One of the most successful video game
series of all time returns from a hiatus with Tomb Raider: The Angel of
Darkness. This latest adventure starring modern-day adventuress Lara Croft
sends her to Paris, Prague, and a number of dangerous, ancient,
subterranean catacombs. As before, Lara will need to run, jump, climb,
shoot, and think her way through various trials and tribulations, and
certain death often lies at the bottom of a long drop that is just one
miscalculated step away from where she needs to be. In development for
years, this latest Tomb Raider was intended as a reinvention of the
series, with a darker edge and all-new gameplay elements. That is indeed
the case, but unfortunately, it's easy to tell that Tomb Raider: The Angel
of Darkness, despite all the time spent in the making, shipped before it
was completely finished. Numerous bugs and glitches, some superficial and
some serious, as well as a cumbersome and often frustrating control scheme
seriously hurt the game, making it considerably less enjoyable than it
could have been. Nevertheless, hard-core Tomb Raider fans and other
particularly patient players should be able to overlook these flaws and
enjoy this new installment for its engaging storyline, death-defying
action sequences, and impressive locations.
Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness begins
in Paris, when a heated argument between Lara Croft and her mentor ends
with a deadly twist--the old man is killed, and since Lara is the only one
present at the scene, she spends the first part of the game eluding the
authorities, who assume she did it. As Lara desperately searches for
answers to why her mentor might have been killed, she becomes increasingly
aware that a notorious serial killer is apparently shadowing her wherever
she goes, leaving you to wonder whether she is indeed to blame for the
crime in some way.