Ugh. Mention Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness or either of the Tomb Raider films around me and I'm likely to cringe worse than Mr. Buffa on "gotta get on Xbox Live and face the experienced n00bs" day. Not only were the films lacking the fine finesse of Croft that I was expecting, but Darkness was a complete and utter letdown, lacking in every single department as Core Design tried to push the popular icon that was Lara Croft to the next-generation. It failed in every sense of the word, period.

So, of course, doubt comes into mind with the return of the license, but Eidos has been very careful as to whom to give it to. They yanked it away from Core Design and since awarded it to Crystal Dynamics, the development team behind the old Gex games and the Legacy of Kain titles. They've certainly proven their worth with platforming games, so why not let them see what they do with Lara Croft? The end result is somewhat mixed, a game that doesn't really deliver on the long-term but at least delivers. Tomb Raider: Legend happily lives up to the license that we've since cursed out upon its repetition.

This new game starts off by introducing you to a more realistic Lara model. No longer is there a girl with ridiculously sized boobage and a strange face mold at the helm. Instead, you have a living, breathing figure with a more reasonable body and quaint movements, off to complete a series of quests across a number of locales, from the far-off mountains with dangers around every corner to a neon-lit city with all sorts of dangers lurking about. Lara's once again trying to keep up on her end of things, all while trying to unlock secrets of her past. The beginning of the game shows young Lara experiencing a plane crash, and things pick up from there.

Part of the problem with the Tomb Raider games is that the gameplay hasn't really changed that much, or whatever was changed subtracted from whatever worked in the first place. Crystal Dynamics has wisely returned things to basics with Legend, reintroducing the puzzle format that's since gone by the wayside in the series. For instance, one room requires you to get different crates on platforms in order to get certain mechanisms working, and the only way to do that is to launch them just right off a rock that's working in the function of a see-saw. Another requires a bit of thought and maneuvering along the lines of Prince of Persia, including precise swings and timing. But, of course, the game packs plenty of action, where Lara does her best with physical movements and gunplay.

The gameplay really recognizes all of Lara's skills, and manages to stick together pretty well. Her physical movements, combined with her twin pistols, come across really well, especially the dodging with the B button that allows her to keep locked on her target while avoiding incoming fire. There's also items to push, health kits and a neon light to utilize (this is particularly sweet underwater, and very helpful as well), and several moves to pull off, from a suave standing up off a ledge to swift little jumps between gaps. Even grabbing a ledge has a slight complexity, requiring you to quickly tap the Y button to gain your composure before you lose your grip. The controls work really well here, although those expecting a revamp of the Tomb Raider formula might be slightly disappointed. The gunplay's simplified (although I liked the ability to hit the Y button on occasion to hit side targets), as is movement. But at least it works. Same couldn't be said for Angel of Darkness- not by any means.