Through the Rich History of the Tomb Raider
Through the generations of Tomb Raider
Lara Croft! The Tomb Raider! Ever since the first game came out back in 1996, Lara has become an icon in the gaming world. Originally released for MS-DOS (wow do you even known what that means?). Playstation, and SEGA Saturn (You didn’t know there was a SEGA Saturn did you). Tomb Raider has spawned multiple sequels and continuations on every platform since. We even had multiple Tomb Raider films spearheaded by the beautiful Angelina Jolie. And now we have the latest game for PS4 and XBOX 1 and a brand spanking new film starring Alicia Vikander!
Why Lara Croft Has Gained so Many Adoring Fans
Why do we love Lara Croft? The answer is easy! Back in a time when female heroes and female empowerment was not much a factor in video games and movies, Lara Croft was already a powerful figure! She showed us that an entire video game franchise could be grounded upon a strong, adventurous, smart, and fearsome female character in the guide of Tomb Raider’s Lara Croft!
Borrowing from the Indiana Jones mythos, Lara Croft was no sexy vixen whose only talent was to wear a dress, but she had the skills, experience, knowledge, and street smarts of a fully-fledged archeologist! She raided tombs, hunted for artifacts, studied history, and did all these wonderful things that made her more than just a sight for sore eyes! What could be more exciting than a lady with a gun? A lady with 2 guns! Wielding her classic dual pistols and a wide array of other weapons and firepower, Lady Croft is the complete package of beauty, brains, and bazookas!
There are many reasons why people fell in love with Lara Croft as the Tomb Raider. Of course the thrill of having a female-led video game was quite new at the time. Even today, it is very rare to have a female protagonist at the helm of a game. Presently, we enjoy games that enable us many options when it comes to character creation. You can be a stout dwarf man or a tall and slender elvish girl. There are tons of facial customizations, hundreds of costume edits, and even voice selections! But back then, we were given a fixed character to start the game off, and you had to play that character all throughout the game. And regardless of this fixed start, people chose to play through with Lara Croft anyway!
