The Forgotten Game That Rose From The Ashes Of The Worst Tomb Raider

thegamer.com:

In 1996, Core Design introduced the world to Lara Croft. Not only was Tomb Raider a great game, but its hero quickly became a pop culture icon. Lara posing with her dual pistols, teal tank top, and circle shades is a defining image of the 1990s, and her popularity made Core one of the most successful and sought after development studios in the world. More games followed, including the superb Tomb Raider 2 and Egypt-set sequel The Last Revelation. But the momentum couldn't last. After a string of critical and commercial successes, Core decided to take Tomb Raider in a radically new direction—a decision it would come to regret.

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Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness launched on PS2, PC, and Mac in 2003 and was immediately battered by a tidal wave of harsh criticism. The controls were dated, sluggish, and frustrating. The frame rate nosedived so much that it occasionally felt like you were playing in slow motion. The dark, edgy tone was a poor fit for the series. It has its fans, but I think most people will agree that it's a low point for Tomb Raider. It still sold a not insignificant 2.5 million copies off the back of the Tomb Raider name, but the scathing reviews were enough to make Eidos reconsider Core being in charge of the series it created.

Tomb Raider was passed on to Crystal Dynamics, who took Lara Croft back to more familiar territory in 2006's well received Tomb Raider: Legend. Core made a couple of PSP games—Smart Bomb and Free Running—before closing its doors for good in 2010. But amidst all this chaos, a new studio was born. Just five months after the launch of The Angel of Darkness, a group of former Core