by Jay "THE FLEA" Wade
Lara Croft has returned again and most likely the last time on both Playstation and Dreamcast.
The story continues where the last Tomb Raider left off. I hate to spoil the ending to Last Revelation but . . . Lara Croft is presumed dead after a tomb caves in. Her friends get together and remember adventures she’s had in the past. You play four different missions. A classic tomb adventure, a Russian base and sub, a mission impossible adventure in a skyscraper and Lara as a young girl.
< - PSX | DC - >
The gameplay is basic Tomb Raider, If you never played a Tomb Raider game it’s basically search, climb, jump, swim, shoot enemies, collect key items and solve puzzles.
If you never liked any of the past Tomb Raiders, this one won’t change your mind.
The only new added move for Lara is the “rope walk.” You have to keep Lara’s balance as she walks a tight rope. (This can be a pain sometimes.)
< - PSX | DC - >
The Graphics in this Tomb Raider is a step down compared to Last Revelation. Especially on the PSX version. Characters look horrible and have horrible break up. They added their lips to move with the dialog, but this doesn’t help the game look any better. The PSX version has so much break up it’s hard to watch the background. The DC version is the better of the two. The backgrounds and characters are more solid, but still look like mannequins. This game fells and looks rushed. Eidos must have thought “Hurry! We need a Tomb Raider game this Christmas! We’ll slap something together.”
The biggest kick that came from the PSX version, was the Tomb Raider PS2 sneak peek.
Now that Tomb Raider might be worth checking out. This sneak peek is not on the DC version.
< - PSX | DC - >
The control is basic Tomb Raider, The rope walk is a little sluggish and using the laser sight could have had better control. The DC version is worse on control due to it’s lack of buttons the PSX controller has. I’d take the small lack in control then play the PSX version.
Overall, if you liked the past Tomb Raiders you’ll find Tomb Raider Chronicles playable and will keep you satisfied until the next generation of Tomb Raider on the PS2. If you never liked the series, this game will not change your mind.
PUBLISHER: EIDOS
PLAYSTATION / DREAMCAST
GRAPHICS: 5 / 7
MUSIC & SOUND: 8 / 8.5
CONTROL: 8 / 7
SECRETS: 8 / 7
ORIGINALITY: 5 / 5
FUN & REPLAY: 5 / 6
OVERALL: 6.5 / 7