21 Mar 2002 15:26
As if the announcement of a brand new Tomb Raider game wasn't enough, publisher Eidos and developer Core Design have also revealed the latest in a long line of models chosen to play the virtual heroine at events and in publicity shots. The new model, Dutch-born Jill de Jong is a relative unknown, but it won't take long to change that -- becoming Lara Croft ensures a high profile. According to Eidos, Ms de Jong's past credits include modelling for L'Oreal. Whether she can compete with big-screen Lara representation Angelina Jolie for the hearts and minds of Tomb Raider fans remains to be seen.
Lara Croft has been represented by quite a few models in the past, including Rhona Mitra, Vanessa Demouy, Lara Weller and Lucy Clarkson -- plus of course tabloid and TV favourite Nell McAndrew who caused a stir some years ago by appearing nude in Playboy, much to Core Design's consternation.
The latest Tomb Raider game, Angel of Darkness, certainly signals a new direction for the tomb raiding heroine. The demonstration movie, shown at the launch event in London last night, mixed gameplay with gruesome anatomical cut-scene footage, and it's probably not going out on too much of a limb to say that perennial historical baddie Jack the Ripper might be involved.
Core has also built a brand new engine for Angel of Darkness, raising the polygon count on Ms Croft up from 500 to about 5000.
Tomb Raider: The Dark Angel will be released this November for both PlayStation2 and PC by Eidos Interactive.
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