Tomb Raider II

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Tomb Raider II
TombII cover.jpg
Starring Lara Croft
Release Date November 1997
Platforms PC, Mac, PlayStation
Levels 18
Secrets 48
Developer Core Design
Publisher Eidos Interactive
Rating ESRB: Teen
Add-On:
The Golden Mask
Game Chronology:
Tomb Raider I Tomb Raider II Tomb Raider III

Tomb Raider II is the second game of the Tomb Raider games series. The story begins one year after the events of Tomb Raider Unfinished Business. An expansion came out in 1999 with a separate 5-level adventure attached. This expansion was known as Tomb Raider II Golden Mask.

Release Dates in Detail

Windows

N/A

PlayStation

  • Usflag.gif
    United States - 31st October 1997
  • Ukflag.gif
    United Kingdom - 1st November 1997
  • Gerflag.gif
    Germany - November 1997
  • Japflag.gif
    Japan - 22nd January 1998

Levels

Lara on The Great wall.
China




The canals in Venice.
Venice



The Deck of the M.D.
Rig and Maria Doria

Catacombs of Talion.
Tibet



The Floating Islands.
China



Home Sweet Home.
England



Information (as given out by Eidos)

Synopsis

Lara Croft returns in Tomb Raider II to discover the secret of the Dagger of Xian. The ancient Chinese believed that whoever recovered this mythical dagger would gain power beyond belief... provided they had the courage to plunge the dagger deep into their heart.

Lara's travels start at The Great Wall of China but it's not long before she's globe-trotting in hot pursuit of clues that will lead her to the ultimate goal. However she's not alone in her new adventure: this time there are other who have a seemingly fanatical interest in the dagger.

Featuring an enhanced Lara Croft, complete with costume changes, Tomb Raider II combines the classic gameplay of the original with an array of enhanced exterior settings, new moves, new weapons and a plot that'll have Lara twisting and turning around every corner. [1]

Summary

The unstoppable Lara Croft is back in TRII, complete with the classic gameplay that made Tomb Raider the game of the year! Join Lara in her quest for the Dagger of Xian, reputed to possess the power of the dragon. But beware, Lara is not the only one in search of danger! Warrior Monks and crazed cult members plot against you as you travel from the remote mountain peaks of Tibet, the canals of Venice and even to the bottom of the sea.[2]

Features

  • Dynamic lighting allows for new environments and tools such as flares.
  • New worlds include Tibet, China, Venice, and a sunken ocean liner.
  • New moves allow Lara to swim, backflip, somersault, climb, wade, and even swing from chandeliers.
  • New clothing, including a wet suit and bomber jacket.
  • New weaponry including automatic pistols, harpoon gun, rocket launcher, M16 rifle, uzis, shotguns, flares and more!
  • All-new enemies, including more human foes, Warrior Monks, Yetis, great white sharks, killer eels, rabid dobermans and more!
  • Refined game engine.
  • Smoother control system.

[3] (Note: The rocket launcher became a grenade launcher in-game.)

Gameplay

While building up upon the gameplay of Tomb Raider, Lara's weapon arsenal has expanded. A full list is below. She can do all of the same moves from Tomb Raider as well as some new ones. These include climbing, performing a 180 degree manoeuvre in the water and in mid-air while jumping. Flares have also been added to Lara's inventory. She may run with one lit, or she can throw them. Also Lara may operate vehicles in the game which include a motorboat in Venice and a snowmobile in Tibet.

Lara herself has been constructed with more polygons. Her breasts and face look much rounder than they did in Tomb Raider. Her hair actually dangles in a ponytail, rather than being tied up in a bun previously. Her ponytail sways around outside due to wind but is stationary inside, providing Lara herself is stationary.

Instead of the usual medipacks and ammunition that posed as secrets in Tomb Raider, in Tomb Raider II there are 3 secrets per level which are 3 ornamental dragons. On each level the player has an opportunity to find the stone, jade and gold dragons. Some dragons might have ammunition, weapons and medipacks that accompany them when found. Lara also has two new outfits. She wears a wetsuit for the Rig and Maria Doria levels, and she wears an airjacket during the levels in Tibet.

Croft Mansion has also expanded. The player may now go outside and explore the attic, kitchen and basement. An assault course and hedge maze await the player outside. The mansion serves as the game's training level where the player may practice manoeuvres on the assault course, which can also be completed whilst being timed.

Story

Introduction

Legend has it that when you drive the Dagger of Xian into your heart, you acquire the power of the dragon. Literally.

In Ancient China, the Emperor was the holder of this power and with his army alongside him, he was a force to be reckoned with. Thus he staked claim to the vast lands that are China.

His final battle however ended in defeat. While people fell into submission all around him, the Warrior Monks of Tibet would not relent and courageously fought against his evil. Knowing the power of the dagger, they succeeded in removing it from the Dragon Emperor's heart - reducing him and his army to carnage. The dagger was returned to its resting place within The Great Wall and locked up for all time...

Now three parties hold the dagger close to their heart. And all for entirely different reasons.

Lara, forever the adventurer, is one of these. In her travels, she will encounter the other two... [4]

In-Game

China (1)

Lara Croft is dropped off at the Great Wall of China by a helicopter. She sets of to find the gate to the Temple of Xian, the resting place of the fabled Dagger of Xian. At the gate she is attacked by Claudio, one of the men working for Marco Bartoli, an Italian gangster also looking for the dagger. She learns that she has to look elsewhere first and an address on Claudio's laptop guides her to Via Caravelli in Venice, to the hideout of Bartoli.

Venice, Italy

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Locations


Gear

Weapons

Shotgun

First Aid


Vehicles


Characters and Enemies

Characters

The villain of the game. He and his cult Fiamma Nera are also searching for the Dagger of Xian. Of Italian and Chinese decent, he is ruthless, evil and has no consideration for human life.
A monk from Barkhang Monastery. He is a part of the Barkhang brotherhood who continue to keep the dagger secret by guarding the Talion, the key to opening the Temple of Xian. He was kidnapped and killed by Bartoli.
The butler of Croft Mansion. He will appear in the training level at Lara's home. He follows her around with a tea tray and can be locked in the fridge by Lara if she gets bored.

Enemies

An example of an enemy in Venice

Traps and Obstacles

Traps


Obstacles


Development

Development of Tomb Raider II was already in its conceptual stages even before the first game was released. By the time Core was wrapping up Tomb Raider, many more ideas and suggestions had been put forth, some of which could be incorporated in the first game, others which would shape up to become the next instalment of the series.

While several key members of Core Design had left (most notably Lara's creator Toby Gard), the design team for Tomb Raider II was drastically expanded to more than twice of its original size. Subsequently, the game took a shorter amount of time to develop than its predecessor. The decision to keep the engine from Tomb Raider was made early on, adopting a tweak-and-improve approach, rather than starting over from scratch. Minor camera issues and object glitches were fixed, while new features were added, such as dynamic lighting and a more flexible control system. Core Design used a custom built level editor that let them explore each stage as it was being created. This allowed the designers to test play levels on the fly and eliminate glitches.

Development Team

  • Gavin Rummery (Lead programmer)
  • Neal Boyd and Heather Gibson (Level designers)
  • Stewart Atkinson and Joss Charnet (Animators)
  • Nathan McCree (Music and sound effects)

Cover Images

PlayStation


References

  1. ↑ Tomb Raider II, backcover, UK PlayStation Version
  2. ↑ http://www.eidosinteractive.com/games/info.html?gmid=25 (Eidos Website)
  3. ↑ http://www.eidosinteractive.com/games/info.html?gmid=25 (Eidos Website)
  4. ↑ Tomb Raider II, booklet, UK PlayStation Version


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