|
 by A. A. White |
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I've
always
pictured
Lara
Croft
as
the
type
to
wade
into
a
fracas
with
both
guns
blazing,
asking
no
questions
and
taking
no
prisoners.
And
it's
been
perplexing
that
someone
possessing
her
amazing
physical
prowess
would
be
as
helpless
as
a
kitten
when
left
without
a
firearm.
However,
it
never
occurred
to
me
that
what
was
missing
was
an
ability
to
tip
around
as
silent
and
sneaky
as
a
ninja,
peering
around
corners
and
creeping
up
on
foes
from
behind.
Since
she
never
went
up
against
anything
that
actually
deserved
the
reverence
of
stealth,
there
was
never
much
incentive
to
sneak.
Well,
the
good
folks
at
Core
--
apparently
bitten
by
the
Solid
Snake
bug
--
have
opted
to
add
a
stealth
element
to
the
game,
in
addition
to
a
bevy
of
other
new
features
that
probably
no
one
on
Earth
thought
were
missing.
The
result
is
Tomb
Raider:
Angel
of
Darkness,
a
hodgepodge
of
odd
gaming
options
that
never
actually
coalesces
into
a
satisfying
adventure.
The story here revolves around our heroine Lara Croft having been framed, Max Payne style, for the murder of her mentor, Professor Von Croy, as well as for the deaths of a number of others unfortunate enough to enter into the adventurer's company. The tale also features cultists and several paintings with occult associations and, though aptly moved along by numerous cut scenes, it never manages to build to a captivating crescendo. Nevertheless, it's a far cry from some of her previous nonsensical adventures and a good deal more mature in nature.
In addition to exploration through Paris, Prague and the catacombs of Europe, players will encounter the obligatory puzzles -- although these are much more intuitive and not nearly as mind-meltingly difficult as those in previous games. Speaking with or performing a task for other characters will help you to solve many of the puzzles. This is a definite plus to anyone familiar with Miss Croft's earlier exploits. Of course, you will still be seeking elusive keys to open a series of doors, but you'll never find yourself having to execute blind backflips up narrow chimney-like passageways in order to obtain them.
The
game
indeed
looks
better
than
earlier
installments
in
the
series.
Environments
are
suitably
creepy
and
dark,
or
impressively
expansive.
Effects
such
as
rain,
smoke
and
water
have
definitely
improved.
The
characters
are
passably
well
rendered,
including
a
new
playable
character
named
Kurtis
Trent.
Everyone seems to fare better than poor Lara who still resembles nothing more than a bubble-headed, alien-eyed refugee from Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. However, there are still graphical glitches and players will notice a variety of clipping errors and a good amount of slow down, at times it’s almost like playing the game in slow motion.
The item-ring which was a standard in the TR series is mournfully absent here, replaced by a standard item menu, which increases the chances that you will collect items without knowing what they are and then have difficulty finding them later.
There is, however, a helpful hand icon which will now appear to indicate objects with which you are capable of interacting, and this is bound to minimize some of the frustrations of exploration. Unfortunately, the hand icon never disappears, even after an object has ceased to be useful or a particular box or cupboard has yielded all of its useable contents.
Lara
now
allegedly
gets
more
powerful
as
you
play
the
game.
These
increases
are
not
optional,
they
are
necessary
to
proceed
in
the
game,
and
they
are
also
something
that
must
be
taken
on
faith
as
you're
never
actually
presented
with
stats
to
view.
She'll
simply
tell
you,
"I
feel
stronger
now,"
which
indicates
that
some
ability
has
increased
but
there's
usually
no
telling
precisely
what
precipitated
the
change
or
why.
She's
simply
stronger
than
she
was
30
seconds
ago
and
so
can
perhaps
jump
farther,
hang
on
longer
or
move
a
particular
object
that
she
couldn't
move
before.
This
can
be
frustrating,
since
figuring
out
Lara’s
new
ability
by
trial
and
error
can
lead
to
a
lot
of
reloading
saved
games.
When
it
comes
to
control
set-up,
TR:AoD
has
one
of
the
worst
of
any
game
in
living
memory.
To
incorporate
her
new
stealth
and
hand-to-hand
combat
moves
(and
perhaps
just
to
be
obstinate),
Lara's
controls
have
been
completely
rebuilt
from
the
ground
up.
Reliance
on
the
analog
stick,
while
an
option
in
previous
games,
is
now
absolute.
This
is
unfortunate
as
D-pad
control
was
always
far
more
accurate.
The
new
Lara
seems
completely
incapable
of
grasping
the
concept
of
backing
up,
instead
she
rotates
--
not
fluidly,
but
in
fits
and
starts.
Just
getting
her
correctly
positioned
for
a
jump
is
a
frustrating
ordeal
and
certainly
not
suited
to
an
action
game
where
precise
control
is
key.
The once sure-footed Lara is now prone to stumble off of planks and accidentally hurl herself over railings. To offset this, they have implemented a walk toggle which will prevent her from falling but has its own irritations, especially when you're locked into a walk and need to make a sudden run.
At
times
Lara
will
muster
the
fortitude
and
presence
of
mind
(or
foot)
to
actually
kick
in
a
door
to
gain
entry.
Later
she
will
encounter
an
identical
door
and
make
you
go
look
for
a
key
instead.
You
can
also
count
on
her
to
inexplicably
dummy
up
on
obstacles
a
two
year
old
could
accidentally
knock
over,
or
be
completely
blocked
by
objects
that
an
old
codger
with
arthritis
in
both
knees
and
a
hip
replacement
could
easily
scramble
over
or
under.
To
make
matters
worse,
there
still
remains
that
torturous
lag
between
pressing
a
button
and
Lara’s
actual
execution
of
a
move
which
plagued
previous
TR
games.
At least you always have the option to save your game. This is necessary because the faulty control will keep you dying on a regular basis.
Fortunately
for
the
new
stumblefoot
Lara,
her
opponents
put
up
almost
no
resistance
at
all.
Although
she
now
possesses
a
few
lame
stealth
abilities
and
several
new
and
poorly
implemented
hand-to-hand
combat
maneuvers,
you
can
hardly
believe
she
needs
them
because
the
enemies
you
encounter
are
the
usual
assortment
of
dead
bulbs
who
will
permit
themselves
to
be
peppered
with
bullets
without
ever
entertaining
the
notion
of
duck-and-cover.
A
few
stiffly
executed
kicks
will
knock
them
right
over
and,
once
deceased,
their
bodies
will
flash
arcade-style
and
then
simply
vanish.
So
much
for
realism.
When compared to its predecessors, TR:AoD is about as short as Herve Villechaize kneeling in a pothole. However, that may be a blessing. Despite its new look, fairly interesting storyline, and a bucket load of new moves and features, this game is fatally flawed by the completely revamped control system which makes it a nightmare of frustration. Hopefully, the controls will be overhauled yet again before Ms. Croft goes on her seventh spelunking installment.
| Revolution Report Card |
| C- |
|
+
Improved
graphics |
