[merylsilverburg]

I know there is already a Tomb Raider thread out there, but I wanted to create this thread to express my disappointment in the game. Though hardcore gamers would probably buy it (like me), I'm sure that many would be upset at the many slowdowns, glitches/bugs, and freezes that occur during the game.

Pros:
- Beautiful, detailed enviroments. It seems that Core took the time to really create the levels because I was in complete awe. The weather effects, like the rain (only one I saw so far) looked pretty realistic and some of the mist/fog looked nice as well.

- Character textures are much smoother which gives the characters a realistic look to them. Lara is much more rounded and in better shape...her ponytail swings appropriately and strands fly when jumping, swimming, etc.

- The interaction with characters is a really great new feature. You are given options during the game to choose what to say at moments. Depending on what you choose, determines the reaction/outcome of the person you're speaking to. I enjoyed these parts immensely. Plus, the voice acting isn't half-bad.

- Story is pretty intriguing and it moves along quite well because of the feature mentioned above. I don't want to give anything away, but let's just say that I'm pretty curious on finding out what happens and will continue to play.

Cons:
- Slowdowns....a lot. It happens when running and jumping from ledge to ledge. I think it's due partly because of the massive enviroments which causes the movement of Lara to act this way.

- Glitches/bugs. I thought that Eidos/Core said they kept delaying this game to fix up on those. But, it turns out that a lot were still in the game and unfixed. I once tried to make Lara jump on a ledge, but somehow she ran into the wall and began walking. She just kept walking and nothing I did stopped it, so I had to reset. The enviroments also, at times, have some problems. I tried to jump to a moving railing/ledge and even though I know that she made it, she would fall straight through the ledge and fall to her death. Also, there are times when I tap down the "Walk" button in order to make her walk and when I reach a ledge where she's "supposed to not fall", she does. The "Walk" symbol on the screen would disappear and I would fall to my death. Let's just say, I had never died more in the beginning of a TR game...

- Freezing/locked up. Three times in the game, it froze on me. I tried to make Lara run into a different room and at the same exact moment, the game would freeze. I resetted 3 times and it did the same thing. By then I had to stop and calm down because I was already frustrated as it is.

- Control. Okay, maybe I'm the only one that feels this way, but I don't like the analog controls that much. I know that it's meant to make Lara have more control when turning, moving, etc. but it's actually worse, IMO. She doesn't have that handy "Tap back once" to prepare for a long jump anymore. Now, you basically have to make her run around once to get her moving, then jump to the ledge where you want to go. It's hard to explain, but hopefully someone will understand what I mean.

- "Leveling up" system (like in a RPG). A lot of new features are added to this game and one of them is the ability to "level up" Lara. She starts off not being able to run quickly, move/pull heavy objects, and others I've yet to discover. However, as you move along in the game, doing certain tasks will increase Lara's strength in her arms and legs. This will help her move heavier objects, run more faster, etc. While this feature is pretty damn cool, it may be incredibly annoying to some who are used to "the old Lara".

Gah, enough of my rant. While I will play through the game (because I'm curious about the story and I'm just a fan of the TR series), I honestly say that this is a definite rental. Hmm...my personal score for this game would be a 6 out of 10.