I am…errr…was a huge fan of the Lara Croft Tomb Raider games. I was 13 years old when the first one was released…and I really thought she was hot. By the time I played the second one, I was actually starting to appreciate the game for it’s innovative control and tomb raiding aspects.

This was the sixth Tomb Raider game following Tomb Raider 1, 2, and 3, as well as Tomb Raider Chronicles and Tomb Raider The Last Revelation. It was released in 2003 alongside the Tomb Raider movie sequel and both were massivly hated by everyone.

I loved the first 3 Tomb Raiders (many critics and fans believed the franchise dropped off after the second one…widely considered the best one…but I feel it dropped off after the third.) I wasn’t a big fan of Chronicles so I figured I was due a fresh approach to Lara Croft. Then I swallowed The Last Revelation, which was decent, but fans have come to expect more from the first female action hero in video games.

Angel of Darkness basically has horrrible mechanics too go along with great storytelling…which pisses me off more because very rarely does a game ever have a great plot and this one was totally wasted by the gameplay. The franchise at this point really needed an overhaul, not a tune-up.
All is not lost though. The seventh game in the series, Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Legend which is on my Top 10 Most Anticipated Games List, was just released to rave reviews and is selling like mad. I myself own it and have really enjoyed it.

I’d like to add that Core Design Inc., which is responsible for this revolutionary character and all of her games was fired from the series after making Angel of Darkness. For Legend, the powers that be behind Lara Croft, Eidos Inc., went out and hired a new production team, Crystal Dynamics, to put a fresh look on the series and it is thriving.

It just goes to show you that no matter how revolutionary you are, you can still have your “baby” taken from you if you screw it up down the road.