Product description
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Tomb Raider II & Game Secret Book Jump back into the
world of amazing adventure with TOMB RAIDER II. In this sequel to
TOMB RAIDER, you once again play as the incredible Lara Croft, a
gorgeous, intelligent, highly skilled explorer of stunning
proportions. With a wide array of stylish and lethal moves at
your disposal and a ready arsenal of weapons to employ, you're
ready to meet any challenge head on. Solve the mystery of the
sacred dagger as you investigate creepy, deathtrap filled ruins,
and uncover hidden treasures. You'll battle angry thugs, snarling
tigers, and frightening dinosaurs, while also tackling
mind-bending puzzles in Lara's second big adventure.
.com
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Lara Croft is back... and repackaged. The sequel to the
top-selling action adventure game Tomb Raider has now been
rereleased as part of Sony's discount Greatest Hits
program--which means that you can now get one of the most popular
games for the PlayStation at a reduced price. Tomb Raider II
offers a stunning game environment decorated with 3-D graphics
that are improved from the original game in the series.
While fans of the original game will immediately feel
comfortable with the controls and gameplay of this sequel, Tomb
Raider II may initially intimidate players not familiar with the
series. The controls do seem a little awkward at first, but you
can safely learn the ropes by exploring the numerous training
exercises accessible in Lara's house.
Once you get trained, you're ready to jump, roll, run, and shoot
through multiple levels of action. There are some notable
improvements for this sequel, including bigger and better levels
than the original. In addition, there are more enemies to contend
with. This title is a must-have with the new price. --Mike Byer
Pros:
* Sequel to the top-selling Tomb Raider
* Stars Lara Croft, Internet superstar
* Lower price as part of Sony's Greatest Hits line
Cons:* Controls may intimidate newer gamers
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Review
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When Tomb Raider came out near the end of 1996, it was
considered by many to be fairly groundbreaking. It was,
essentially, a combination of the classic Prince of Persia and an
Indiana Jones movie. An "attractive" female character was tossed
in, and the game sold like gangbusters. But more so than that, a
virtual star was born. The game's main character, Lara Croft,
broke out of the confines of the game industry, garnering
mainstream press that no other game enjoyed. Tomb Raider II
capitalizes on the hype (going so far as to say "Starring Lara
Croft" on the box), and delivers a game that makes it seem like
the developers were ed to mess with the formula of the
original game. As a result, most of Tomb Raider II's improvements
are cosmetic, and even those aren't really anything special.
The graphics have been bumped up a bit, but the environments are
still terribly pixelated. This is forgivable, however,
considering the sheer size of some of the levels. The enemy
characters are a bit smoother looking (and there are definitely
more of them), but it's obvious that most of the development
cycle was spent making Lara look better. This year's model is a
lot more curvy, a bit skinnier, and sports a fully functioning
ponytail (I shudder to think how many hours were spent getting
her hair to move "just right").
The gameplay hasn't changed much. Lara still has to do a lot of
climbing and jumping, and the combat (complete with s that you
needn't bother ing - just point in the general direction of a
foe and pound the fire button until everything is dead) is still
a complete joke. There are a lot more human enemies, which is
definitely a welcome addition. Also, there are a few levels that
have Lara get behind the wheel of a snowmobile or a boat. But
other than that, it's more of the same old Tomb Raidin'. Some of
the level design (the Temple of Xian level, in particular) is
pretty good, but some of the levels would have been better off in
other parts of the game. The level order grinds the game to a
halt on more than one occasion, the most notable being the
Floating Islands level, which smacks of a hidden level, yet comes
in towards the end of the game with no connection to any other
level in the game. Personally, I think the Home Sweet Home level
is the coolest, which puts you on the defensive against bad guys
who are breaking into your house. It's really different and a
cool way to end the game.
Tomb Raider II turns the series into a license-based game, almost
as if Lara Croft was the star of a movie, thrown into an
uninspired game with hopes of making sales based on the name
alone. If the original Tomb Raider wasn't enough to make you
, Tomb Raider II picks up right where the first game left
off. Public Enemy's Media Assassin, Harry Allen, perhaps said it
best when he said, "Don't believe the hype." --Jeff Gerstmann
--Copyright ©1999 GameSpot Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction
in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written
permission of GameSpot is prohibited. GameSpot and the GameSpot
logo are trademarks of GameSpot Inc. -- GameSpot Review
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- About this item PlayStation Video Game Action / Adventure Lara Croft Tomb Raider.