At this year's E3, fans of Lara Croft got their first glimpse at the newest chapter of the Tomb Raider series being developed for Eidos by series newcomer Crystal Dynamics. For their first foray in to the Tomb Raider series, Crystal Dynamics decided to go back to square one and completely upgrade the games graphics and physics engine. Perhaps the most radical change was giving its heroine Lara Croft a total redesign.
It's the change to Lara that had many people talking and it's this change that has overshadowed some of the more impressive additions to the game. This change is however a big one and can't be overlooked as many die hard fans will find the change hard to accept. The new character model has more then two times the polygons of the last model and is eerily realistic. In fact, it is so realistic that according to Lead Designer Riley Cooper they had to back off from using an even higher polygon count as it was "creepy". The biggest complaint that I heard about the new model was that it was missing Lara's extraordinary "assets"; conversely I personally feel that this new model is a fine addition to the game and is remarkable well conceived.
One of the cooler new features of the new model is how it handles Lara's gear. When items are used, they're removed from the character model and when a new piece of gear is found it is added. For example, we were shown the grenades on her belt being expended. When Lara used one, it was removed from the belt and when a new one was picked up it was added to her belt. Another thing they added to the model is a flashlight that automatically turns on when it gets dark so you don't accidentally fall in one of those pesky little pit traps. It's details like these that I found to be the most remarkable on the new character model, and while these details might not be noticed during the course of play, its little things like these that can tie a game together.
Graphically the game is beautiful and was one of the better looking games at E3 this year. We were shown a large area with ancient ruins framing a cliff side waterfall. It is here that we were demonstrated how the new physics engine tied some of these amazing new graphical elements in to the game such as some of the new puzzles like a massive stone drawbridge that's locked in place with an immense locking pin. We were then shown Lara making an impressive jump up to grab the rope that's connected to the pin to pull it out of the lock. She then proceeds to leap from the rope and kicks the drawbridge open. It's elements like these that truly show you how much thought the developers have put in to make the puzzles more interactive and part of the world.
Perhaps the coolest feature and the one I foresee being the most useful is that they have added an AI to Lara that helps prevent player's from unintentionally or even intentionally (though you still will be able to if you really want to) walking her off cliffs and large objects. This is a nice touch and I can't count how many times I have accidentally walked off a cliff my mistiming a jump or not looking where I am going.
Fans of Tomb Raider should be happy with this game as not only does it see the return of Lara Croft but Crystal Dynamics has done a great job replicating the feel of the classic series while giving the game a massive and, frankly, long over due facelift. While I am not this biggest fan of the Tomb Raider series I am looking forward to picking this one up and giving it a whirl.
Raised in Massachusetts and made move to south of the Mason/Dixon line to the lovely state of MD. I have been working Desktop support for the last 2 years for Games Workshop. When not working for the Galactic Toy Company I am playing any one of 8 MMOs or Numerous console games.
