Lara's Evolution: Ingame Comparison 1996-2013

What a difference more than a decade makes! Since bursting onto the gaming scene in 1996, Lara Croft has gradually transformed as graphics have progressed and advanced.

Youtuber BonicStudios has put together a great video showing off thecharacter model of Lara in each game in the Tomb Raider series, from 1996 up until the most recent entry, the Tomb Raider reboot in 2013. Have a look below.

Review A Great Game Day: Tomb Raider

So today is Review a Great Game Day, which I decided to take part in. You may remember I also participated in Review A Bad Game Day last year too.

Anyway, I'm actually rather pleased about this one. For the most part, I enjoy the games I end up playing. It's very rare that I come across a game that I have absolutely hated. 

My Review a Great Game Day entry is about (not a surprise to those of you who follow me on Twitter...), Tomb Raider. The reboot was a pleasant surprise for many, and I have absolutely loved playing it. So, presenting...

Tomb Raider (2013)

Lara Croft has been dominating our screens ever since the original game was released back in 1996. Ever since then, Lara has become something of a gaming icon, spawning not only a successful game series, but two films (starring Angelina Jolie as Lara), advertising deals (who can forget those Lucosade adverts?), merchandise, comics and more.


As much as I love the Tomb Raider games, there was no denying that the series was close to becoming a little tired. Thankfully, the news of a reboot came along and fixed this.

Released in March 2013, Crystal Dynamic's Tomb Raider takes us back to the beginning, showing us how Lara becomes the archaeologist adventurer we know and love, whilst also changing her history that we have grown to learn from the previous games.

In Tomb Raider, we are introduced to a 21 year old Lara Croft, a University graduate who is on board a great ship called Endurance, for an archaeological expedition led by Captain Conrad Roth. When a sudden storm destroys the research vessel, a young and inexperienced Lara finds herself stranded on a mysterious and remote island hidden off the shores of Japan.

On first glance the island appears to be deserted, but soon enough Lara not only comes up against dangerous animals, but human enemies too. Shipwrecked, stranded and alone, Lara begins to re-discover her fellow crew mates, but the only way off of this island is by resolving the secrets within alone. Tomb Raider sees Lara not only battle the elements, animals and enemies, but uncover secret tombs, whilst all the while fighting to look for a way off of the island and back to safety.

Many people have compared the gameplay of Tomb Raider with the Uncharted series, which is a fair point-it does indeed have a lot in common in relation to the action sequences at least. However, do not let this put you off. This origin story is great blend of exploration and high-octane action, enough to keep you playing until the end. Both forms of gameplay-the exploration and action sequences, are definitely fun to play, especially when using Lara's bow and arrow. As you level up, all the weapons you have collected can be improved to create brand new attacks-the napalm arrows are by far one of the most enjoyable. 

How you play the game is entirely up to you. If you enjoy stealth play, there's plenty of opportunities for this.I never was a fan of stealth gameplay before Tomb Raider, but I ended up adopting it at every opportunity. The fact is, it really works in this game, particularly if you can pick off enemies at a great distance with the bow and arrow-it's rather satisfying. The other way of playing this is to make your presence known to the enemies whenever possible. This often warrants a much larger fight, with enemies throwing molitovs, and closing in on you to create a more personal, tougher fight. 

Through the course of the game, we see Lara turn from a scared, inexperienced but intelligent history buff into a much stronger, agile and battle-worn woman. This transition is an interesting one to experience. You will find yourself wincing every time Lara is beaten, attacked, sent hurtling down large cliffs,slamming into structures, to cheering as she learns the motions of becoming a full blown survivor. 

Emerging as a strong, confident, agile survivor, it has been a real pleasure getting to know this new Lara, and you will be yearning to see what lies in store in the future for her.

Also worth mentioning is how fitting the soundtrack is-a blend of feudal Japanese style tracks, with a jungle flourish. Lara's new theme is constantly referred back to in most of the tracks, creating a true heroic score. Whilst the gameplay is satisfying, the game also boasts impressive visuals, which you can see via the textures on the scenery, and on Lara's increasingly battle-worn body and clothing. 

Whilst this is supposed to be a great game review, not every game is perfect. Tomb Raider unfortunately suffers from some slight repetitive moments of gameplay (still rather enjoyable though), but the biggest disappointment is the multiplayer mode. Really, the multiplayer feels rather unnecessary  as this game has a strong enough single player mode on it's own. The multiplayer modes are in fact a little forgettable, offering us game types we have seen time and time again, such as a variant on Capture the Flag. Whilst this may be enjoyable for plenty, I personally just got a little bored of it, turning my attentions to Lara's main story instead. Another slightly disappointing aspect is that it feels like the game bows out lightly. I was expecting a full-on boss battle, but it never fully comes. 

Still, despite those criticisms, Tomb Raider is a brilliant game. Crystal Dynamics have successfully rebooted the series with an enthralling origin story that firmly places Lara back in the limelight after what feels like forever. Bring on the sequel.

In closing, take a look at this comparison screenshot of the old and new Lara to see how much she has evolved. No more pointy boobs for one!

Tomb Raider Art Feature

Crystal Dynamic's Tomb Raider reboot was released last month and was met with great critical acclaim. Fans also loved it, with the game selling an impressive 1 million copies in just 48 hours.

I've been a Tomb Raider fan from the beginning, and have always found Lara Croft to be a strong, likeable character. The latest game is, in my opinion, fantastic, and is a welcome, and much-needed revamp for a series that was sadly in danger of becoming tired.

If you like browsing art online, you may have noticed that a lot of fan art and cosplay has been created for this latest Tomb Raider instalment. Here's few of my favourites below. I had so many more to include, but then this post would have gone on forever!

By Remoraz 

Cosplay by JennCroft

By hamsterfly

By Sophia-M

By Gigei

By Terribilus 

By Deivcalviz

Tomb Raider Reborn Contest!

To celebrate the release of Crystal Dynamic's new Tomb Raider reboot, they have teamed up with art site deviantART to host a Tomb Raider Reborn competition.

Professional and budding artists alike are encouraged to depict Lara Croft's latest transformation in an original piece of artwork.

The prizes include points to spend on the deviantART store, cash prizes, hoodies, bags and Tomb Raider Xbox360 consoles amongst other things.

You must be a dA member to enter, and entries must be in before the 14th March 2013.

If this sounds like your type of contest, then you can enter here: http://ayame-kenoshi.deviantart.com/journal/Tomb-Raider-Reborn-Contest-351846219

Good luck!

Hands On Review: Tomb Raider

The Eurogamer Expo provided a hunting demo of Crystal Dynamics upcoming reboot, Tomb Raider. (The demo was on the Xbox 360).

Being a long-time fan of Lara Croft and her adventures, I was definitely looking forward to giving this a go. But was it good? Thankfully, it looks promising enough.

The demo sees us guiding Lara around a stormy jungle-like setting. Finding a fellow crew members backpack, packed with a few essentials, Lara then sets off to find them. You will get to navigate her across high beams, climb a crashed aeroplane and take part in plenty of the acrobatic style manoeuvres that Lara is well known for.

Once you make it to a sheltered area (which will become your first camp), it becomes clear that this shipwrecking business has made Ms. Croft not only tired, wet and beaten, but also rather hungry. The next objective is to retrieve a bow and arrow to use in the next portion of the demo-hunting. You will have to briefly shimmy up and around platforms to make it to the bow, dangling from a decomposing corpse in a tree. Once this is over, this is where the demo's gameplay changes somewhat.

Lara is tasked with hunting deer in her landscape. By pulling back on the left trigger and aiming with the right, Lara will fire a bow into the target. The first arrow I shot went straight through the animals neck, whilst the second went in the front of it's head. However, rather strangely, the animal continued to run around, even though both of those arrows should have been fatal! It took a third and final fatal piercing to the backside to send the animal crashing to the ground though. 

Once the meat has been taken, Lara can continue on her journey. The walkie talkie in her possession has started to pick up a signal, and her fellow survivors are near. Now is the time to make that long, perilous journey to rejoin them. This is where the demo ends, and in truth, I wanted more. It was fun, and engaging. You cannot help but root for Lara when you see her being beaten every step of the way. You want to help her through to the end, and this is the aspect I enjoyed the most. Seeing Lara as something more than a hardy tomb raiding gymnast makes her feel more human.

The graphics are fantastic, and the gameplay feels incredibly fluid, especially as the cut scenes seamlessly blend into the action sequences once they have finished. It may have only been a brief glimpse of what is to come, but Tomb Raider seems to be on the road to a great game. Bring on March 2013!

Tomb Raider: The Final Hours #1

Crystal Dynamics have released the first in a series of videos entitled Tomb Raider: The Final Hours. Narrated by Zachary Levi, these videos give fans an opportunity to see the game in development, and much more behind the scenes footage.


The first instalment is up on YouTube now. If you're looking forward to the new Tomb Raider, then I'd suggest watching this!

Tomb Raider Gets A New Trailer!

The folks at Square Enix have released a new gameplay trailer for Tomb Raider...and it's fantastic.


The brutal trailer begins with a lot of footage that we saw at last year's E3, but by the minute mark we are treated to some new footage of Lara hunting with her bow and arrow, being attacked by ravenous dogs, and a whole lot of suffering. 


The trailer shows us plenty of combat, and relishes in the action/survival aspects of the game. Tomb Raider is a reboot of the highly successful series, which tells the origins of Lara Croft, and how she is transformed from a bruised, battered and tormented young woman into the hardened survivor that we have seen in the previous games in the series. 


As well as the trailer, the developers have announced an official release date of the 5th March 2013, where the game will be released for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC. 


Crystal Dynamics will be showing off more of the game at next week's E3 conference. Excited? I am. Check out the trailer below!

Crystal Dynamics Explain Tomb Raider's Wii U Absence

Crystal Dynamics have commented on why their Tomb Raider reboot, which is scheduled for a release on the Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC, will not be gaining a Wii U release. The team explained that development on Tomb Raider began long before the Wii U was announced, and they did not wish to simply port the game across.


Here's the official statement, thanks to My Nintendo News.

“When we started developing the game we made a conscious decision that it was all about building the game for a platform and making sure the game was specific to that platform”.

“Given that we’ve been working on the game quite a while before Wii U was announced I think it would not be right to try and port it across. If we started building a game for the Wii U we would build it very differently and we would build it with unique functionality.”

Anniversary Art Now Being Sold!

Last month saw in the 15th anniversary of the Tomb Raider series, with a digital art exhibition planned in celebration. The 4th of October signalled the start of the online exhibition, which featured art from a variety of artists that have worked on the Tomb Raider series in some way in it's 15 year span.


These works were only available to view via an online gallery on the Tomb Raider website, but now fans will be able to purchase prints and t-shirts of the artwork on Chuck star Zachary Levi's website, Nerd Machine. 


This collection of Tomb Raider merchandise is being sold as limited editions, with a chunk of the proceeds going to Penny Arcade's Child's Play charity. There are a variety of different styles on offer in this anniversary art exhibition, with Andy Park's and Toby Gard's entries being two of the best.