Tomb Raider
The first entry in the series "Tomb Raider" was released in 1996 for personal computers (PC), PlayStation and Sega Saturn consoles. The Saturn and PlayStation versions were released in Japan in 1997. The second game, "Tomb Raider II", launched in 1997, again for PC and PlayStation. A month before release, Eidos finalised a deal with Sony Computer Entertainment to keep the console version of "Tomb Raider II" and future games exclusive to PlayStation until the year 2000. The PlayStation version was released in Japan in 1998. "Tomb Raider III" launched in 1998. As with "Tomb Raider II", the PlayStation version released in Japan the following year. The fourth consecutive title in the series, "", released in 1999. In 2000, with the end of the PlayStation exclusivity deal, the game also released on the Dreamcast. In Japan, both console versions released the following year. "Tomb Raider Chronicles" released in 2000 on the same platforms as "The Last Revelation", with the PlayStation version's Japanese release as before coming the following year.
Tomb Raider (1996 video game)
As one of the top-selling games of the PlayStation console, it was one of the first to be released on PlayStation's "Platinum" series, and its success made "Tomb Raider II" the most anticipated game of 1997. It also won a multitude of Game of the Year awards from leading industry publications. In 1998, "Tomb Raider" won the Origins Award for "Best Action Computer Game of 1997". The Lara Croft character was prominently featured in the popular media outside the realm of video gaming, for instance on the cover of pop culture magazine "The Face" in June 1997. In the final issue of the "Official UK PlayStation Magazine", the game was chosen as the fourth-best game of all time. "Tomb Raider", along with its successor, "Tomb Raider II", are the two best-selling games in the franchise.