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| By Brad Cook Lara Croft is dead. Long live Lara Croft? When you pick up a copy of Tomb Raider: Chronicles and sit down to enjoy it on your Mac, get ready for a shock: the first scene shows a statue of Lara Croft, a memorial to her and her valiant deeds. Rain pelts the monument, and a couple of solitary figures standing under umbrellas move away from the scene, somber looks on their faces. |
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Packing some heat in a frigid climate.
The Flashback Episode
As Chronicles opens, Lara’s associates, including her butler Winston and good friend Charles Kane, recall her past exploits. Conversation leads into adventures that serve as opportunities to explore “missing scenes” from the first four games in the series.
“Chronicles is more of a ‘flashback’ type of episode in the Tomb Raider series,” says Aspyr president Michael Rogers. “Different from the TV versions of flashback episodes, Chronicles shows you parts of adventures that you haven’t seen yet.
“So, there are familiar locales and situations, but different gameplay, complete with new moves.”
Producer Mike Schmitt of Eidos Interactive adds: “The story in Tomb Raider: Chronicles picks up a few days after the end of The Last Revelation. (The game) is a way to wrap up the Tomb Raider series as we currently know it and set the stage for Lara’s next adventure.”
Four Adventures
The game starts in Rome, where Lara begins her quest for the Philosopher’s Stone, one of four artifacts that she keeps in Croft Manor and which were picked up during adventures that haven’t been shown until now.
Following that is her search for Hitler’s Spear of Destiny in a Russian base. After that we see a teenage Lara on Black Isle in an adventure with her friend Father Patrick Dunstan (who has also gathered at Croft Manor to remember her). Finally, we join Lara as she searches for the Iris artifact in a high-tech, Matrix-like story that features Werner Von Croy when he wasn’t such a nice guy to her.
When you complete enough of Chronicles, you’ll unlock some special features that allow you to access storyboards of the cut scenes from the game (cut scenes are those movies that play between levels of a game) as well as a gallery of Lara Croft images. You’ll even get a sneak peak at what Eidos is calling “the next generation of Tomb Raider.”
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Motion So Fluid
Each new Tomb Raider game has featured new moves and weapons, and Chronicles is no exception. The new moves in Lara’s inventory include parallel bar swinging, tightrope walking, and a stealth attack that comes in handy for when she can’t use her guns and has to sneak up on some guards and knock them out without making noise.
Lara can also search through cabinets, drawers, shelves, and other spaces for items to take with her (here’s a hint: you can combine many of the items you find during the game). Among her new weapons are a grappling hook gun and a revolver with a laser sight.
As with previous titles in the series, Chronicles also has that distinct Tomb Raider look and feel that Mac gamers have come to adore.
Says Rogers: “The motion is so fluid, the camera angles so well done, and the cinematics and storyline so engaging, that the game pulls you into the experience. Many people enjoy watching others play almost as much as they enjoy playing the game, and in the videogame industry, that’s incredibly rare.”
Your Tomb Raider
Once you’re done exploring Rome, battling cyborgs, and uncovering hidden treasures (among other things), you’ll get the chance to build your own Tomb Raider scenarios with the level editor creation tool that’s included with the game. This is your chance to participate in the Tomb Raider fan community by creating levels that you can trade with other gamers.
He’s behind the tree, Lara!
“In general, the editor is very straight-forward to use,” says Rogers. “It’s fairly intuitive to make a simple level with it, but making the detailed, interesting levels you see in the game will take some time. All the tools are there, though, from making torches to creating trigger events.
