The original inflato-boob'd archaeologist herself, Lara's glitch-turned-chest model made her an overnight sensation; a sense of momentum that wouldn't abate for years, taking her everywhere from Lucozade adverts through billboard ads and even the big screen, with the help of Angelina Jolie. Thankfully, underneath all of that hyperbole there was a very solid game reinforcing the hype. Lara might've been better known for her top-heavy frame, but playable Tomb Raider was one of the first 3D platformers that really put an emphasis on considering your movement, brought in hybrid gunplay to the mix and focussed on a sense of consequence to your actions. Simply exploring Tomb Raider's revolutionary levels was reward enough, and although proper over-shoulder aiming wouldn't be perfected until Resident Evil 4, at the time we all just got on with this original attempt, figuring out the best way to take down all sorts of creatures - including a T-Rex! - along the way. Lara's 'tank controls' have been ditched now in favour of a more Uncharted-like control method, but if you could get used to her movements in a slew of levels that trademarked verticality over all else, there was a sense of peril and reward that totally encapsulated the very notion of exploration - one that's nowhere to be found in any games today.
