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Tomb Raider: Legend

Also known as: Tomb Raider Legend [UK]

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The first lady of adventure returns to our good graces in a memorable comeback caper.

Words: Benjamin Turner, GamesRadar US

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Legend returns to the globe-trotting, tomb-raiding aspects of the earliest games and the jumping, climbing and swinging action is smoother and more intuitive than ever before. Gone are the stiff, clunky controls of the past. The new Lara feels nimbler than we thought possible and it's a joy to guide her through the game's fastidiously designed deathtraps. The level design is excellent, down to and including a number of pleasantly stimulating puzzles. Only problem? It's all over too soon.

On the other hand, Lara's never specialized in combat and the shooting's still kinda bland this time around. The game's two motorcycle shooting sequences are especially lame, so it's a mercy that they're brief. However, a number of new up-close attacks help give the fighting a bit more flavor, including a really cool, Matrix -like rebound off of the enemies' faces. She makes it look so easy.

Legend's artistic aspects are pretty strong, too. The natural surroundings are often stunning, the music's stirring and Lara's animations are butter-smooth. Unfortunately, this GameCube version does seem to chop up more than the others, resulting in a sometimes jerky-looking experience. It feels like a rather cheap and fast port, so if you have other systems, you should probably play Legend on one of those. Still, it's perfectly playable here... but still jacked up enough we feel the need to drop the score a point compared to the others.