Tomb Raider 25th Anniversary

[telekill]

To keep the thread going, I'm going to post my history with each game. I invite the rest of you to share your thoughts and history with each game as they're posted. I'll try and do one per day to spotlight them.



The first Tomb Raider came out on PS1, Saturn and PC back in 1996. It was one of the first games to star a strong female lead character, Lara Croft, for massive historical impact. Everyone toted the original release as just a female Indiana Jones. Ironically, it didn't take long for the first Uncharted to be called the male version of Tomb Raider. It was far more than just Lara Croft though. The adventure to be had in this 3D world (a concept still newish at the time of its release) was fantastic. Getting to explore ancient ruins blew my mind and I was instantly hooked. I rented the game numerous times and knew that when the sequel was announced that I'd be asking for it for either my birthday or Christmas. Keep in mind, I was 14-15 at the time and didn't have my own job just yet to pay for my own games.

I eventually got my hands on a copy of the game and I've had it ever since regardless that I generally don't play this version anymore.

[pzeke]

Everyone toted the original release as just a female Indiana Jones. Ironically, it didn't take long for the first Uncharted to be called the male version of Tomb Raider.

Funny, ain't it?

Anyway, the most memorable part of the first Tomb Raider for me was encountering the T-Rex. I remember coming across the raptors and being taken slightly aback by it, but then when I heard the stomps and the T-Rex appeared it was quite the surprise. I never owned any of the games back then, but I rented the first three, and while I never beat any, as I mentioned before, I really had a blast playing the first game, although I liked the second one a bit more.

[oldgamerz]

That looks like a really old Dinosaur, and if I was Lora Croft in the photo I'd run away fast. because I don't think those 2 handguns is enough firepower kill any dinosaur that size.

Jokes aside, I never really got into any Lora Croft Tomb Raider game. primarily because it don't like "most" 3rd camera only person shooters. I don't even like the 2 Duke Nukem games I've played in 3rd person view as much Duke Nukem 3D game on the PC in which can actually be played in both 3rd AND 1st person camera angles.

created around the same time as the 1st Tomb Rader game came out on the PlayStation.

I got the 1st Trilogy of "Lora Croft Tomb Raider" on the PlayStation 1, but I just have not been able to get off the 1st level of any of them before I get both fed up and board. I don't like how I need to figure out how to jump flip and grab onto hidden platforms and cliffs, Tomb Raider 2 has a vary complex control scheme and I HATE that dahm camera angle, I'd rather play the game in first person to be honest. I may be a guy and al but I'd rather see where I'm going in a video game then look at a block butt, with stiff tank controls.

But I want to eventually learn how to play the game, but I just have not even master the 1st level of any of those games yet.

[telekill]

TR2 came out November of 1997 for PS1 and PC. I was lucky enough to have gotten some money that Christmas that allowed me to buy the game the next day. Any free time I had was spent engaged mastering Lara's new quest. I enjoyed the game even more than the first. From driving the snowmobiles to diving down to the sunken ship to finding the ancient temple with the massive water fall dive. Fantastic game. It remained my favorite in the series until the remake of the first came out on PS2. TR2 was easily my game of the year for 1997.

[oldgamerz]

TR2 came out November of 1997 for PS1 and PC. I was lucky enough to have gotten some money that Christmas that allowed me to buy the game the next day. Any free time I had was spent engaged mastering Lara's new quest. I enjoyed the game even more than the first. From driving the snowmobiles to diving down to the sunken ship to finding the ancient temple with the massive water fall dive. Fantastic game. It remained my favorite in the series until the remake of the first came out on PS2. TR2 was easily my game of the year for 1997.

(MY REPLY)

Well You have a lot of great talents and skills @telekill probably better than I'll ever have in this lifetime

I'm impressed that you didn't give up and play another game and kept trying to beat/win the games. Most people (even according to this thread) threw in the towel. It looks like you did not, and to me that is vary impressive.

About the thread? I was only trying to lighten thing up a bit, not make fun of you or anyone else, you didn't deserve that shit comments some of the people wanted to post. I mean I know I am not a forum moderator or forum administrator  but dammet this is a GAME forum not a frekin forum ever designed to bring up 98% of what this thread turned into, I hope this thread grows positive in the future for the sake of all members, the staff and the well being of this entire site.

[telekill]

Well You have a lot of great talents and skills @telekill probably better than I'll ever have in this lifetime

I'm impressed that you didn't give up and play another game and kept trying to beat/win the games. Most people (even according to this thread) threw in the towel. It looks like you did not, and to me that is vary impressive.

About the thread? I was only trying to lighten thing up a bit, not make fun of you or anyone else, you didn't deserve that shit comments some of the people wanted to post. I mean I know I am not a forum moderator or forum administrator  but dammet this is a GAME forum not a frekin forum ever designed to bring up 98% of what this thread turned into, I hope this thread grows positive in the future for the sake of all members, the staff and the well being of this entire site.

Thank you and no worries. I know many didn't enjoy the tank controls of so many PS1 games. I didn't take offense to anything that anyone has said in here. Please continue to post your opinions in my threads and reply to comments. 

[droaa]

TR2 came out November of 1997 for PS1 and PC. I was lucky enough to have gotten some money that Christmas that allowed me to buy the game the next day. Any free time I had was spent engaged mastering Lara's new quest. I enjoyed the game even more than the first. From driving the snowmobiles to diving down to the sunken ship to finding the ancient temple with the massive water fall dive. Fantastic game. It remained my favorite in the series until the remake of the first came out on PS2. TR2 was easily my game of the year for 1997.

I remember when I was younger I made the grave mistake of sticking myself in an endless save loop resulting in starting over from the beginning of a level. So there was a snow area that had you drive a snowmobile. I was on said snowmobile and I was standing near this pit and for some reason I decided to save. Needless to say that the game was saving as I was falling to my death so anytime I would try to reload no matter what I would do, I would fall to my death.

[undertakerprime]

I do remember enjoying the first two PS1 games a lot. I played through both of them multiple times. The third one was just OK, and I only completed it once. IIRC, it didn’t have a lot of actual tombs in it
Fortunately, I never had the misfortune of playing Angel of Darkness; I heard about how horrible it was so I never bothered.

However, I liked them enough to try out the 2000s reboot trilogy. Legend and Anniversary were fun, and I only rented Underworld. Unfortunately, while they were fun, Legend kind of turned me off, because by the end Lara was becoming more of an unlikable murdering psycho-bitch. She was really out of character, and it felt like this change was a blatantly desperate attempt to make her tougher and “cooler”. It just seemed really forced.

Then the newest reboot came out and I enjoyed it immensely. I actually like this more “realistic” incarnation of Lara, and I thought it was fascinating how they were able to make the island itself almost its own character. Rise of the Tomb Raider was also really good. I haven’t played Shadow of the TR yet but I’ve been looking to download it soon.

[PaleManInBlack]

I still find it funny to this day when them rabid neofeminuggets complained about no [strong] female "representation" in video games (and other media), yet that's what we've had since forever.

This is a pretty dumb take lol... really reeks of someone who has no female friends and probably has had very little or no success dating the ladies.

It isn't dumb when it is true, though. Also, the last part of your comment is unfounded and uncalled-for tbh.

Anyway, I have a love/hate relationship with Tomb Raider. I love the different settings and premise of a globe-trotting, treasure hunting adventure akin to old films like Indiana Jones, buuuuuut, I hate nearly everything else about them - at least the original four. The graphics are decent and Lara is a badass, but the platforming and gun play is too finicky imo.

I wasn't a big fan of 2013 and Rise because of how they tended to focus on action, but I did find Shadow to be an improvement simply because there was less action and more exploration.

[pzeke]

I remember when I was younger I made the grave mistake of sticking myself in an endless save loop resulting in starting over from the beginning of a level. So there was a snow area that had you drive a snowmobile. I was on said snowmobile and I was standing near this pit and for some reason I decided to save. Needless to say that the game was saving as I was falling to my death so anytime I would try to reload no matter what I would do, I would fall to my death.

Hah! That reminded me of the time I was playing Duke Nukem: Total Meltdown on PS1, and the exact same thing happened. I don't rememebr the level, but all I can recollect is it being some type of foundry where I was near the edge of something and ended up falling, and, for whatever reason, it occured to me to save given I had made a lot of progress and hadn't saved prior. I remember loading that save over and over and over again desperately trying to see if there was anything that I could do, but I had effectively caugth myself in a deathloop. Good times.

[...]

I wasn't a big fan of 2013 and Rise because of how they tended to focus on action, but I did find Shadow to be an improvement simply because there was less action and more exploration.

I plan on playing them at some point, and look forward to it, but I have a couple of friends that have that same point of view.

[oldgamerz]

I remember when I was younger I made the grave mistake of sticking myself in an endless save loop resulting in starting over from the beginning of a level. So there was a snow area that had you drive a snowmobile. I was on said snowmobile and I was standing near this pit and for some reason I decided to save. Needless to say that the game was saving as I was falling to my death so anytime I would try to reload no matter what I would do, I would fall to my death.

Hah! That reminded me of the time I was playing Duke Nukem: Total Meltdown on PS1, and the exact same thing happened. I don't rememebr the level, but all I can recollect is it being some type of foundry where I was near the edge of something and ended up falling, and, for whatever reason, it occured to me to save given I had made a lot of progress and hadn't saved prior. I remember loading that save over and over and over again desperately trying to see if there was anything that I could do, but I had effectively caugth myself in a deathloop. Good times.

That is why whenever you play a long game without an auto save feature "Most times" it's better to have 2 save files one before another and keep updating BOTH as your progress through the game

I too learned this lesson the hard way, but I can't remember the game, I know people complain about  a lot of more newer games with auto-save. but by playing a game for the first time you don't know what challenge is ahead of you. and this is vary possible an also game breaking. I can image someone else playng Duke Nukem: total meltdown, literally have a Total Meltdown, therefore throwing the controller, and smashing the console, because that is just  a plain nasty bug in both the PS1 games of Tomb Rader II AND Duke Nukem: Total Meltdown

I thank God, that the original Xbox game called "Halo Combat Evolved" has  both an automictic save system, AND a save progress and quit option.

now on a game like my version of Red Faction 1 for the PS2? it only has a manual save option, in those types of games. "SOME MAY SAY" good thing is you can save whenever you want, bad thing is what happened to both (edit) ME @droaa and @pzeke.

Also in PC games as well  where you can save wherever and whenever you want to. it's sometimes a good idea to "have 2 save files or MORE) one at least one save at the beginning of each the level and "ANOTHER" manual save state, during the levels, to avoid a vary frustrating 1st time outcome with a lot of video games

[droaa]

I remember when I was younger I made the grave mistake of sticking myself in an endless save loop resulting in starting over from the beginning of a level. So there was a snow area that had you drive a snowmobile. I was on said snowmobile and I was standing near this pit and for some reason I decided to save. Needless to say that the game was saving as I was falling to my death so anytime I would try to reload no matter what I would do, I would fall to my death.

Hah! That reminded me of the time I was playing Duke Nukem: Total Meltdown on PS1, and the exact same thing happened. I don't rememebr the level, but all I can recollect is it being some type of foundry where I was near the edge of something and ended up falling, and, for whatever reason, it occured to me to save given I had made a lot of progress and hadn't saved prior. I remember loading that save over and over and over again desperately trying to see if there was anything that I could do, but I had effectively caugth myself in a deathloop. Good times.

[...]

I wasn't a big fan of 2013 and Rise because of how they tended to focus on action, but I did find Shadow to be an improvement simply because there was less action and more exploration.

I plan on playing them at some point, and look forward to it, but I have a couple of friends that have that same point of view.

That is why whenever you play a long game without an auto save feature "Most times" it's better to have 2 save files one before another and keep updating BOTH as your progress through the game

I was young and naive so having multiple saves for the purposes of a non RPG never crossed my mind. Again it wasnt a huge loss except starting the entire level over but it was a lesson to be learned. Thankfully, I do multiple saves for whatever provided I am allowed to.

[oldgamerz]

I remember when I was younger I made the grave mistake of sticking myself in an endless save loop resulting in starting over from the beginning of a level. So there was a snow area that had you drive a snowmobile. I was on said snowmobile and I was standing near this pit and for some reason I decided to save. Needless to say that the game was saving as I was falling to my death so anytime I would try to reload no matter what I would do, I would fall to my death.

Hah! That reminded me of the time I was playing Duke Nukem: Total Meltdown on PS1, and the exact same thing happened. I don't rememebr the level, but all I can recollect is it being some type of foundry where I was near the edge of something and ended up falling, and, for whatever reason, it occured to me to save given I had made a lot of progress and hadn't saved prior. I remember loading that save over and over and over again desperately trying to see if there was anything that I could do, but I had effectively caugth myself in a deathloop. Good times.

[...]

I wasn't a big fan of 2013 and Rise because of how they tended to focus on action, but I did find Shadow to be an improvement simply because there was less action and more exploration.

I plan on playing them at some point, and look forward to it, but I have a couple of friends that have that same point of view.

That is why whenever you play a long game without an auto save feature "Most times" it's better to have 2 save files one before another and keep updating BOTH as your progress through the game

I was young and naive so having multiple saves for the purposes of a non RPG never crossed my mind. Again it wasnt a huge loss except starting the entire level over but it was a lesson to be learned. Thankfully, I do multiple saves for whatever provided I am allowed to.

I learned as well

[telekill]

Honestly, I was a tad bit disappointed with the third game. I enjoyed a few of the levels and the overall artifact that was being chased. I thought it was humorous visiting Area 51. Some of the levels were uninspired or lacking something that made them feel more special. The end of the story felt very odd mainly with the end boss fight. I won't go into the details for those that plan to play but it does feel odd. I think you could tell that the Core was feeling strained on having to continue pushing out new levels and lore every year. Funny enough, one of the best parts of the third game was running around Lara's mansion and finding out all the secrets.

[droaa]

Honestly, I was a tad bit disappointed with the third game. I enjoyed a few of the levels and the overall artifact that was being chased. I thought it was humorous visiting Area 51. Some of the levels were uninspired or lacking something that made them feel more special. The end of the story felt very odd mainly with the end boss fight. I won't go into the details for those that plan to play but it does feel odd. I think you could tell that the Core was feeling strained on having to continue pushing out new levels and lore every year. Funny enough, one of the best parts of the third game was running around Lara's mansion and finding out all the secrets.

While I never finished this game, I played it enough and one of my grievances with this one is rather than keep the save anywhere nature of the second game, they decided to make a hybrid of the first 2 games. The save crystals needed for saving in the first one are back but rather than being in pre determined areas to save, they are now items you can pick up to use and save anywhere so when compared to the first it does sound better however given that 2 was just save anywhere, it feels like a bit of a step backward. Weirdly enough, the PC version didn't have any of that and opted for saving anywhere like 2.