Q & A with Toby Gard

Q. First of all, how does it feel to be back with Lara after a nearly decade-long
divorce?
A. It's fun to see what I can help out with and nice to see a group of people take
Lara and TR in general so seriously.

Q. How has it come that you are part of the "Tomb Raider: Legend" team?
A. I saw the opportunity to help reinvigorate Lara, who in all truth has ended up
in a bit of a mess. I've always been a fan of the underdog, and many
people have said that Lara is no longer interesting. I think that's rubbish;
Lara is a fascinating character, and I wanted to be able to help people see
that again.

Q. What did you think you had to change in Lara right from the start, and which
features did you decide were imperative to preserve?
A. Update her model, add more detail, modernize her for the year 2005 and yet
not tamper with her familiarity people have come to know.

Q. When you first created your characters, did you imagine that they would live beyond that first game?
A. When I was making Lara, I wasn't really thinking much beyond the moment. Myself, and I think the whole
team on TR1, were just caught up in the energy of creating something we thought was really cool.
Everything that happened after that came as a bit of a surprise to all of us I think.

Q. What's the story in this new Tomb Raider game? I think people have lost track of all her villains
and adventures through all the sequels.
A. The story is still under wraps at the moment. One thing that will be different about this Tomb Raider
will be setting the foundations of a cast of reoccurring characters that will continue on in
the series. As you say there have been many, many characters who have come and gone, it would
be nice to get to know some of them instead of being introduced to them, only to have them
immediately get killed off.

Q. Will the new game's emphasis be more on puzzles or combat?
A. This TR is much more action based than previous ones. So expect action with an extra side portion
of mayhem.

Q. Okay, we have a pretty good "visual" of "The New Lara," her outfits, visage and general character design,
but the primary thing our readers will want to know is how you plan to breathe life back into this
ailing franchise? What will be retained from earlier titles? What will be new?
A. We're revisiting the best bits from the original games and are working to dynamically evolve that initial
Tomb Raider experience...but doing it nearly 10 years later and benefiting from the power of today's
consoles and the team's varied experience in building/shipping games during that time. People can
expect Lara to be the amazing action/adventure character they remember -looking better than ever-
traveling to exotic locations, overcoming obstacles and puzzles, encountering dangerous enemies...
We're making a conscious effort to capture that sense of awe people had when discovering the first
game in the series.

Q. What's new about this Lara, both physically and psychologically?
A.The goal with Lara's new look was to modernize her, both in terms of how contemporary her outfit is, and
in terms of making her seem more Next Gen. Overall we wanted her to look more realistic, so we have
put more detail into her anatomy; more detailed skin and better definition to her muscles and joints.
Psychologically? To me she's the same old girl I knew in 96.

Q. Will the Fans learn about new sides and characteristics of Lara Croft in "Legend"?
A. Yes. That is my primary goal, to begin to let players understand who Lara is.

Q. Lara has been something of a sex object/symbol for the gaming public that at one stage personified the
gaming industry. Do you think the subtle changes are going to affect that? What would you like it to be?
A. I'd like people to look at Lara with fresh eyes, let them see how cool she is. The updated image is just
a way to make people look; it's the rest of it that will convince on the coolness front.

Q. The tone of the Tomb Raider games has traditionally been driven by the manner in which Lara can react
with her surrounding environment. What kind of settings can we expect Lara to find herself in?
What kind of new special effects can we expect to see?
A. As always, Lara will get involved in a globe-trotting adventure. She actually goes to some very
varied spaces, and this time when she gets there, its action all the way.

Q. What is your favourite Tomb Raider episode, and why? And the one you like less, and why?
A. Haven't played them all unfortunately...The original will always secretly be my fav

Q. What is your favourite Lara's body feature?
A. Always has been the eyes

Q. Do you think the new look will help to attract more female gamers to the game?
A. Perhaps...But I think drawing people to the game will rely more upon the gameplay itself and the storyline.

Q. How do you see the future of gaming?
A. I think as graphics and technology get better and better publishers need to strive harder in areas of design
and originality. The next wave of consoles are some pretty powerful machines. Game developers are in
for quite a challenge!


Source: Tomb Raider Official Web Site

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