This week's contest topic was inspired by a post by GracefulDemon on the Eidos Tomb Raider Forums titled "Who wants to play with Amanda Evert instead of Lara Croft? Me." GD took a lot of heat for suggesting that Amanda star in her own game, but I think she made some very good points. Don't get me wrong. I love playing as Lara, but wouldn't it be cool to wield the Wrath Stone's powers or unleash the Unknown Entity on your foes?We've had a chance to play as Kurtis Trent in Angel of Darkness and the Doppelgänger in Lara's Shadow. Soon we'll get to play as the Mayan hero Totec in Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light. So who would you like to see as a playable character in a Tomb Raider game?
It could be someone—hero, villain or minor character—who's already appeared in the series, a character from another game, book, movie, etc., or someone you've created yourself. Let your imagination run wild!
For a chance to win a copy of Lara's Book by Douglas Coupland, post a comment below, send me an , post on my Facebook page or YouTube channel, or send me a message on Xbox LIVE (gamertag: Stellalune).In case you missed it earlier, please see the Book Bonanza contest announcement for details on the various prizes. Entering this contest implies that you have read and agree with the complete contest rules.
So, yes, you can enter more than once but only one entry per method (e.g., blog, Facebook, email, YouTube, Xbox), per week, will be counted. So basically, 5 entries per person per week maximum.
Entries for this week's drawing will be accepted through 11:59 p.m. EDT, Friday, May 14. Winners will be announced May 15. Later comments on this post will still be considered for the final prize drawing on May 30.
I quite like the idea of playing as Amelia Croft after she pulls out the sword. The game could follow her transformation. During the story she could learn about Richard's demise several levels in. It would be interesting for every few levels to jump a few years in the future and everytime Amelia would become how we saw her. I feel that she is a character that has so much more story behind her that has yet to be discovered. - Jaden Morretti
ReplyDeleteI Would Love to play as anaya. if she was more into tomb raiding then she would be AWSOME :D
ReplyDeletethe reason why is because 1.she is pretty. 2. i would like to see her in action And 3. she seems like a ver interesting Person. most people become fans of amanda. but im an anaya fan :D also anaya`s outfut is also pretty decent. but i would LOVE <3 to control anaya. Hands Down :D
I'd love to play as Natla. She's my favourite villian in the Tomb Raider franchise, because she's the original--the first actual villain in the game who you end up having a boss battle with that has a unique and complex story behind her.
ReplyDeleteI am with Maranda I would definitely enjoy playing Natla. I am not sure if her scorched Natla skin from anniversary counts as playing her. I was thrilled over being to play as Amanda as I love her clothing.
ReplyDeleteI think it would be really interesting to play as Lara's Mother. To actually play through the events that led her to where she ended up in Underworld. If she was anything like Lara (and you know she would have to be) she would have been one tough lady. I mean she and Young Lara got really far from the plane with nothing but the shirts on their backs. What an interesting adventure her last one must have been.
Since we can ask for anyone, give me wisecracking but ace tomb raider Indiana Jones as her new partner.
ReplyDeleteI'd personally love to play as Amanda, but how about a young Werner Von Croy? After AoD, we've not seen him. What if we had a game where we got to play in his roots? Or maybe an adventure something like GoL that's coming out in which we could go on a double adventure like in Revelation where he's with you the whole way. It'd be so cool to play as Werner in Lara Croft's world. Von Croy has an interesting past, I'm sure. Another great question, Stella!
ReplyDeleteGreat ideas, everyone! Thanks for sharing. I'd love to see a Tomb Raider-Indana Jones crossover. Wouldn't that be fun? Someone also sent an email suggesting Nathan Drake from Uncharted, which could also be cool.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't mind seeing Kurtis Trent again, since he and Lara obviously had some unfinished business, although I pray he'd be a little easier to control in a next-gen game. Some of my most frustrating TR moments involved trying to get Kurtis to do what I wanted him to do. Anyone who used my AOD waltkhrough knows how I felt about that. :(
Well, I think that they should focus on creating a decent game with Lara first, but I have to say that I'd like to see Kurtis again (actually, I'd like to see an entire continuation of AoD, not only Kurtis :P), with a better control system and with all his powers (yeah, AoD had only the thing that make Kurtis find the doors' codes XD)
ReplyDeleteOther than Kurtis, I'm with Hunter Wolfe... I'd love to see some Werner's roots, I think it's a good idea because all can expect an Amanda Spin-Off, but I think that a Werner Spin-Off will be a cool and unexpected move by Crystal. Of course, the only problem is that the old TRs are dead for Crystal Dynamics -.-'
I've attempted to play AoD a few times, with missing textures hindering progress...so I'd say I'd also like to play Curtis, 50% b/c I haven't yet (I don't think the game will let me). Also, since Lara teamed up with Sara Pezzini in Witchblade, it would be stellar to be able to play Sara, perhaps in tandem w/Lara, or switching on and off b/t characters.
ReplyDeleteI was a big fan of the warrior monks in TR2. I was thinking that it might be loads of fun if Crystal Dynamics took the interchangeable character idea they've got for GoL (Totec/Lara) and inserted it into a re-imagining of TR2 (along the same vein as re-imagining TR1 as Anniversary). In the Tibet/China levels, team Lara up with one of the monks and give the player the option to control him! It might be a cool practice ground for refining hand-to-hand combat controls. Being able to knock a mercenary's block off rather than only shooting in Underworld was sort of satisfying, I must admit. Controlling a character that knows kung fu could be a blast :0
ReplyDeleteI'd like to go one step further with the Natla idea and say Qualopec and Tihocan, too! I'd love to see what kind of powers the three could have at their disposal. It might also be cool to run around as one of the Atlantean zombie guys!
ReplyDeleteWell, I simply wanted to see once and for all mister Werner Von Croy as a playable character. Such an influent character would be a great add-up to any tomb raider game, believe me. As a mentor of Lara, he was the one who taught her many of her surviving skills. He also had great importance in three tomb raiders, and made the story look fantastic in all three. Especially in angel of darkness, unfortunately he died, but all the murder and whatsoever was a great deal. And also Kurtis, after all, we don't know what happened to him in angel of darkness. At first, he apperantly died, but then he dissapeared. His return would make a new tomb raider game great!!
ReplyDeleteBut after all, I still believe tha Lara can make any game amazing, alone or not!! :D
I'd also love to see Natla! But if I had my choice, I think a game based off of Richard Croft (Lara's father) would be really neat. Lara spends so much time following in her father's footsteps to the places she raids; I would love to see some connections made between them. For instance, haven't you ever wondered how he managed to drop the Ghalali key in the middle of a hallway in Ghana? Hmmm...
ReplyDeleteOne night I had a dream that I was playing Winston, the butler. I had to go around the mansion and find hidden treasures all while carrying a clinking tea tray. As lame as it sounds, I actually had fun. It would be super cool to try that as a bonus level as a reward for finding secrets.
ReplyDeleteI like what Star said, very cool, I myself had a dream where I was Lara once exploring a tomb somewhere with Amanda. Always fun, but a playable character I'd like to have is Kurtis T. again. The first time through with Kurtis was indeed frusturating, Stella, but to have him star in some sort of afterstory or before story would be awesome!
ReplyDeleteI like Hunter's idea. A Von Croy adventure would be loads of fun! Imagine playing as the guy who totally MADE Lara Croft!!!
ReplyDeleteVon Croy came to mind originally for me too, but what about a game set up similar to last revelation where they took several popular "minor" characters (like Von Croy or Natla) and gave them each an adventure to complete. I can see the Von Croy levels, the Natla Levels, the Amanda levels...and just for fun, a section for Winston...trying to keep up with Lara.
ReplyDeleteAlex West from the first Tomb Raider movie would be my pick for a second playable character. As a tomb raider that's stolen an artifact from Lara he would be a worthy companion for co-op missions along with a few levels interspersed where they go against one another.
ReplyDeletethat would be cool. like devil may cry, kinda. how you play as nero and then dante near the middle of the game or something like that.
ReplyDeleteim a lara fan, so that would be awesome! ^_^
I like the idea of playing with Indiana Jones, some sort of crossover game would be loads of fun. We could have Lara trade her pistols for the whip. That would be really cool.
ReplyDeleteMore excellent suggestions. You guys are really on a roll this week!
ReplyDeleteAnother player, who sent in an entry by email, also suggested Winston:
"In my opinion, he is a crucial figure for Tomb Raider series and Lara, of course. I do not really know what special powers would he have, but I'm sure he'd be able to defend himself with his salver, just like in TR3.
"I know that Winston is not as agile as Lara, but one needs to be highly skilled to serve the tea for lady Croft and survive long hours in the fridge ;)"
That got me thinking that Winston probably has a very interesting background. Retired MI6, sharpshooter, demolitions expert...who knows what the old man has up his starched sleeve? But I get the feeling Richard and Amelia hired him for more than just his ability to make a nice pot of tea.
As many people said, it would be awesome to play as Natla and Amanda! they are both amazing and really cool!!!! We could use Amanda's Stone or Natla's fire balls to fight enemies.
ReplyDeleteI would also like to play as Richard Croft. I think that would be cool!! We could start the gamefrom the moment Amelia goes to Avalon, he starts searching for her, meets Natla, tries to find the Scion, finds Thor's first gauntlet and ends with natla killing him...
Oh, another thing, maybe it would be cool to play a TR game with Goku or someone else from Dragon Ball (+Z & GT)... Just using Kamehameha on enemies and hitting them so heard they shatter to pieces... ;)
i think it would be cool if you could play as richard croft and when he went to thiland and got killed by natla
ReplyDeleteYes I think that it would be very cool to play Amanda in her own game...after all she isn't very bad after all,she saved Lara two times....in Tomb Raider Legend and in Underworld.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everyone who says we should be able to play as Natla. I like the idea of flying and shooting stuff and I would like to know how Amanda captured her.
ReplyDeleteHow about being able to play with a Lara fan. For instance, Lara Croft has an assisstant selected from a contest that gets to tag along on her adventures. And the assisstant has some kind of backstory and special ability. That would be pretty funny. (Imagine Stella as the assistant tagging along with Lara Croft ;)
ReplyDeleteKatie, that's just great. Not that I'd want it to be me. I'd be even less helpful than that old fart-box Winston. ;)
ReplyDeleteOr how about a customizable sidekick that players could model on themselves or anybody else à la The Sims? Could be fun.
Yeah or you could customize what oufit lara can wear like un the sims and maybe choose your vehicle....... that would be awsome
ReplyDeletesorry, i mean in the sims :)
ReplyDeleteThis was sent to me by yesterday email by Max 28. I asked him if I could share it here, and he said yes.
ReplyDeleteI would actually love to see Amanda as a playable character. But only a small part. A spin-off game like 'Lara's Shadow' would work well. I think what Amanda would open up for us is more urban areas. She doesn't fit as well in the dusty tombs like as our Miss Croft but tackling challenges in cruel cities, twisting through tight alleys and scaling skyscrapers seems much more like Amanda to me. I always enjoy Lara dipping into the urban settings, but they don't work if they're more than a third of the tombs to get through in a game. Amanda's character could be much more focussed on these places. Imagine if Lara and Amanda worked together in the game! Not multiplayer at the same time but Amanda has like two or three levels in the game. Lara leaves the manor to raid ruins in a jungle and Amanda goes off to raid the enemies' office building.
But I have reservations about playing as Amanda just because of how it will take us away from Lara, when it is her game. Another strong, kick-butt and athletic female is almost too similar to our leading lady. After the Doppelganger and Amanda it's like we're getting too many copies/versions of Lara to play as.
I think Core had the right idea to go for a male with Kurtis as another playable character in 'The Angel of Darkness'. Because I think the experience needs to be different from what we're normally playing so right off the bat changing the gender is a good distance from the norm with Lara. We don't really want to have someone competing with Lara now do we? Totec in the soon to be released 'Guardian of Light' is the exact right approach. It's someone different from Lara in ways that give the player different ways to play the game, and conquer the environments. I know that he is for playing alongside Lara but I think he is what would work as a second playable character. Abilities different from Lara and making us overcome puzzles in new ways.
But overall, I don't really want to be playing a Tomb Raider where most of the game isn't Lara.