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Good: Platforming elements, interactive environments, grappling hook

Bad: Gun accuracy, camera issues, motorcycle control

Pretty much: Prince of Persia with breasts

1996 was essentially a huge turning point in the history of videogames. With the release of Super Mario 64 and Tomb Raider, true 3D gaming had become a reality. In the case of Tomb Raider, it also spawned a new icon in the industry Lara Croft. While the early installments of the series were truly enjoyable action/adventure outings, later incarnations became more and more disappointing (and eventually downright embarrassing). With Tomb Raider: Legend, Eidos has gotten rid of Core and gone with Crystal Dynamics, which turns out to be a fantastic choice. Legend is the best Tomb Raider game to date.

It manages to not stray too far from the roots of the series, while simultaneously making everything better. Controlling Lara has never felt so natural, and you'll find yourself swinging on ropes and shimmying along rocky cliffs with ease. Most of the platforming is very, very reminiscent of the Prince of Persia series. At times, it almost feels like the exact same engine. One great improvement they made involves the triangle button. Timed correctly with Lara's movements, you can use it to increase the speed in which you climb and shimmy.

Camera control is the only real issue with the platforming. At times, it can get snagged on objects in the environment (especially on indoor stages), and it also moves in the middle of jumps. These problems aren't very frequent, and the platforming is otherwise great. Performing a swan dive off a huge cliff into the waters below brought back fond memories of jumping off the Gerudo Valley cliff in Ocarina of Time. All of the levels are huge and each of them is a new experience than the one before it. It's not all temples and mountainsides, you'll also be controlling Lara in Japanese clubs and snowy facilities in Kazakhstan.

This time around, Lara is equipped with a very handy grappling hook that can be used for numerous purposes. You'll mostly use it to latch onto glowing objects and platforms, which can then be pulled towards you or otherwise moved around the environment. For example, if you're on a floating platform, and you need to get to the other side, it's just a matter of latching onto something and pulling yourself closer. It can also be used in combat and during certain jumps (much like the grappling hook in Metroid Prime).

While it may be fun to swing and jump your way across the levels, the gunplay leaves a little to be desired. Even while locked on at semi-close range, bullets tend to sporadically fire with terrible accuracy. Your standard pistols come with infinite rounds, but the far superior automatic weapons come with limited ammo. Lara can jump around with the circle and X buttons while locked on, and can be quite nimble in the middle of a fierce crossfire. When close to the enemy, you can jump off him and activate a "bullet-time" sequence to finish him off.

The standard gunplay may be pretty basic, but the addition of interactive objects in the environment adds a lot. Certain objects will feature the triangle icon over them, which indicates that they can be destroyed or used against enemies. It's great to run into a room and quickly destroy a ton of enemies using a chandelier or a stack of rocks. My only complaint is that they should have used these objects more often. Early in the game, they show up with a good frequency, but the opportunities become more and more sparse as the game goes on.

At a couple of points, Lara hops onboard her motorcycle for some vehicular gameplay segments. These are decent in terms of keeping the gameplay fresh, but the cycle unfortunately controls very poorly. There are not many of these levels, but they could have been much better if they were anywhere near the quality of those seen in 007: Everything Or Nothing.

For the most part, Crystal Dynamics did a good job on both the audio and video end of things. Enemies animate well, explosions look good and the environments are all unique and interesting. There is the occasional clipping problem (Lara's ponytail constantly going right through her assault rifle) and character models are re-used often, however. All of the music fits the levels perfectly, and the voice actors do their jobs well.

One thing that I really respect is that they don't use unnecessary T&A as a selling tool. Games like Rumble Roses and Dead or Alive feature so many gratuitous crotch and breast shots that it makes you wonder if they were more important to the developers than the actual gameplay. While Lara Croft is obviously designed to be an attractive character, there was not one embarrassingly gratuitous camera angle or reference in the game. If it's a snowy level, Lara will be wearing a coat, whereas the Rumble Roses team would probably have her wearing a bikini. Crystal Dynamics put gameplay and realism before T&A, and the game is better off because of it.

Having never been a huge fan of the Tomb Raider series, this installment came as a pleasant surprise. After the abysmal Angel of Darkness, I thought for sure that this series was done for. Thanks to the hiring of Crystal Dynamics, however, Eidos has resurrected the series and presented gamers with its best title yet.

Graphics: B-

Sound: B

First Play: B

Last Play: B-

Gameplay: B

Overall: 82% B-