Review - Tomb Raider

Tomb Raider Page

The next 3d adventure game isn’t going to be by some big company or even published by one. Lara Croft going for her gun Rather, it will be created by the great minds at Core Design in the UK and distributed by Eidos Interactive. What’s that, you have never heard of these companies, don’t be discouraged. This game is Tomb Raider and is looks intense. It is even promised to be faster than many console system games like Mario 64 and Crash Bandicoot, and it is.

Tomb Raider is at heart a 1st person game with a 3rd person view. In a way, sort of like the popular playstation game, Resident Evil. But, it is much more. Instead of just wondering around and shooting everything in sight, like Quake or Duke Nukem 3D, you will have to solve intricate puzzles and avoid deadly traps, and of course shoot many badies. Tomb Raider revolves around Lara Croft, and being an ex-gymnast will provide for some very cool moves. In fact, there is even an area in the game where you go to a gym and practice your moves.

This game will incorporate many much awaited features these include:

THE CHARACTERS | PRESS RELEASES

GENERAL FEATURES:

A subscreen which you can access that will display information on the amount of ammo in your guns and also your health situation.

Four camera angles available; the spot camera, the dynamic pan, the external view and the 3-point view. Each angle is suited and assigned to an individual move or action that Lara may make like fighting, running, jumping, etc.

An intelligent auto-aiming system that will aim your gun. But don’t worry you will still have to point it in the general direction and fire.

Incredible fluid graphics with 2000+ frames of hand drawn animations

Complete 3D environments with full movement (Ala. Quake)

Fully Rendered polygon characters and monsters with textured mapped bodies so that all actions are very smooth

Traps and puzzles that will be activated by certain movements and actions, for example when you run down a hallway a giant ball will come after you to crush you (Ala. Indiana Jones)

High resolution graphics in 640x480

Very easy controls with the ability to switch between a fighting mode and a walk/run mode

THE STORY:

Lara is also an archeologist/adventurer which is the base for a very thought out story. In it, Lara is hired by a syndicate to find a mythical object, called Scion. After discovering that she has been being used as bait by this group, her curiosity takes her after the pieces of this ancient relic, which is believed to be a talisman from Atlantis. This relic which may have hold the secrets of Atlantis’ destruction, will also lead Lara into the secrets of Atlantian technology and its great power. As she travels to four distinctly different civilizationsto explore the ruins, she has to dodge traps and figure out many puzzles. When she travels to the four ruins, the Incas, the Egyptians, Ancient Greece, and the lost city of Atantis, she will also have to deal with interference by rival adventures and many wild animals, usually with guns blazing. She starts with two high powered pistols, one in each hand, but that won’t stop here from picking up other weapons, like uzis, grenade launchers and more. All of this will be tied together by five or six big Full Motion Videos which will explain the story.

THE GRAPHICS:

The graphics look amazing and they should be. All the characters are rendered and there are over 2000 frames of hand drawn animations. This tremendous amount of frames will provide Rendered Wolf the game with a very smooth and fluid kind of play. It will also help to detail all of Lara’s moves, which include jumps, flips, somersaults, kicks, and more. Then there are the levels. In a giant 3D world that will include dynamic lighting effects and transparent images you will come across many temples, underground passage ways, ancient architectural buildings, pools, that you can swim in, and more. Each of the four areas together will give a total of 15 levels.

MULTIPLAYER:

Unfortunaily, none is planned at this time. But, Eidos Interactive isn't about to step back, there next game, Ian Livingstone's Deathtrap Dungeon, will include full multi-player action over the internet in an RPG universe.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:

Tomb Raider will be for Windows 95 only and for PC-CD. Also version will be available for the Sony Playstation, and the Sega Saturn. Some users might find it smoother on these machines, but unlike the PC version which will run in 640x480, the console version will run in 320x240. PC minimum requirements are: 486/66Mhz, Pentium Recommended, 8MB RAM, SVGA Graphics, Mouse or Joystick, Double Speed CD-ROM drive, and most major sound cards are supported.

RELEASE DATE:

It's out! Grab the demo.

P|G RATING:

8.5/10

A very cool game with a new twist. Lots of good puzzles with intense action and a variety of enemies. Make sure you give this one a view.

UPs

Great graphics. Good sound. Lots of cool weapons and puzzles.

DOWNs

When you are deep in combat, some akward views can make it difficult to aim. Wierd camera angle changes.