Many video game franchises only get better with age. Series like Zelda and Final Fantasy evolve, improving the game each time. But then there is Tomb Raider, starring Lara Croft. The original game was masterful, with huge, sprawling levels, great control, and a near perfect mix of exploration, action, and puzzle solving. But from there, the series went downhill—each installment got worse and worse. So what is there to expect from Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness, the fifth game in this decaying series? Not very much—which is exactly what they delivered.
The developers promised to take the game in a new direction. The game finally has a new graphics engine. The controls are redesigned. The combat system has been changed to encourage punching and kicking over gun-play. There is also a “stealth mode” and a feature that lets you make Lara stronger by performing certain activities, neither of which make the game any better. The game is still going in the same direction: down.
The new graphics engine already looks dated. Lara’s model, while smoother, doesn’t really look much better than before. The textures are boring and the animations on the AI models are slow and unrealistic. There are also some of the worst frame rate slowdowns I have seen in a game. In one of the earlier levels the frame rate will slow down to about five or 10 frames per second.
The combat system is not only hard to figure out, it also looks really bad. Lara can pull off combos when hitting an enemy, but she takes forever between strikes, and the enemies barely react. Shooting people is no better; when you do get a weapon and some ammo, the enemies react as though they’re getting hit by paintballs, until they drop dead.
The stealth mode is also a disappointment. What it amounts to is pressing a button that toggles Lara into a hunched over, slower moving mode. When she does this, enemies apparently become oblivious to her, allowing her to sneak around in contrived stealth missions, which totally feel like they were thrown in.
The worst new part of the game is the controls. One of the main game-play elements of Tomb Raider games is jumping puzzles. They were fun in the earlier games because you were able to line up Laura easily to make the jump. In Angel Of Darkness it is almost impossible to get her to go where you need to be. Running using the PS2’s analog controller is also rather unintuitive; you’ll end up falling to your death dozens of times trying to get through a single level.
Even with all the hype there’s really no reason to pick this title up, unless you’re dying for an action/adventure game. If you absolutely have to play it, wait a month or two. It should be in the bargain bins by then.
