Tomb Raider

(Eidos/Core, 1996)

The game that thrust third-person action gaming into a whole new era, this was an intriguing spin on the Indiana Jones movie series, with a female heroine in the lead role. So great is the game in design and originality, that if it were released one year earlier, it would've been a sure entry into Techtite's choices of Top 50 Multimedia Classics (in fairness for the term "classic," 1995 was the understandable cutoff date for that feature article...). Via such a top-notch game, the lead character was put on a pedestal next to game characters like Sonic the Hedgehog and the Super Mario Brothers. Lara Croft was made so lifelike, in her actions and mannerisms, her stardom has even led to an upcoming live-action movie (let's just hope it isn't as bad as the Mario Brothers movie!).

Anyway, as for the game per se: The storyline involved Lara being paid by a mysterious company, to search ancient temples for artifact pieces. What these pieces create when combined --and why your employer wants it so bad-- is part of the mystery. As for the game; it was totally cool! Each level was gigantic, well mapped, and seemed to last for hours on end. There were even more than a few inspired puzzles, including a Lara Croft "doppelganger" that imitated her every move; what's worse, shooting this copycat Lara only caused damage to Lara herself! The solution to this puzzle was intriguing...as was the game as a whole.

Rating : Deep Impact.

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