Review It was only a year ago that Eidos Interactive released Tomb Raider, a game that had such innovative flare that it defined its publisher as a formidable force in the gaming industry. With its cavernous 3D environments and charismatic protagonist - a hip English jet-setter named Lara Croft - Tomb Raider pioneered new territory in gaming. But can Tomb Raider II, which seldom strays from the original formula, stand up to the new generation of action games on the shelf? Definitely. Taking its cue from the previous game, Tomb Raider II sees Croft becoming embroiled in a brand new globe-trotting hunt for treasure. Again, levels are lushly appointed with colorful textures, taking you on a visual voyage from the waterways of Venice to eerie subterranean catacombs, this time in search of the Dagger of Xian, a relic that supposedly bestows great power upon its bearer. Once again, plot has little bearing on the Tomb Raider experience. Most of Lara's activities still consist of finding a key to open a door to find another key, with a lot of puzzle solving in between. For example, in one level a switch is thrown and a door opens in another part of the level. When the door is finally reached, it's shut. Solution: Drive a speedboat up to the door as soon as the switch is thrown. There are also a host of "timed" traps, where Lara will find herself having to charge desperately through a labyrinth of encroaching spikes and collapsing floors when she least expects it. It's the process of finding the key, of getting to that particular door that just opened, that makes Tomb Raider II a truly engaging adventure. Complaints about the original, such as the tedium of levels and Lara's sometimes erratic control, have definitely been addressed in the sequel. Basic moves such as running leaps and grabs are slightly easier to perform with the new and improved heroine. Most importantly, this helps the levels stay interesting. From the very beginning, each trap or physical obstacle poses an extreme challenge, forcing you to control Lara with the utmost adeptness. More often than not, getting Ms. Croft from one ledge to another requires that two or more specific moves are executed in series. Performing a Hail-Mary leap only to cling successfully to a far-away wall; figuring out how to execute that perfect double-gainer back flip to get around a seemingly impassable trap: These kind of activities become the most rewarding part of playing the game. Apart from being larger, the levels in Tomb Raider II are also more geographically interesting. Lara is exaggeratedly dwarfed in her surroundings, scaling the enormous walls of a gangster hideout's vestibule during one adventure, swinging from balcony to balcony in a surrealistically proportioned opera house during another. When dropped into these extremely spacious environments, Lara becomes a sort of modern Alice in Wonderland with you ultimately acting as guide. Featuring 18 massive levels, it's probably safe to say that Tomb Raider II represents more of an adventure than Alice ever had. Tomb Raider was all about looks, and Tomb Raider II continues that trend. When running the game with a 3Dfx card, it's often tempting to simply sit back and take in the view. Combining breathtaking landscapes, fluid, Disney-like character animation, and (most importantly) a nicely balanced procession of obstacles, traps, and puzzles, Tomb Raider II is an excellent continuation to the Lara Croft saga.--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. -- GameSpot Review
L**N
Uzi blast from the past
Seller accidentally sent me Tomb Raider 1 instead of 2, but replaced it promptly and let me keep TR1 besides. :) I played this game with my dad when I was a little girl and it's held up amazingly well, despite the datedness of the graphics, plenty of action, lots of puzzles, decent combat, pretty nifty story. Will always be my favorite Tomb Raider game.
S**R
Five Stars
Its fun and addicting. One of my favorite tomb raiders.
K**R
PS fun
Back to the begining
B**5
The best childhood memories
After downloading this game, along with ALL OF THE OTHERS a few months ago, to relive my childhood gaming memories, I found myself really loving these games with a whole new respect. When I was little, I got to shoot things, climb around, and even get scared a few times. Now I really love how awesome the game play is, the puzzles that were WAY over my head when I was playing this at 3 or 4 years old, and the whole story of it actually makes sense. The controls and graphics are kind of "clunky", but they only get better with each game. Having new EVERYTHING really makes it quite a bit better. In this game, you aren't confined to save crystals to save your game, (although, that's only for the 1st and 3rd games on the playstation...IDK why they did it this way in the second and decided to go back in the 3rd) and she has several more weapons, including the need for flares, and a harpoon gun. Which really make me happy, because not seeing in the dark (not really an issue in the first game) and not being able to attack enemies underwater were the only turn offs in the original, but this game has those, and a new set of abilities that all work together to enhance the game play even more. This was one of the greatest in the series, you should really pick it up!!
T**O
Not as much fun as the original
Not as much fun or as spooky as the original. Better graphics and now Lara has a braid, but the gameplay suffers from poor layout. I couldn't even finish the game
Z**.
better than the first!!!
i loved the first tomb raider... and this one is even better. the story is great, very entertaining. the graphics are ok. and the gameplay is relatively the same as the first one. it's such a great adventure game, i love it. it has all the charm as the first one, but much more fun-ness.if you liked the first one, definately get this one. it may have alot more puzzles but i like my games to be complicated... i mean would you like to play a game where you just push one button and theres 5 hours of cutscenes!!!! NO!!! i would guess... so get this and i know you'll love it:).
H**N
Tomb Raider!Tomb Raider! Sorry, I hated this...
I have to admit that I never was a victim of the "Tomb Raider Hype Machine". I liked the idea of a 3rd person perspective game where your character can do alot of tricks but the whole idea of the big-boobed Lara Croft just turned me off. I bought this for 4 bucks at the used software house and played it for about 2 hours. I liked the save game feature somewhat, it should be more specific. I felt like banging my head against a wall after be killed for the 50th time because I did'nt hit the "jump" button in the right sequence with the "run" button at the correct prescribed time. The interface is just too rigid for a game like this, it reminded me alot of that old "Dragon's Lair" game. And I got real tired of the stupid puzzles. I think the real reason for TR being so popular is that its the first non-adult game with a overly-endowed female protagonist. It can't be because of the gameplay.
J**L
Very well done and put together sequel
I have to say, there were a few levels in the original Tomb Raider that were slightly boring, it was still a good, challenging game though. This second one was is just superb.The graphics have improved a lot and the animation is much smoother. Lara also responds to key commands better too. Plus, Lara no longer has her hair tied up. It swings around depending on what she's doing. More weapons have been added including harpoon guns for use underwater and heavy machine guns and explosives. She can climb and wade in water now too. She comes in different clothings depending on which area you are in.Now don't think that this game was popular because of the our female character, Lara Croft. This game in itself is fun and addictive. I can't really find a single level that was really that dull. I think maybe perhaps a few of the tibet levels were a bit of a mess. Other than that, the Venice and Underwater levels were fun and fascinating. This game doesn't do as much tomb raiding as the first game did. In fact, you only go tomb raiding near the end of the game. However you do get to explore a sunken ship, so i guess that's tomb-like. It's still a good game. The levels look as though they have all been thought out and carefull designed.I don't quite understand how some people cannot stand the puzzles and action in the game. If you're hoping this is another Doom, Heretic, Hexen, or Quake game, then you'll be disappointed. In no way is this a game where u mindlessly blow people away with gunfire. Tomb Raider 2 is a fun non-violent game with minimal amounts of blood. Those who enjoy shooting and killing creatures without much thinking and challenge involved can go play their doom games. This is something different and probably much better.
Trustpilot
1 month ago
3 weeks ago
