Been on a Tomb Raider kick lately.

[agent817]

As of late, I had been playing the 2010s Tomb Raider games, as well as had watched the Tomb Raider films, and I mean both Angelina Jolie films and the Alicia Vikander film. I am currently playing Shadow of the Tomb Raider, and I may get to the mid-to-late-2000s games (Legend, Anniversary, and Underworld).

However, I am curious about the classic games, because unlike the aforementioned games, I had not played much of these before. I own all of them (except for The Angel of Darkness), although I have The Last Revelation and Chronicles for Dreamcast. It's going to be weird having to go from PS1 to another console if I continue that series. Anyway, are the old games still worth trying despite how dated some aspects are, like the controls and the visuals? I had heard that the very first Tomb Raider game was rather difficult until you start getting the hang of it.

Also, is The Angel of Darkness is as bad people had said it was? I am aware that that game was a rather ambitious title that Core Design was doing, but Eidos got too impatient with the process that Core was doing. I had heard that the game was buggy and had signs of how unfinished it was. I mean I could get it if I wanted the missing piece of the puzzle, even though I only have the Legend series on that Tomb Raider Collection disc for the PS3.

What are your thoughts?

[tirtefaa]

Haven't played the newer games, but I went back to the originals recently. I've owned them for years, but never really played them.

In spite of the tank controls, it is rather easy to adapt to. I started with the original on PS1 and I have to say, if any game could have been Game of the Year other than Super Mario 64, it's the original Tomb Raider. It was WAY ahead of it's time in terms of size and scope, the challenge and even the cutscenes. It's an excellent game.

The second game changes a couple aspects, but drives up the difficulty. Thankfully they created the option to be able to save anywhere. It's funny, in the first game Lara only kills 5 people, yet in the second game she will kill anywhere between 10 and 30 people per level.

The third game is fine, but it doesn't have much innovation. I think Last Revelation is pretty good too.

Unfortunately, Tomb Raider never recovered entirely after a few bad titles and it's future never seems optimistic. It's too bad since that first game absolutely revolutionized the way games were built moving forward and helped guarantee the turn of the PlayStation into a serious console.

[agent817]

Jun 8, 2022 21:23:15 GMT -5 tirtefaa said:

Haven't played the newer games, but I went back to the originals recently. I've owned them for years, but never really played them.

In spite of the tank controls, it is rather easy to adapt to. I started with the original on PS1 and I have to say, if any game could have been Game of the Year other than Super Mario 64, it's the original Tomb Raider. It was WAY ahead of it's time in terms of size and scope, the challenge and even the cutscenes. It's an excellent game.

The second game changes a couple aspects, but drives up the difficulty. Thankfully they created the option to be able to save anywhere. It's funny, in the first game Lara only kills 5 people, yet in the second game she will kill anywhere between 10 and 30 people per level.

The third game is fine, but it doesn't have much innovation. I think Last Revelation is pretty good too.

Unfortunately, Tomb Raider never recovered entirely after a few bad titles and it's future never seems optimistic. It's too bad since that first game absolutely revolutionized the way games were built moving forward and helped guarantee the turn of the PlayStation into a serious console.

I don't think I have to do one at a time. Hell, despite playing Shadow of the Tomb Raider at the moment, I think maybe I should put on Tomb Raider: Legend just because, or the very first game.

[häšhtå.gdālėÿ]

I loved the new Tomb Raiders. I believe one of them was a free PS+ game I downloaded and ignored for a LONG time, finally played it and it was great! Beat that and went and marathoned the second one before eagerly waiting for Shadow. I liked them better than Uncharted in the wacky semi supernatural action adventure puzzle platform genre.

[Captain Stud Muffin (BLM)]

Jun 9, 2022 10:30:55 GMT -5 häšhtå.gdālėÿ said:

I loved the new Tomb Raiders. I believe one of them was a free PS+ game I downloaded and ignored for a LONG time, finally played it and it was great! Beat that and went and marathoned the second one before eagerly waiting for Shadow. I liked them better than Uncharted in the wacky semi supernatural action adventure puzzle platform genre.

The new Tomb Raider games are really good. The first one got overlooked as the PS4 was coming out and I ended up playing the remastered version and really liked it. The 2nd game was good as well. I started the 3rd but never finished it but plan to at some point. 

[Mighty Attack Tribble]

Jun 9, 2022 12:31:45 GMT -5 Captain Stud Muffin (BLM) said:

The new Tomb Raider games are really good. The first one got overlooked as the PS4 was coming out and I ended up playing the remastered version and really liked it. The 2nd game was good as well. I started the 3rd but never finished it but plan to at some point. 

Similar for me. The first one is one of the few games I've ever 100% completed, and I was about halfway through the second when I upgraded from my 360 to the XB1, which had the third game as a pack-in and was duly completed. I've since picked up the second game for the XB1 with the intention of completing it as well, but life is getting in the way of that. They're all great.

[Non Banjoble Tokens]

I am sad that we never got a Tomb Raider movie with Kelly Brook as Lara Croft.

Me, sad --->

[tirtefaa]

Jun 9, 2022 12:31:45 GMT -5 Captain Stud Muffin (BLM) said:

I started the 3rd but never finished it but plan to at some point. 

That was the thing I remember a lot of people saying at the time. I think while it was good, it was kind of a step backward. I remember the save system was like a hybrid of the first game and second game, meaning you could save your game anywhere, but only if you collected save crystals...so you have to be incredibly strategic with how you went about it. Add to the fact the game was more difficult than the very difficult second game and I think a lot of people gave up.

The second game is probably the best.

What is it with PS1 "trilogies" usually having the second game be the best?

Tomb Raider 2
Crash Bandicoot 2
Spyro 2
Twisted Metal 2
Resident Evil 2
Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2
Gex 2

The only exceptions to the rule I can think of is Tekken...and that's because the third game is one of the best fighting games of all time. The other being Syphon Filter.

[thechase]

I still can't get over how early Lara was voiced by Alex Drake from Ashes to Ashes

[Mozenrath]

Jun 10, 2022 2:37:28 GMT -5 tirtefaa said:

Jun 9, 2022 12:31:45 GMT -5 Captain Stud Muffin (BLM) said:

I started the 3rd but never finished it but plan to at some point. 

That was the thing I remember a lot of people saying at the time. I think while it was good, it was kind of a step backward. I remember the save system was like a hybrid of the first game and second game, meaning you could save your game anywhere, but only if you collected save crystals...so you have to be incredibly strategic with how you went about it. Add to the fact the game was more difficult than the very difficult second game and I think a lot of people gave up.

The second game is probably the best.

What is it with PS1 "trilogies" usually having the second game be the best?

Tomb Raider 2
Crash Bandicoot 2
Spyro 2
Twisted Metal 2
Resident Evil 2
Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2
Gex 2

The only exceptions to the rule I can think of is Tekken...and that's because the third game is one of the best fighting games of all time. The other being Syphon Filter.

I guess it might be because they'll have the experience of making the first and some time to get feedback on it, but still have fresh ideas, which, that can sometimes be a problem by the time you get to the third game, having exhausted most of the interesting possibilities in the first two.

[aka Cthulhu]

Jun 10, 2022 2:37:28 GMT -5 tirtefaa said:

Jun 9, 2022 12:31:45 GMT -5 Captain Stud Muffin (BLM) said:

I started the 3rd but never finished it but plan to at some point. 

That was the thing I remember a lot of people saying at the time. I think while it was good, it was kind of a step backward. I remember the save system was like a hybrid of the first game and second game, meaning you could save your game anywhere, but only if you collected save crystals...so you have to be incredibly strategic with how you went about it. Add to the fact the game was more difficult than the very difficult second game and I think a lot of people gave up.

The second game is probably the best.

What is it with PS1 "trilogies" usually having the second game be the best?

Tomb Raider 2
Crash Bandicoot 2
Spyro 2
Twisted Metal 2
Resident Evil 2
Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2
Gex 2

The only exceptions to the rule I can think of is Tekken...and that's because the third game is one of the best fighting games of all time. The other being Syphon Filter.

Not related to the thread topic, but man Gex 2 was a lot of fun.

Amusingly, I remember being a little scared of the horror themed levels back then, despite it being rather silly.

[aka Cthulhu]

Also, I remember Angel of Darkness being the first Tomb Raider game I finished. Gameplay wise it was okay in some parts, definitely bits that didn't have enough polish. Nice enough areas. Story wise it kinda fell off a cliff after a certain point.

As for the previous Tomb Raider games... I'm sure it's not just me who felt a certain twinge of joy at locking the butler in the freezer.

[thechase]

Does the 'Nude Raider' code still make Lara explode?