Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness (PlayStation 2, 2003)

Well, after months and months of anticipation and innumerable postponements by publisher, Eidos, it's here. Overall it's not bad, but I think that if this is all that can be done with Lara on the PS2 vs. PSone format, then it might be time to retire the poor girl.

For forty quid you expect to at least be able to control Lara. Unfortunately she responds with all the urgency of a three-toed sloth in a coma. Ironically this means you're less likely to fall off a high ledge, but more likely to end up shouting at the screen when involved in a close-quarters combat situation. "MOVE!", "RUN!", "DO SOMETHING!" and far, far ruder cries rang around my flat the first time Lara came up against a boss. You do get used to it, but compared to other third-person games e.g. Syphon Filter, and previous Tomb Raiders, Lara behaves as if she's heavily sedated. The other annoying fact is that you can't sprint until alomost the end of the game, and it isn't terribly obvious when she learns this ability. Make sure you note that she can belly-crawl too, as you'll need it to get under tripwires and laser-activated bombs (press and hold 'triangle', then tap L2).

My other initial impression of disappointment was of the level domains. This is a far cry from the stunning Sphinx room, Great Wall of China, or legendary "Cistern" level in the first couple of Tomb Raiders. Early on in the game the levels are cramped and linear - even Lara ironically complains, "Another cold, dark city..." as you arrive in Prague. It's not until you reach the Tomb of the Ancients or maybe the Bio-Dome that you start to see the jaw-dropping visuals and rendering the PS2 is capable of, but this is an original differentiator for Tomb Raider that Eidos really hasn't exploited much.

Tomb Raiders also used to be known for their puzzles. Maybe I'm getting cleverer, or just used to the format, but I breezed through this game and was only really stuck once, trying to figure out that the subtle change in The Keeper's behaviour meant the painting was up for grabs. There were scant few occasions when I eneterd a level, saw a high balcony or ledge and thought, "Wonder how I get up there", and then ended up getting to it an hour later having been round the houses. Shame.

Playing as a bloke (Kurtis) for a while is new, as are some of the weapons, belly-crawling, and climbing of drainpipes etc. Unfortunately Kurtis walks like a chimpanzee, complete with knuckles scraping the floor, and frustration is added to amusement when you realise that he wields what looks like a ninja throwing star equipped with AI only in the cut-scenes, not in the game.

All in all, Tomb Raider is still a good game by today's standards. If you haven't played the originals then it's up there with Timesplitters 2, Tenchu 3, and Syphon Filter. Unfortunately, Eidos set a high standard with the first game that's difficult to live up to, so TR fans might be a bit disappointed.

Final verdict - buy it if you're new to the series, wait for it on Platinum or promo-price if you're a fan.

I really liked this game, but I had mixed feelings about it. I'm an avid Tomb Raider fan, and a huge fan of Lara herself. This game has amazing graphics, and a pretty good story line (although it still confuses me a bit at times.). I liked the new moves put into this game, like climbing pipes on walls, and the stealth mode (which made a lot of sneaking easier, lol.). I also liked how you could play as Kurtis, a second character, in a couple of the levels. This is good, but if there should be character changes like this in future tomb Raider games, they should keep it to just a few levels (becasue the game is really about Lara, you know, lol.) They did a good job with not overdoing that. It took me awhile to get used to the analog feature ( I never used analog before this.) I hated it at first, but now I use analog for everything, lol. So it works out well ^_^. I think my biggest disappointments with this game were that 1) there are manyglitches and bugs in the game playing, making some levels that should have been easy very difficult (example: Aquatic research facility- the mutant fish still atacks you, even though you could put meat in the water to distract it, it doesn't work and is supposed to.), 2)I didn't lie how easy everything was to follow. Yes, there were some hard times where I had to consult a walkthrough, but it was difficultt o really get lost in levels (you could easily get lost in other tomb Raider games. the exploration of being lost makes Tomb Raider fun!), and lastly, 3) I felt like they made Lara look kinda sissy and ditzy in this game, which is not her personality. She will get down on her knees and surrender if you get too close to police, she steals things like jewelry and vintage item (that have nothing to do with the game in any way.), and everyone treats her like she's stupid, and she kinda seems that way at times. I felt that Lara's personality was not altered to its best. I had mixed feelings about the strength and body upgrades throughout the games. A lot of things could not be done until you got the upgrade. though this seems more realistic, it gets really annoying. (if you hang on a ledge too long, this little yellow bar starts running out, and you'll fall off. Very frustratiing, lol.). Overall, I give this game a B+. I definitely think you should have this game in your collection if you are a diehard Tomb Raider fan (I like all the games very much, but the original Tomb Raider is still a classic favorite that never gets old ^_^.)

Did not likeit personally.She moves so slow and when she jumps she falls too many times therefore it is hard to get through and very frustrating.Do not recommend.

Great Game . Was very fun. Hours of gameplay. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11

bought the game at husbands request he loves to play this type of game and my grandson loves to watch him play them they have hours of fun with this game thank you so much. I will continue to use ebay.

The game was delivered to me in good shape and in due time. The quality of the game is good and I like playing it!

i love lara croft in the movies an in the games. her games keep you jumping and yelling at her, which is fun to me. no matter what i will be a fan. from all her other games this game is ok

The game has alot of good htings. first off, if you started with the other ps2 tittles for tomb raider then tis game will be very different. The controls are very automatic and the game is very different than the others, it is however, a very good game and it has a good lenght at that.The game came out in early days but graphics are still very good for the time it came out. This game has alot more puzzle involvement. And it plays like a mix of "stol'en" "prince of Persia" and the old "tomb radier" series as far as controls go. The game is a great buy and very difficult, but don't let that discourage you!

Tomb Raider The Angel Of Darkness is an extremely fun and challenging game!You get to choose how to interact with others in the game and even play as another charcter! Its not just a run and shoot game, there are many puzzels to solve and many levels! It is a ton of fun and one of the best Tomb Raider games ever! *****

this was gift for 14 year old daughter she plays it non stop i havent got any complaints from her about it so i guess its great

There was really nothing wrong with the story, but the camera angles plus the controls were pretty awkward. there's even a time where i could see inside Lara's head. I felt that she could die easily, there were times where i tried to get away from an enemy and i could barely do it. When she shoots at something, its like the sound just totally freezes even though she's still shooting, sometimes it would take a WHILE to kill a dude with a freaken gun. she can do some combat face to face with enemies but she gets hurt at the same time, so whats the point in that.

You also have to make Lara level up, meaning how long she is capable of hanging on to something, how strong she is capable of opening a door, or kick a door open, how strong is to push or pull something. she has to gain all this momentum when she ALREADY had it before this game.

****DEATHS****
If youre pretty humorus about Lara deaths, this is definitely the game for you. Lara is SOOO flexible its not even funny. she can die millions of ways and bend in all kinds of directions. she is a freaken rubberband.

Angel of Darkness to me is the first Tomb raider that was actually a bit different from the past Tomb Raiders. Now she picks up money, candy bars (these are reoccuring items depending on where you are). she doesnt really need the money anyway becuase she rarely trades it with people. Lara is MORE social with the public, you can even make her choose what to say to poeple.

but overall the levels, the story, the graphics, all of that is pretty awesome. the gameplay is PRETTY LOONG. People may say its the worst Tomb Raider ever made becuase i heard that the company just pretended that they never made the game and just resumed with Tomb Raider Legend. But its not that bad. if you have patience, buy the game.

The game I bought was a great price..it was a gift for mothers day for my mom!! Yes,she is really enjoying it!! The game got here real fast.I will order from you again...Thanks so much from me and for sure my mom...lol

When I first played Tomb Raider I fell in love with it. The action the adventure & the puzzles. But Tomb Raider AOD was boring. All you really do in the first half of the game is talk and talk and talk so more. There ain't really no action in AOD. And the controls were TERRIBLE. And when your hanging from a ledge you have a little meter at the top of the screen, when that line is gone you fall. VERY STUPID. Why the hell did Eidos put that in the game? But if you LOVE Tomb Raider games then this one ain't so bad. If you can find it under $ 10.00. Also when Lara goes up and down ladders it feels like it takes forever...one step at a time. And where's the secrets. There are no secrets in AOD... that just took the fun out of it...

This game plays much better on the computer game then the PS2 because of the use of the controls. If I didn't have the computer game I would have rated this the lowest of the Tomb Raider games, but because I have it on computer I know the game is OK and I love all the Tomb Raider games and have them all. I'm a 17 year old if that helps and my 59 year old dad loves them all too. If you like some fighting, some puzzles, and a neat story line you will like this and all other Tomb Raider games.

every thing plus price AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

My husband has always liked the Tomb Raider games and so I wanted to purchase him one that he didn't have or hadn't already played.We weren't as crazy about this one as we were the original tomb raider games. It's fun to watch him play it none the less.

i have always loved tomb raider games and this was one that i have had in the past but sold but now i want it again to add to my collection

I played Tomb Raider: Legend and Tomb Raider: Anniversary first and I was amazed. They were spectacular games, but when I went to play the prequel, Angel of Darkness, my excitement dropped down the drain. The controls are absolutely impossible to direct Lara, the camera never shows you what you want to see, and none of the animations were anywhere close to smooth. Even if you are a die hard Tomb Raider fan, I would advise against this. It is not even worth $5.

I got this for my teenage daughter and she loves it. She said the cd is in very good shape and it's a very fun game to play on her Playstation 2. She said it would be fun for anyone around her age male or female.

Pretty good game. Just hard enough you want to keep playing, yet makes you made when you die. LOL I love it. Not as good as the Playstation One Tomb Raiders, but ok. Hard to make her climb into windows or climb ladders. All in all it is not a bad game.

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As all Laura's games, it always keep me guessing in what is going to happen next, love the game, just get use to playing in analog.