I just stopped playing the Tomb Raider Legend demo for the PC. I had already gone through the demo and had started over going through it again. The game looks amazing even on my computer which is not setup to play high end video games. I would love to see what it looks like on a machine that is set up for new games.

The whole time I was playing the demo, I kept thinking back to the first time I played Tomb Raider, which was a demo and on a computer. My memory isn't what is used to be, but the computer could have been my very first computer, a 386 Packard Bell with 20 megs of RAM (it came with 4, and I added two 8 meg sticks). Of course, the next time I played Tomb Raider was on the Playstation. And of course, I was hooked. I freaking loved Tomb Raider. It used to scare the crap out of me with wolves and bears and high places. I own every Tomb Raider on the Playstation. I do not own that first Tomb Raider game for the Playstation 2. I won't mention that game again.

A side from looking amazing, Tomb Raider Legend felt good. I was able to run and jump and move about like I wanted to. Well, nearly like I wanted to. In the other Tomb Raider games, you could grab a hold of a lot of edges that wouldn't help you get anywhere. In the demo, Legend only seems to let you grab things if you're supposed to. The movement is nearly perfect. You do not feel like you're moving in a grid like the other games. I would have liked to grab a few places and see if I can get somewhere. Part of the fun of the other Tomb Raiders was climbing up on something you're not supposed to be and then getting hurt as you get down.

The puzzles I encountered in the demo were smart. In two of them, I came upon some crates and thought, "Ah, crates. My old friend." I then assumed, both times, that I knew exactly what to do. But I didn't. I had to think, which was good.

I have no idea if the rest of the game is like this. I really didn't get far enough into the game to truly know. I have heard some negative things about the game. For one, it doesn't feel like anything new. I don't really consider that a bad thing. I love WWII games. There will never be another WWII game that'll feel new. A game sometimes doesn't have to feel new; it just has to be good. Another negative thing about Legend is that it's too short. That one is a bad thing for me. I remember the other Tomb Raider games were long, and I spent my time exploring and finding places. A few weeks ago, I bought a used copy of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time for the PS2. It's a short game but also a wonderful game. I knew it was going to be short. I also didn't pay full price for it. Legend, to me, a person with not a lot of money, can't justify paying full price for a really short game, no matter how fun it is. Now, if the demo made me feel like I was playing the first Tomb Raider, I would pay full price. It didn't. Though, it did make me feel like I was playing a good game. Eventually, the game will be used and cheap somewhere. I probably won't hesitate to pick up a copy.

Did I mention that if you get Lara wet in the game, she'll stay wet for a long time, and if you leave her alone, she'll shake the water from her boots?  ¶ 4:27 AM