TOMB RAIDER II GAME SYNOPSIS
The second
instalment in the series of Tomb Raider games invites
you to join Lara as she travels around the globe to
retrieve a precious artefact before it falls into the
wrong hands. The legendary artefact, the Dagger of Xian,
is said to give its possessor the power of a fire-breathing
dragon.
Lara's search
for the dagger begins at the Great Wall in China, where
she learns she has competition in her quest: a sect
by the name of Fiama Nera (Italian for Black Flame),
led by Marco Bartoli, wants to possess the artefact
and would do the impossible to reach it before Lara
does. A frantic race for the dagger ensues, with each
side trying to outwit the other at every turn.
Lara's odyssey
takes her to different parts of the world; from China
where she starts her journey, to the famous Venice,
then to a sunken ship searching for clues that may help
her with her quest. From there, the plot thickens as
Lara is compelled to visit one of the harshest climates
in the world, Tibet. As she discovers more and more
clues, she finds herself face to face with Marco Bartoli
back in China, but if only things were that simple -
Marco isn't giving up without a fight.
This second
installment of Tomb Raider retains the charm and atmosphere
of the original, while introducing exciting new features.
Lara faces more enemies than she did before, resulting
in action-packed and often challenging combat sequences.
A new Lara Croft game model has been introduced, as
well as somewhat improved graphics - and let's not forget
plenty of new weapons.
In addition
to better puzzles, harder-to-kill enemies, and a large
variety of levels, a new and very successful appendage
has been introduced to this game: vehicles. The game
puts Lara - and you - behind the wheel of the speedboat
and the snowmobile, introducing high octane action to
the broth.
Indoor environments,
as befits places long forgotten, have undergone an atmospheric
decrease in illumination - and the addition of Flares
allows Lara to light her way through the darkest tombs.
Controls remain
much the same as in the previous game, with the addition
of useful new movements: wall-climbing opens up new
perspectives in level-design, while the acrobatic midair
turn - also performable during the swan-dive for a graceful
effect -comes in handy during combat.
With more combat
naturally comes a bigger arsenal, and Tomb Raider II
has no lack of new weapons. The powerful M16 Assault
Rifle, the harpoon gun to fight off underwater enemies,
the grenade launcher and many others are all at Lara's
disposal.
For example,
Lara doesn't need to get closer to distant enemies.
Now, with the help of an M16 she can down them from
a distance. Only a few shots from this monster will
topple the largest of enemies.
Having troubles
underwater? The new harpoon gun helps you defeat all
sorts of swimming nasties, from enemy scuba divers to
vicious great white sharks. And as for the grenade launcher
- the cream of the crop - it tends to take care of things
right away, shattering your opposition instantly.
Unlike the
original Tomb Raider, this instalment features more
human enemies. But there is no shortage of non-human
opponents, such as statues that come to life when Lara
approaches them, deadly underwater creatures, birds,
bats, spiders, and so on. The T-Rex also makes a dramatic
comeback, though locating this classic enemy might require
some skill.
Aside from
the default one, Lara has some new outfits. In China
and Venice she wears her normal outfit, whereas in the
snowy Tibetan levels she chooses something offering
a little more warmth: a flight jacket along with her
usual shorts.
As for clothing
worn in the oceanic parts of the game, Lara is bare
footed and wears her famous Sola swimsuit. And finally,
for the concluding levels in the Manor when Lara receives
unexpected guests, she wears a beautiful blue velvet
nightgown.
Tomb Raider
II is a solid sequal to the popular Tomb Raider adventure
game from Core Design. The game was released on Microsoft
Windows and Playstation in 1997 and on Apple Mac in
1998. An iOS and Android version released 2014 and 2015
respectively.
Tomb
Raider II
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