Tomb Raider I Demo (Jewel Case)

by Tomb Raider

Product Features

• Includes 3 levels of gun toting action
• Your ammunition depot includes: pistols, magnums, a shotgun and uzis.
• Battle wolves, bats, bears, alligators, raptors and even a T-rex in your quest.
• Climb, swim, and backflip your way through cryptic deathtraps.
• Includes ultra realistic 3D graphics

Product Details

• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B00002S93K
• Media: CD-ROM
• Average Customer Review: 1.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #75,175 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

GameSpot Review

Lara Croft, the protagonist in Tomb Raider, has become a sort of unwitting spokesperson for Eidos' new computer adventure. As the cover girl for just about every hard copy gaming magazine this year, this globe-trotting, gun-happy lass had become the matron saint of a new revolution in 3D gaming before the title even hit the shelves. But does the game really live up to all the buildup? Well, seeing is believing when it comes to Tomb Raider, and playing the game with the Rendition or 3Dfx chip, which are sure to find a home soon in every serious gamer's computer tower (a supportive patch will be available online for these), should almost be a prerequisite. Featuring several stunningly rendered 3D worlds and many a cliff-hanging moment, Tomb Raider makes gamers pay for the whole seat, even though they only need the edge.

As mentioned above, in Tomb Raider you play Lara Croft, a female Doc Savage who, tired of her wealthy English upbringing, has decided that dangerous adventuring is more her cup of tea. So she abandons a life of crustless cucumber sandwiches and piano lessons, eventually meeting a wealthy tycoon who hires her to retrieve a single artifact from a ruined temple in South America. After getting the artifact, you find out that the tycoon has sicked a bunch of her henchmen on you, and that the original piece you were sent in to retrieve is one of three hidden in various unplundered tombs around the world.

Your adventures take place in several "seven wonders" scenarios, from Egyptian sphinxes, to Greek temples, to Atlantis (what game would be complete without it?), each with distinct puzzles and traps to negotiate.

In each level, you'll have to beware of the different predator animals, unidentifiable creatures, and henchmen lurking around. In many instances, you'll be pounced on unexpectedly by wolves, lions, gorillas, raptors, and gangling "lava-monsters." Lara has to execute daring rolls, jumps, and side-leaps to dodge these predators while attacking them. This is no time to join the wildlife preservation society; endangered species or not, you've got to slay these pests. Sometimes, at the end of a level, you'll have to go up against of the "boss" monsters, which range from a lumbering Tyranosaur to a huge "torso-man" who, if he snatches you with his giant mitts, will slam you around like a rag doll.

So, you're asking, what weapons can I use on these poor crypt-dwellers who are simply trying to sustain themselves in a sealed-up tomb? With a tap of the spacebar, Lara draws out her two revolvers which automatically target any man-eating creature in the vicinity. Other more effective weapons are picked up throughout the game, including a set of magnums, a shotgun, and an Uzi. Rounds for your default weapon are unlimited, but ammo for the other weapons has to be picked up.

But killing is only half the fun in Tomb Raider, as Lara can perform a variety of actions to explore each eerie environment. Often you'll have to make Lara swim through convoluted caves to secret rooms (incidentally, this is some of the most realistic swimming movement you'll encounter in any game). Each level has a series of switches that you need to activate, some of which require you to heave huge blocks around and - this is probably the most fun part of the game - execute daredevil leaps to grab onto some faraway platform.

Tomb Raider is the exploratory game you always wished you were playing when you were trying to solve Atari Raiders of the Lost Ark.The variety of jumping and grabbing actions, the huge, sometimes vertigo-inducing worlds, and the smooth 3D graphics found in Tomb Raider are reminiscent of Mario 64, though the game's violent overtones and spooky ambiance definitely set it apart from the older title. On the down side though, some of Tomb Raider's puzzles are tedious, requiring the player to wander around a little bit too long. Graphically, it's a breakthrough game, but to obtain the spellbinding graphics that really make the gameplay a complete experience, you'll need one of the cards mentioned above. The avid 3D game enthusiast will probably shell out the extra bucks for one, especially if Quake is a resident game on her machine. --Tim Soete
--Copyright ©1998 GameSpot Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of GameSpot is prohibited.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Duped!, January 13, 2000

By 

John Miller (Chelmsford, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tomb Raider I Demo (Jewel Case) (CD-ROM)

Demo, Demo, Demo--- Not to give away the end, but there is no end! Lara runs down a hallway, and that's it, game over. No movie, no fireworks, nothing.

Ran through it three times, just to see if I had missed anything that would allow me to continue. Don't buy this "special edition" if you are running Windows 98. Most of the time I couldn't get it to work. I had to restart 5 and 6 times to get it so that it wasn't pressing random keys. I had two different modes: magic front/back or magic left/right. !@#$%^&*&^%$#@!

-jam

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Mostly a Demo, January 10, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Tomb Raider I Demo (Jewel Case) (CD-ROM)

Bought this and found that the special edition really refers to the fact that there are only 3 levels included. This disk is mostly a demo program under the guise of the full software. It is packed with other demos and pitches. It is also poorly designed to run with Windows 98.

IF you're looking for a DEMO then this is for you, IF YOU WANT THE FULL PROGRAM THEN LOOK ELSEWHERE BECAUSE THIS ISN'T IT.