Streamlined DC port (Tomb Raider 4 - The Last Revelation (DC))

Member Name: shaneo632

Product:	Tomb Raider 4 - The Last Revelation (DC)
Date:	03/09/09 (3 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Better graphics

Disadvantages: Ending will split players

Although it was a while before Tomb Raider 4 was ported to the Dreamcast, it did so with a whizz and a bang, bringing numerous refinements to the table, such as visual and aural enhancements that made it a sure fire betterment to the original game.

The game opens with a flashback portion, where a young Lara is being shown the adventure ropes by her mentor, Werner Von Croy, but unfortunately, the cave they're in is not secure, and begins crumbling down, causing Lara to save herself and sacrifice her mentor. Some years later, however, Lara is in another cave, and unfortunately unleashes an Ancient Egyptian God who intends to unleash the apocalypse on Earth. To complicate matters, her former mentor is not dead as she thought, and returns to beat her to the gold, and also to take care of her once and for all for leaving him to die. It's got a great, crackling plot that was quite timely considering all of the furore about the apocalypse at the end of the twentieth century. The game is also notable for its shocking ending, which seemingly ended the Tomb Raider series but, alas, for monetary reasons, was resurrected irritatingly.

The game brings numerous additions in Lara's repertoire - she can now hang onto ropes and also lean around corners to avoid detection, essentially borrowing some of the stealth elements from Metal Gear Solid. In a welcome addition, Lara is also now able to jump through levels that have been completed, meaning you don't have to play through the whole game once again just to find that one artefact you missed out on. It means that completionists won't be tearing their hair out as much anymore.

Although the ending divided the fan community, this is a refined addition to the series that, thanks to the technical specs of the Dreamcast, allowed the best-looking Lara to date, with some gameplay enhancements that simply made things less frustrating and more accomodating to the player.

Summary: Not always perfect but very well made