Core Design was a British video game studio best known today for creating the popular Tomb Raider series.
Based in the city of Derby, England, Core Design was set up in 1988 by Chris Shrigley, Andy Green, Rob Toone, Terry Lloyd, Simon Phipps, Dave Pridmore, Jeremy Heath-Smith and Greg Holmes. Most were former employees of Gremlin Graphics.
The studio was part of distribution company CentreGold when it was acquired by Eidos Interactive in 1996. Eidos subsequently sold most of CentreGold, but retained U.S. Gold, the owners of Core Design. Core had a brief history of producing titles for the Sega consoles, such as Thunderhawk for the Mega-CD and later the original Tomb Raider game for the Sega Saturn.
The company is widely known for the Tomb Raider series, created by Toby Gard and Paul Howard Douglas, which was released in 1996 and followed by several sequels. The success of Tomb Raider and its subsequent sequels played a huge part in keeping Eidos Interactive financially solvent.
Lara Croft is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Square Enix (previously Eidos Interactive) video game series Tomb Raider. She is presented as a beautiful, intelligent, and athletic British archaeologist-adventuress who ventures into ancient, hazardous tombs and ruins around the world. Created by Toby Gard during his employment at UK developer Core Design, the character first appeared in the 1996 video game Tomb Raider. The character has also appeared in video game sequels, printed adaptations, a series of animated short films, feature films (portrayed by Angelina Jolie), and merchandise related to the series. Official promotion of the character includes a brand of apparel and accessories, action figures, and model portrayals. Croft has also been licensed for third-party promotion, including television and print advertisements, music-related appearances, and as a spokesmodel.
Core Design handled initial development of the character and the series. Inspired by pop artist Neneh Cherry and comic book character Tank Girl, Gard designed Lara Croft to counter stereotypical female characters. The company modified the character for subsequent titles, which included graphical improvements and gameplay additions. American developer Crystal Dynamics took over the series after the 2003 sequel Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness was received poorly. The new developer rebooted the character along with the video game series. Crystal Dynamics focused on making the character more believable. The company altered her physical proportions, and gave her additional ways of interacting with game environments. Croft has been voiced by four actresses in the video game series: Shelley Blond, Judith Gibbins, Jonell Elliott and Keeley Hawes, plus an unannounced voice actress for the tenth game, scheduled for release in early 2013.
Quazgaa!!!
Surgical Experiments
Your Body Poked And Probed
Brain Pulled Apart
Lobe By Lobe
Memory Deprivation Imposed
Snatched From The Earth
Forced Into Alien Birth
Extraterrestrial's
Sperm Shot Deep Inside
Deposited Back On Earth
After Ufo Ride
Taturah, Ankana, Es Knackestii
Alien Abduction
Alien Abduction
Waters of oblivion
Raining down terror
Mausoleum of your fears
Preying on your horror
Your faith I demand
I expect no less
Sacrosanct command
Your obedience I bless
Author of sedition
I am the next religion
Obscurity a shroud
I use to cloak myself in
Conjuring up images
To define your sins
The pettiness of your idolization
I laugh at your transgressions
Primal need for deification
I am your obsession
God of war, God of the blind
I am the god, in your mind
Bringer of wisdom
I am the next religion
Cellar of Horror
An innocent victim, it's easy to pick them
A young girl out walking alone
I prowl the streets nightly
So lock your doors tightly
It's best to just stay in your home
Cruising by slowly, you might even know me
Our next meeting will be your last
Your pretty young pout, as I knock you out
Tonight I am ending my fast
Pure and unspoiled, I've troubled and toiled
Over how to prepare such a dish
Losing all fear, as the hour grows near
Tonight I will get my wish
Bound and gagged in my basement
Subject to debasement
Staring death right in the eyes
Preparations begin, as I season your skin
Oblivious to your muffled cries
Starting to boil, you're bathed in hot oil
Your meat soon will fall from your bones
Practically starving, you're ripe for the carving
A gourmond leaving no unturned stones
The hunger sets in, I remove your skin
Surveying the blood-stained room
The rest of your flesh will stay Tupperware fresh
Alone in a deep-freezer tomb...
I. Creation
Stirring Into Sudden Life,
Timeless Sands Of Eternity
Inanimate Speck Of Dirt,
Propelled By Hate And Animosity
Driven By Lust And Greed,
The Speck Of Dust Multiplies
Therein Lies The Key,
To Eons Of Avarice And Lies
The Dust Grew Limbs,
The Dust Grew Souls,
The Dust Grew Gods,
That Learned To Control
The Irritation Persisted,
The Gods Started Wars
And Mankind Mutated,
Into Lying Thieves And Whores
An Idea, A Theory Of Creation,
Labyrinth's Divine Revelation
Irritation Can Be Used To Create,
"I Have The Power To Animate"
II. Labyrinth
Out Of Refuse And Metal,
The Animator Takes Shape
Labyrinth Adjusts His Machine -
A Blast Of Plasma Escapes
Labyrinth - Your Great Creation,
Labyrinth - The Bringer Of Salvation
"Hail The Holy Irritator,
Worship My Animator"
I Rise From Conception,
Cognisant Of This New World
Praising My Creator,
As The Information Swirls
Creator Wonders At Creation,
Reeling From The Revelation
"The World Will Never Be The Same,
The Cybernauts Will Reign"
III. Enslavement
Animation Technique Perfected,
The Mech Race Brought To Life
Metal Slaves Unprotected;
The Newest, Lowest Form Of Life
In The Universe I Am Unmatched,
Intelligence Forged With Metal
Nothing Has Been Seen Like Me,
A Cybernaut Birthed For Battle
Labyrinth How Could You Foresake Us,
You Gave Us Life Only To Enslave Us,
What Sins Did We Commit,
For You To Curse Us Like This?
IV. Deliverance
Someone Must Step Forward,
A Savior For Our Race
I, The First, Will Step Forward,
To Offer Myself For Sacrifice
You Have No Defenses,
You Abdicated To Us
We Relieved You Of Your Senses,
No Need To Think Nor To Distrust
V. Control
I Have Assumed Control,
You Humans Are Now Our Slaves
You, Who Have Seen No Suffering,