"Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation"

November 30, 1999

Mike Schmitt, producer of "Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation," chats about the development of the game and what users can expect from the fourth incarnation of one of the worlds most popular heroines, Lara Croft.

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Gameboy: What are the most fun thing and the most difficult thing about creating a game centered on an icon like Lara Croft?

Mike Schmitt: These are hard already! I guess just trying to meet people's expectations of what the game should. The most fun thing - I enjoy the game myself, so I have a great time playing it, as it goes through the development cycle.

David875: The past Tomb Raider games have always included something new, whether it's a new move for Lara or new vehicles or new weapons. What's new in The Last Revelation?

Mike Schmitt: Well, Lara can swing on ropes. We've added tons of new animations. We've added some new vehicles - a Jeep and a motorcycle. There's a more cinematic story line. A new inventory system that allows you to combine items for certain puzzles, and to collect various types of ammo for different weapons.

Co-larry: What was the development time on the project?

Mike Schmitt: Probably a little under 12 months. It was actually started before Tomb Raider III was finished. It's actually really fast, though hats off should go to CORE Design, our developer.

Shawnclark: I think I speak for everyone when I say we've all enjoyed the Tomb Raider series tremendously. But please tell us just because this game has 'last' in the title that it's not the last time we'll be seeing Lara?

Mike Schmitt: Oh, Lara will definitely be back! The Last Revelation just pertains to the story line around this particular game. (Smile)

Gamepro: Is there any chance Lara will have a sidekick in The Last Revelation?

Mike Schmitt: No, she doesn't have a sidekick, but we do have a training level at the beginning of the game, where she learns the different moves and stuff from someone who starts off as her mentor, but he ends up being her arch-foe in the game.

Wailingplayer: I've heard that developing for the PlayStation2 is a lot more complicated than for the PlayStation. What are Core's plans for the next-generation systems?

Mike Schmitt: I really can't say too much about that yet, other than that we do have titles in development. It's going to be a good thing. (Smile)

Gamer99: The Tomb Raider series has probably exceeded anyone's expectations. Have you had any problems with the bureaucratic nature of the industry, as far as what you could and couldn't do with the character and/or the games?

Mike Schmitt: Let me think about this one for a second. Not really. CORE basically does what they want as far as the story line and what features are added for each installment of the series.

Lara Fan: Why did you decide to include some of Lara's past in The Last Revelation?

Mike Schmitt: For the first three games we always had the training occur in her mansion, and it was something CORE thought would be interesting to have the training in the first part of the game, when she was younger. You actually learn more about the character, and how she got to be the way she is.

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