Retro|Spective 124R: Tomb Raider

[Cassius_Smoke]

TR1: Classic
TR2: Bit long and the level designs (like the ship) were all over the place
TR3: Very polished but a bit dull
TR LR: I played it but remember nothing of it. Says it all probably.

[Atticus]

I didn't get along with Tomb Raider until it revolutionised the series into what it is today. I did play the original on PlayStation and while I liked the general ambiance (soundtrack is brill) I found the movement to be sluggish and floaty.

[QualityChimp]

I've got a memory of one game (TR2 Maybe?) that had some sharks and at one point, it's in a tank, but you could make it follow you.

I lead it to the walk-in fridge, then committed suicide for the police to work WTF happened in Croft Manor that fateful night.

Not really on the last bit, but I was impressed with the detection coding.

[Neon Ignition]

Game 06 - Tomb Raider: Chronicles
Despite her death, the fifth game arrived a year later and levels took place framed as recalled events from her life before setting up the reveal that she had actually survived. Having been pushed into making the game, Core used concepts that had been cut from the fourth game and as such it suffered from being and entry with nothing unique to it, merely offering more of the same and suffering in reviews and sales as a result. All eyes, by this point, were on what the other Core team was working on for PS2.







Apathy aside, was it better than the fourth entry and a fitting cap on the original era?

[Asura]

Wow, I don't even remember this one.

[Neon Ignition]

I didn't play much of it, I was well tired of the series by this point. What little I did play felt overly disjointed and I don't think it helped that Lara's death was never believable in the first place

[wakka]

I played this one. Honestly, I enjoyed it, back in 2000. I think it coincided with me just reaching an age where I could actually beat these games. It had very few tombs in it though, and in retrospect the game's central conceit of navigating these complex physical environments doesn't really pass muster in the same way when you're in, like, an opera house, or an office.

I remember Angel of Darkness was criticised for the same thing (which we will becoming onto next I imagine).

[Cassius_Smoke]

Is this the one that's a series of missions rather then a story? I think I remember playing it.
I bet as we go through these games I'll be surprised at how many I've played.

[Neon Ignition]

Game 07 - Tomb Raider: Curse of the Sword
Unfortunately for Core, not only were the console entries remaining popular but their Game Boy side gig had been as well meaning that a sequel to that entry was greenlit also. The sequel retained the game engine from the previous game and was very much a case of more of the same but never the less it was once again a hit.







A cursed experience?

[wakka]

"Curse of the Sword" has to be the laziest title for a TR game imaginable.

[Asura]

Body proportions, Lara looks like one of the Thunderbirds puppets in that boxart.

Only with massive, massive tits.

[Neon Ignition]

Game 08 - Tomb Raider: The Prophecy
The next game arrived on Game Boy Advance but in a reprieve for Core was finally outsourced, this time to Ubisoft Milan. The game switched to a top down perspective in order to allow for more freedom of movement with the aim being that the gameplay should be closer to that of the original two games. The end result scored middling, with repetition being an issue.







Underrated or undeserving?

[Asura]

I mean, gotta give it to them; it does look like Tomb Raider.

[Neon Ignition]

Game 09 - Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness
The sixth game in the main series, Lara has returned from her assumed death and as the first next-gen entry expectations were high. Core had been working on this for several years and the aim was to make something that advanced the series to better fend off action titles of the time. The game sold well but was criticised heavily for technical issues and its reputation cemented as being a bad entry leading to development of the franchise being passed to Crystal Dynamics moving forward.





A genuine angel of darkness?

[Cassius_Smoke]

Yep I had this one too. If I remember, it had something janky with the climbing mechanic which made some sections nigh impossible. I don't think I got very far.