Tomb Raider: Chronicles Review

Don't even get me started on the weaponry assortment. It's boring, repetitive, and a standard miss Croft issue. You have the two identical pistols, with the unrealistically unlimited ammo. The handy single revolver, the always effective shotgun, parallel Uzi's, and the well-known Desert Eagle .50, are all the basic arsenal you will be using. OK, some new interesting things were added; the Grapping Gun, which is used for shooting out hooked ropes and climbing the very same. This charming little thing can only be used three times and only at the end of the game. Another new device is the laser-sight adapter that can help you bulls-eye objects and enemies from huge distances (it can be applied exclusively on to the Desert Eagle and the revolver).

The locations of TRC are passable; each game chapter appears exceptional in its own way. The visuals are accompanied with good sound effects. The music themes are nice, but definitely too short; and as always, they only start once you've done something drastic, or when your opponents appear out of the blue. While we mention this, we can also add that the AI routine sucks a bit, and you will generally have no problem defeating the average foe. Perhaps, some larger baddies can be a pain in the neck, but it won't take you long to grasp the weaknesses and faults. Sometimes sneaking behind backs can be a useful tactic, so bear that in mind when you encounter stronger enemies.

Some of the new scenery looks impressive, although mostly you will be climbing, running, and jumping through the same old sinister caverns and dense corridors.

As I said before things have slightly improved in this sense, and more open and more illuminated areas will appear. Sadly, these few new game features will not be enough for keeping your attention for very long. It entirely boils down to leaping, hurdling, bouncing, and scuttling across the pretty much restricted terrain. And let's not forget the everlasting quests for door keys and ancient symbols that open large gateways. The standard Indiana Jones archeologist-exploration storyline was obviously also carried out here. At the beginning you will go through a series of short quests. In the first chapter you will encounter two new appalling bad-guys that always keep moving one step ahead of you. They are called Larson and Pierre, and they represent one of the most worn-out character types in the history of games and movies. It's the classic evil, corrupted, and nasty boss with his stupid, dumb ass sidekick which has the inescapable Texas accent. The next malicious team is the Russian mafia-style geezer called Sergey, and the uncorrupted admiral Jerevan (or something like that). I will not reveal the rest of the characters, cause I want to save the very little suspense that you'll experience in the game.

To narrow it down to the general game qualities, we will always see quality animations and hi-res graphics. To see miss Croft in action once again is all very well, but the whole thing lacks more, I repeat more and more changes in the story and in the game's basics. We can say that the game does have a vibrant turn of events (i.e. decent dynamics), which places in a good feeling while you play. On the other hand, the main story is not original enough to make you complete a chapter. Also, getting use to the camera is tiring. This pisses me of every time I play a TR, and being a game player, I demand satisfaction in this sense! Since the game's been released both on the venerable PSX and the Dreamcast, we cannot expect anything radicaly new in the PC version.

Why must they do this every time? Anyway, one thing's for sure: Core Design ran out of fresh ideas for Ms. Croft a long, long time ago...