She's suffered through endless catacombs, hundreds of monsters and traveled to Tibet, China, Venice, India, Antarctica, London, Nevada, Rome, France…you get the idea. This is a woman who gets around. She's been getting around since 1996, when the first Tomb Raider debuted on PC. It brought with it a new era of third person shooters, defining the genre sharply with Lara's acrobatics, gunplay and certain unmentionable features. Lara has been the object of many a gamers' desire, and the franchise has never been stronger as the second motion picture installment is set to hit movie theaters this summer.
With each installment, I found myself somewhat entertained at the additional feature lists. Lara's penchant for running around in heavily enclosed spaces was somewhat of a repellant to me for quite some time. The prospect of "grabbing ledges" or "swinging on hanging nets" wasn't necessarily the new gameplay I desired to make the games work better for me. A lot has changed since the last time I took a glance at the series.
Due out June 17th, the first installment of Lara's legacy for the PS2 was shown off at this year's E3. It would seem that Eidos really does have a lot to brag about this time. The new character designs and movements take full advantage of the PS2's hardware and go a long way to make the series more enjoyable on a console. In addition, a new playable character named Kurtis Trent has been added with his own unique style and playability. Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness may have a somewhat feeble title, but the underlying game speaks volumes beneath the cover.
Lara doesn't just look better; she is technically superior in almost every way. The way you play this title determines how you will finish it. Character interactions now influence your path through the game and every action you perform will matter. Croft now adapts to how you play. If you're a gung-ho type, her physical abilities will increase as you jump and run around. Increased leg muscles mean you can kick in doors. Increased upper body strength adds a lot more wallop to your punches. If you're more of a problem solver, her intelligence will be affected with every bit of sneaking and puzzle solving you do.
The story seems pretty standard fare for the series. As per Eidos' press release, "A series of grisly murders brings Lara into conflict with a sinister Alchemist from the past, and a secret alliance of powerful individuals shrouded in mystery. At the center of these mysteries are five 14th century paintings - the Obscura Paintings - which the Alchemist is desperate to repossess.
"Accused of the murder of her one time mentor, Von Croy, Lara becomes a fugitive on the run. Pursued by the police, she follows the Alchemist into a dark world of blood, betrayal and vengeance. It is up to her to defeat this unholy alliance and stop them from unleashing their incredible powers on the world."
Pretty fetching, I know. Story telling hasn't always necessarily been the strong suit of the series though. An emphasis on action is obvious here as the demo showed off all of Lara's new abilities. Upon entering a museum level, I was quickly up and running around. The tough part was getting used to the idea of Lara having different functions. She can now act in a stealthy manner, sneaking up behind enemies and snapping their necks
Hand-to-hand attacks are more complex as well, allowing you to conserve your ammo when you don't necessarily need it. The only issue here is that the complexity comes at a price. The attacks are based on pressure sensitivity and I don't know many gamers that lightly tap at the buttons on their controllers when they're dispatching an enemy. Honestly though, I think this is a fairly moot issue to begin with, as it didn't affect gameplay much.
I think Eidos has finally broken the mold of the endless Tomb Raider sequels by finally producing a title for the new generation of consoles. The enhanced graphics and abilities of the PS2 were begging for a Tomb Raider title for a long time. Seeing Lara with ten times the amount of polygons was plenty to convince me that the graphical overhaul was worthwhile. Weather, lighting and reflective effects will also heavily enhance the overall experience. Core Design has brought Croft to a whole new level with Angel of Darkness, and I think their effort will be rewarded. Fans of the series and even skeptical people like me should keep an eye out for it when it hits store shelves in June.
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