Storyline (Cont)

Judging from the small pieces of plot info we have garnered from various sources, Lara's journey appears to be shadowed by a tragedy that occured in the Himalayas and South America. These events will be addressed during the adventure.

Characters

ANAYA - Anaya is a civil engineer working in impoverished areas of South America. She's an old friend of Lara's dating back to their days at University and was with Lara during the tragedy near Segou. She has since led a distinguished career on her own, routinely crossing paths with Lara.

JAMES RUTLAND JR. - James Rutland Jr. grew up in a bubble of enormous wealth and privilege. He went to West Point and managed to graduate on his own merits, barely. As glad as it was, he's glad for it because it gave him a sense of self-discipline and strength that he finds useful now that he's free of the military. He is a charismatic man accustomed to getting whatever he wants; however this time the object of his desire is also sought by Lara Croft.

We will see a younger version of Lara for a sequence of the game. This sequence will involve the arrival at a derelict suspension bridge where a flashback of a friend who died when the bridge collapsed spurs a series of high octane events culminating in some arduous mountain climbing and a series of underwater challenges as Lara frantically tries to save her friend.

Lara also has a two-man tech team based at Croft Manor who help her on her journey. One man returning to aid Lara on her quest is professional computer and hacker whizz Zip who will no doubt provide valuable technical assistance to Lara via her Bluetooth headset. Lara's trusty butler Winston will also return in Tomb Raider Legend in a much younger and healthier form. He will form the second half of Lara's support team.

Moves

Lara will be more athletic than ever before! Rope swinging, bar swinging, climbing, crawling, jumping and shooting, swan diving and swimming are just a tiny sample of moves seen so far. Crystal Dynamics has touted acrobatics on par with Prince of Persia.

Combat is going to be far more advanced in Tomb Raider Legend than ever before. The shooting is still automatic, but with a clever twist; from time to time an icon will indicate that Lara has locked onto an explosive barrel or a rope that she can blast with a simple tap of a button. Certain screen shots have also shown Lara able to dodge enemy gunfire via her usual jumping and vaulting techniques.

Crystal Dynamics has stated that Tomb Raider Legend is not a stealth game. Stealth is simply not Lara's style. However, Lara may be able to gain a slight advantage over enemies by staying out of sight if gamers wish to play that way. However, the game is not being designed with stealth being a primary option. Lara is still an 'all guns blazing' girl.

Lara's enemies will be smarter than ever. Enemies will respond to the ever-changing combat situation in intelligent ways, such as moving to flank Lara when she is pinned down, dodging grenades, and calling for backup.

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