Contents

Home News         Previews    Reviews    Features       Columns        Media     Wallpapers 

Interactive

DCS Forums     Chat           Submit Stuff   Feedback  Staff            Join us    

Affiliates>>

Be ahead of the game!  Sign up for our newsletter and get notified of new content!

Help keep this site alive. Please visit our sponsors

Tomb Raider 4 The last Revelation

Tomb Raider hits the Dreamcast but it is not Christmas, a Tomb Raider game halfway through the year? Yes! But the bad news is that it is a conversion of the PC game Tomb Raider Last Revelation.

Years ago I remember opening up my Christmas present [yes I only got one] and it was Tomb Raider 1 on the super-soar-away-sega-saturn. Cutting to the chase, the game was amazing. Over the following years I played Tomb Raider 2, which amazed me due to the lack of any tombs, and Tomb Raider 3 which started off well, but the locations became too big and ultimately dull. So it is with a tinted past that I sit down with Tomb Raider Last Revelation.

The training level has gone and has been cleverly linked to the game. You play Lara age 16 [don't get excited the renders look scary] when she went on an expedition with Von Croy. As you follow his lead, he carefully introduces you to Lara and how to get to grip with her manoeuvres. This does last a long while which will annoy those who are already familiar with Lara, but for new Tomb Raider players it is a good idea. When you finally get to your destination Lara realises that Von Croy was only using her to unleash a powerful demon. Lara and Von Croy unleash the demon Seth, chaos ensues ending with Lara escaping and Von Croy disappearing in the collapsing tomb.

Fast forward many years. Due to Lara's actions Doomsday is coming, so to save the future she must face her past - how cliché.

This time everything is set in one location - Egypt. The level system has gone and has been replaced with a Hub system, which basically means that you can return to different areas many times using items that you have found somewhere else to progress in an area that you started in!

The sound effects in Tomb Raider Last Revelation have not changed much since the original Tomb Raider. Lara still says 'no' and the rest of her wide vocably. The ambient music returns making you shiver each time you enter a new location thinking that something is about to attack you, only to discover that the room is a puzzle room! Tomb Raider loses points for the sound because the sound keeps disappearing or is replaced with a quiet 'popping' sound. This is apparent on all the Tomb Raider Last Revelation gdroms and is very disappointing.

Tomb Raider Last Revelation has been engineered more to the exploration and puzzle solving of the original rather than the all out shooting fashion of the sequel. Lara still has her auto lock weapons, and targeting the enemy still translates as jumping around like a crazy fool firing off a few rounds at every jump.

The Dreamcast additions in Tomb Raider Last Revelation are hard to find. Basically the lighting effects have been improved, and there is a gallery where you can look at pictures of Lara. This may annoy people who have played Tomb Raider Last Revelation on PC/PSX who were expecting more Dreamcast features, but for the rest of us who have not played the game, a gallery of Lara pictures is a nice little addition.

The chess board control system is still present, and I don't have a problem with it, mainly because it gives you a form of measurement in a 3D world. Without it some jumps would be even more frustrating.

New enemies have been introduced , some like the skeletons can not be killed! This may sound bad but fortunately there are always some high ledges to push them off of. Fire spirits are also new, and the only way you can get rid of them is to jump in some water, but as we all know Lara is incredibly flammable and this often sounds easier that it really is.

Lara has been given new weapons which can be combined to solve certain tasks. This sounds excellent but the downside is that you HAVE to combine these weapons to progress, so it is top marks for effort but it does not really add anything else to the game. It seems cool to diss the Tomb Raider games, which is unfair. Tomb Raider is Tomb Raider and you buy it fully expecting an update on the previous game, rather like any sequel. Tomb Raider Last Revelation is the second best game in the series and deserves some respect. Personally I feel that Tomb Raider Last Revelation is too big. I have been enjoying the game all the way up to 'the city of the dead' but my attention span was beginning to wander I thought that I was near the end only to discover that I was only about halfway through. Tomb Raider Last Revelation is a very big game, and I think it is too big. I would prefer it to be smaller or more linear like the original Tomb Raider game.

In short Tomb Raider on Dreamcast is the best adventure game of its type. It is highly challenging and will take you ages to finish if you have the patience for it. Tomb Raider fans will love it and rightly so, adventure games are pretty scarce on the Dreamcast so if you are after a challenging game get Tomb Raider Last Revelation. Those after a short term fix should look else where.

Sam Smith

Graphics	7	Lara looks better but does not look as realistic as expected. The level textures look better and don't appear to 'tile' as much as previous Tomb Raider games.
Sound	5	When the sound appears then it is generally good, but with all the disappearing malarkey some of the atmosphere is lost.
Gameplay	7	Typical Tomb Raider fare, puzzles, tough jumps and exploration. If you love this then you will be over joyed at Tomb Raider Last Revelation.
Lifespan	8	A tough challenge awaits, and very few will actually bother finishing it. Although tough the game is quite enjoyable.
Overall	7/10

"Tomb Raider is a tough and ultimately rewarding game. However this is no walk in the park, (or should that be walk in the tomb?) Game."

By Andy

Another year, another Raider… It has become a tradition on the PlayStation, and now the lovely Lara has made it to the DC. However, it is not the best of ports. Basically a straight PC port, with a couple of extras and cool effects thrown in, this Tomb Raider game is nothing special graphics wise. It does have that Tomb Raider feel, and is definitely the best in terms of graphics on any platform. The shadows, the detail, the crispness. They all add to the effect. Sound is average, with some cool, if slightly short-lived, music. Sound effects are not brilliant, but it is a Tomb Raider game.

What this game REALLY has going for it is plot and solid gameplay! TR:TLR is a challenging adventure that makes your brainwork from time to time. It is focused more on puzzles than anything else, which is good, because Tomb Raider is all about the puzzles. And, of course the locations. Lara Croft has returned to the tombs once again in this game, and in a rather fitting location too – Egypt!

However, to be honest with you, this game is way too long! I got bored of it as I just got onto the Lost Library level – about half way through the game (same as Sam). However, if you think you can stomach a VERY meaty game, then TR:TLR is there for your digestion!

Related:

>>Download some Dreamcast wallpapers!

>>Buy this game or get more info!

>>Compare prices for this game and get the best deal!

>>Discuss this game and share your opinions in the Forums!

>>Read other Dreamcast reviews

Reviewer:

Sam

Click to see the game for yourself:

Compare prices for this game and get the best deal!

All copyrighted images and names are trademarks of their respective copyright holders.  All original work is copyrighted by Farooq Asif.  Unauthorised reproduction of any material from this site is strictly prohibited.      © 2000 DreamcastSource.co.uk