Tomb Raider Video Games Review

While these games are over a decade old they are wonderfully entertaining and imaginative. They were first bought when my son was very young and he liked Lara Croft. For me as a parent I am amazed just how far this industry has come. My Father conducted trade with Japan in the early 1970(s) and we were one of the first people we knew who had an Atari. It was a simple tennis game with paddles. And we managed to place the paddles perfectly so the ball never dropped. In the 1970(s) I could have never imagined just how far this industry has come.

So when my son was young as my parents had before me I purchased him a play station. I have never upgrade to a PS3 or any other gaming device until they have a universal gaming system. In the beginning he liked Madden football and still does to this day but his Sponge Bob game has been tossed to the side. Amazingly he still loves his Lara Croft series. Admittedly he liked her for the adventure when he was younger but now he finds her a bit attractive so he plays the game. As a parent I monitor this activity as I do the television and I am amazed at just how intricate the plot lines, characters and sophistication of design. It is a testament to the designers.

Overall I highly recommend these games. While my son does not spend a terrible amount of time gaming, as I prefer it, we have not purchased any other games but have enjoyed these games.

Legend is really a great introduction to this video game series. There are 8 levels and Lara is in constant contact with Zip on the headset who offers her great advice. The time trials are challenging but not impossible. Since this game is rather old there is a great deal of advice on how to beat the game. I always refer to Stella. She always has the best advice and if my son gets too stuck I refer to youtube video. I love when gamers comment as they play. In Legend the plot is about Lara discovering what happened to her when she was in a plane crash with her Mother when she was a child. It is a fair plot.

For obvious reasons my son’s favorite game is probably Angel of Darkness but not for the controls. The controls are contrary to what he learned in Legend and that makes Angel of Darkness very difficult. However, Ms. Croft’s breasts jiggle quite a bit in the video game and it has a more mature theme of the occult which my son enjoyed. Plus the game is located in Paris and then Prague so those settings are rich with content. Angel of darkness also allowed my son to play as both a female and a male which none of the other games allowed. But the controls are difficult and the monetary reward system doesn’t really pan out. And unlike Legend Lara is not on the headset being offered advice by her counterparts. She is on her own. She also has sneak attacks and combat mode as well as can crawl on her stomachs which all are handy skills. Two criticisms of the game would be it is too dark and there are several bugs in it with the PS2. There are 29 levels which are all exceedingly fun. Angel of darkness has the best plot of the three games reviewed here. Succession and survival as well as acquiring certain occult artifacts is what is required to succeed at this game.

Finally Anniversary is a return to the Legend format. It uses the same controls as Legend and it’s plot is probably the worst of the three games. There are 14 levels. All of the levels are challenging and there is continuity of nature getting Lara. Anniversary has new features which make it more fun and there are better weapons. The enemies/bosses are harder to kill as you have to use a special adrenaline dodge but again it is a lot of fun. Anniversary is about Atlantis but the plot doesn’t really carry through to well. Again in my opinion Legend and Angel of Darkness had much better plots. I should also mention that in our game system progressive saving was not possible in Anniversary. So if my son forgot to save he had to start over from the last manually saved point which was a bit frustrating at times.

Video games have been apart of the American culture for the last half century. They have become more realistic and entertaining then movies. They are the new form of entertainment. But it is important to research the products and limit the amount of money and time you spend on each game and balance that time against time being productive, improving yourself and exercising. Although I am told the Wii has addressed the exercise issue I am reluctant to spend anymore money then I have and will stick to our PS2 until the next several generations of gaming systems come out so I purchase a game system that is substantially improved.

Gaming is controversial for parents. We try to balance how much are children are exposed and use game systems versus how much children work.

PS2 and PS3 have come down substantially in price. And I think I bought Angel of Darkness for $3 on Amazon. Games are available for PS2 and PS3 for a nominal fee. While I do not anticipate buying another video game for my son anytime in the near future as he has had his three for this year, I can state he enjoyed them. So I highly recommend these three games to anyone who is in the market. But I recommend them in this order;

1. Legend
2. Angel of Darkness
3. Anniversary

For those of you who wish to tell me there are more games out there I am aware but my son needs to continue with his studies. A little video gaming is okay but no more then three a year. I know I sound like a cruel parent but it is important for my son to be productive, to get proper exercise and to study. My son has Autism and he could literally get too caught up in gaming so it is important to minimize this activity but for him to still enjoy it. I wish you the same.