History: Eidos is a combination of Domark, US Gold, and Core Design. The last game by this design house, called Shellshock, also tended toward atypical protagonists.
Plot: Lori Croft, a rather well-endowed short-short-clad female game player with two gigantic 9mm automatic pistols on her hips is the protagonist. "LARA Croft's quest entail traveling the earth from the lost Incan ruins to the Egyptian tombs in search of the pieces of an ancient artifact called the Scion," according to Eidos spokesperson Gary Keith . Her job is to explore the tomb and kill the evil denizens there. Core Design was "bored with the typical male characters." Gary explained, "The choice of a female protagonist was to create a widespread appeal title that will appeal to all gamers." Besides this is a third person perspective game, and if I have to look at someone while I am playing I would rather have a good looking lady. (Al has three daughters who Lara remind him of. - Ed.)
Graphics: Remarkably realistic characters and backgrounds. The pictures of the buxom heroine, Lara, are simply breathtaking in level of reality in surface texture and light effects. Texture mapping. Graphics resolutions will support 256-colors and resolutions of 320x200 and 640x480 pixels.
View: The third person, cinematic perspective is compared to the Nintendo Ultra 64 Super Mario and Fade to Black.
Core Design produced Thunderstrike 2, Shellshock, and Blam!
Preview references:
Christine Grech Wendin, The E3 Top 25, PC Games, volume 3, number 9,
August, 1996, pg. 32
Jeff James, Computer Player, volume 3, number 3, August, 1996, pg.
33-35. Extensive preview with tremendous information. The Computer
Player staff believes this to be the best game at E3.
Tomb Raider: A girl with gargantuan guns gets it going, Steve Bauman,
Computer Games Strategy Plus, number 70, pg. 14.