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pre-order-tr4 May 29th
From an Eidos press release: "Future releases for this year include Daikatana, Omikron, Urban Chaos, Deus Ex, Commandos 2, Resident Evil III, UEFA 2000, Championship Manager 2000 and a new episode in the Tomb Raider series." To further confirm Tomb Raider IV, you can now pre-order TR4 from Chips & Bits
pre-order-here

New Title Screen for the Quad Bike/South Pacific Demo (PC VERSION) May 23rd
from: tomb raiders.com
Tired of the Pacific screens ruining the Quad bike demo in Lara's Mansion? Maldoror came up with a title screen for the Quad Bike demo. Simply go to the download section of this web site, and download the zip file New South pacific demo screen. Now, open the Tomb Raider III (Demo) folder on your computer and open the folder called "pix" and rename the file called "Titleuk" to "Titleuk2" Now Unzip the file you just downloaded into the Program Files\Core Design\Tomb Raider III (Demo)\pix directory. There you go. you have a title screen that looks good.

Match the Sub-Title
I found a way to get rid of the South Pacific Demo sub-title (ya know, the one with lara on the kayak). Anyway, if you have the TR3 CD, open the Pix folder in the D:/ directory (or what ever your directory is for the CD ROM drive) and copy the Home bmp file. then go to the Demo folder and open the pix folder there and re name the bmp file "Southpac" to "Southpac2" Now copy the Home bmp file there and re name it to, "Southpac". and Now the Sub title matches.

4-WEELER OUT OF RACE TRACK FOR PSX!!May 23rd
thanx to Womb-Raider (laracroft@loveamac.com)
(NOTE: you must have a gameshark)Please read the following carefuly...
Pay attention this is a tiny bit tricky. First off, this code was created and tested on a Gameshark Pro Version 3.0. I've not tested it on any lesser Gameshark so use it at your own risk. I suspect it will work on any Gameshark version 2.4 or higher. Like I said, it's only been tested on a Gameshark Pro version 3.0 and may lock up any lesser Gameshark. If it does, don't come crying to me, I warned you. If your Gameshark does lock up check out their web site on how to send it in for "unlocking". Lemme know if it works on lesser Gamesharks. Where in the instructions below it reads to "turn off the code" for the Gameshark Pro version 3.0, you may be able to simply turn off the code by turning off (NOT unplugging) the lesser Gameshark version via the tiny switch on it's side. (The Gameshark Pro does not have a switch on the side). This code hasn't been tested in conjunction with any other codes, so again, you've been warned. The instructions are for the individual who's already familiar with how to use a Gameshark and/or Gameshark Pro. Here's the deal: 1) Create a new code on your Gameshark (only tested on a Gameshark Pro v3.0 so far) and name it something like "TR3 Quad out of track" or just add it to your existing TR3 codes. 2) Enter in ALL the codes in ONE code, there are eleven codes you'll need to enter. 3) Save it and then go to your Gameshark Pro's options menu. 4) In the Gameshark Pro's option menu there's an option for code toggle which allows you to turn off any enabled codes by hitting SELECT + L2 + R2 and conversely, turn on the codes again by hitting SELECT + L1 + R1. Make SURE this option is ON or the code won't work! 5) Boot up Tomb Raider 3 with code toggle ON and the Quad out of track code ON. 6) Wait and get really excited. Ok, now go to Lara's House and everything will seem normal. Run down to the Quad track and enter in the code to get the Racetrack Key. Open the Quad track gate and you will sorta see the Quad sitting on the other side of the cement block. Lara will bump into it like normal. The view of the Quad is a tad glitchy until you get on it. This is normal. Climb on board and find that you can't drive anywhere. This is because the code is still ON and holding the Quad in place. (technically, the Gameshark has frozen the Quad's position in RAM so you can't drive anywhere as the game engine can't update that RAM partition) So, if you have a Gameshark Pro hit SELECT + L2 + R2 and you'll go into the TR3 options screen (a by-product) as well as "unfreeze" the quad's position in RAM. (if you have a regular Gameshark try turning off the switch on it's side) Get out of TR3's option screen and you'll be able to drive the quad around Lara's house. If you get into a jam with the Quad, (i.e. stuck) turn the code back on with SELECT + L1 + R1 and you'll pop right back to where you started. (This forces the codes back on and jams predetermined values into TR3's Quad Bike Position in RAM. If you thought the Corner bug was startling the first time you saw it :) Turn off the codes to drive again. I'm guessing that using the switch on an older Gameshark will do the same thing but I don't have one to test it on. Please let me know. My best guess is that a Gameshark version 2.4 or later should work. Some tips: Stay out of the water unless you feel like losing the quad and killing Lara. Don't drive into the middle of her bed and get out unless you feel like doing this over again or know which variable in RAM to change to get the quad out. Drive around and notice how many things the quad can drive through. (Try locking you and Jeeves in the freezer) Drive over Jeeves in his Tux and his WW1 outfit. Note the differences. Here are the codes: (they are spaced out for ease of reading, do NOT enter them with the spaces) If you feel like fooling with these codes only change the labeled ones and only change the LAST FOUR characters. It's in Hex so convert it to decimal or something first for fine tuning. 801 B7B 04 0000 801 B7B 06 0001 801 B7B 24 C53B (This is the Quad's forward and reverse position) 801 B7B 2C B9D4 (This is the Quad's side to side position) 801 B7B 32 802D (This is the angle of the Quad's rotation) 801 B7B 44 0A1C 801 B7B 48 F4EA 801 B7B 4C FA73 801 B7B 60 1F1F 801 B7B 62 371F 801 B7B 82 0022 The unlabeled codes above have to do with how the Quad is drawn and whatnot. There may be an easier way to do this with a Gameshark but this works for me. I also found some variables that really do some weird stuff like make the Quad invisible, Produce a Twin Lara as she rides around, and REALLY glitch up the Quad's graphic's as it putts around but they don't help it get out of the track :) Here's a bonus code I found: Infinite Dash Energy - 800 992 28 0078 You're Welcome :) Womb-Raider laracroft@loveamac.com

TR2 Gold: Fool's GoldMay 22st
Fool's Gold, the 2nd level in TR2 Gold is planed to be downloadable Jun 4th. I will try to have it avalible here by that time.

Teresa at tombraiders.com interviewed someone that is working on TR2 Gold and here's the latest on that:

Question: Most important question, when is Fool's Gold coming out? Time, date and what time zone, download site?

Phil Campbell: Soon, soon! – as soon as we get the master off, should be online in the next two weeks. Probably same download format as before – Cnet over here, don’t know what they are doing in England. The level will play standalone – slightly different from the upcoming game release in that you won’t have any ‘stuff’…..Makes it a tougher challenge.

Question Can you give us a preview on Fool's Gold?

Phil Campbell: Fool’s Gold obviously continues from where level 1 leaves off. Level2 starts with Lara swimming up into the complex itself….However, it seems as if A.V.A.L.A.N.C.H.E have got there before her, and are already hunting for the lost gold! Lara must work her way through the base to unlock it’s mysteries – what happened here, why did mining stop? How does this all relate to the golden Mask? First, though, the mercenaries must be dealt with….

This level, I’ve seen as a kind of "Anti-Alamo" (!) – The mine is almost set up for siege conditions, and Lara must break through to continue her quest.

Suzie Talks about Tomb Raider IVMay 21st
from tombraiders.com
May 20th Susie of Core Design answers some questions! Core Design are the folks who develop Tomb Raider and Susie is the public relations person for Core Design. Susie answers some of our questions.

Official news:
Fourth Tomb Raider game hopefully this year!

Susie of Core Design: "We didn't make an announcement but confirmed to press that there was a fourth TR game in the works, hopefully for release this year."

"Core is never content to rest on its laurels but so far as Lara is concerned, we're pretty confident that her fans will stay loyal - there's still as much interest as usual. As for the actual game - we're doing our utmost to beat off the competition with the next adventure..."

Susie of Core Design responds to the Littleton tragedy I have been following the Littleton tragedy fall out as it relates to Tomb Raider. I have had some concern because I have a Tomb Raider fan site and I am disturbed by the recent tragedies. In a couple of news articles on the Littleton tragedy, Doom is mentioned and then Tomb Raider is often tacked in. I am not too worried about Tomb Raider as it is a mild game, and our greatest challenge for several months has been getting the quad bike out of the race course. Question to Susie:

Question: Did the Littleton tragedy or the current Senate investigation into the gaming industry effect the Core/Eidos E3 news on Tomb Raider?

Susie of Core Design dares to answer the question: "Regarding the Kentucky shooting, the original US story didn't specifically mention Tomb Raider. A number of publishers were named, of which Eidos was one - we are, after all, one of the largest. TR has unfortunately now been singled out by the media - probably due its high profile and Lara's popularity. The matter is with our lawyers."

Question:Did the Littleton tragedy or the current Senate investigation into the gaming industry effect the Core/Eidos E3 news on Tomb Raider? Is Eidos or Core one of the companies named in the Kentucky shoot out lawsuit?

Susie of Core Design: "I have no idea whether this situation will affect the design of our games - I think that TR itself is a pretty mild example - there's certainly no real gore in the games. As I said, it's unfortunate that the game has been singled out by the media as a result of its high profile."

Tomb Raider IV Finally Makes an ApperanceMay 20th
from E3 Raider
Tomb Raider IV was definitely shown somewhere in the depths of Eidos' booth in the LA Convention Center. Details are virtually non-existent and Core is remaining tight-lipped on the matter. "It was there only to be shown to analysts and investors," said a spokesperson for the company. Whether or not the latest iteration of the adventures of the busty brunette was shown on PlayStation, PlayStation 2 or PC is as yet unknown, as is the level of completion of the project. Expect more to emerge from Eidos and Core in the coming months.

Latest on Tomb Raider IVMay 12th
From: E3 Raider
The fourth Tomb Raider title is expected to be officially announced at E3 this year. As stated in an interview with Susie Hamilton earlier, "we will officially announce the fourth Tomb Raider game and maybe the release date too..." And although Tomb Raider IV won't be using the highly anticipated "new engine" we're sure Core and Eidos will be doing everything they possibly can to make it the greatest Tomb Raider we've seen yet!

A return to the feel of the original Tomb Raider ... more interaction with the storyline ... a new musical artist - what more could a raider ask for?!

The Tomb Raider MovieMay 12th
from: E3 Raider
The Facts:

Tomb Raider: The Movie will open sometime in the summer of 2000 in theaters everywhere. Paramount Pictures will produce it with a $60-150 million dollar budget. The upcoming movie will be directed by Stephen Herek and written by Steven E. De Souza.

The Storyline:

The storyline is basically the first Tomb Raider plot.

Lara Croft is an adventurer. Born into English high society, she grew up in a life of wealth and luxury.......until a fateful skiing trip when her plane crashed in the Himalayas. Forced to relay on her wits to survive, Croft persevered and managed to return home. Realizing that for the first time she felt "truly alive" during the ordeal, she now explores temples of ancient civilizations.......finding danger, excitement and the occasional artifact which certain parties are willing to pay top dollar for. Her most recent client is corporate magnate Jacqueline Natla who is after a powerful talisman from the long-lost cilivilzation of Atlantis. Upon finding a section of it, Natla double-crosses her and leaves her for dead. Now Lara is determined to find out more about the talisman, why Natla wants it and what she plans to do with the incredible power it could unleash.

The Actress:

"Who is going to play Lara?" "Who is going to play Lara?" Wish I could tell you. Everyone wants to know this. Maybe we will hear something at this years E3.

_______________________________________________________

No Tomb Raider PocketMay 10th

It seems that a Game Boy Color version of Tomb Raider will not happen after all. Fans of the Nintendo portable gaming system will have to stick to their couch or desk if they want to play Tomb Raider, because the game(s) will remain PlayStation and computer only. After I posted the rumour last week, Susie Hamilton said: "It's just a rumour - we have no plans for GBC." That's it then...

Cliton and Senate Speaks about connection between Littleton, and Violent Video gamesMay 8th
Info From: tombraiders.com, IGN.com, "Today"(America Online)

President Clinton and Senators take a look at violent video games and the tragity in Colorado. The Senate warns that if the gaming industry does not take the steps to clean up their act, the government will. Parents from the school shooting that took place in Kentuckey about a year and a half ago, are suing 25 media companies for $130 million. For those of you not familiar with the Littleton tragedy, two boys killed 12 of their classmates, a teacher that most students liked very much, and took their own lives, at a high school in Colorado and set about 500 pounds of pipe bombs. The Littleton tragedy has recently had the gaming industry staying alert because of the government. In his regular weekly address, President Clinton said, "video games like Mortal Kombat, Killer Instinct and Doom, the very game played obsessively by the two young men who ended so many lives in Littleton, make our children more active participants in simulated violence."

The U.S. Senate has appointed a committee to examine the connection between violent games the behavior of the age groups that are most likely to be seen enjoying these type of games (ages 12-17). Senators Joe Lieberman and Orrin Hatch, have already compared videogame ads to "Joe Camel!". A prominent witness at the hearing was Lieutenant Colonel David Grossman (retired), who had testified in the older Kentucky schoolyard shooting case. Colonel Grossman Grossman characterized the first-person shooter genre as "mass murder simulators", and compared the desensitization to violence experienced by game players to the training methods used by the U.S. military, which uses virtual reality tools to help train soldiers. The gaming industry tried to defend itself in the hearings, but the Senators weren't buying it.

In the wake of the Littleton school shooting, the senators reviewed a few of the ads for video games such as "It is as easy as killing babies with axes." and an ad with a head on the end of a spear quips "Happiness is a warm cranium". These ads made a deep impression on the senators, and Senator Lieberman said, "This marketing, make no mistake about it, is luring our children into this culture of carnage." Senator warns the gaming industry to clean up its act or the goverment will!

Of concern to the senators was the fact that the gaming industry is targeting M-rated games rated for ages 17 and older at much younger players and selling them in toy stores. The Senator suggested that if necessary, the government would act, hauling game makers into court and subpoenaing marketing plans and internal memos to find out who was marketing M-rated games at under-aged kids.

My thoughts
Personally, I think this is very stupid! Video Games did not cause this kind of violence. The causes of these things are the kind of things that go on in the individual's personal lives. Just because a kid sees some cartoon killing an animal on a computer screen, dosen't mean he will turn around and commite a crime. If it did, the entire world would be at stake because you see this kind of stuff EVERY WHERE. So I guess we have to take the news off the air, movies off the air, and all games that has ever been created so we can live in a little fairy tell in Never Never Land. The real focuse should be is getting personal attention towards helping some one who may seem "unstable" and that includes the little kid with glasses that sits in the corner and never says a word. And most of all parents need to care, and find out what's going on in side their own child's mind. Video Games were not the main ingredient and never have been. So I think that the government need to get up off their butts and accually do some thing instead of poking fingers and the more obvious thing you would see.-(Penbaggs)

Lara Model Quits May 7th
article and picture by: anonymous

Nell McAndrews was the official model for Lara Croft. McAndrews has decided to move on to other things. She states:

"I got the contract last May and promoted Tomb Raider III for the Christmas market, It's been a brilliant experience travelling the world as Lara, but it's time to hang up my Uzi and do something different. I had a meeting with the people at Eidos, who produce the game, and we decided that I would be released from my contract and allowed to pursue other interests."McAndrew's next photo appearances will be in PlayBoy That will be released in May.

A new model has taken her place, Lara Weller, a 24 year old model will be taking on the roll as Lara at E3 next week.

Lara Weller as Lara Croft:

More on TR4 May 6th It has been confirmed, there will be a Tomb Raider 4. It is currently in the works right now.

No screen shots, or story line or any info is avalible at this time but I will try to get that posted as soon as word get out. Tomb Raider 4 is (hopefully) going to be released by the Christmas time so get ready before the store shelves get cleaned!

Tomb Raider Pocket??May 5th

While we can't wait for Tomb Raider 4 to come out, Nintendo may have a little suprise of it's own for Tomb Raider fans. The Nintendo Power magazine just told the world wide fans of nintendo, that there could be a Tomb Raider game that will appear on the Game Boy Color, Nintendo's latest portable system.

There's no official confirmation yet,but I will try keep up with any reports or any development.