Tomb Raider II - PC Review - Gamecenter

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Tomb Raider II

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If It Ain't Broke...
Tomb Raider II doesn't stray significantly from the original Tomb Raider formula. However, there are some improvements this time around. The most noticeable is the graphics. Overall, the Direct3D graphics are slightly better than the graphics in Tomb Raider--even when playing the original with the 3Dfx or Rendition patches.
The improvement in graphics is not due to the technology so much as the attention to detail. For example, Lara's ponytail now moves. This might seem insignificant, but when I see it blowing in the Venice breeze or slithering underwater, I can't help but be impressed. Lara has also earned her driver's license. She can now hop in Tomb Raider II various vehicles, including boats and snowmobiles, and the handling on these vehicles rivals any arcade game.
Thankfully, Tomb Raider has been freed of its DOS prison and is now a very well behaved Windows 95 game. Aside from obvious benefits such as Direct3D support, Windows 95 makes it possible to run the game in the background or in a window. The most technically impressive feature of the game, however, is its small hard drive footprint. Tomb Raider II (with all 16 save-game slots filled) takes up only 1MB of hard drive space, which is even less than the original. In a time when many games should be shipped with their own hard drive, Tomb Raider II's small footprint is a wonderful accomplishment. Publishers take note: A huge, highly detailed 3D game does not need to take up 500MB of disk space. This is why we have CD-ROM players. Thank you, Eidos!

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