Tomb Raider Legend isn't just a total reinvention of a series, it's also one of the most inspired games ever made.
So what exactly is so special about Legend? Essentially, everything. Crystal Dynamics has taken all the good elements of the series (the memorable settings, the clever puzzles, the great storytelling, the sense of exploration) and gotten rid of everything that was tedious about the older games. Gone is the grid that controlled Lara's movement which means now she's free to move at her will, and for the player it means no longer having to count the steps before taking a specific jump or aligning Lara so that she'd grab the ledge in front of her. As meaningless as this may sound, the removal of all the tedium related to Lara's movement that plagued the previous games practically transforms Legend into a completely different type of game. Climbing a mountain will no longer feel like a chore, but a thrill, the way it should be. This makes the game much more accessible to a wider audience too, and that's certainly a good thing.
There are also many new additions to the game, such as new gadgets for Lara, including a magnetic grapple that can help her maneuver through the environments as well as mess around with them. She also has a personal light source, which essentially substitutes the flairs from previous games. She has a pair of binoculars that can not only help her scan the area but also gather information about the nature of her surroundings (she'll learn whether a certain item can be moved, whether it's unstable, or if it's a mechanism). She also wears a headset through the whole game (like she did in the last levels of Chronicles) with which she can communicate with her allies and gather hints about what to do next or what dangers may lie ahead.
Another change to the game is the streamlining of the inventory. Lara can only carry 3 health packs (unlike the unlimited amount she could carry before), carry 4 grenades, and one secondary weapon (aside from her trademark pistols). This is another change that eliminates the tedium of scanning through the entire inventory as well bringing some much needed realism to the game. Lara also gets to control several vehicles, which is nothing new to the series, but this time around the vehicle sequences are much more thrilling and easy to control (although there is a slight issue with one sequence that will be mentioned later). Also, the secrets from previous games have been substituted by the rewards, which are cla$$ified as bronze, silver, and gold rewards. Finding this rewards allows you to unlock special content, such as new outfits for Lara, concept art, cinematics, etc.
Another area that has received a major revamp is the graphics. I'm going to be honest here; Tomb Raider Legend is the most visually stunning game I've ever played. Both from a technical and artistic point of view, Legend is a visual rollercoaster. While the game isn't as photorealistic as some newer games like Cryisis, it's still technically impressive thanks to the "next gen graphics" option. This option brings a whole new depth of realism to Lara's appearance as well as her surroundings, with amazing lighting and shadowing effects. A fairly fast PC is needed to access this option, but it's very worth it to make the upgrade if necessary. But it's really the artistic design that elevates this game above the rest. Every single level is a sight to behold, from the caves in Bolivia, to the skyscrapers in Japan, to the waterfalls in Ghana, to the snowy Kazakhstan, to the museums in England. It's impossible to not be impressed at how alive every level feels and the amount of detail that went into creating such levels.
One area where Tomb Raider had always been strong was in the sound department. Angel of Darkness featured some terrific voice acting as well as excellent music, and the previous games also had some memorable music. Legend simply blows them all away. The Legend soundtrack is one of the most inspired game soundtracks I've ever had the pleasure to listen. From the moment you load up the game and listen to the menu theme you realize that the sounds of Tomb Raider Legend will accompany you long after you're done with the game. Be it the catchy tunes in Bolivia, the pumping themes of the motorcycle sequences in Peru and Kazahkztan, the lovely music from Nepal, or the thrilling theme from the final battle, it's all top notch stuff. And if that wasn't enough the voice acting is superb. Lara has never been voiced better (her voice is handled by Keeley Hawes), and her interactions with Zip and Allister are always funny and memorable. The rest of the characters Amanda, Rutland, Anaya, Winston, etc., also add a new dimension to the game.
If up until now it feels like I've been gushing like a maniac about how great this game is, it's because I've never been so in love with a game before. But my love isn't blind and I recognize the game has some faults. First of all is the introduction of a checkpoint system. Previous Tomb Raider games always allowed you to have an unlimited amount of saves, as well as saving at whatever point you wanted. In Legend, checkpoints are the norm, and while you can save manually, when you reload you'll always start at a previous checkpoint. I'll say this, as far as checkpoint systems go, Legend probably features the best checkpoint system ever devised, since you'll rarely go too long without triggering a checkpoint, which always seem to be located at fairly logical places. But the fact remains, it's still a checkpoint system, which means you'll have to deal with the frustration of repeating a certain section (such as a boss battle or a section of traps) over and over again.
Another slight flaw is the presence of several bugs in some levels. One bug presented itself in the Kazakhstan level, where running the game with the next-gen content on caused the game to crash. That bug was easily avoided by turning the next-gen content off, but another bug where the scenery in the motorcycle sequence kept repeating itself was incredibly irritating. There a few other bugs scattered through the game, some more annoying than others, but for the most part they're easily avoidable. If you do stumble upon a bug, fortunately many fan sites offer save games where the bug has already been avoided.
It's also worth mentioning that the difficulty of certain Boss battles can be frustrating, though for the most part this only happens if you play the game on the hardest difficulty (Tomb Raider). I'll admit that I haven't been able to beat the final boss on Hard difficulty, because at the hardest setting it's simply an unfair battle (EDIT: I did it!). Fortunately, you can change the difficulty in between levels, so if you're getting too frustrated, don't hesitate to lower the difficulty (on medium difficulty, it's a much easier fight). Finally, the game is fairly short; depending on how efficient you are, it can take you around 8 hours to finish the game, but it's a thrill from start to finish without a single dull moment in between.
But enough with the flaws, Tomb Raider Legend is quite simply one of the most amazing games I've ever had the privilege to experience. Nothing says that you love a game more than wishing it didn't end and I wanted Legend to go on forever. Developer Crystal Dynamics deserves all the praise in the world for reinventing the Tomb Raider series in a way I never thought possible. Between it's amazing visuals, eclectic soundtrack, memorable story and characters, stunning locales, and ultra refined gameplay, Legend is not only the best Tomb Raider game, but one of the most awe inspiring games ever made.