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Platform: PC, PS2 Developer: Core Design Publisher: Eidos Genre: Action ETA: February 2003
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Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness
As always, we'll
start with the "facts": FROM
A PRESS RELEASE A
series of grisly murders brings Lara into conflict with a sinister
Alchemist from the past, and a secret alliance of powerful individuals
shrouded in mystery. At the center of these mysteries are five 14th
century paintings – the Obscura Paintings – that the Alchemist is
desperate to repossess. Accused
of the murder of her one time mentor, Von Croy, Lara becomes a fugitive
on the run. Pursued by the police, she follows the Alchemist into a dark
world of blood, betrayal and vengeance. It is up to her to defeat this
unholy alliance and stop them from unleashing their incredible powers on
the world. With
explosive action and a gripping story, this is Tomb Raider like you've
never experienced before. Features: New
Lara, New attitude! Experience
a brand new game engine & control scheme Character
evolution - improve Lara's abilities and witness her adapt to how you
play the game. You are
rewarded for puzzle solving and exploration in the form of improvements
to Lara's jumping ability, brainpower, upper body strength etc. Character
interaction - for the very first time in a Tomb Raider game, Lara has
the ability to talk to characters.
The choices you make in conversation will affect Lara's route
through the game. Execute
a variety of stealth and hand-to-hand attacks
Expansive
urban environments to explore from under the streets of Paris to the
back alleys of Prague Cutting
edge graphics - brand new engine designed to fully utilize the power of
PlayStation 2 and the latest PC graphics cards.
Lara is now made up of over 5,000 polygons as opposed to just 500
in previous games. Spectacular graphical effects including weather,
lighting & reflective maps. Massively
improved animation system - Lara now has more than 250 incredibly fluid
animations (as opposed to 25 in previous Tomb Raider games). Brand
new control system - allowing much more direct and fluid control over
Lara. The previous
'grid-based' control system has been replaced with a much more intuitive
system. New
range of moves - including hand-to-hand combat, stealth mode,
'last-chance' grabs etc. New
playable character - Lara meets a kindred spirit in Kurtis Trent, who
has his own distinctive moves and gameplay mechanics. FROM
THE WEBSITE Character
Profiles -
Lara Croft: Recent events have cast a shadow over Lara's life.
Radically changed after her near-death experience in Egypt, Lara
has become harder, darker and less tolerant.
Whatever happened there has left its mark and she has withdrawn
from contact with anyone from her previous life.
No one can get through. She
refuses to confirm or deny rumors about time spent among obscure North
African tribes, but whatever happened after Egypt has caused her to
become almost a recluse since her return.
The dark memories that haunt her remain locked inside.
And no one risks getting close enough to ask. -
Kurtis Trent: Kurtis is an ex-Legionnaire and experienced warrior with
limited occult abilities. Raised as an initiate in an ancient order
called the Lux Veritatis, Kurtis took on his father's role after the
Alchemist hunted down and killed the last of the Order. As the sole
remaining descendant, Kurtis is now on a quest for revenge against those
that wiped out the Order and killed his father. -
Louis Bouchard: Underworld Parisian czar and owner of Le Serpent Rouge,
a nightclub in a seedy back street quarter of Paris. With a reputation
for ruthless and opportunistic violence on a large scale, Bouchard runs
illicit operations throughout the capital. -
Margot Carvier: Madame Carvier is a historian and academic at the Dept.
of Medieval and Renaissance Studies and has been involved in recent
archaeological digs beneath the Louvre. She is a friend and colleague of
Werner Von Croy. -
Daniel Rennes: He is an active part of the Paris underground, and a
close friend of Louis Bouchard. As a master forger, printer, and
archivist, Rennes specializes in the provision of illegal documentation
and currency, using a back street pawnbroker shop as a front. Known to
be insanely paranoid about conspiracy theories, he has rigged his entire
operation with <ahem> booby traps.
Angel of Darkness will be the first Tomb Raider to hit the Playstation
2. Originally set for a November 2002 release, the date was set back to
February 2003 because the game had not been tested thoroughly enough and
some things needed to be worked on. This same "we'll take more time
and make the game perfect" strategy was also used for Eidos's hit,
Deus Ex. It will be interesting to see if the additional time works out
all the bugs, but I don't mind the delayed release. At least for the PS2
version, downloading game patches is (probably) out of question, so
getting as perfect-playing game as possible is a must. There is no time
element involved, as seen in sports games, so I actually appreciate that
Eidos has the "stones" to take some criticism for the greater
cause.
- Tim Martin (January 7, 2002) |
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