August 28, 2008 -
Lara Croft is many things to many people. She was one of the first memorable mascots of the 3-D gaming age (sorry, Bubsy). She's a veritable female Indiana Jones who empowers women everywhere. She's a soulless sexpot who prances about in skimpy clothes and demeans women everywhere. Love her or hate her, Lara Croft continues to be a major player in the industry.
2008 is notable for two big reasons. For one, Eidos is set to release Tomb Raider: Underworld, a true next-gen sequel, before the end of the year. In addition, they've just hired a new model to play Lara in conjunction with the game.
And be sure to check back later this year, as we'll be delving into Lara's many in-game looks as well.
The Model: Nathalie Cook
Tenure: 1996-1997
As the first official Lara Croft model, Nathalie Cook never quite went on to the same level of fame as the other ladies on this list. She was hired in conjunction with the original game, a game so far back in the Stone Age that Lara didn't even have a ponytail in-game. Still, Ms. Cook gets props for being first. And at least she had a ponytail.