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The Many Faces
of Lara Croft
Tomb Raider Cosplay Giveaway
by Marlon Heimerl
from HalloweenCostumes.com |
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Thank you Engene of the
SURVIVOR REBORN for letting us use this image to depict
Lara's 17 years of being awesome! |
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After 17
years of pillaging tombs and grappling with deadly foes, Lara Croft has evolved
to inspire cosplayers far and wide. A dynamic character boasting equal parts of
brawn, beauty and sultry femininity, the video game and movie vixen is often
celebrated as a symbol for female strength in circles like LaraCroftCosplay.com. |
Earlier Conception of Lara Croft |
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With the release of Tomb Raider
this year, fans everywhere caught a glimpse of a more human and far less
confident 21-year-old Croft. Rekindling excitement and challenging past
criticisms that Lara Croft served more as a sex symbol than an actual picture of
female empowerment and bravery, the new Tomb Raider aims to
round-out Croft’s character and personality to arguably deliver a more
believable and multifaceted young hero.
In the game, Croft is marooned as
a recent college graduate on a hostile island alongside a handful of survivors
following a disastrous shipwreck. From there, according to
TombRaider.com
, publisher Square Enix and developer
Crystal Dynamics set out to tell “the intense and gritty origin story of Lara
Croft and her ascent from a young woman to a hardened survivor.” |
New Face, New
Experience?
Lara Croft Renders from 1996 to 2013 - "Change is good, even
if we sometimes resist it at first"This
fresh twist on the cult-classic has generated a lot of buzz on the web, and for
good reason.
Many suggest that the creators have reinvented Croft to
deliver a more realistic protagonist – both anatomically and in terms of
personality – better equipped to cope with the requisite complexities of a true
21st century female role model. Meanwhile, others have downplayed or
even griped about the turn toward realism.
While early reviews run the gamut, much of
the discussion revolves around what the reinvention of the gun-toting hero
really means. Just a few comments from leading writers paint a pretty clear
picture of the different points of the debate taking form.
Matt Miller of
Game
Informer
speaks to the growth and evolution of Croft as a leading lady.
“Lara is a great lead.” writes Miller. “Emotional, nuanced
voice acting and stellar animation for the character help make her believable,
even if that focus on authenticity is at odds with Lara’s seemingly inhuman
ability to suffer wounds, falls, stabs, and burns and still marshal on. Even so,
few games have managed such a likeable and relatable protagonist, scaling up
from vulnerable ingénue to hardened survivalist.”
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Lara Croft in game screenshots 1996-2013
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Tom Meltzer of the
The Guardian
perhaps put it best when he had this to say about the practicality of Croft’s
makeover: “The physical makeover has been dramatic but also, arguably,
necessary. In the hyper-real high-definition world of a modern console game, the
old Lara Croft's proportions would simply have looked cartoonish.”
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While Meltzer goes onto say, “the new Lara Croft is not so
different from the old,” an expansion of his point about trending toward realism
certainly plays into the introduction of the character into an increasingly
realistic gaming landscape.
With modern console gaming shifting toward realism, the
makeover and investment in character development perhaps serves to plant Lara
Croft’s feet more squarely on the ground. But that remains for debate.
If nothing else, could this turn toward pragmatism help to
make the character more believable, and thus, build out a stronger role model?
We want to hear your thoughts! |
Enter for your chance to win!
This costume includes:
• Cropped top
• Shorts
• Fingerless Gloves
• Shoulder strap
• 2 Holsters
• Belt |
So What is Your Take?
Did game makers succeed at their task of reinventing Lara Croft for you? For the
fans, gamers and cosplayers – the true target audience – did the
adaptation ring true, renew your love for the character or perhaps (inversely)
take away some of the fantasy and magic? We also want to know what Lara Croft
means to you , and how she affected you as an individual.
Since your opinion is so valued here, if you give us your two cents in the
comments section below, we’ll give you a chance to win
the Tomb Raider costume pictured here.
Giveaway entries will be accepted through Friday, April 5th at 20:00 Est.
Since all we want is your opinion, there is absolutely no wrong answer!
One winner will be chosen from the pool of participants and will be the lucky
recipient of a new costume for their cosplay collection! |
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