dual pistols with unlimited rounds. She can also pick up guns dropped by enemies and use grenades.

All weapons have a lock-on facility so our trigger-happy heroine can blast away to her heart's content. She is also prompted to shoot objects such as the fuel tank of a lorry to take out a job-lot of foes.

The dialogue is excellent and Lara's cut glass English tones are the real thing, provided by Keeley Hawes of Spooks fame. In fact, the sound throughout is magnificent with satisfyingly spine-tingling music and depth to the effects.

There are some gripes. The early challenges feel too easy and it also grates that Lara is in constant radio contact with her base team who interject inane "be careful now" comments along the way.

But for a legion of Tomb Raider fans who have been waiting patiently for Lara to get back to what she does best, this is unlikely to disappoint.

Article Source Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Legend Review