Customer Reviews

Tomb Raider Chronicles

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Notice how many countless game reviews of Tomb Raider usually criticize the game's bugs, like Lara "sinking into walls" and using the same old graphics and gameplay of pushing and pulling blocks to solve the puzzles. However, credit must be given to the creators for making such a game that captivated thousands with the storyline and its exotic locations.

Tomb Raider: Chronicles (PC) contains two discs, the first being the past adventures ( more about that in a while ) of Lara Croft and the second, the much awaited Level Editor.

The storyline of Tomb Raider: Chronicles goes like this; It starts of with a memorial service of Lara, held days after she was trapped in the Temple of Horus and was assumed to be dead. ( If you played Tomb Raider : Last Revelation, you will know why. ) Her friends then starts to talk about her previous "untold" small adventures and of course, you will get to play them.

The first of these adventures starts off in Rome, the second adventure takes place in a submarine, the third stars weaponless 16-year old Lara fighting demons on Ireland's Black Isle and the last takes place in an office block, with Lara in a Matrix style suit, sneaking through it.

The first two adventures displays the traditonal Tomb Raider gameplay- the first being more of puzzle solving and the second, being more of action and shooting. Things start to get interesting in the third and fourth adventures of Lara. Being weaponless in the third story, you must guide 16-year old Lara through Black Isle as she runs from demons and solve many fun but frustrating puzzles. The creators did a pretty good job designing this stage as not only does it looks and feels like Ireland, it also sends a chill down your spine while playing. The gameplay of the last stage is completely different from the traditional Tomb Raider games. In fact, it is like Metal Gear Solid where you have to sneak up on guards and knock them out , walk and crawl to be prevented from being discovered. This stage is quite exciting, especially the part where you come crashing down from the elevator.

Tomb Raider: Chronicles uses the same graphic and game engine ( but improved ) from Tomb Raider: Last Revelation. All the stages are beautifully made. The only problem with this game is not the "standing in wall" bug or it's frustating puzzles but it's voice acting. Surpisingly, this game has one of the worse voice acting ever- especially the last stage where Zip, one of the characters, communicates with you to give you hints. Sometimes, you can hardly hear him.

The second disc features the Level editor and a playable Egyptian tutorial level. With a one hundred page manual to print out, this level editor is useful for anyone wanting to create a Tomb Raider adventure before Lara's editor unleash the " new " Lara Croft in Tomb Raider 6.

Tomb raider: Chronicles will be the last game in the Tomb Raider series using the old game engine. With its short gameplay and somewhat crappy voice acting this would have been an excellent game but, it will become one of the many classics in years to come, just like Nintendo's 2D version of Mario.

This is a perfect gift for any hardcore Tomb Raider fan or anyone just wanting to have some fun.

There's much to praise about this latest Tomb Raider adventure, the last in the TR series (next year Eidos/Core will begin TR Next Generation, a game that will be markedly different and feature other playable characters). Chrnoicles features new moves, vastly differing locales, and innovative gameplay. The adventure, divided into four areas, begins in Rome and combines the Venice-like sequences of TRII with the classic archealogical feel of the original. From there it's off to the Sunken Submarine levels where Lara, James Bond-like, must infiltrate a Russian military base and stowaway herself onboard a sub. A fifteen-year old weaponless Lara then explores the mysteries of a haunted forest (probably the weakest area in the game). Chronicles then ends with a Matrix-like adventure in a highrise building where Lara, sporting a black leather catsuit and visual headgear, must use stealth to escape with a prized artifact.

The innovations are quite wonderful--there's an extreme depth suit for underwater exploring, chlorofoam soaked cloths for sneaking up behind and taking out unsuspecting guards. The game, which is very much in the mold of the Last Revelation, is wonderfully cinematic. The music, in particular, helps create mood.

There are some serious problems with this game, however. Like Last Revelation, some of the puzzles seem kind of arbitrary. In other words, whenever I was stumped (which wasn't too often because the game is fairly easy, another drawback) I'd eventually find a solution NOT through logic or brainpower but through trying anything and everything until I was succesful. Put simply, some time after TR II, Core ran out of great puzzle ideas and have resorted to annoying trial-and-error style gameplay. Sadly, though, trial and error don't make for fun gaming.

More troubling, however, is the fact that this game is EXTREMELY short. I payed $44 for Chronicles because I exptected it to be a full game, the length of Last Revelation, say, but Chronicles is only slightly longer than the Gold titles, yet it's twice the price. There are only fourteen sections in Chronicles (covering four locales), but they're not--following the style of Revelation--necessarily full levels, the types of levels we all know and love from TR 1-3. One can easily beat this game in three evenings. Needless to say, very disappointing!

Still, if you're not at all money conscious, this one's worth picking up only because at times it's still a hoot to play. There's also a Level Editor included with the game, for those who wish to design and create their own TR levels, but you need to be fairly computer literate to use it. It's probably a good sign that Chronicles is the last game in the TR canon, because Lara's beginning to wear out her welcome.

I own all the TombRaider Series. This one was extremely difficult at times. Still the adventure drove me to try over and over and over and over and over again until I finally got it right. Problem is, you can't move on in an adventure until you complete everything in order. Without a cheat sheet you'll be lost. The worst part is that stupid lazer HK gun. Lara gets killed because you can't aim it fast enough and it's totally inaccurate and a real pain in the butt on the firing ranges...Again, no alternate paths are available... Frustrating!

Chronicles is an overture of sorts. It ends the Tomb Raider series by bringing together the best elements of the previous games, and neatly wrapping them into four stand-alone adventures. First, Lara treks through a puzzle-filled Rome in search of the Philosopher's Stone. Then she's off to a Russian submarine for some more intense action as she tries to find the Spear of Destiny. After this, we see a younger Lara having an adventure in haunted Ireland, with no weapons at her disposal. Finally, it's off to a futuristic office complex for some truly intense gaming as Lara attempts to steal the Iris back from her old nemesis, Werner Von Croy. Each of the "chapters" provides a different style of gameplay, and a lot of credit must go to the designers for being able to stretch this aging game engine in so many different directions without having it simply snap. For the most part, the game is enjoyable, and it provides a few challenges that still seem fresh even after so many incarnations of the series. But, the fact is, it's really time for Eidos to take the series in another direction, with a new engine. Pulling levers on the streets of Rome to open gates that that are across the street just feels hokey now. Perhaps the biggest problem that Chronicles faces, is that it comes in on the coattails of The Last Revelation, which is a tough act to follow. Last Revelation revived the series by adding all new puzzle types, new animations, better lighting, and (finally) a coherent and epic story line. Chronicles seems like a step backwards, at times feeling more reminiscent of Tomb Raider 1 and 2. For some people, this may seem like a good thing, but it's not 1996 anymore, and it's time to move on. I expected Chronicles to make the sort of leap over Last Revelation that Last Revelation made over Tomb Raider 3. It didn't happen. The inclusion of the level editor is a boon for fans of the series. While it's not the simplest thing to use, with a bit of patience, you can make surprisingly good levels. It uses the engine of The Last Revelation, and includes a few sample levels from that game to get you started. The manual, unfortunately, is in Acrobat format, meaning you'll have to either read it from your monitor, or print out all 170 pages of it. Ultimately, if you're a fan of the series, you'd do well to get Chronicles. It's a bit short, and the last couple of levels can be infuriating, but it's a fairly solid ending to the franchise. The next generation of Tomb Raider games in currently under development, and the screenshots look promising, so we can only hope we'll have something more next time around.

"It is a cold, dark, rainy day. With the memorial service for Lara Croft over, her old friends retire to the Croft Mansion. As they sadly collect their thoughts, they reminisce about Lara's past adventures...
Meanwhile...
Hundreds of miles away, Werner Von Croy co-ordinates the frantic dig - searching for answers buried deep beneath the Egyptian desert."
So reads the 3rd page in the PC manual of Tomb Raider Chronicles.
I've played all the way from the 'Streets of Rome' to 'Red Alert' so far, and I must say, this game has been wonderfully challenging to me. Why this game has gotten bad reviews from countless gamer-zines, it may be because the reviewer simply couldn't figure out how to get past the boss in Trajans Markets, but I digress. TRC comes with 2 CDs, one of the game, and the other of the level editor.
I'm impressed with both of these programs, but I do have a gripe about the level editor:
It is VERY hard to work with, and it likes to crash. Don't get me wrong, being able to create a real live level and PLAY it, kicks ar$e, but I think Eidos could've designed this thing a little better and easier for non-professional programmers.
With the awesome graphics, challenging puzzles, and great game play, TRC is very well worth it's weight in gold.

(Btw, for all who are wondering; Lara isn't dead)

The long awaited Tomb Raider: Chronicles, set shortly after Lara disappeared within the confines of the legendary Temple of Horus in Egypt. Meanwhile, several of her friends gather together at the Croft estate to reminisce about four previously unknown adventures. Each adventure has it's own unique feel to it, and often gives the player challenges never before encountered.

The first adventure takes place in shortly before Tomb Raider 1, in Rome. It captures the same feel of the first Tomb Raider, in which there is much running about, switches to be pulled and items to be collected.

The second adventure takes place after Tomb Raider 3, where we join Lara as she infiltrates a Russian nuclear submarine. This adventure is quite similar to Tomb Raider 2, as there is a lot of action and guns a' blazing. There is much less puzzle solving involved in this level.

The third adventure takes place shortly after the training level in last Revelation. Lara, while she is still a girl, is exploring the haunted Black Isle off the coast of Ireland. Lara obtains no weapons in this level, and must rely on her brains to get her out safely. This level can be compared to the High Security Compund in Tomb Raider 3.

The fourth adventure is most likely the one the player will show off to all his\her friends, as it is nothing like the trained Tomb Raider is accustomed to. This level takes place between Tomb Raiders 2 and 3, where we join Lara, along with her ally Zip, in a futuristic skyscraper owned by Von Croy Industries. This level involves much stealth and precision. Lara, fitted with a Matrix-type outfit, headset, and a sniper rifle, must escape from a falling elevator, poisonous gas, helecopters, cyborgs, and just about everything other than those hordes of skeleton warriors we all got so tired of in Last Revelation.

The game itself is incredible, but it does not deserve 5 stars. One downfall is that the game is tragically short. One can easily finish it in three evenings. While the other Tomb Raiders took me over 10 hours apiece, I easily finished Chronicles in less than 6 hours. Although new moves are introduced (tightrope walking, grappling hooks, etc.) it really is the same old Tomb Raiders that we are used to.

So, if you're looking for a game that can be completed easily but offers the same genuine Tomb Raiding that we've all grown to love, I would recommend it. If not, go for Last Revelation.

The Rome, Ireland, and Russia sections of Tomb Raider: Chronicles are excellent; the VCI Headquarters would be, were it Bug free. I enjoyed the plot and many of the puzzles. In order to gain height I did have to unlearn the monkey swinging technique mastered in the previous game, but the new forward summersault (flip) from an elevated cranny was delightful, as were the parallel bar swinging and tightrope walking.

On the PS-2 this might be a 5 star game; however, on the PC the last section is so bug-filled that it is very frustrating. Tonight I finished all the levels with all the secrets for the second time; this time without having to cheat or download replacement levels in order to work around the bugs. Said bugs are usually caused by saving in the wrong place.

I loved TR Chronicles. Yes, the third section as young Lara isn't the best ever, but I can deal. And the last set of levels-so amazing, I live for it. Cool me down. I own the Playstation version as well(which actually is the one I beat first), and I had to pick this one up when I finally got a computer to call my own. Why? Well for the Level Editor silly. I am so into it. I could sit all day long and fool with it. Granted after printing out the 120 pages manual, I thought I'd have better luck becoming a brain surgeon, but now I am quite adept at that little thing. The tutorial is quite easy to follow(with the trusty manual of course!) and when you finish your first room and convert it to a playable level...it is so cool. I ran around that dang thing for an hour, screaming and showing everyone at my little creation. It does take a while, but if you are into computer game programming or a die hard Tomb Raider yourself, then this is your ticket. I love it. And I am by no means a computer genius, I can turn it on and type-so don't fear! Take one step at a time, it is a blast.

Tomb Raider Chronicles is the fifth Lara Croft adventure game created on the TR4 built engine. Compared to TR4 it is a very short game. There are thirteen levels with four adventures set in Rome, Russia, An Ireland adventure with 16 year old lara and the final adventure in the Vci headquaters building. The graphics are quite dated. The storyline is good and the gameplay is very good and not as hard as TR4. Challenging puzzles with no annoying false paths, But the boss levels are very hard. Level design is good and not in hub layout so no confusing backtracking. Each level has three secret golden roses and if you find all of them you will be given special access. The controls are the same and still not perfect and as usual no difficulty option. Compared to the fourth game chronicles has a very good and less confusing gameplay but it is very short and looks like an expansion pack to TR4 than a brand new Tomb Raider game.

Tomb Raider Chronicles is my fave TR (Tomb Raider) game (next to Tomb Raider 1). It has stunning graphics, a captivating plot, excellent characters, and interesting music. It's very challenging, and I was truly satisfied when I finished it--a must for any Lara Croft fanatic!