After years of having dismissed the franchise, someone actually got me interested in playing the older Tomb Raider games.I know what I'm getting into for the most part, but was curious to see what others thought of the earlier games and I guess the new ones. I won't be interested in checking out the rebooted games anytime soon, but I was wondering if the franchises has a sort of "cut off" point by the later entries? I know the earlier games get some decent praise, or they did long ago last I checked, but I know by the late era PS early PS2 entries the reception of the games began to be less favorable. Is there a consensus what the "best" entry is?
As for why I never got into this series, I always thought it looked like a boring action adventure game series with nothing on offer aside from "look at this chick with big boobs shoot and jump", but the level design and atmosphere of the original and how the challenge was described to me got me intrigued to play the game. I'm almost sad I got the final portion of the game spoiled for me because that alone would've caught me by surprise and I'm just itching to play it for myself.
Tomb Raider Thread
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I got into it fairly recently too.
>if the franchises has a sort of "cut off" point by the later entries?
No consensus, some people play up to underworld, some think that tr4 is the last good game.
>Is there a consensus what the "best" entry is?
No.
That's fucking weird, usually when I get into series there's like some sort of defined "yeah this is where the series stops being good" or "this is the best one" but the Tomb Raider games always felt off to me in that regard, I think the only time I've seen the series given active hate was around Angel of Darkness and I believe one of the later ones prior to the reboot (not counting the spin-offs like GO or Guardian of Light or whatever). I don't know whether to call that a bad thing or not, it just seems the series has managed to at least stay relevant for so long, but I get the impression it's simply because of the existence of Lara and nothing else.
Here's the deal:
>like Lara too much to not play her games
>the japanese horror setting is actually great
but
>"hey look, you can hunt!"
>"lol, just for XP, you don't get hungry"
>stick points forward, Lara turns her body left and right looking at things, sidestepping
>camera shakes, SHAKES when walking
>"LOOK, hidden treasures"
>not really more like if-you-are-not-lazy-you-can-have-treasures
>LOOK you control gravity once you jump
>no puzzles, just map orientation
>fuckton of superhuman skills and skillpoints for Very Easy mode
Maybe it's because I am just 4 hours deep but those are annoying, however I can't stop playing it ! Can't stop thinking about the game.
Why am I falling for this cinematic tricks?
Is it because of Lara? I think so because I stopped playing Uncharted after 20 mins.
The screenshots help too.
Yep, Lara is the main appeal of TR if you ask me. Also I liked AoD the most, I suggest you to just try the games without considering someone else's opinion.
Fair enough, I just got big backlogs of games I want to play so I always just try to get a consensus of what's good or bad so I don't end up starting at a bad place and waste time/money. I do like trying games whether or not they do get high or negative praise, but I have my limits of what I can tolerate, but I understand what you're trying to say. If I like the game more than I think I am, then I'll see if I decide to continue or not.
Underworld would be the cut off point for platforming since it was made easier and feels like it could be from any action adventure game. And I don't really remember the puzzles from Underworld.
The PS1 games all share a similar engine and level design with platforming in a grid. The PS2 games aren't bad adventure games like Legend, just different.
same for me, even with it's flaws I like Lara AOD the best too. It's the best blends between good graphics and the classic atmosphere.
the good entries are 1-6 aod is very buggy but it's still a true tr game
well it's like that with any series you like the main character
I'd say all of the PS1 games are worth playing and that the only really great ones after that are Anniversary and Legend. Angel of Darkness feels really janky and introduces a completely pointless and unlikable secondary protagonist, Underworld had really bad level design, and the nu-Lara games are bland stealth/survival/crafting games with extremely weak puzzles and "tombs". Not really bad but unoriginal and they completely miss the point of TR. There was also a GBA game that was alright if you can stomach isometric GBA games.
Personal favorites are 2 and Legend.
>Guardian of Light
This and its sequel are actually really good for what they are.
>I know the earlier games get some decent praise
shit sure won't apply to the third game with its bullshit difficulty curve. Die&Retry with limited checkpoints and heals doesn't make your game fun, just awful.
TR1 is only real must-play i.m.o., super atmospheric game
Controls were fucked back in the day and feel even more fucked now. That said, level design is really good, and exploration and progression is exciting. The control fuckery has an odd effect of making every jump feel like an event, which is actually kind of cool.
>Controls were fucked back in the day
youtu.be
That's the impression I got, from the general consensus of this thread it seems most of the original PS1 games are worth checking out
Is the sequel good for solo play? I really liked Guardian, but it says here the other one is not as fun.
From what I remember, yeah, it was pretty much just as good as the first one. I never played those games multiplayer.
>I was wondering if the franchises has a sort of "cut off" point by the later entries?
It becomes an unronic cover shooter by TR 2013. Literally plays like Gears of War, very minimal platforming/parkour, most of it automated.
do the original tomb raider games control well on a keyboard?
The first 5 games share a fuckton of assets and are mostly the same game just with different levels. I guess pick TR3 or 4, Chronicles is usually considered a bad entry. Angel of Darkness is again the same game, but with actually palatable graphics. For this reason alone (and also the kino Paris setting) some people consider it the best "classic" TR game. It still uses the tank controls, mind you.
Legend is mostly shooting and QTE's but still has a fuckton more puzzles/platforming than the modern games. Anniversary and Underworld are very good, absolutely must play.
The modern trilogy is just sitting behind chest high walls, just your average AAA TPS, nothing really TR about it.
Yep.
They're MEANT to be played on keyboard only.
I'd say it's weird knowing that Tomb Raider was also on PC considering she's usually seen as a PS1 mascot to some degree, but considering the PS1's install base, I understand why some can have that mentality. I'm pretty sure it was somewhere among the best selling PS1 games of all time.
The problem is that Lara is an olympics-tier acrobat and not a tank.
>that ladder in Floating Islands where you had to backflip and turn around mid-air to get to the higher ladder facing the other way
>at no other point in the game do you have to do this maneuver
Post yfw youtu.be
>The first 5 games share a fuckton of assets and are mostly the same game just with different levels.
That actually doesn't bother me too much so long as the quality of the games are good. Reusing assets doesn't have to be "bad" if it's done in a smart way. Also tank controls don't bother me either as long as the game is designed around it. People today get pissy about them, and sometimes rightfully so for bad video games, but a lot of the critically acclaimed ones are usually designed around those controls and it's usually the lack of quality of life changes from modern games or lack of patience that make people so unfavorable to tank controls.
I may check out Legend and Anniversary sooner if they're as good as you say.
Since when do people like AOD? I thought it was unplayable trash?
Sounds ominous but inviting
Compared to a lot of the other "danger" warning tone in that game it's a lot more inviting.
Play:
Tomb Raider
Tomb Raider II
Tomb Raider Legend
Tomb Raider Anniversary
Tomb Raider Underworld
>advocating 2 over 3 or 4
TR2 is too hard though. And TR1 is originally DOS only on the PC, there are fan patches like this one ofc but might be hard to set up:
youtube.com
>skipping the last revelation, arguably the best tr game
>AoD is the worst game ever meme
youtube.com
People were just over-hyped about it back then, so their disappointment was exaggerated. More unbiased people who tried it later with patches can appreciate game more.
I think 4 is the best, but it might not be a good starting point since it's quite long and complicated. It builds on everything the earlier games did. Try 2 or 3.
You can emulate the PS1 version.
>with patches
I think that's the core issue here since I assume most of the install base of AOD was probably for the PS2 version and I don't think they ever made a patched version of that release. I'll take into consideration of checking it out on PC though.
>consider replaying AoD
>look up the patches on PCGaymenWiki and TR forums
>still no all-in-one definitive fan patch
>still many people reporting gamebreaking glitches
Maybe in another life.
I played gog version without any additional patches and had no problems.
No consensus about which is the best game in the series, but most will agree that AoD is probably the worst one. That game was a development hell through and through and the result is a true mess. There are some videos on Youtube that cover its development and it's quite interesting in my opinion. That being said, I'm pretty sure that there are some people out there that like it over another entry in the franchise. Purists probably won't even consider the reboots to be "true" Tomb Raider games. I'm one of those people. Those games are Tomb Raider in name only. In my opinion, TR2 and TR4 are the best games. That doesn't mean the others aren't worth playing, all PS1 era Tomb Raider games are great except maybe Chronicles. The developers were forced to make it after being absolutely tired of making Tomb Raider games and it shows.
I played tomb raider 1 a month ago for the first time properly start to finish and i think its one of the best video games ever made. Pure distilled video games.
Classic Tomb Raider's controls are "unique" to say the least, but those controls are what makes the games what they are. It's kind of hard to describe it. Like, you know the controls are janky and stiff, but that's what makes it so good and engaging.
>TR1-4
>all good, people's preferences vary
>Chronicles/AoD
>shit
>Legend, Anniversary, Underworld
>modernized/casualized but still Tomb Raider at heart and worth playing
>nuTR trilogy
>not TR
Anyway, I'm replaying TR1 right now after having replayed TR2 earlier this year and both games are excellent. TR1 definitely aged worse but simultaneously, it's pretty impressive how much more detail they were able to fit into TR2.
I'm gonna get called a faggot but I unironically believe that classic TR did in mid90's what Dark Souls gets praised for today. It's beyond me how they managed to design levels on PS1 that feel like real organic environments despite the fact that they use a grid. Atmosphere and exploration is top notch still, the games make you feel like a badass.
Play on PC, mod 1080p into it, play with a controller, quicksave a lot because the games can be fucking ruthless with instant deaths. Take time to learn controls. They will feel clunky at first but in reality they are *very* deliberate, allowing for platforming like we haven't seen in decades.
Fucking loved that shit.
The first game is pure exploring with great atmosphere and some sporadic combat. Sadly, the series became progressively more action-based.
Ignore the remake of 1 because it takes away the grid based movement of the original and that's what made the platforming so weighty and satisfying in classic Tomb Raider.
One of the best main menu song and sequence in all vidya. It's just beautiful and calming yet so very exciting.
>Controls were fucked back in the day
oh no it's retarded
I strongly prefer the controller but since it's all digital inputs, keyboard works just fine.
I hear that the controls could be compared to a modern interpretation of the original Prince of Persia's controls in a sense of kinesthetic movement, but the game is designed in a way to accommodate for the controls and bring satisfaction when platforming and fighting off enemies while maneuvering around them.
For a game like that to exist back then and rarely get praised for such sounds criminal because it really seems these games are just known for "lady with boobs has guns and jump" at least from how the games are remembered today.
OP and this guy this fixes TR1 on PC. I just add xpadder because I like a controller.
steamcommunity.com
>we’ll probably never get a classic type tomb raider game ever again
The music in the original was so good too. The soundtrack in the new ones doesn’t give that same feel of finding a huge underground pyramid or cavern like did.
TR2 is my favorite but it assumes from the first second that you have beaten the first game. i.e. it's hard and doesn't explain shit so you won't even learn how to jump properly. So play them in order.
>a modern interpretation of the original Prince of Persia's controls
yeah I think that's pretty accurate. except that it's snappier/more responsive. PoP locked you into animations all too often.
It literally has a whole tutorial level
>classic TR did in mid90's what Dark Souls gets praised for today. It's beyond me how they managed to design levels on PS1 that feel like real organic environments despite the fact that they use a grid. Atmosphere and exploration is top notch still, the games make you feel like a badass.
I share the same sentiment. What the developers achieved with the game is simply mind blowing at times. Which also makes me wonder every time I think about Tomb Raider: how come there hasn't been a single modern video game that tries to emulate the original Tomb Raider games gameplay and what it evoked. One would think that, considering how popular the games were back then, that there would be at least few attempts to revive the game's formula. Just like how we have so many of those 90's FPS throwback games.
Ya but it has an annoying distracting butle that new people won't know how to lock in the freezer.
You're right about that, I completely forgot about the manor. But still, the main game assumes that you have mastered the controls and just throws you in a tiger pit immediately.
>shitting on my boy Kurtis
For shame user
I was thinking about this exact thing a week ago or so. If TR was such a blockbuster on PS1, where are all the fans today? How come more people aren't asking for a game like that?
I'm convinced that if people were given a lean TR game with just tombs, good levels with challenging platforming, a little bit of shooting, and not much else, it would sell like hot cakes.
I think it's simply because no one would have the patience for them, at least in the modern AAA market. Modern gamers are so spoiled with multi directional analog movement and other game design choices that have stuck for years with the more popular games of today. I feel a game like that made by an indie dev would be more welcomed and probably gain some traction, I'm actually surprised something like that doesn't exist (at least not that I'm aware of), but we're in a time where low poly games seem to be popping up in retro throwback games, so I can only hope that and 2.5 platformers start popping up within the next couple of years.
>where are all the fans today?
In their 30s or 40s and moved on from video games
I seem to remember the level drsigner for Spyro being an architect. Possibly the same sort of thing where the guys who made it were big brains with lots of non videogame knowledge who just happened to make computergames rather than the fags we have for todays crop who simply grew up playibg games.
A little off topic, but has anyone ever played that one Indiana Jones game on N64 that plays like Tomb Raider? I know it's on PC too but I recall hearing that version being a bit worse in comparison if I'm not mistaken. It's also a bit rare on the console so I won't hold my breath if not many people in this thread have played it.
Here is a good comparison video that shows just how brain dead easy/boring modern TR platforming has become.
>no one would have the patience for them
I think it's been demonstrated by Souls games that this sentiment is false. Everyone and their mom just breezes through Dark Souls these days but there was a long period where masses were willing to struggle at every corner.
I also think that you can have a compelling modern Tomb Raider with analog controls. Making turning easier and more natural would be the major improvement from classic TR and everything else (like jumping) just takes some tweaking. Just remove auto-grab, auto-climb, unmissable jumps, add good level design and you've got a killer of a game.
What really pisses me off about floating islands is the part where you have to avoid a boulder by hanging on to a ledge and having it fly over you. If you try that in any other level you get crushed by the boulder but here it suddenly works even though you see the boulder clip through you.
There's also that one really really long jump where a running jump won't work because Lara's legs will touch the lava but a swan dive will work just fine even though that stretches out Lara's model.
Floating Islands really likes to break the established rules of the game I hate it.
I always did. The game is irredeemable trash in a lot of aspects due to CORE wasting a couple years of development + EIDOS forcing them to release it on time with the second movie, but what's there and what little you can glimpse to what was supposed to be the bigger picture is great. CORE was fucking tired of making annual TR, so much so that they killed Lara and made the next game a bunch of prequel "memories", but even then EIDOS made them tease her "return". So for AoD, they wanted to go with a completely different direction that would've worked wonders if it had been the finished trilogy it was supposed to be. I recomend you going to the AoD section of the TR forums and looking up all the info the autists there have compiled. Stuff like cut content, developer documents, hidden shit in the code... it paints the picture of what could've been a great fucking game.
Funnily enough the one thing that wasn't fucked in the final game was what didn't have to do with the gameplay aka the OST is easily the best out of the entire franchise
youtu.be
It is almost criminal but Lara was just really popular back then as an icon/mascot and I guess that what most remember from then it's just the boobs and the pistols. She was almost like some sort of cultural phenomenon. It's pretty crazy when you think about it.
The old controls are a love hate thing. Yes they're unnecessarily clunky at times but you have a wider variety of moves and unlike the newer games the player is actually in control of things.
What gets me about LAU and the reboots is that there's no nuance to anything. No physics, no air control, no weight or momentum. Just context. Stand in the right spot and Lara will do the rest.
Surely there has to be a way to recreate the spirit of the old controls in a modern game.
Hmmm, okay I see your point. Then, honestly I just think it's modern publisher's fears that people won't tolerate those designs. There's probably dozens of devs who work on games today wanting to add additional challenge to their games, but publishers step in and go "You can't do this, this will overwhelm these demographics, we don't want to lose sales, we want the most amount of people playing our game" and those design philosophies go towards the wayside. At least this feels the case for western developed titles and/or japanese games that want a western design philosophy. They think making a game more accessible/easier will bring in a wider audience, but it just makes the game less appealing in the long run.
Look at a game like dark souls and you can see why that game is so beloved, but other publishers probably looked at that game and probably interpret in the worst way possible as to why it succeeded.
Hi
I really don't think we could have a game similar to it coming from AAA developers but one would think there would be at least few indie games like it. No such luck though. It really is perplexing. Well, there's that indie TR2 remake demo which was pretty damn good but the developer hasn't given signs of life in years so it's just vaporware at this point.
Fuck, I forgot about those. Weird level.
Never played it but I have seen it. It doesn't seem that great to be honest.
Hello
Honestly these games feel laborious to play, and I'm not even a zoomer.
On the other hand you have entire generation who grew up with uncharted, there's no wonder there are no games like TR any more.
I don't understand how people can take Uncharted's automatic platforming as anything other than an insult to their intelligence.
>Surely there has to be a way to recreate the spirit of the old controls in a modern game.
Have you tried that indie Tomb Raider 2 Remake? It just a demo and it'll never be completed but I think that game does it fairly well and it's evidence that such a thing could work.
I've always wanted to be able to jump up to a ledge and grab onto it before hoisting myself up just like Lara Croft. I think I would need really strong fingers and somehow create a lot of friction between them and the edge.
This one?
youtube.com
>that model of Lara
I know I made note of how it sucks the older games are primarily referred to for just for "boobs n guns" but my god she's really good looking here. I've never really found Lara to be all that "sexy" growing up I was more fond of anime women but god damn this is the kind of reinterpretation of the character I can get behind literally.
Yeah Demon's/Dark Souls was a freak occurence and it could never happen in the West. I think we can just hope for a good indie that will prove the concept.
Yes, that one. It's pretty crazy how much the guy achieved as a one-man project.
Yeah, so much so that after nearly 2 years of silence I wouldn't be surprised if they got C&D from Crystal Dynamics/Square Enix. Such a shame they didn't put that effort into just making an original title if that was the case, but I'm glad we got this demo in the end, but I wish there was more.
Actually, nevermind
twitter.com
I wonder how much progress has been made since the initial demo.
EIDOS
Oh, that's neat. I honestly thought the project was dead. I still think it's insurmountable for a single guy but hopefully he'll be able to pull it off somehow.
Its not just one guy as far as I understand.
Holy crap this is amazing. TR2 was definitely my favorite one of the lot
I stand corrected then. In any case, I'm just happy progress is being made.
You are almost convincing me to get I.
I played in in 1996. Could I make it now? How is the Steam version?
Same. Its weird that an amateur project has me more interested than any of the games in the reboot trilogy ever had. Honestly, in the past few years I've noticed amateur devs, from agdg and such, making far more interesting games.
...
>Complete TR1 a while ago
>had a blast after adjusting to the controls
>excited to play TR2
>Most of the game is shooting dumb goons and shit levels like modern venice and a fucking oil rig
It's probably because amateur devs' projects are made out of passion, they usually understand what it is that makes games good and they don't have to compromise their vision to satisfy publishers or whatever.
new tomb raider games are shit, avoid
we were at a time when women were acting like men and becoming a giant pain in the ass, the prospect of a completely simulated woman that would do whatever you told her to do was very appealing
You didn't like Venice? I always thought Venice was great. The oil rig and the underwater ship segments can be pretty boring, yes. What comes after them is pretty damn good though.
I'll give you oil rig but Venice is based.
Also, the levels after the oil rig are my favorite in the whole series. It's a game of ups and downs for sure.
fuck, that model is already so much better than in TR1
I like 2 the best. 1 and 3 are good as well.
Even the tutorial levels have hidden stuff in them (croft manor)
That took me so many tries as a kid
Imo the classic TR games steadily declined in quality one after another. TR1 strongest point was the level design. The following entries were made from leftover ideas and no new things, effectively becoming the same except worse.
If i can every get of my lazy ass and do something for a change, i'm making a spiritual successor to the classic tombraiders.
fuck nu-tombraider
More polygons.
>It's probably because amateur devs' projects are made out of passion
Pretty much.
Used to be a huge fan back in the day. I recall having a large plastic folder of magazines with Tomb raider/Lara on the cover. Would buy any magazine that remotely featured Tomb raider in some way.
>TR1 strongest point was the level design.
And it's ambiance and atmosphere
4's model had a weird head for some reason
I think there's a few weak levels in the later entries and it lost a lot of its purity over time but I still wholeheartedly disagree. Level design was massively improved even from 1 to 2. There are only a handful of standout rooms or sequences in 1 and for the most part it's just
>find a room with 3 keyholes
>go in three short corridors to find a key in each
>continue
which is fine but nowhere near something like Maria Doria or Tibet
>The following entries were made from leftover ideas and no new things, effectively becoming the same except worse.
I disagree. The games have their highs and lows, for sure, and the first game was great but you can't discredit and ignore how the games progressively refined the mechanics and implemented others and how the developers got better and better with the engine and more creative and tighter with the levels and atmosphere. TR4 is the entry in which the developers mastered the game in every sense in my opinion.
Its pretty sad that they changed the direction of Lara's model. It could have went from stiff polygon tits to showing modern tech like jiggling, clothing getting wet, nipples getting hard in cold.
>tfw classic TR threads are back
Yeah, it's like it's a tad too big or something.
the shape of the head is the best but they narrowed the shoulders too much (probably to emphasize boobs) so the proportions are all fucked.
It's also the first time she showed off her cleavage in game.
Great thread for me as since December I've been playing all the TRs in order (up to the final one out at the moment, SoTR).
>Tomb Raider
Absolute classic. The controls take a short time to get used to considering you'll be coming from a modern control scheme viewpoint, but once you have a couple of hours under your belt they feel fine. Ignore anyone who says they are difficult / shit, they just haven't given the game enough time. TR1 is an exploration themed game with 4 human baddies, a few animals to shoot but mainly platforming. Best way to play (unless you have a PS1) is
>xproger.info
which allows you to play in your browser, has a completely rebuilt engine allowing better draw distances and better water, but keeps the controls standard & runs off the old map files.
>Tomb Raider 2
Most people's favourite classic TR, it expands on TR1 by introducing some vehicles, more locations, that venice violins soundtrack. Basically plays like a more polished TR1 but with far more human enemies to shoot - if TR1 was purely adventure this is definitely Action Adventure. Some really cool puzzles and environments, another must play. Can also be played on OpenLara if you have the game map files, but it will bug out as the software isn't optimised. Get it on GOG/Steam or pirate.
>Tomb Raider 3
Basically a TR2 map-pack permanently set to Hard difficulty. If you're enjoying / enjoyed TR1&2 there's no reason you won't continue to enjoy this - its more of the same with a couple of extra moves which you hadn't actually missed from the first games because TR3 introduces the first opportunity to use said moves. Antarctica setting is pretty cool, continues with the high level of bad guys that TR2 introduced. I think this was my most favourite classic TR as the puzzles are hard, there's good variety in locations and it's probably the longest so far.
>Tomb Raider 4 / The Last Revelation
It's another map-pack, with a slightly improved engine, but purely set in Egypt. For this reason it wasn't my favourite classic TR game, the locations get a bit dull after a while although the puzzles are interesting and the storyline is probably the most concise of all the games so far. Be warned, you'll probably need to check a walkthrough a couple of times as there's some weird unexplained puzzles that are a step away from the regular platforming / lever pulling of the first 3 games (hello pulling an iron bar off a wall to use as a lever). Lara dies.
>Tomb Raider 5 / Chronicles
Again a map-pack, with a spread of locations from Lara's past. There's no more to say about it, people gave it a tonne of hate back in the day but you have to realise this was the fifth TR in as many years (96, 97, 98, 99, 00) and the hate wasn't that it was a bad game (it's essentially TR2) but was more similar to how people hate Marvel movies now - it was just the same stuff over and over. I still enjoyed it as by this point I was pretty fluid in the controls and it still feels like a classic TR platformer.
>Tomb Raider 6 / Angel of Darkness
Don't bother. You could potentially forgive the bugs, but the movement system is one of the most broken things ever devised, it adds a second (mandatory) playable character for the first and last time in TR, the setting is very much not-TR, it adds weak RPG elements which are poorly devised and very silly (I need to do X to get stronger to do Y). If you must play it there is a community patch for PC which "fixes" the controls (makes them a bit less shit) and stops some of the real game-breaking bugs.
>Tomb Raider 7 / Legend
The first of the nu-raiders. It's an alright game, it brings Lara into the modern era (though the controls now feel just as dated as the first 5 considering the new trilogy that has been released). Some of the boss fights are fucking annoying and it starts the dreaded quicktime events. Definitely feels and plays like a 2007 game, it's absolutely playable apart from the FUCKING MOTORBIKE SECTION which if you're playing on hard literally will eat your soul.
>Tomb Raider 8 / Annivesary
It's a remake of TR1 with prettier graphics. I personally didn't find it that fun (but then, I'd only just played TR1 a few weeks prior), however it's really well made and very faithful to the original. Play it as a nostalgia kick later on.
>Tomb Raider 9 / Underworld
Effectively TR Legend 2, it's the best of the first remake trilogy. It's got a load of cool environments, adds a bit of a darker edge to Lara, and is just a good all-round game to play.
TR4 is the last great game, and my favourite alternates between 1/3/4 depending on the day. 1 is the most pure with no gimmicks or vehicles, 3 has the most satisfying levels with tons of traps and stuff to avoid, and 4 has huge sprawling multi-levels with a great Egyptian setting. 2 is more of an action game, has way too many gimmicks and water levels, and is packed with hitscan enemies that require rollspamming to efficiently kill.
>Tomb Raider 10 / Tomb Raider 2013
First of the nu-nu-TRs which goes all the way and retells Lara's past. I actually really enjoyed this game and thought it was a very well fleshed-out telling of Laras youth, HOWEVER it has a tonne of non-TR rpg elements, and the platforming is by far and away the easiest in the series so far. At the end of the day it's a cinematic game, it's very pretty, and if you just ignore the rpg elements, the skill tree, and never upgrade your weapons it feels much more like a classic TR experience. It is very easy and very short however.
>Tomb Raider 11 / Rise of the Tomb Raider
Even less linear and even more rpg elements, it's effectively a different game and not really a TR title. It has achingly pretty in areas (that Syria vista) and it does fine as a cinematic game, but it's still really easy, the puzzles are super obvious even without the survival-instincts inbuilt walkthrough button and it has a stupid amount of human enemies to kill. Also the plot is truly fucking ridiculous and at one point you're running around with a bow in a medieval village collecting deer hides to help rebuild a lookout tower. The set pieces are cool however.
>Tomb Raider 12 / Shadow of the Tomb Raider
For all it's faults as a non-TR game, which are effectively the same as above, it's really just a good game. The graphics are A+, the set pieces are cool and it doesn't feel as RPGy (even though it's full of that shit if you want it). Definitely my favourite of the nu-nu-TRs, though I'd take the TR1-5 classic actual tomb raiding in a heartbeat.
>OpenLara
That's so fucking good. I had no idea such a thing existed. Thanks for posting it.
>xproger.info
this is fucking insane, how am I just finding about it
>don't bother
It's been a long time since I played TR3 and Chronicles but I remember TR3's levels being really easy to get lost in and there were some moments in which the games just shits on you and kills you with no possible way of knowing it was going to happen beforehand. Good game though. I also remember Chronicle's levels being and looking kind of shite and having some problems trying to solve puzzles or knowing where to go and how to continue in some levels.
>FUCKING MOTORBIKE SECTION which if you're playing on hard literally will eat your soul
Yeah, Lara is really fragile on hard and you can only use a single pistol on bike, I died a lot in this section.
Which trilogy did you like more - lau or reboot?
Man I love the first 5 games to death and it makes me sad there will likely never be anything like it made again. Thankfully there are tons of custom levels to play and more being made to this day.
I really liked Lara as a character of her just being this rich badass explorer before they tried to make her deeper than that.
The original tomb raiders will always hold a special place in my heart.
I'm so sad that engine update project got cease and desisted by SquareEnix. Aaggsgsggasb
Yeah TR3 was a bitch in some places, but as I played on PC and was used to manual-saving, after playing TR1&2 back-to-back I generally didn't lose too much time when dying in TR3. Having said that I feel the game was designed to kill you like that so once I got over the frustration of it I kinda enjoyed all the different ways (like the boulder trap which just keeps going.. avoided one, oh there's 2. Oh there's 3. Oh there's 4).
I'm really torn because they both have their good & bad qualities. LAU is much more a classic TR experience but it's dated in a bad way (quicktime events, locking aiming HUD which is worse than the classics etc). Reboot isn't really TR at all, but if you ignore all the RPG stuff there is a glimpse of classic TR there with a really beautiful new engine. I think I'd go Reboot just because even if it's not TR they're very well polished games, easy to lose a bunch of hours playing them.
Openlara is fantastic, the movement is so damn smooth. Unfortunately I found a couple of inconsistencies with the original game relating to physics/grabbable ledges, but overall it's great. Water looks awesome too (although not so much when she gets all shiny afterwards).
>physics/grabbable ledges
Yeah there's some problems. I really found them mainly trying to play TR2 maps on it (I think he's only optimised the first level in Xian) but to be honest, Openlara or trying to get MSDOS TR1 to run on windows 10, I'd take OL every time
there's a pretty straightforward patch for W10
Yeah, definitely. You can even play Golden Mask in it which is nice.
>(like the boulder trap which just keeps going.. avoided one, oh there's 2. Oh there's 3. Oh there's 4)
Playing it on PS1 was fun. Those limited saves meant you often needed to replay up to 45 minutes of a level. It's probably my favourite in the series though, I feel like the others didn't challenge the player quite as much.
I'll be honest, classic TR games have too much margin for error for me to enjoy with any other than quick save.
