The ubiquitous Ms. Croft has been long in the gamers conscious since the original Core Design title took the world by storm with it’s fresh and exciting third-person gameplay, original story and settings. It was also renown, or possibly infamous, for kick-starting the virtual career of Lara Croft, who has long since been something of an ‘idol’ for a generation of rather disturbing adolescents who for some strange reason find the oh-so British charm of young Lara quite irresistible. Regardless of the instigation behind the series’ fortune, its record speaks for itself; the brand expanding far-beyond the realms of the games into a whole smorgasbord of merchandise, and the recent film tie-in. However, the success of the film appears to have been limited by the decline of the series over the last year or two, the earlier games proving more popular and successful than the somewhat clichéd later instalments. It must have been with this in mind then, that (whose earlier success was very much underpinned by Core’s flagship games) and Core deemed another episode out of the question this Christmas, and instead went back to the drawing board with aim of developing a Tomb Raider game that would mark a genuine departure from the rather tired fundamentals of the previous games; a game that once again would spark unparalleled interest in the tribulations of a certain aristocratic Archaeologist. In short it was time for a ‘Next-Generation’ of Tomb Raider; hence the name, we suppose.

With this outing, Core are promising a more detailed and ‘adult’ approach; drawing on influences from role-playing games, as well as fleshing out the more basic foundations of the Tomb Braider series with more possibilities and detail. The new world of Tomb Raider will be far more free-form, and offer far greater potential for exploration and progress through the game – addressing the criticism of previous games in the serious that they were somewhat formulaic. The new elements, whilst not being fully detailed at this stage, will apparently offer the prospect of character similar to the development of skills in most RPG’s at the moment. The example being that continued use of certain skills such as jumping or climbing will, as they improve through use, allow Lara to complete new challenges and enter new areas and directions in the game otherwise inaccessible. We might also conjecture that AI-controlled NPC’s will also play a part in the more diverse and realistic environment, based in Paris. An advancement that fits in with Core’s more detailed and convincing approach to the game, and is also demonstrated for the first-time in the inclusion of a partner for Lara, a chap named Curtis. Exactly how Curtis will be useful is not yet known, though one would imagine that new RPG-leanings of the game might mean that Curtis is imbued with certain skills Lara may require. It will also, apparently, be possible to take control of ‘Curtis’ on sub-adventures in Tomb Raider: The Next Generation, once again adding to the sense of scale and freedom in the gamers hands.