Posted by10 months ago
Archived
This isn't a post designed to cause an argument - this is a discussion.
I just saw a post on r/ps4 about the director of Shadow saying in June 'we won't be using the dual pistols in this game', and that the bow will remain Lara's signature weapon. As expected there were a decent number of unhappy replies.
Having gone back to try the old games, as fun and nostalgic as the dual pistols are, I didn't find myself using them often. Once I had the shotgun, Uzis and Magnums I was using them instead because they were more effective. I have no problem with using a bow in the new games because it's not the only weapon Lara has and I like the upgrade system.
The old Lara went in guns blazing and back flipping. The new Lara is a stealthy survivalist; her bow allows for silent kills and she often causes chaos behind enemy lines. I'm not sure I could take her seriously these days if she started side flipping away from danger. The games are too entrenched in realism now, old TR stretched realism with pistols that could fire unlimited bullets and a woman that appeared genuinely superhuman. So, as much as I'd like to see the dual pistols return, I don't even know if I'd make much use of them.
Do you define Lara by the past? Do you just want the dual pistols as an option, even as a nod to what came before and nothing else? Do you think you'd even use them that much if you had them in Shadow?
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(Redirected from Tombraider (video game))
Tomb Raider | |
---|---|
Developer(s) | Core Design[a] |
Publisher(s) | Eidos Interactive[b] |
Producer(s) | Mike Schmitt |
Designer(s) | Toby Gard |
Programmer(s) | Paul Douglas |
Artist(s) | Toby Gard |
Writer(s) | Vicky Arnold |
Composer(s) | Nathan McCree |
Series | Tomb Raider |
Platform(s) | Sega Saturn, MS-DOS, PlayStation, Mac OS, N-Gage, Microsoft Windows, iOS, Android |
Release |
|
Genre(s) | Action-adventure, puzzle-platform |
Mode(s) | Single-player |
Tomb Raider is an action-adventurevideo game developed by Core Design and published by Eidos Interactive. The first instalment in the Tomb Raider series, it was released in 1996 for Sega Saturn, PlayStation, and MS-DOS. Tomb Raider was released for N-Gage devices in 2003, and for the PlayStation Network in North America in August 2009, and in Europe in August 2010. Tomb Raider follows the exploits of Lara Croft, an English archaeologist in search of ancient treasures.
The game received critical acclaim, with some critics declaring it as one of the greatest video games ever made. The game was commercially successful, selling over 7 million copies worldwide. The game is considered widely influential, serving as a template for many 3D action-adventure games that would follow.
Tomb Raider: Anniversary, a remake of the game, was released in 2007 in celebration of its 10th anniversary, and a reboot of its series under the same title was released in 2013.
- 3Development
- 4Alternate versions, special editions, and remakes
- 5Reception
- 6Legacy
- 8References
Gameplay[edit]
Lara Croft retrieves the first piece of the Scion in the Tomb of Qualopec
The player controls the archaeologist Lara Croft in search of the three mysterious Scion artefacts across the world.[1] The game is presented in third person perspective. Lara is always visible and the camera follows the action by peering over Lara's shoulders by default, but the player can also control the camera to get a better look at Lara's surroundings.[1] The game also automatically switches to a different camera view at key points, either to give the player a wider look at a new area or to add a cinematic effect.[2] The world she inhabits is fully drawn in three dimensions and characterised by its cubic nature. Ledges, walls, and ceilings mostly sit at 90 degrees to each other, but sometimes feature sloping planes.
The object of Tomb Raider is to guide Lara through a series of tombs and other locations in search of treasures and artefacts. On the way, she must kill dangerous animals and creatures, while collecting objects and solving puzzles.[1] Gunplay is not restricted to the killing of various animals and occasional human opponents; Lara can fire her weapons at any time. However, the emphasis lies on exploring, solving puzzles, and navigating Lara's surroundings to complete each level.[2][3] As such, Tomb Raider, in essence, harkens back to the classical form of platform style gameplay.[4]
Movement in the game is varied and allows for complex interactions with the environment. Besides walking, running, and jumping, Lara can perform side-steps, hang on ledges, roll over, dive, and swim through water. In a free environment, Lara has two basic stances: one with weapons drawn and one with her hands-free. When her weapons are drawn, she automatically locks on to any nearby targets. Locking onto nearby targets prevents her from performing other actions which require her hands, such as grabbing onto ledges to prevent falling. By default, she carries two pistols with infinite ammo.[2] Additional weapons include the shotgun, dual magnums, and dual Uzis. If Lara is confronted with more than one enemy when she has one of the dual weapons equipped, she aims at two targets simultaneously, one with each gun.[5] At a certain point in the story, Lara will be stripped of all her weapons, leaving the player defenceless and forced to recover her pistols, a development which later became a staple of the series. Numerous enemies, as well as a variety of lethal traps, can bring about Lara's death, including falling, burning, drowning, electrocution, becoming impaled on spikes, killed by human enemies, or creatures and being turned into gold by the hand of Midas.
A general action button is used to perform a wide range of movements in Tomb Raider, such as picking up items, pulling switches, firing guns, pushing or pulling blocks, and grabbing onto ledges. Items to pick up include ammo, small and large medi-packs, keys and artefacts required to complete a stage. Any item that is collected is held onto in Lara's inventory until it is used. Throughout each stage, one or more secrets may be located. Discovering these secrets is optional, and when the player has found one a tune plays. The locations of these secrets vary in difficulty to reach. The player is usually rewarded with extra items.
In the Sega Saturn and PlayStation versions of Tomb Raider, saving the game is restricted to fixed save points within each level, marked by a floating blue crystal or by completing the level. When Lara touches one of these the option to save is made available. The DOS version of the game allows the player to save at any time. A stage is finished when a certain doorway is reached, an artefact is recovered, or a boss is destroyed.
Plot[edit]
In Los Alamos County, New Mexico, a nuclear test causes a great explosion which exposes an ancient device buried beneath the desert surface. The device unlocks and reveals a person in suspended animation. In the present day Calcutta, archaeologist-adventurer Lara Croft is approached by Larson Conway, a hired man working for the wealthy businesswoman Jacqueline Natla, owner of a corporation called Natla Technologies. Natla asks Lara to recover a mysterious artefact known as the Scion (/ˈskiːɒn/) from the lost tomb of Qualopec, in the mountains of Peru. After taking the Scion, Lara is attacked by Larson, who explains that the artefact she has is only a fragment and that a man named Pierre Dupont has been hired by Natla to collect the rest.
Lara breaks into Natla Technologies to find out Pierre's whereabouts and discovers a medieval monk's journal, which reveals the depths of an ancient monastery of St. Francis in Greece to house the tomb of Tihocan, a ruler of Atlantis, along with a second piece of the Scion. Travelling to a monastery, Lara descends through an expansive underground complex while being pursued and attacked throughout by Pierre. At the tomb of Tihocan, Lara recovers the second piece of the Scion and kills Pierre. When combining two Scion pieces, Lara sees a vision which reveals that the third and final piece of the Scion is in the City of Khamoon, a temple complex in Egypt. There, she battles the fierce mutants and is confronted by Larson, this time in a battle to the death. After Lara obtains the final piece of the Scion, Natla takes the complete Scion and orders her men to kill Lara. Lara escapes and stows away on Natla's boat, which takes her to an unknown volcanic island.
After making her way through the mines dispatching Natla's men and the mutant-infested interior of Atlantis, Lara reaches the heart of the pyramid chamber, where the Scion has been fused together as a source of power. As she touches the artefact, Lara's earlier vision becomes clearer, revealing that Natla is the third ruler of Atlantis; she betrayed two other rulers, Qualopec and Tihocan, by abusing the power of the Scion for genetic experimentation to create a mutant breed, and as punishment is imprisoned in a stasis cell. Natla enters the chamber and reveals her intentions: having reclaimed the artefacts, she attempts to restore her former power with an army of mutants. Lara attempts to shoot the Scion, but Natla tackles her off the platform and falls into the crevasse. After defeating a large, legless mutant, Lara destroys the Scion, kills the mutated and winged Natla, and escapes the island by Natla's boat.
Development[edit]
Toby Gard at the 2005 Electronic Entertainment Expo.
Preliminary work on Tomb Raider commenced in 1993.[6] The title was crafted by Core Design of Derby, England, who took 18 months to develop it.[7] The team consisted of six people, among them Toby Gard, who is credited with the creation of Lara Croft.[8] The character went through several changes before Core settled on the version she became famous for. Initially, Gard designed a male character to be the star of Tomb Raider.[9] As he began working on the design document, Core was planning on giving players a choice of player characters, so he designed an early form of Lara to be the female alternative.[10] Later realising that having two player characters would double the amount of work required for the cutscenes, Gard cut the player characters back down by eliminating the male character, since he liked Lara better.[10] Gard cited Virtua Fighter as an influence on this decision: 'It became clear to me watching people play Virtua Fighter, which was kind of the first big 3D-character console game, that even though there were only two female characters in the lineup, in almost every game I saw being played, someone was picking one of the two females.'[11]
Lara Croft was originally named 'Laura Cruz'.[8][12] As her backstory began to take shape and it was decided that she would become more English and that it would be a major part of who the character was, her name was changed to reflect this.[8] According to Toby Gard, the idea to make her more akin to a female Indiana Jones was not present from the beginning. In fact, in early concepts, Lara originally had a cold-blooded militaristic-type personality, but Gard and the team decided to create and play up the 'proper English lady' aspect of her character to establish that there was more to Lara's personality and life than just her immediate actions during Tomb Raider's gameplay.[13]
A three-dimensional action-adventure like Tomb Raider was unprecedented at the time, and the development team struggled to find a way to make Toby Gard's vision for the game work on contemporary hardware, in particular getting the player character to interact with freeform environments.[14] According to programmer Gavin Rummery, the decision to build the entire game world on a grid was the key breakthrough in making the game possible.[14] Though the 3D platforming gameplay, player character abilities, and focus on exploration have been likened to Super Mario 64, the developers have denied it was an influence on Tomb Raider,[1] and development on Tomb Raider started well before Super Mario 64 had been shown to the public.[3]
The front of the Derby Studios building where Core Design worked on the game was later used as the front of Croft Manor. It is Core's contention that the company was struggling somewhat with 32-bit development at that time.[6] The first glints of the game were seen on Sega Saturn development kits.[6] However, Gard stated that though Core and Sega had a deal for Tomb Raider to be a timed exclusive for the Saturn, the game was developed simultaneously for the Sega Saturn and the Sony PlayStation.[10] Following the release of the Saturn version, a number of bugs were discovered that affected both versions of the game; because of the timed exclusivity, the development team fixed these bugs for the PlayStation version.[10] While the series would see four more instalments on the original PlayStation, no additional Tomb Raider games were released for the Saturn. Additional Sega ports were released on the Dreamcast.
English voice actress Shelley Blond provided the voice of Lara Croft for the game. She recalled, 'I was asked to perform her voice in a very plain non-emotive manner and in a 'female Bond' type of way. I would have added more inflection, tone and emotion to my voice but they wanted to keep it how they felt it should sound, which was quite right. My job was to bring their character to life.'[15]
In 1997 Core Design opened negotiations with Nintendo to release a Nintendo 64 version of the game, and started work on the port in anticipation of the negotiations being successful.[16]
Music[edit]
The music for Tomb Raider was composed by Nathan McCree. Unlike most other games of the time, there was not a musical track playing constantly throughout the game; instead, limited musical cues would play only during specially-selected moments to produce a dramatic effect,[17] such as enhancing tension during an action sequence or accompanying the discovery of a hidden secret, in much the same way as a film is typically scored. For the majority of the game, the only audio heard is action-based effects (e.g. footsteps or explosions), atmospheric sounds (like the roar of a nearby waterfall), and Lara's own grunts and sighs, all of which were enhanced because they did not have to compete with music. According to McCree, the game was scored this way because he was allotted very little time for the job, forcing him to quickly write pieces without any thought to where they would go in the game. When the soundtrack was finally applied, the developers found that the tunes worked best when applied to specific places.[14]
The game uses a solo oboe melody for the main theme. Variations of this main theme have been used in all of the Tomb Raider games. The soundtrack of Anniversary was composed by Troels Brun Folmann, loosely based on the original.
The symphonic sounds of the earlier games were created using Roland Corporation's Orchestral Expansion board for their JV series keyboards.[18]
Alternate versions, special editions, and remakes[edit]
Tomb Raider: Unfinished Business and Tomb Raider Gold[edit]
In 1998, shortly after the release of Tomb Raider II, Tomb Raider was re-released on the PC and in 1999 ported to the Macintosh[19]. This release, titled Tomb Raider Gold - The Shadow of the Cat in North America, and Tomb Raider: Unfinished Business elsewhere, featured the regular game as well as two new expert chapters ('Shadow of the Cat' and 'Unfinished Business') in four levels, two levels each. The levels for Tomb Raider Gold were created in the San Francisco office of Eidos by Phil Campbell, Rebecca Shearin, and Gary LaRochelle.[20]
The first chapter of the game takes place in Egypt and occurs several months after the events of Tomb Raider. The story sees Lara returning to the City of Khamoon to investigate a mysterious statue of the Egyptian goddess Bast. This leads to her discovery of a new temple dedicated to the cat deity, which includes a giant gold statue several stories high. The second chapter takes place before those of the first chapter—after the events of Tomb Raider. This chapter starts with Lara sliding down the same slope as in Tomb Raider's final level and finishes with her destroying the last remnants of the Atlantean Race.
Shadow of the Cat features two levels: 'Return to Egypt' and 'Temple of the Cat'. Unfinished Business features two other levels, called: 'Atlantean Stronghold' and 'The Hive'. It was originally announced that Unfinished Business would be released as a standalone expansion pack in the third quarter of 1997.[16]
2006 reboot[edit]
Remove windows live messenger from taskbar. The Tomb Raider series' popularity began to stagnate in the early 2000s and dropped after the critical and commercial failure of Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness. Core Design was sold to Rebellion Developments, and development of the Tomb Raider series was handed to Crystal Dynamics, best known for Legacy of Kain. Tomb Raider: Legend was released in 2006, the story focused on the mythological King Arthur and the legendary Excalibur. The game started a new timeline with a different incarnation of Lara Croft. The game became critically and commercially successful, selling 4.5 million units.
Tomb Raider: Anniversary[edit]
The first hint about a remake of the original Tomb Raider was a financial release from SCi Entertainment that revealed a game Tomb Raider 10th Anniversary Edition for PSP, which was supposed to be released in summer 2006.[21] Another hint appeared as a rumour on 30 May 2006: 'Eidos/SCi are planning on celebrating Lara's 10th birthday by releasing a remake of her original adventure'.[22] A video game trailer showing footage of a new Tomb Raider game was distributed on the Internet on 8 June 2006. The titles and logos of the trailer claimed that the title was Lara Croft Tomb Raider: 10th Anniversary Edition, a PSP game by Core Design. The trailer featured Lara Croft in familiar yet remodelled environments from the original Tomb Raider. On 15 June 2006, Core Design released a statement claiming that the trailer was 'an internal presentation of a game that was being developed by Core Design until very recently', and had been cancelled by SCi.[23]
However, on 16 June, Eidos Interactive announced a 10th Anniversary Edition of Tomb Raider, being developed by Crystal Dynamics instead of Core Design.[24] On 30 October 2006 Eidos announced that this new instalment in the series would be named Tomb Raider: Anniversary. The game is a retelling of the first Tomb Raider. Tomb Raider: Anniversary was released for PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 2, Wii,[25] and Windows platforms. The PlayStation 2 and PC versions were released on 1 June 2007 in Europe, and in the US] on 5 June 2007. The PSP version was released in June, the Xbox 360 version was released in October and the Wii version was released 14 November. The Xbox 360 version of the video game was made available for download from the Xbox Live Marketplace in November 2007 with the Tomb Raider: Legend disc being required to use it. However, the game was also released later on a disc to retailers, just like all of the other versions. A mobile version of Tomb Raider Anniversary was developed by FinBlade.
Tomb Raider: Anniversary was released and remastered in HD for the PlayStation 3, which came in a package alongside Legend and Underworld.
2013 reboot[edit]
On 5 March 2013, Square Enix released Tomb Raider, billed as a reboot of the franchise. In Tomb Raider, the player is given control of a much younger Lara Croft who is shipwrecked and finds herself stranded on a mysterious island rife with danger, both natural and human. In contrast to the earlier games, Croft is portrayed as vulnerable, acting out of necessity, desperation and sheer survival rather than for a greater cause or personal gain.
Reception[edit]
Sales[edit]
Tomb Raider sold over 7 million copies worldwide.[26] In August 1998, the game's computer version received a 'Platinum' sales award from the Verband der Unterhaltungssoftware Deutschland (VUD), while its PlayStation release took 'Gold'.[27] These prizes indicate sales of 200,000 and 100,000 units, respectively, across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.[28]
Critical reviews[edit]
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Tomb Raider remains the most critically acclaimed game in the long-running franchise.[26] Upon its release in 1996, the game was widely praised by gaming magazines for its variety and depth of control,[39][40][43][44][51] revolutionary graphics,[32][39][43][51] intriguing environments,[32][39][43][44] and use of occasional combat to maintain an atmosphere of tension.[40][43][44][52] Ryan MacDonald of GameSpot summarised, 'Take the puzzle solving of Resident Evil, the gory action of Loaded, and the 360-degree freedom most gamers only dream of, and you have Tomb Raider, the closest thing to a 'Super Mario 64 killer' to date.'[40] The game tied with the Saturn version of Street Fighter Alpha 2 for Electronic Gaming Monthly's 'Game of the Month', with their review team saying it 'really stands out from the rest of the pack' and 'is the best PlayStation game to date.'[32]Next Generation called it 'a thought-provoking, riveting action-adventure easily on par in intensity with any of Hollywood's finest efforts' and 'a landmark title for this generation, and one that's sure to be imitated many times over.'[43]
Some critics rated the PlayStation version as better than the Saturn version. MacDonald said that its graphics were sharper,[40] and GamePro scored it a half point higher than the Saturn version in every category (control, sound, graphics, and FunFactor), remarking, 'After a solid showing for the Saturn, Tomb Raider scores even higher.'[52] However, Next Generation stated that they would not bother to review the PlayStation version because the differences between it and the Saturn version 'are negligible.'[43] Similarly, Electronic Gaming Monthly only reviewed the PlayStation version, and stated in a feature on the game that Core 'has taken special care to ensure that the Saturn and the PlayStation versions of the game play equally well. The graphics certainly look identical.'[53]
Tomb Raider was Computer Games Strategy Plus's 1996 overall game of the year and won the magazine's award for the year's best '3D Action' game as well.[54] It also was a finalist for CNET Gamecenter's 1996 'Best Action Game' award, which ultimately went to Quake.[55]Electronic Gaming Monthly named Tomb Raider a runner-up for both 'PlayStation Game of the Year' (behind Tekken 2) and 'Saturn Game of the Year' (behind Dragon Force), commenting that both versions had been designed to take optimum advantage of each console's capabilities. They also named it runner-up for both 'Action Game of the Year' (behind Die Hard Trilogy) and 'Adventure Game of the Year' (behind Super Mario 64), as well as 'Game of the Year' (again behind Super Mario 64).[56] It won 'Best Animation' in the 1996 Spotlight Awards.[57]
In 2001 Game Informer ranked it the 86th-best game ever made. They praised it for Lara's appeal to gamers and non-gamers alike.[58] The level of sophistication Tomb Raider reached by combining state-of-the-art graphics, an atmospheric soundtrack, and a cinematic approach to gameplay was at the time unprecedented.[59][60] The resulting sales were consequential, topping the British charts a record three times,[8] and contributing much to the success of the PlayStation.[61] In the previous year, Eidos Interactive had recorded a nearly $2.6 million in pre-tax loss. The success of the game turned this loss into a $14.5 million profit in a year.[62]
As one of the top-selling games of the PlayStation console, it was one of the first to be released on PlayStation's Platinum series, and its success made Tomb Raider II the most anticipated game of 1997. It also won a multitude of Game of the Year awards from leading industry publications.[63] In 1998, Tomb Raider won the Origins Award for Best Action Computer Game of 1997.[64] The Lara Croft character was prominently featured in the popular media outside the realm of video gaming, for instance on the cover of pop culture magazine The Face in June 1997. In the final issue of the Official UK PlayStation Magazine, the game was chosen as the fourth-best game of all time.[65]Tomb Raider, along with its successor, Tomb Raider II, are the two best-selling games in the franchise.
In 1998, PC Gamer declared it the 47th-best computer game ever released, and the editors called it 'tremendous fun to play and a legitimate piece of post-modern gaming history'.[66]
Nevertheless, Tomb Raider received some criticism for minor camera and object glitches.[67] Additionally, some fans complained about the lack of action in the game.[68] Ironically, Tomb Raider II would be criticised for its overabundance of violence, especially against human opponents.[69]
Next Generation reviewed the PC version of Tomb Raider Gold, rating it three stars out of five, and stated that 'For the two people who don't own Tomb Raider, this is an excellent package. However, for the rest of us, pass on the Gold box and simply download the new levels' from the game's website.[70]
Legacy[edit]
GameSpot listed Tomb Raider on their '15 Most Influential Games of All Time', saying it served as a template for many 3D action-adventure games that would follow and helped drive the market for 3D accelerator cards for PCs.[71] The game's use of a hard-edged, female heroine has been both hailed as revolutionary (breaking away from the male perspective of game playing) and undergone multi-factorial critiques that either consider Lara's portrayal to be a positive visual metaphor of sexual empowerment or objectifying and sexist.[72] Aside from game appearances, Lara was featured on covers of magazines, in comic books and movies.[73] The amount of media coverage Lara received at the time was previously unheard of, with many magazines also outside the video game industry printing articles on her.[6] Several large corporations, such as Timberland,[6] and Lucozade wanted to use her as their spokesperson. The image of Lara Croft was used by U2 in their PopMart Tour.[8]
The Tomb Raider series was credited with six official Guinness World Records in the Guinness World Records: Gamer's Edition 2008. These records include Most Official Real Life Stand-ins, Highest-Grossing Video-game Movie, and Most Recognizable Female Video-Game Character.
The PlayStation version was released for the PlayStation Network in North America in August 2009, and in Europe in August 2010.[74]
Nude Raider[edit]
An infamous footnote in Lara's history is the so-called Nude Raider patch. This patch was created externally and was never housed on the Eidos or Core websites. The patch, when added to an existing Tomb Raider game (PC-based versions only), caused Lara to appear naked. Contrary to rumour, there is no nude code in any console version of the game. In 1999, Core Design considered taking legal action against websites, which hosted nude pictures of Lara Croft, stating that 'we have a large number of young fans and we don't want them stumbling across the pictures when they do a general search for Tomb Raider'.[75] In April 2004, it was falsely alleged that an insider from Eidos reported to a Tomb Raiderelectronic mailing list that Eidos had begun suing gamers using the Nude Raider patches. Eidos sent cease and desist letters to the owners of nuderaider.com who were hosting the Nude Raider patch, enforcing their copyright of Tomb Raider. Sites depicting nude images of Lara Croft have been sent cease and desist notices and shut down,[76] and Eidos Interactive was awarded the rights to the domain name nuderaider.com.[77]
Further reading[edit]
- Sawyer, Miranda (June 1997), 'Lara hit in The Face', The Face, archived from the original on 9 April 2007, retrieved 31 July 2007
- Blache III, Fabian; Fielder, Lauren (2002), The History of Tomb Raider, GameSpot, retrieved 31 July 2007
References[edit]
Notes[edit]
- ^Ported to N-Gage devices by Ideaworks Game Studio, and to iOS by Realtech VR
- ^The PAL Sega Saturn release is published by Sega
Footnotes[edit]
- ^ abcd'Tomb Raiders: Lara Croft and the Temples of Doom'. Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 86. Ziff Davis. September 1996. pp. 88–89.
- ^ abcBright, Rob (August 1996). 'Bikini Girls with Machine Guns'. Sega Saturn Magazine. No. 10. Emap International Limited. pp. 58–61.
- ^ ab'Tomb Raider: Indiana Jane and the Temples of Doom'. Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 89. Ziff Davis. December 1996. pp. 226–7.
- ^Cope, Jamie (December 1996). 'Tomb Raider: Like shooting gorillas in a barrel'. Game Revolution. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 2 August 2007.
- ^'Rocket from the Crypt'. Sega Saturn Magazine. No. 12. Emap International Limited. October 1996. pp. 44–47.
- ^ abcdeBlache III, Fabian; Fielder, Lauren (2002), The History of Tomb Raider: Series History, GameSpot, p. 1, archived from the original on 26 September 2007, retrieved 31 July 2007
- ^Boyer, Crispin (August 1997), 'Straight to the Core.. (interview with Andrew Thompson)', Electronic Gaming Monthly, pp. 94–96
- ^ abcdeSawyer, Miranda (June 1997), 'Lara hit in The Face: Article by Miranda Sawyer', The Face, archived from the original on 22 May 2007, retrieved 31 July 2007
- ^Howson, Greg (18 April 2006). 'Lara's Creator Speaks'. London: Guardian Unlimited. Archived from the original on 6 December 2008. Retrieved 2 August 2007.
- ^ abcdThorpe, Nick; Jones, Darran (December 2016). 'Creating Tomb Raider'. Retro Gamer. No. 163. Future Publishing. p. 24.
- ^Thomason, Steve (July 2006). 'The Man Behind the Legend'. Nintendo Power. 19 (205): 72. cf. Gard, Toby (28 June 2001). 'Q&A: The man who made Lara'. BBC News Online (Interview). BBC. Archived from the original on 15 December 2002. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
- ^'WCES Special - Winter CES '95'. GameFan. Vol. 3 no. 3. DieHard Gamers Club. March 1995. p. 110.
- ^Sawyer, Miranda (June 1997), 'Lara hit in The Face: Interview with Toby Gard', The Face, archived from the original on 18 May 2007, retrieved 31 July 2007
- ^ abcThorpe, Nick; Jones, Darran (December 2016). '20 Years of an Icon: Tomb Raider'. Retro Gamer. No. 163. Future Publishing. pp. 16–29.
- ^Thorpe, Nick; Jones, Darran (December 2016). 'Bringing Lara to Life'. Retro Gamer. No. 163. Future Publishing. p. 18.
- ^ ab'In the Studio'. Next Generation. No. 30. Imagine Media. June 1997. p. 19.
- ^Bright, Rob (November 1996). 'Music Moods'. Sega Saturn Magazine. No. 13. Emap International Limited. p. 57.
- ^Interview, 'NATHAN McCREE & MATT KEMP: Music For Computer Games'Archived 27 October 2014 at the Wayback Machine, Sound On Sound, May 2000
- ^[http://www.users.on.net/~macraider/tombraider/tr1.html Tomb Raider Gold Mac version
- ^Tomb Raider Gold release infoArchived 15 July 2007 at the Wayback Machine, laracroft.name
- ^Klepeck, Patrick (30 September 2005). 'Eidos Outlines 2006 Plans'. 1UP.com. Retrieved 31 July 2007.
- ^Ashcraft, Brian (30 May 2005). 'Tomb Raider Remake?'. Kotaku. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 31 July 2007.
- ^Rose, Alan (16 June 2006). 'Tomb Raider remake for PSP canceled'. Joystiq. Archived from the original on 14 October 2007. Retrieved 31 July 2007.
- ^Glover, Chris (19 June 2006). 'Eidos confirms '10th Anniversary Edition' of Tomb Raider'. SCi Entertainment Group. Archived from the original on 12 February 2007. Retrieved 31 July 2007.
- ^Casamassina, Matt (14 May 2007). 'Eidos Talks Wii Lara Croft'. IGN. Archived from the original on 25 June 2007. Retrieved 31 July 2007.
- ^ ab'Eidos Celebrates with Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Anniversary'. GameSpot. 30 October 2006. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
- ^'Uhr TCM Hannover – ein glänzender Event auf der CebitHome' (Press release) (in German). Verband der Unterhaltungssoftware Deutschland. 26 August 1998. Archived from the original on 13 July 2000.
- ^'VUD Sales Awards: November 2002' (Press release) (in German). Verband der Unterhaltungssoftware Deutschland. Archived from the original on 10 January 2003.
- ^'Tomb Raider Review for PS1'. 1UP.com. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
- ^'Computer and Video Games - Issue 181 (1996-12)(EMAP Images)(GB)'. Archive.org. Archived from the original on 4 April 2016. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
- ^ ab'Tomb Raider Review | Edge Online'. Web.archive.org. 17 March 2013. Archived from the original on 17 March 2013. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
- ^ abcd'Review Crew: Tomb Raider'. Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 89. Ziff Davis. December 1996. p. 84.
- ^'トゥームレイダース まとめ [PS] / ファミ通.com'. Famitsu.com. 22 February 2014. Archived from the original on 22 November 2015. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
- ^'Tomb Raider Review'. Web.archive.org. 20 October 2000. Archived from the original on 20 October 2000. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
- ^ ab'Game Revolution Review Page - Game Revolution'. Web.archive.org. 30 September 2007. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
- ^'Tomb Raider im Gamezone-Test'. Gamezone.de. 26 April 2001. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
- ^GamesMaster, issue 49, pages 34-37
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External links[edit]
- Tomb Raider at MobyGames
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tomb_Raider_(1996_video_game)&oldid=901833049'
Lara Croft returns in Tomb Raider III: Adventures of Lara Croft, an adventure game featuring 19 levels set throughout India, London, Nevada, the South Pacific, and Antarctica. In her travels, Lara Croft will come across and battle hordes of enemies including monkeys, snakes, and even dinosaurs. Lara can deal with these creatures thanks to a range of weaponry, including dual pistols, a shotgun, grenades, a rocket launcher, a harpoon gun, and flares.
Tomb Raider III reveals the heroine in four different outfits that change depending on her mission, ranging from her usual attire to a new cat suit and winter jacket. Over the course of the game, players will have the option to control vehicles such as a quad bike, a kayak, a cart, and an underwater propulsion unit. Levels are less linear in this adventure and feature a total of 59 secrets and a number of short cuts. To help you find all these things, Lara can now crawl, sprint, and perform monkey swings. The Croft mansion returns, with larger rooms, a shooting range and a personal gym.
Visually, the game takes advantage of 3D accelerator cards, allowing for advanced lighting and special effects as well as varied colors and textures. The aural experience has been changed and adds new walking and weapon effects. Keeping in the tradition of the series, however, the soundtrack is mostly silence with the occasional ambient tune.
First off, some added features of Tomb Raider 3: The levels are much larger with huge areas to explore. Snakes and darts are able to poison Lara, meaning she'll continue to lose life until a medipack is used. Quicksand will also suck Lara down to a watery grave if you don't watch your step.
Lara benefits from two new moves, crawling and dashing. These she can use to get into tight places and to give her a speed-burst in combat. Lara also has a larger arsenal that includes the trusty shotgun, a rocket launcher, a grenade launcher, the silly harpoons, an MP5, and Uzis, of course.
Now that the new stuff is out of the way, there's really no other way to describe Tomb Raider 3 other than to say it's an inferior game in an otherwise solid series. Although it looks and plays very similar to TR2, this newest installment has lost all its soul. It offers very little in terms of innovation or decent gameplay. I've tried to like it, forced myself to like it, but, for all intents and purposes, 40 monkeys and a game developing kit could've done a superior job.
The biggest problem in this game is that the designing team confused challenging gameplay with irritating gameplay. Trust me, you've seen this game before in a million inferior platformers. Lots o' instant death? Check. Falling off ledges and dying? Check. Trying to kill a boss while jumping around little islands in a fire pit? Check, check, and double check. The latter is (so far) the most pathetic example of game design.
True, the previous two titles had some of the same elements, but here's how they differ. Usually, instant death came about if you were trying to rush through an area and you did something stupid. In TR3, every step is a potential threat of instant death, no matter how careful you're trying to be. Falling off ledges in the previous two games usually meant you had to start the whole climbing thing over again with little or no loss of health. This time around, however, falling off a ledge means one of two things: 1) Death or 2) significant loss of health.
After playing through several levels of TR3, I got the feeling that I was fighting the game every step of the way. Most of the creative energy in this rushed-out game was put into new and interesting ways to die or get stuck. Unlike the previous two, this time there are plenty of false paths intended to mislead. Although this adds to the realism of the game, (archaelogists shouldn't expect to follow bright neon signs reading, 'This way to treasure!') this really just makes every level an over-glorified maze.
In my book, implementing too many mazes in a game merely hides a weak game-designing mind. Traditionally, the Tomb Raider series was never about this nonsense. You knew more or less where to go and you could see where you wanted to go. The puzzle was how to get there, which usually made for some very interesting gameplay. You want more irritating gameplay? You got it.
The programmers have implemented new lighting and shading techniques which make the graphics dazzling, but the gameplay crap. This game is dark, folks. There's about twice as much darkenss as in the first two installments, and the flares last about half as long. Every single crucial item, switch, or path is shaded so heavily Lara could literally stand right next to it and you won't see it unless you light a flare. Maybe Lara should invest in a flashlight.
Just for the record, hiding things in obscurity instead of putting in some real creativity and effort in the game design is a big cop-out. Can you picture yourself enduring heavy eye-strain, searching every inch of every level with pathetically short-lived flares? If you can, you'll be wearing Coke-bottle lenses by the end of the third level. I guarantee it.
I've never been a big fan of the camera in any of the Tomb Raiders, but this one's by far the worst. Obstructions between Lara and the camera happen way too frequently and at inappropriate times. In one area, Lara has to outrun a boulder (in darkness, of course) and jump over a pit of spikes at the bottom of the hill. Naturally, the boulder is between Lara and the camera the whole time. And that ain't even the worst part. Not only does it select the absolute worst angle before a crucial jump, but also bugs in the programming make it jerk and shiver so violently you'll be getting migraines well into the next century.
Tomb Raider 3 isn't a game, it's a marketing concept. Rather, it's a thousand and one reasons why you should shell out twenty more of your hard-earned dollars on a strategy guide. I don't condone the use of such cheating devices, but this game is impossibly difficult without one. On top of that, add the Lara action figures, the shirts, the breakfast cereal, and the upcoming movie. Wait, didja hear that? That was the sound of all the Eidos fat cats laughing all the way to the bank.
Amid all of the darkness (pun intended) surrounding Tomb Raider 3, there are a few bright spots. Enemies either sneak up on Lara or are placed around dark corners providing for some Resident Evil style jump-out-of-your-underwear surprises. The levels look great when they are lit, and the textures are much-improved. After successfully completing the first mission, you can now choose which area Lara will explore next; London, Area 51, or the South Pacific. Choices are always good.
But, if you need more proof that Tomb Raider 3 sucks, check out the back of the CD box. 'Lara Croft is our kind of action hero!' proclaims Rolling Stone. Uhhh, what? Last time I checked, RS reviewed music, not games. Plus this is the exact same comment that's on the back of the Tomb Raider Greatest Hits edition box. Fishing for praise anywhere you can find it, eh?
If you're fiending for some more Lara, and I mean absolutely jonesin'.. then I guess you could pick this one up. For the other 99.9% of us, go play TR or TR2 again or even for the first time. Or better yet, forget about Lara Croft altogether. I know, I know, you'll be moping around the house for weeks humming 'Hard Habit to Break' with visions of the buxom beauty in your head.
How to run this game on modern Windows PC?
This game has been set up to work on modern Windows (10/8/7/Vista/XP 64/32-bit) computers without problems. Please choose Download - Easy Setup (710 MB).
People who downloaded Tomb Raider 3 have also downloaded:
Tomb Raider 2, Tomb Raider, Tomb Raider 4: The Last Revelation, Tomb Raider 3: The Lost Artifact, Tomb Raider Chronicles, Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness, Tomb Raider Gold, Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Legend
Tomb Raider 2, Tomb Raider, Tomb Raider 4: The Last Revelation, Tomb Raider 3: The Lost Artifact, Tomb Raider Chronicles, Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness, Tomb Raider Gold, Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Legend
There are a lot of weapons in Rise of the Tomb Raider for you to utilize in your fight against all the baddies that Lara Croft will face. You can craft them from different weapon parts found all around. It’s a really unique way to present players the opportunity to upgrade their arsenal, right? Anyway, here’s how to get all weapons and weapon parts in Rise of the Tomb Raider.
How to Get All Weapons in Rise of the Tomb Raider
Semi-Auto Pistol
Part 1 – The Semi-Auto Pistol is the first weapon you will find parts for in Rise of the Tomb Raider. You’ll obtain the very first piece right after you fight the huge bear in the Siberian Wilderness. It’s in the strongbox right before moving on to the next area.
Part 2 – You’ll find this part at the beginning of the Soviet Installation. It is located in a small building in the area right before you reach the Train Yard base camp.
Part 3 – This one is also located in the Soviet Installation area. Head to the northwest just past the frozen river. You’ll find it in a small building.
Tomb Raider Guns
Part 4 – The final part is located in the strongbox right next to the Logging Camp. You’ll need the Lock Pick. Just pop it open and there you have it, the Semi-Auto Pistol.
Rise of the Tomb Raider: How to Get All Weapons & Parts
Compound Bow
Part 1 – The first part is found on the top of the wooden structure in the middle of the open Soviet Installation area. Just make your way to the top and you’ll find it in a strongbox.
Part 2 – The second part is easily found during the main story. You’ll have to escape from the gulag with Jacob. On your way out you’ll enter a room with a projector. In this same room is the strongbox with the next Compound Bow part.
Part 3 – Look for the cave entrance that requires the Rope Arrow. Enter and you’ll find the strongbox you need.
Part 4 – Copper Mill is another area you’ll have to head to in order to progress the story in Rise of the Tomb Raider. You’ll discover a strongbox behind a cell door. To get to the other side head to the left of the cell door and over.
Rise of the Tomb Raider: How to Get All Weapons & Parts
Ancient Bow
Part 1 – The first part is located in a crypt. Just head inside and you’ll find a sarcophagus on the other side of some debris. To your right will be a cliff where you can drop into the water. Swim around and you’ll be lead right to the sarcophagus where you’ll find your first part.
Part 2 – Head on over to the Installation Vista Base Camp than follow the route as if you were heading towards the larger Installation area. Hug the wall to your right and you’ll find a crack in the rocks that you can slip through. Behind here is a crypt that houses the next part of the Ancient Bow.
Part 3 – Located right in the Geothermal Valley near the south eastern campsite.
Part 4 – Also found in the Geothermal Valley. Locate the waterfall near the crypt entrance. You’ll find the part in the middle of it.
Rise of the Tomb Raider: How to Get All Weapons & Parts
Sub Machine Gun Parts
Part 1 – Head over to the Logging camp in the Soviet Installation after obtaining the Rope Arrow. Make your way behind the house right next to the campfire and you’ll see a piece of the wall that can pulled away near the ground. Remove it then head inside to find the strongbox with the first part.
Part 2 – The next couple of parts are located in Copper Mill. The first one will be in the room that you just opened up by burning the door down with a Molotov Cocktail (part of a mission). In this room is a part of the wall where you can use your Rope Arrows. Break it open and enter for the piece.
Part 3 – Found at the top of Copper Mill. Just make sure to clear out the enemies first.
Part 4 – This one is in the Abandoned Mines (one of the later areas in the game). Climb up the ladder at the point indicated in the map to find your final piece.
Rise of the Tomb Raider: How to Get All Weapons & Parts
Bolt Action Rifle
Part 1 – Your first piece of the Bolt Action Rifle will be found near the very top of Copper Mill. Just keep your eyes peeled as you make your way up.
Part 2 – When you first hit Geothermal Valley (after the mines) you will come across the strongbox containing the second part.
Part 3 – Also located in Geothermal Valley, you will find this piece in a building located in the central open area.
Part 4 – During the story you’ll get into a huge battle in a village located in Geothermal Valley. On your way out of the village you’ll locate this final piece.
Rise Of The Tomb Raider Dual Pistols
Rise of the Tomb Raider: How to Get All Weapons & Parts
Magnum
Part 1 – The first three pieces for the powerful Magnum are located in the Geothermal Valley. You’ll pick up the very first part in the village (unless you’ve already done some exploring of course).
Part 2 – After obtaining the Fire Arrows for your bow you’ll want to head back down toward the valley. On your way down you can find your second part.
Part 3 – There is a village with a ton of enemies hanging out. nearby is a small cave (near the western edge of the village). You’ll find the part you’re looking for here.
Part 4 – You won’t get to the Research Base immediately unless you wait until completing most of the story to start collecting. But when you do reach the area you can locate the final piece towards the north of the area.
Rise of the Tomb Raider: How to Get All Weapons & Parts
Break Action Shotgun
Part 1 – The parts for this shotgun are pretty spread out over the Rise of the Tomb Raider map. You can find your first part in the Geothermal Valley near the Cliffside Lookout. You’ll come upon this area during the main story.
Part 2 – The second part isn’t too far from the first. You’ll need explosive arrows to take out the door located below the Cliffside Lookout.
Part 3 – There is a strongbox near the beginning of the Acropolis area.
Part 4 – The final piece is located in the Flooded Archives. After safely fleeing from the archers, swim through a cave and you’ll find the last piece in a strongbox in a tight hallway.
Rise of the Tomb Raider’s Purchasable Weapons
There are also a couple of weapons you can purchase using those Ancient Coins scattered around the world of Rise of the Tomb Raider. They are expensive, but are definitely worth your time if you’re looking for something a bit more…special.
Each of the two weapons costs a whopping 140 coins. They are as follows:
- Tactical Shotgun – Riot police large-capacity shotgun geared towards taking out large groups.
- Military Rifle – Special Forces high rate-of-fire, military-grade tactical rifle.
Have you obtained all of the weapons in Rise of the Tomb Raider yet? What’s your favorite? Feel free to let us know in the comments below.