“Tomb Raider” set a new standard when it was released in 1996. Part puzzle-solving, part adventure, and all fun.
The game followed the exploits of Lara Croft, a female Indiana Jones, as she explored caves and various other locales for treasure.
What made “Tomb Raider” so much fun was that the player didn’t just maneuver Lara Croft through a linear game, but instead used her to explore enormous play areas, open hidden passages, move crates in order to climb to new heights, and make use of twin .45s to thwart enemies.
The range of motion in “Tomb Raider” was incredible. Lara Croft could not only run and jump, but could also hang on to ledges by her fingertips to laterally scale rock faces, dive off cliffs into the water, swim underwater, and perform shooting while diving moves that would do John Woo proud.
Eidos Interactive and Core Design Ltd. really hit a home run with “Tomb Raider,” which not only spawned a number of sequels, but also branched the franchise into films.