I think they did a pretty good job with this game. It's a step up from the last one, and the closest we've seen to porting the gameplay of the greater console+PC games.
The production values are pretty spot on. If you've played Legend or any of the follow ups, then this is very familiar. All her moves down to the one-handed ledge saves and hand stands are present.
The physics are also very reminiscent of Legend, so at least despite its flaws it does _feel_ much like Tomb Raider in that respect.
But it's still confined to platformer esque two dimensions, so will never capture the sense of adventure present in the proper game. And while combat is functional and not nearly as broken as claimed, shooting just doesn't work in 2D. It's like trying to put that fanboy Halo Zero next to the Bungie series from which it was derived. Therefore, despite all their best efforts these handheld games will _always_ be perceived as lesser knockoffs, and rightly so.
The camera can sometimes feel too confined, which is a problem that the 3D games suffered as well. Sometimes you'll find a certain ledge where you're not quite certain if you're supposed to go up or left or drop, even after panning, which results in a leap of faith and probably a subsequent do over. But also like the 3D games, checkpoints are generous so you won't have to traverse too much of the familiar.
There's also the token touch screen treatment that we've come to expect in nearly every game of every genre on the DS, to the point where it becomes mildly insulting. When you have the pedestrian task of moving around these three disks to unlock a door, you're likely to wonder to yourself if they fancy you a second grader.
The other thing that jumped to mind is just how short are the levels. So perhaps they hold the distinction of actually understanding that they were developing for a handheld, which is nice to see when some games don't even offer quick saves. But on the other hand, it makes me wary of how long this game can really be, and what we're probably missing compared to the proper game. If played out to end, I'm wondering if I will feel like I just played a sampler rather than a stand alone title warranting a standard price tag.
So overall, I would rate this high for succeeding in production and gameplay within itself, but lower for the fact that they're still not offering us a handheld version of the actual Tomb Raider experience with the fully featured adventure and level designs. I would much rather see them ditch the textures, complex lighting, etc. and just scale down the same game that Xbox and Playstation owners get to enjoy, than continuing the tradition of handheld games which are similar in name only and inferior in all other qualities.