Tomb Raider II

Tomb Raider II (Starring Lara Croft) is an action adventure game released in October 1997 by Eidos Interactive, and developed by Core Design. It was initially released for Windows and the PlayStation, and later released for macOS, iOS, and Android devices.

It is a direct sequel to the 1996 smash hit, Tomb Raider.

Plot Summary
Lara Croft is a China to obtain a sacred artifact known as "The Dagger of Xian". Upon discovering its resting place, she is stopped by a mercenary hired by Marco Bartoli, who is also after the dagger.

Why It Rocks

 * 1) Compared to the first game, this one seems to run at a faster frame rate, making the action more fast-paced than the first.
 * 2) Lara is back, and is as badass as ever!
 * 3) Improved visuals, with Lara herself having a smoother, curvier model, and has a ponytail now!
 * 4) * Speaking of Lara's ponytail, it completely reacts to physics, swaying as Lara moves, and trailing as she falls.
 * 5) Lara has more moves at her disposal; she can now climb ladders, flip in the air, use a zip line, and even commandeer vehicles at certain points.
 * 6) Gameplay still has a blend of platforming, gun play, and puzzle solving, but this time, the game favors combat, making it more in line with an action game.
 * 7) More enemy variety, as you are pursued by big, burly, mercenaries as well as wild animals. You'll even face sharks, barracudas, eagles, and strange statues that come to life.
 * 8) Some of the thugs you'll encounter carry firearms, which can add a degree of challenge to the game. Try doing a no health pack run if you dare!
 * 9) Lara's Home has been expanded from an indoor gym to a full blown assault course for a more compelling tutorial.
 * 10) Lara will actively break the fourth wall at the end of the game; just as she disrobes for a shower, she addresses the player by asking "Don't you think you've seen enough?" She then SHOOTS the player with her shotgun! It is as funny as it sounds.
 * 11) Like the first game, the PC version has exclusive content in the form of "The Golden Mask", which includes four new levels.
 * 12) New weapons including the Harpoon Gun, which can be used underwater, and a Grenade Launcher!
 * 13) The save function now allows you to save anywhere you please, thus allowing you to create your own checkpoints.
 * 14) More varied levels than before. Lara will visit many locales such as the canals of Venice, an opera house, the Tibetan Mountains, a monastery, and even some deep sea levels exploring a ship wreck. The Floating Islands in particular stands out for its bizarre, yet unique layout.
 * 15) There are only three treasures per level in the form of three kinds of dragon statues: silver, jade, and gold.
 * 16) * When all three have been discovered you're given bonus items, usually ammo but sometimes medipaks and weapons.
 * 17) With that, you can see your stats like how many treasures you've found in the level instead of only seeing these stats at the end of the level.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) The story is not that compelling, as we don't know why Lara wants the dagger in the first place. We don't even know who Marco Bartoli is, nor do we know why he wants the dagger. Not helping is that the voice acting for the cultists is just outright laughable.
 * 2) The snowmobile, while cool on paper, controls quite badly. It is very clunky and its steering is sluggish.
 * 3) Lara still uses tank controls for movement, so navigation is still quite slow.
 * 4) The visuals are only slightly improved; the textures are still rather pixelated, and there are still signs of texture glitching. Again, this is due to the levels once again being massive in size.
 * 5) Difficulty-wise, the game can be absolutely brutal at times, especially when the mercs get stronger guns in the second half of the game.

Reception
Tomb Raider II received very positive reviews from critics, though not as much as its predecessor, earning an 86.20% for the PC version, and an 82.71% for the PS1 version on GameRankings. Many consider the game to be just as good as the previous game, but noted some of the improvements made. One review even wondered how much of Tomb Raider II's development went into perfecting Lara's ponytail.

By 2003, the game sold over 8 million copies worldwide, making it one of PlayStation's best selling games, and the second best selling Tomb Raider title.

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