TOMB RAIDER EARLY
FOR PLUS MEMBERS
Copyright 2010 www.tombraiderchronicles.com
[ August 14th 2010 ]
Sony
Entertainment have announced Playstation Plus
members will have exclusive early access to buy
the PS One cult classic Tomb Raider; two weeks
before it goes live to the rest of PlayStation
Store.
Critically
acclaimed as one of the most innovative and influential
games of its genre, Tomb Raider was originally
developed by Core Design and published by Eidos
Interactive in 1996. The game follows the adventures
of the British female archaeologist Lara Croft
as she searches for the legendary Atlantean Scion.
In addition
to being the first to feature a female lead character
and setting the standard for future action/adventure
games, Tomb Raider was also among the first games
to introduce third-person perspective - the camera
always remains behind Lara or around her, depending
on the in-game position.
Lara
Croft, daughter of Lord Henshingly Croft, was
brought up in wealth and privilege. This changed
when, on a return from a skiing trip, her plane
crashed in the Himalayas. Lara - then aged 21-
was the only survivor, and having to stay alive
on her own in the wild had a huge impact on her.
She found she could no longer bear the sheltered
world of British aristocracy and turned to adventuring
instead.
Lord
and Lady Croft did not agree with their daughter's
rejection of the lifestyle intended for her, so
Lara was soon disowned. She turned to publishing
books about her discoveries to fund her trips,
and has made a name for herself by discovering
several important archaeological sites, as well
as stamping out Bigfoot.
It is
shortly after the Bigfoot discovery that Lara
Croft is contacted by the CEO of Natla Technologies,
Miss Jacqueline Natla, and hired to recover the
piece of the Atlantean Scion from an unfound tomb
in the Peruan Andes. Ever the adventurer, Lara
accepts the job - but soon discovers that she
is not the only person after the artefact, and
that her new employer isn't at all what she seems
to be.
During
her explorations, Lara Croft faces dangerous deathtraps,
deadly enemies, complicated puzzles, and the best
of all - powerful bosses. Being in control, the
player's objective is to guide Lara throughout
the vast, complex levels and find the artifact(s)
she seeks. The game focuses primarily on puzzles
and exploration, but there is also a fair bit
of combat involved - making great use of the surprise
factor.
Lara's
movements were designed to suit her surroundings
and allow her to interact with different objects.
Movements include running, walking, jumping, side-flipping,
side-stepping, swimming, rolling, traversing while
hanging off a ledge and pushing movable objects.
Lara is also able to perform two acrobatic special
moves: the handstand and the swan-dive.
While
underwater, a breath bar appears indicating the
amount of air left in Lara's lungs. Lara can hold
her breath for about 2 minutes, after which she
will drown. While on land, Lara's default weapons
are twin pistols with unlimited ammo. Additional
weapons can be found during the progress of the
game, including the Shotgun, Magnums and Uzis.
Many
factors may lead to death of Lara Croft. Some
merely cause damage, while others are immediately
fatal (such as falling off a high ledge or getting
run over by a boulder). Damage caused by enemies
varies by enemy type, with those at the beginning
generally being easier to kill and less nasty
than those near the end of the game.
Some
of the more powerful enemies include dinosaurs,
gun-wielding humans and various creatures. To
restore Lara's health, use medipacks that can
be found everywhere. They are either small or
large, restoring 50% and 100% of Lara's health
respectively. Fire causes rapid decrease of health
and, unless put out by jumping into water, kills
Lara in a matter of seconds.
The game
has only one outfit, the default outfit which
has become Lara's trademark: gray top, brown shorts
and boots, and the smashing mini-backpack.
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