The Game Art HQ Playstation Anniversary Tribute: Tomb Raider
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Tomb Raider hit the shelves in October-November 1996 and became a giant hit on the Playstation. It was not only released in the same year as Mario 64, but was also a 3D Platformer but as different from traditional platformers as possible at the time. Lara Croft was no cute video game mascot based on an animal or similar to Mario, instead she had (some sort of) sex appeal, used guns, had to shoot both animals and humans and survive through the caves, tombs and pyramids in the game. And the kinda secret battle with the T-Rex in the Lost Valley Stage? Unforgettable! Tomb Raider became a series with around 10+ games for now with two more in the works for current gen platforms. |
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Lara Croft by Sarah Christina
“It’s no secret that Tomb Raider changed the gaming community and industry forever. Introducing action, adventure games, 3Dimensional worlds, and a female protagonist are all elements that the gaming community had never seen before and has soaked into the very fibers of today’s video-games. The Sony Playstation had a huge hand in making explorer and bad-ass extraordinaire, Lara Croft successful and vice versa. When I created this piece, I wanted to make sure I paid homage to that leading lady that changed the gaming industry on women, environments, art, story-narration, writing and action/adventures. I then decided that painting Lara in front of one the most iconic places her travels (Egypt) was both the truest, and simplest ways to do just that. Lara Croft continues to amaze gamers today and participating in the Playstation Tribute was a great way I could pay her back for all the adventures we’ve shared together.” |
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Tomb Raider T-Rex Fight by Ben Scott
“Tomb Raider was one of the first games I played on the Playstation, at that time it was mind blowing. Not only did it look great (for the time) but it gave you the opportunity to explore vast 3D environments – something I had never experienced before. The seminal moment in the game came fairly early on. When traversing the games second level suddenly you find yourself being confronted by a colossal Tyrannosaurus Rex. With my tribute, I tried to capture that moment as I remembered it. Lara, guns out, hair flailing behind her as the massive dinosaur lumbers out of the dark behind her.” |
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Tomb Raider starring Lara Croft by Jodie Muir
I think I fell in love with Tomb Raider from the first moment I played it! I was around the age of 10 when the first one came out and both Lara and the games completely captured my imagination. I wanted to be Lara! She was strong and could handle herself. At the time, I didn’t see the overtly sexualised elements of her character, just a bad ass female protagonist who was pretty inspirational. I have sketchbooks upon sketchbooks just filled with Lara doodles from when I was a kid, so it was really nice to revisit”classic” Lara years later.
I’m also into Ancient history so I think the tomb/archaeological element appealed too. Going from the Mega drive (Sega genesis) To the PSX was a mind blowing step up for gaming to me. Seeing characters and levels rendered in a 3D world was, at the time, unbelievable. It just gave the games a whole new level of immersive narrative for me
and I loved it.
