Tomb Raider: Legend
- October 10, 2005 17:21 PM PST
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A New Tomb Raider is on the horizon, but before you start groaning, know that Lara Croft has a new developer to go along with an alluring look.
When Tomb Raider burst on the scene in 1996, it was hailed as a breakthrough action game with a unique play engine and an extraordinary level of difficulty...plus, it was one of the first titles to feature a curvaceous Indiana Jones-esque explorer (or supermodel) at its center. Almost overnight the star, Lara Croft, became an interactive sex symbol--so much so she was able to overshadow the game's fundamental flaws, of which there were many. However, the Tomb Raider did have some innovative aspects that fed perfectly into a mainstream gaming community that was starved for better games than the usual token launch-title offerings for the 32-bit next-gen systems.Suddenly, Eidos and developer Core Design had a monster hit on their hands. The game became a phenomenon, not so much for the product itself, but for Lara Croft, who was seemingly on the cover of every magazine, comic book, and billboard. She was even brought to life by Oscar-winning actress Angelina Jolie for two live-action feature films--Tomb Raider and The Cradle of Life. Plus, fans went nuts chasing every false lead regarding the "nude code" that was rumored to be imbedded in the games, and "events" like Lara donning a wetsuit were made prominent selling points.
"No."
Released for the PlayStation (and Saturn at the time), Tomb Raider's graphics were as good as they were going to get. The visuals were frequently muddy and sloppy, plus the camera provided its own set of challenges: it had a nasty habit of obscuring critical objects in the environment, such as dangerous enemies and fatal traps that you wouldn't realize were coming until it was too late. And if you died-game over. Not only was the game was tough, it took a long time to complete; and it was filled with instant-death scenarios where if your timing wasn't millisecond-perfect, you were toast (see "Fixing Tomb Raider").
Based on the success of the first game, though (as is often the case in the video game industry), more sequels were ordered--lots of them. But after several additional adventures, things began to sour for Ms. Croft. This culminated with Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness (PlayStation 2), a game plagued by bugs, half-baked play mechanics (remember building Lara's strength so she could open a door?), and other glitches normally caught by thorough product testing. For the first and (to date) only Tomb Raider on the PlayStation 2, Angel was especially disappointing. It seemed that Lara Croft (and Tomb Raider), who had swung from so many ropes during her adventures, had finally reached the end of her own.
Resurrection?
Now Tomb Raider has a potential new lease on life courtesy of Crystal Dynamics, who took the reins from Core Design. This talented bunch revived Gex with Enter the Gecko, brought the Kain vampire saga back from the brink of the grave with Soul Reaver, and created one of the most underrated games of 2003, Whiplash.
The buzz for the upcoming Tomb Raider, Legend (for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox) from the Electronic Entertainment Expo this year was positive, too. Moreover, parent company Eidos admitted that they're researching extensive feedback from fans and heeding criticism from the gaming press to improve the title. Can Lara Croft become a gaming force again? So far it appears that Eidos is taking the right approach.
