Adventurer Lara Croft‘s exploits have seen her blowing the cobwebs off everything from lost continents to crumbling ruins, and with it, duking it out with a myriad of blood-hungry critters and gun-wielding nutters. Perhaps the most striking encounter of all, however, comes in the depths of the lush greenery of the Lost Valley in Tomb Raider 1, where our voluptuous archaeologist inadvertently unearths a lost litter of surviving Dinosaurs. Unfortunately for Croft, however, these aren’t your passive plant-eating variety – more like the flesh-tearing, limb-ripping rabble of raptors and a mighty T-Rex.
No surprise then, that our latest Badass Bosses offering highlights our nimble heroine’s battle with the lumbering behemoth. Aside from remaining an iconic staple in Tomb Raider’s illustrious history, it’s pretty obvious that the chaps at Core felt the T-Rex deserved special recognition thereafter – the beast showed up twice more, battling Lara in Tomb Raider II and Tomb Raider III. Then of course there’s the revamped encounter in Tomb Raider: Anniversary, offering a fresh take on a classic scrap for a whole new generation of gamers, most of which were barely out of nappies when the inaugural platform-hopping, gun-toting classic hit shelves back in ’96.
As mentioned, Croft encounters the T-Rex in the Lost Valley; it’s not exactly hard to miss either, with its gigantic form stomping into view, shaking the ground with every step. The T-Rex will clock you as soon as you wonder into its domain, and although you can chose to take pot shots at it from the confines of a nearby tunnel…well, shame on you, since that takes all the fun out of it. Going toe-to-toe with the creature is a bit of a long slog unless you use some meaty firepower; the pistols may have infinite ammo, but you’ll quickly find they’re about as effective as shooting peas at an elephant. Plump for the Shotgun, backflip, shoot, backflip, shoot and rinse, wash and repeat. This is first and foremost a game of distance though, so whatever you do don’t let the creature close the gap or you’re done for. Fortunately, our busty babe’s fancy acrobatics should ensure you are able to evade the giant’s snapping jaws of doom, though it’s still crucial you be aware of your surroundings – you don’t want to have Lara bonk her head on a wall and muck up your rhythm.
Things are another kettle of fish altogether in Anniversary, however, where Croft has to do more than just unload copious amounts of lead into the gargantuan green pursuer to bag it a place on the extinction list. Don’t even think about tip-toeing your way through unnoticed – there’s no surreptitious strategy to navigate your opponent this time around, and standing deathly still in the hopes that the beast won’t spot you will result in you being gobbled up in an instant. Kind of like that poor bloke sitting on the bog in Jurassic Park, actually.
The basic principle is to raise your adversary’s rage bar by pummelling it with pistol rounds, causing the lumbering giant to charge at Croft. Then, at the last second, have our aristocratic adventurer execute an Adrenaline Dodge, sending the creature hurtling past Lara and slap bang into a wall of spikes. If you fancy a bigger challenge you can simply unload everything you’ve got at the beast, though this’ll eat up heaps of time, not to mention huge amounts of ammo to boot. The T-Rex is a little more agile this time around, though, and boasts a few more tricks under its scales. Chief among its fresh attacks include the aforementioned charge, as well as a particularly nasty tail sweep. Fortunately, Croft is more than capable of evading the creature thanks to her increased manoeuvrability. Whatever way you chose to go about felling the blighter, this is one tenacious Tyrannosaur, so be prepared for a sweat-inducing scrap.
Keep your eyes peeled for more Badass Bosses here on PSU in the coming weeks.