| Tomb Raider Chronicles | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Core Design |
| Publisher(s) | Eidos Interactive |
| Distributor(s) | Capcom (Japan) |
| Composer(s) | Peter Connelly |
| Engine | Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation |
| Platform(s) | Dreamcast, PlayStation, Microsoft Windows, Macintosh |
| Release date(s) | PlayStation:
PC:
Dreamcast:
PlayStation Network:
|
| Genre(s) | Action-adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | |
| Media/distribution | CD-ROM, GD-ROM |
Tomb Raider Chronicles is the fifth game in the Tomb Raider series and the sequel to Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation. It was developed by Core Design and published by Eidos Interactive. The game was originally released in 2000 for PC, Sega Dreamcast and PlayStation. It was also released on the PAL PlayStation store on 12 January 2011.[1]
Contents |
Tomb Raider: Chronicles is set just days after the events of The Last Revelation. After the Temple of Horus had caved in, effectively entombing Lara, she is presumed dead. A memorial service is held, soon after which Winston Smith and Father Patrick Dunstan reveal that Werner von Croy is excavating the dilapidated temple in the hope of discovering her alive. Later at Croft Manor, three old associates of Lara's - Winston Smith, Father Patrick Dunstan and Charles Kane - reminisce some of her past adventures. The first of which is situated in Rome, where Lara is searching for the fabled Philosopher's Stone. Pierre DuPont and Larson Conway are reintroduced and we learn that they are, too, after the Stone. The second adventure entails Lara on the hunt for the famed Spear of Destiny. She encounters a Mafioso gang leader, Mikhailov, who is also after the Spear. Lara retrieves the Spear from the Ocean floor but is apprehended by a couple of Mikhailov's men. She warns him not to use the Spear as he has no idea of the powers it could unleash. However, he disregards her warnings as desperate attempts to attain the Spear. Mikhailov is inflicted with its power and the submarine hull is breached. Lara escapes and leaves the Spear to rest. The third adventure is set in Lara's childhood on Black Isle of Ireland. She's staying with Winston but overhears him and Father Patrick Dunstan conversing about strange paranormal happenings on the island. She stows away on the small boat Father Patrick drives to the island and encounters many strange beings such as the Hanging Corpse, Changelings, a monster intent on chasing and killing her, the Grim Reaper, ghosts and the Demon Verdilet. The fourth and final expedition involves Lara infiltrating a high-tech complex owned by none other than Werner von Croy in pursuit of the Iris artefact, an artefact Lara sees as her own from the beginning events of Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation. After the fourth adventure is wrapped up, we are taken to Egypt where we see Werner von Croy excavating the collapsed temple. A young boy gets the attention of Werner and asks him to come and see. He follows. When he enters the tomb, he demands to see what they have found. It is Lara's backpack. He then declares: "We've found her!"
The gameplay of Tomb Raider Chronicles is closely tied to that of The Last Revelation. In terms of movement and animation, the new additions to Lara's skills are the ability to walk on a tightrope, the ability to grab and swing on horizontal bars and the ability to somersault forwards from a ledge while crouching. Focusing on Lara herself, little to no improvement has been made from the previous instalment. However, Lara does sport new clothing and gear in the form of a camouflage snow-suit and a black catsuit suitable for infiltration.
Several weapons from the previous game have not returned (namely the Crossbow and the Grenade Launcher), but the MP5 submachine gun and Desert Eagle from Tomb Raider III and the revolver from The Last Revelation have returned. New equipment consists of a TMX-Timex that Lara uses to track her statistics and grappling gun, which fires a grappling hook into perishable surfaces and produces a rope from which Lara can swing. It is used to latch on certain areas of the ceiling and swing across vaults. Only one vehicle (of sorts) appears: a high-tech diving suit designed to penetrate deep waters. The ability to save wherever one desires returns from Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation as does the combining system of puzzle items used to progress in the level. Lara also uses a crowbar and a torch to progress through the virtual world.
The game consists of four sub-adventures and takes Lara to Rome, a Russian submarine base, a haunted island called the Black Isle in Ireland, and a high-tech building in New York. Secrets in Tomb Raider Chronicles are represented by a golden rose (much like the dragons in Tomb Raider II). In total there are 36 scattered throughout the game and when the player has found every one of them, a new special features menu is unlocked from the Options screen.
The Tomb Raider Level Editor is a package of tools used to create game levels for Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation. Part of the package, the Room Editor, was used by the Core Design developers to create Tomb Raider levels.[2] A version of the level editor was released to the public in 2000, as a second disc with Tomb Raider Chronicles (PC version only), that allows the user to create levels for Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation.[3]
The Level Editor came with several pre-set levels from the game Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation along with textures from other Tomb Raider games. With the original package, level builders were limited only to these assets from the original Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation game. There was a second release of two more bundles that added to the range of experiences a builder could tailor, and later, a release of the moveable blocks that were missing.[4]
Over time, however, advancements have been made to allow level builders to customise their creations. Programs exist that facilitate the creation and integration of custom content.[5]
Programs also became available that modify or replace the original engine provided. Such programs include TREP[6] (or Tomb Raider Engine Patcher), and more recently TRNG, or Tomb Raider Next Generation.[7] TREP serves to modify the original engine through patches. It is open source which allowed community involvement in adding features via DRACO patching.[8] On the other hand, TRNG replaces the original TRLE.
The community based around the Level Editor is still active today, 10 years later.[9]
As for the future of the Level Editor, the custom created gaming engine FexEngine currently being developed looks for an alternative to the restrictions of the original Level Editor. It serves to be open source and compatible with many major content creation programs.[10]
| Reception | |
|---|---|
| Aggregate scores | |
| Aggregator | Score |
| GameRankings | (PS1) 70.59%[11] (DC) 68.25%[12] (PC) 60.24%[13] |
| Metacritic | (PS1) 63/100[14] (DC) 59/100[15] (PC) 57/100[16] |
| Review scores | |
| Publication | Score |
| GameSpot | (PS1 & DC) 7.2/10[17][18] (PC) 6.3/10[19] |
| IGN | (PS1) 6.5/10[20] (PC) 6.3/10[21] (DC) 5.8/10[22] |
It received mixed reviews from critics, although some reviews for Tomb Raider: Chronicles were highly positive. Games Radar gave Chronicles a score of 88/100, saying "Excellent, albeit lacking in revolutionary intent -- but c'mon, how many games really differ in that respect?" Another positive review came from Total Video Games, who awarded Chronicles a 80/100 rating. Even so, they did comment "Unfortunately the game will be over before you really get into it, which is a crying shame." Similarly, PSX Nation gave the game 79/100, remarking "Rent it and relive all what's good (length, challenge, graphics) and bad (control, pixelation, difficulty, puzzles) about one of the PSX's best action series ever." IGN were primarily mixed, rating Chronicles 6.5/10 and saying "Lara Croft's last adventure on PlayStation is also her very best. Still, it's just more of the same." They went on to add "If you haven't liked any of the games or got tired of the series after the 2nd, 3rd or 4th games, then there's nothing here in Chronicles that will revitalize your passion for the series or get you to like it for the first time. Tomb Raider Chronicles is basically more of the same, so you probably know better than anyone else whether or not it's something that you'll like." GameSpot were mixed to positive, saying "Tomb Raider Chronicles is a worthy enough "sequel" to the original and can deliver an adequate number of thrills, though nothing unique or surprising." They were particuarly complimentary of the graphics and said "Regarding the PlayStation version specifically, the graphics look better than ever before. The environments in the first Tomb Raider were very sparse and bland, but over the years the developers have been able to squeeze more and more out of the PlayStation. For a game on an aging system, there's a surprising degree of detail in Tomb Raider Chronicles -without a significant sacrifice of level size." One particuarly scathing review came from Electronic Gaming Monthly, who said "It should be illegal for you to own money if you even considered buying this crap." Also similar, Game Revolution awarded Chronicles a score of 42/100, echoing the view that Tomb Raider was somewhat in need of an update, remarking "Despite the key chasing, uninteresting environments, masochistic enemies, and an unwillingness to break with certain asinine gameplay traditions, Tomb Raider: Chronicles is perhaps the liveliest of a weak line of sequels. The trouble is, it's the fifth one, and it's long past the time to stop."
Tomb Raider Chronicles sold 1.5 million copies worldwide, making it the second least successful Tomb Raider game in the series, after Tomb Raider: Anniversary.
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