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TOMB RAIDER I GAME SYNOPSIS
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.
Tomb Raider
is availabe on PC, Playstation, Sega Saturn and MAC.
Tomb
Raider
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