Tomb Raider

Tomb Raider CD cover

My first impression of this game was that it was slow, and lacking in the action department. The control seemed off track, and the camera angle was always switching around in an annoying fashion. But I got used to it. And after playing to the 5th level, I changed my mind. The game is actually very good. The first couple of levels aren't really that good, so don't judge the game on them. In about the 3rd level, the game really starts to get fun.

The graphics are pretty neat, although not as detailed as Resident Evil, they still look good. The rapid fire shooting is cool, and the way Lara points her gun in the direction of the enemy takes away from the pressures of aiming precisely, which is a good thing because of the constant angle switching. You can't aim at all really, not even up or down. As long as you are facing somewhat in the right direction, it always aims for you. The ablity to jump and shoot is really cool, because it lets you dodge smaller enemies like the wolves fairly easily. The game also has a pretty neat feature...if you chose Lara's house from the options, it takes you to her home for some basic movement training. It actually helps, so I would advise going through all the instructions before playing even the first level, as it will save some major frustration. The game really starts to draw you in when you get up into the higher levels, and vary greatly in looks and terrain.

The game reminds me of a mix between Mario 64, Resident Evil, and Prince of Persia. In fact, I'd almost say this is like a 3D Prince of Persia, but with an Indiana Jones atmosphere...there are many things in the game that remind me of Prince of Persia, such as spike pits, spike door traps, crumbling floors, and even fighting your evil twin which involves putting away your guns and using your head to beat her. However, it's still has many unique features, and offers much more than Prince of Persia did...such as carrying around 2 uzis with which to waste crazy demons, bears, etc.

I'd recommend this game as a must buy for anyone who has a psx.