Split-Screen :: The Game-Geek’s Daily Read

Dear Ms. Carroll,

You’ve no doubt heard this a hundred times, but you’re incredibly beautiful as the new Lara Croft. Not because you’re one of those aspiring model types with feisty silicon implants, but because you come from good, old girl-next-door America. You’re an ordinary person yet you’ve displayed the potential for amazing things.

However, what you’ve been picked for is as incredibly undulating as it is incredibly wondrous. I won’t speak on the relevance of Lara Croft in this day and age, but Alison (do you mind if I call you Alison?) on the potential black cat you’ve virtually adopted and taken home after a narrow miss from a falling girder.

Everyone was excited about Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, the movie featuring Angelina Jolie, and you know what? They had a right to be. Who cares what the critics thought? Here was a gutsy, powerful, spunky, violent, at times cute, and brutal representation of what Croft represented to all of us. Shortly after, Jolie was scrutinised by the media — everyone wanted to know if we’d see her kicking arse as archaeologist again. Lo and behold, as soon as Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life was announced, pics of our returning Croft in bikinis, skin-tight suits and on jet-skis were pursued like John Travolta in Mad City. Then, something terrible happened.

The real Lara, ironically being the virtual Lara that we all knew and loved, returned but this time she became the girl we grew to hate, partially in Chronicles and fully in her new Angel of Darkness. Though Cradle of Life did well, most every one found voice for their anger with any and all representations of Croft. Jolie hastily claimed later on that this would be her last Tomb Raider film (a statement she retracted later on), no doubt in an attempt to flee from the wave of hate descending upon beautiful Lara. The wave of hate was immense, Alison. And why? Because some one slipped up. Core Design hyped Angel of Darkness, failed to deliver, blamed it promptly on the “abysmal” movie and then faced the fans’ backlash. Three years, Alison. No one even entertained the thought that a good Tomb Raider game would ever come about for three years.

When I look at all that you’re going through in your role as the new Lara, I can’t help but think. With all the firearms training and gymnastics and archaeology courses, you’re made the subject of immense hype, which is subsequently used to promote Tomb Raider: Underworld. Do I doubt that Underworld will be any good? I always have doubts about big-budget games being good. Do I doubt you’ll be even bigger if the game is a success? Not at all. By a bizarre twist of fate, you’ve become bigger than Underworld itself at this time. The casual media audience has become so enamoured with you (which in this case, was Eidos’ plan: To market Lara Croft to a wider, potential gamer audience), our new Lara Croft, that it makes us so proud.

But sooner or later, if (when, maybe?) some one slips up at Crystal Dynamics and delivers a less than compelling game that would do the previously mentioned debacles proud, where will people direct their frustration and disappointment? Like the case against Assassin’s Creed producer Jade Raymond — when some gamers aren’t satisfied, what’s to stop them from legitimately blaming the face of the game, which, in this case, would be you? From past experience, I can say firmly: Nothing.

Celebrities and sports-stars are subjected to no less. One minute you’re in the sky, and the next second you’re lower than dirt in this media-crazed world, for something you had no control over to begin with. And no matter how many photo-ops or interviews you do, no matter how many pre-pubescent boys ogle over you, you will be hated. No prejudice or biased beliefs. That’s just the way it is in this world. I just wanted to let you know this Alison. I think you had a right to know this. So you could prepare for the worst when it eventually came.

Sincerely,
Ravi Sinha