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I'm pleased

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: June 24, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I was supposed to get this back in November. Then February. Then March. Then April. Now it's here. In June. 7 months after it was supposed to come out. Watch the previews of the game and it will say coming "This Winter." It sure feels hot out for winter. The reason it was delayed is because the very smart people at Core couldn't fix all the problems with the game. So with 7 months of working on it you'd think the game would be perfect. Not so. Anybody who plays the game for 5 min can find several problems with the game. The main problem is the AI. I've been bitten by a dog, who is behind a fence, and 15 feet away from where I was standing. Big problem here. Also, Lara moves VERY slowly and she's very stiff. She actually controlled better back on Playstation 1. You now automatically climb on to things just by walking up to them. This is a serious problem since if you're in a tight jam you may accidentally climb up on something when you don't want to. The game also takes very long to load. Just to get to your inventory takes several seconds to load. And the game suffers from serious slow down many times. And by slow I mean SLOW! It's strange too since I've played much more complicated games where there was no slow down at all. So what is good about this game? Well, the story for one thing. The graphics are beautiful but some things like Lara's ears are all blurry. The voice acting is pretty good. I'd have to say the best thing about the game is the bonus features. I think Core knew the game would never be perfect so to make up for it's faults they gave fans extras like a preview of the Tomb Raider 2 movie and the making of the game. For people who pre-ordered the game from ebworld.com, they got a bonus DVD with LOADS of Tomb Raider goodies such as Memorable Moments from previous games, TV Spots, a TV show dedicated to Tomb Raider and a featurette of "The Hand Of Fate." Very nice. So for this the game was well worth the money I spent on it.

Graphics: 4.5 (beautiful but suffers from slow down)
Sound: 5.0 (great music and voice acting)
Control: 3.5 (Lara is stiff and often doesn't do what she's supposed to)
Fun Factor: 4.0 (it'll give you something to do)

Unfinished, glitchy, and unimaginative

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: June 29, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Had Eidos bothered to finish Angel of Darkness before they released it, they might've had a halfway decent game. It's certainly lengthy and offers a variety of challenges, even if the gameplay hasn't really advanced much beyond old-school Tomb Raider object-manipulation and shooting really dumb bad guys. (Yes, I know there's a stealth mode. It adds nothing. There's no penalty for being spotted, a la MGS or Splinter Cell, so why not just go ahead and shoot everything in sight?) But even with all the delays, Eidos never managed to fix this game's considerable flaws. Two major areas stand out: control and graphics.

First, the controls. They're terrible. Lining up jumps is awkward, as the game offers only walk and run speeds instead of true gradated analog control. The button layout is confusing-- even a simple act like holstering your weapon is difficult, since it's not mapped to an intuitive button-- and the manual actually identifies the target-switching button incorrectly (not a small gaffe, since one boss battle requires you to utilize this feature). The inventory screen is a mess, and once again makes simple tasks (say, reloading your weapon) way too complicated. And even when you figure out how to move and fight properly, Lara still seems to move too slow... and that's without the game-crippling slowdown you'll periodically encounter.

And that brings me to the matter of the graphics. First, those who consider these graphics "good" simply haven't played any real state-of-the-art PS2 games. The textures are repetitive and drab, character motion lacks smoothness, and there's little use of lighting to speak of. The cut-scenes are even worse-- just compare with Silent Hill 3 (yes, the full game's not out, but all you need is the demo to get the picture), with its phenomenally expressive characters, to see how badly Eidos has mangled AoD's story sequences. But the in-game graphics are just blah; it's the slowdown that's inexcusable. It occurs even when there shouldn't be anywhere enough on screen to cause it-- such as the end of the first level, where all you've got is rain falling and a door to enter. Never mind that no console game should experience slowdown anyway, if the designers truly know the hardware; why does it happen with so little going on?

There's simply no excuse for Eidos to release such an obviously unfinished product, after so many release date changes, and charge full price for it. It's glitch-ridden, it controls badly, and its gameplay is about three years out of date (at least). Rent it if you're curious, or believe it can't possibly be that bad; but save your purchasing cash for a game that truly deserves it. With Silent Hill 3 only a month away, there's no reason to waste money on AoD.

Scenery: 5 Controls: 0

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: July 23, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Am I the only one who feels that "Angel of Darkness" was rushed to coincide with the release of the film?

Lara handles like a shopping cart from Hell. She's apparently unable to break into a fast run (especially when needed), instead having to slowly trot her way up to it (typically ending in instant death when attempting to break away from fast-approaching nasties). Collision detection is a problem--on several occasions I found Lara embedded into walls and floors. On one occasion I somehow managed to get her stuck in some sort of nether-region *outside* of the actual level.

Prepare to spend just as much time reloading your game as you will playing an actual level. Timing in jumping is unforgivable. Anticipate many, many, many, many frustrating tries before nailing those sensitive leaps. And don't count on the engine to save you. I'm currently and indefinitely stuck on the "Breath of Hades" level because the block that should be pushable (per the various walkthroughs) simply isn't.

But the scenery is pleasing--I'll give it that.

Come on, Eidos. [poor games] are not your style.

Not the Lara she used to be...

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: May 12, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Quite a few players out there rate the games on the graphics and pixels and grids... whatever. I am a gamer in it to get lost. Tomb Raider was always a fun series to play and that is what I enjoyed. The scenery was cool in past games with the suspense hidden in the walls themselves, not in evil underworld-serial-killers-with-a-secret. She used to fight against the past, not current bad guys hinged on the promise of past treasures.
Alright, basically Lara has gone to the dark side (sorry Anakin) and it makes you cringe to go around corners. She's lost her edge and has fallen into the role of a victim running from someone in her quest for the truth, instead of the quest simply being the drive itself. I miss the rainforest and the underground tombs. I miss walking into a movie sequence that unleashes a broad new visual that is haunting yet intriguing. Lara is smart, sassy, and strong. Eidos and Core don't need mutilated "angels" to bring Lara back to life. Remember her purpose and let that be their guide. As for now, skip this one. She is not the Lara she used to be.

Has Lara changed into a female Solid Snake?

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 18 / 43
Date: February 24, 2003
Author: Amazon User

In Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness you get framed for killing Von Croy, your mentor. You take on the forces of evil and stop it from taking control of the earth. But what makes the game different from the previous games? It seems the creator wanted a different role for Lara. I have seen a sneek preview of it and it seems to have well genarated graphics. It looks like Tomb Raider will take a different turn in the series. It looks mabey there is a chance that this might be great game. You won't be fighting any more Tigers, T-rexs, or any type of monsters. In this game your'e not really a archaeologist any more. You just play the role of Lara and her quest to find and kill her major enemie. In part of the game you take on the role of Kurtis Trent, a guy who wants revenge and kill the guy who killed his father and his company. We will see if the Tomb Raider series will ever be the same again...

I waited an extra six months for this?????????

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 6 / 9
Date: June 26, 2003
Author: Amazon User

TRAOD is a new kind of Tomb Raider experience, so they say. The controls are completely different from the old TR games. The new control system is difficult to get used to and is just atrocious. The camera movements can cause control difficulty and are just plain annoying sometimes. The feature of moving between areas (like in tomb raider 4) is annoying because of the stupid loading screens. The graphics are good, obviously on next gen console. Now there is interaction with other characters and choice making in the paths you take and how you talk to npc's in the game. Game would have got 5 stars but the controls are a pain.

astonishingly bad

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 5 / 7
Date: June 25, 2003
Author: Amazon User

After all of the push back dates for this game i thought this would be the game of the year. alass it is not. there are some good points, the graphics are good and the cut scenes are better than average. But and this is a big but,,,,, with all of the great games that have come out like Enter the Matrix, Splinter Cell and a few more ofthis type of game. You would think the people at eidos could do a little better. i thought with the new engine they would have totally revamped the gameplay,,, they did not,,, it is actually worse the the original,,,, lara is slow to do anything,, the combat is a joke,,, and it is just bad. i expected so much better. the people that made this game need to take a good look at games like splinter cell and the matrix and learn a thing or three.... this feels like a game originally slated for ps1,,, my advice don't get it or wait until you see it used. The graphics are good and die hard lara fans will take it though they will be disapointed, but try something else... there are far better games out there.

Should you buy TR: Angel of Darkness

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 15
Date: June 06, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Let's face it,everything changes,and the Tomb Raider series is no different.TR:AOD puts you in the familiar shoes of Lara Croft once again,but her days of raiding tombs have passed.However,this is a good thing,the series began to lose it's "must have" value after the third installment and people probably bought the fourth Tomb Raider simply because of familiarity with the series,despite that each sequel only shoveled out the same uninspired plots and moves...*yawn*.

Angel of Darkness is Eidos way of breathing new life into Lara and the game boasts an impressive amount of new features for our sexy heroine.Such as a stonger storyline,which will(pardon the pun)blow you away!Action wise,Lara still retains her classic moves,but now there have been major additions such as stealth(think Metal Gear Solid only much better to look at)and with the enhanced PS2 graphics it all looks VERY COOL!Lara's movements are now more fluid,thanks to the new game engine,she can now even fight hand to hand.The new characters are well varied,no more tigers,bears,and such,but trust me there will be creatures of sorts.You get to play as a new character also,Kurtis Trent)which breaks up the monotony of running around solving puzzles which,by the way,you get rewarded for solving now with a boost in strength(still have to move things),lung capacity(yep,still swimming),agility(climbing),and running and jumping.The game will be a stunner because it takes the aspects which made the series such a hit and adds better graphics,gameplay,story,and characters.Tomb Raider:Angel of Darkness is a must have game especially for those who remained loyal to the earlier series despite the humdrum gameplay.This makes the wait all worthwhile.

Tomb Raider Angel Of Darkness

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: November 24, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Well let me start be saying Iv been waiting for Tomb to come out for ps2 pretty long now and finnaly my wish has came true!At first when I looked at the back of the cd case I though it was nothing special but when I turned my ps2 on and when I started to play the game I was blown away.The graphic was pure and perfect on the level of metal gear solid. The gameplay is awsome.Also I dont get how come so many people complain about the controls I got the hang of the controls in 15 min.People there are games that have tough controls but this is too easy the only people that might have troubles with the game is some kids but im 14 and its all great for me.Iv played the game and I beat the game with no problems. I barely had any gliches in the game the only thig that it did was slowing down in some parts but only in SOME parts not everywhere.The weapons are great and I like the vector but what I had prob with is getting the two pistols I only had one through out the game that was a prob.Eidos really made a great game two thumbs up for them Angel Of Darkness is a game to get if u dont want to get it then rent it then u will fall in love with the game. The only thing I can say is get this game because TOMB RAIDER ANGEL OF DARKNESS IS THE BEST TOMB RAIDER THERE IS RIGHT NOW ITS AWSOME AND REALLY FUN!!!!

Tomb Raider has lost everything that made it good

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: July 31, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This game was a huge disappointment. I am a long time fan of the series, ever since 2. I have played and loved them all...except maybe Chronicles, but even that one was way better than this. As many people have noted, the control is all new, and terrible. I mastered long ago the initially tricky controls of the PS1 Tomb Raider games. The controls of those games was hard at first, but very fun once mastered. The controls for AofD are just plain frustrating, even turning a certain direction is nearly impossible...you will often find yourself turning completely around when you just need a nudge to the left or right. Jumps are very difficult and frustrating. Gone are the two pistols with unlimited ammo, Laras traditional outfit, and the ability to jump and shoot. Gone also are the vast, interesting worlds. This game takes place mainly inside, in cramped places, in cities or buildings, and only very rarely in an actual "tomb". It has completely lost the feel of the original Tomb Raider games that most of the long time fans love. Tomb Raider could have been so amazing on the PS2, but instead Eidos released this joke of a game. And yes, it is full of bugs, glitches, and has somewhat frequent slowdown, something I haven't seen in a game in quite awhile. The stealth mode is almost worthless and not at all interesting (stick with Metal Gear and the like for stealth),the inventory screen is inconvenient and slow,the storyline is decent but again has lost the traditional feel of Tomb Raider games, and the ability to talk to people is nice but doesn't come near to saving this wreck of a game. I rented it recently, and I am greatly relieved that I didn't waste money on buying it. If something isn't broken, you shouldn't fix it. Eidos ignored this fact and messed with a perfect recipe for great games. If you're going to change a game, you should at least keep the aspects of the games that made them great intact. Eidos trashed all of the good aspects of Tomb Raider and released a game that doesn't even deserve to have the Tomb Raider name attached to it. After playing this I don't think I will ever buy another new Tomb Raider game, unless they make some kind of miraculous leap back to the old style of Tomb Raider games, which I doubt they will. Another great game series down the drain.

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