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Lara Croft Pin Ups
By Corvus | June 3, 2008
I’m willing to wager that not a title you ever expected to read at Man Bytes Blog, eh? Well, read on–it’s not what you think.
I have a fondness for good musical covers, but a pretty strict set of parameters for what “good” means. The cover track must sound enough like the original track to be recognizable, but different enough to be interesting. By and large, covers that sound too different don’t interest me much.[1] A perfect example of the sort of covers I enjoy is the David Bowie album comprised entirely of covers–Pin Ups. While Pin Ups does not contain the haunting beauty of Low, or the dizzying excesses of The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust, it’s an enjoyable homage to the bands that played at London clubs in the late sixties.
What does this have to do with Lara Croft? Well, Tomb Raider: Anniversary is a good cover album. Each level is clearly recognizable from the original game, but interpreted in a new and refreshing way that’s enjoyable to re-visit. I’ve not been surprised by anything, but I’ve smiled with appreciation at a new interpretation of an old puzzle or two. The level design is, I feel, gorgeous. Paths are made obvious through lighting and texturing and the sense of enormous antiquity is quite palpable.
And while it doesn’t contain any of the open-world heights of Assassin’s Creed, or the compelling storyworld of the Thief franchise, I find myself thinking about the next level while I sit at my desk and work–so that says something about it right there. While I’m playing, however, I find myself wanting this sort of level design in Garrett’s world (and goals), Altair’s fluid climbing ability and the narrative complexity of Ultima Underworld.
…when I’m not cursing at the timed jumping puzzles, of course.
[1] Exceptions to that rule include Coil’s dirgeful cover of Tainted Love and Nina Gordan’s folk cover of Straight Out of Compton, which it could be argued are both quite recognizable despite how very different they are. [return]
Tagged:covers, david bowie, tomb raider, videogames. | 4 Comments »
June 3rd, 2008 at 3:05 pm
Similarly, I hope the DS remake will be a good cover of FF4.
June 3rd, 2008 at 4:11 pm
That’s one deceiving title
I think sometimes developers add things to games just to see if the players can go bold by yanking their hairs out in frustration. Jumping puzzles are ok in my book, timed jumping puzzles are an exercise in frustration, timed jumping puzzles with a fixed camera (i.e. “leap of faith” problem) are the things nightmares are made off of.
By the way, I see you are “currently playing” Dark Sector. I can’t talk from my own experience but from the reviews…. Why? really, I would like to hear an explanation. (guilty pleasure? a gift? a review copy?)
June 3rd, 2008 at 4:29 pm
Dark Sector? Just brought it home today. I get one free game rental a week and I’ve heard some things about the game that made me curious about how the character’s relationship with his environment is expressed via the use of the glaive.
June 3rd, 2008 at 11:24 pm
Aahhh it’s a rental, a free one at that, now I get it =)
I too have heard good things about the game, not to the point of recomendation but good still.