The Best and Worst Thing About Every Tomb Raider
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- Опубликовано: 2 авг 2022
- Music: Cybernetics by Nuclear Wave & Find the Deep by Aliaksei Yukh from tunetank.com
#tombraider #laracroft #ranking #bestandworst #gaming #review #playstation 
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Just to point out I'm aware Camilla is from the UK, but she lost her accent and is too incompetent to bring it back convincingly, so a lot of Californian noticeably remains in her speech. 🙂
lmfao
Bro, this might be a dumb question but how do you get the graphics to look so smooth on pc? I just got a gaming laptop specifically to play old games like this because the ps1 versions are just so terrible, I like how this looks compared to ps1 too
@@likeandsharedeeznutsbruh2845 These are the PC versions of the games. However, Duckstation emulator can clean up PS1 games amazingly
@@SethMcKenzieTV if the pc versions look that clean by default then I'm keen to play them, thanks
@@likeandsharedeeznutsbruh2845 for TR1 and 2, seek out "automated fix" for Steam versions :)
Something I like about tomb raider anniversary is how it managed to keep that liminal lonely feeling tomb raider 1 had at certain locations. The ambience of TRA is probably the best in the series
You should play the original. TRA really did chop a LOT of good stuff out of the original. As a long time fan of the series TRA was something I looked forward to but was seriously disappointed by the lack of levels and immersion.
@@CleverClover2023 I have played the original, I wouldn't be able to make the comparison above if I didn't, probably one of my favorite games in the series. I am saying that TRA has somewhat managed to capture that same feeling when it comes to ambience
TRA is the best TR game ever together with TRL! The older games prior to TRAOD didn't age well unfortunately.
@@CleverClover2023 If you haven't already, check out Dagger of Xian. It's a fan remake of The Great Wall level from TR2 and it made me relive my childhood
@@satan9247 exactly 😂
I love how lost city in Rise was actally LOST (deserted, abandoned) but in Shadow I only briefly enjoyed the abandoned village better than Paititi
Shadow had it's moments but they changed things they didn't need to change. Took the control away from the player way too much and the tutorials never stop and you can't turn them off lol smh.
Shadow was just all... meh.
Graphics were good, but compared to other games, like Horizon Zero Dawn, which came out years before, it's disappointing again.
@@dezpotizmOFheaven I preferred it to Horizon, by a long way. Shadow did tombs really well. I could get lost on my own accord.
HZD was as wide as an Ocean, and deep as a puddle. With a spectacularly banal leading girl, with that Aloy creature, or whatever her name is.
My goodness, she's awful. Not Abby from LOU2 levels of awful, but pretty bad.
Shadow still had Lara Croft. Cultural icon, Lara Croft, and not ginger bow and arrow, wannabee. You can't take that away from it. Shadow was underrated. HZD, was one of the most overrated games I've ever played. Along with God of War, Uncharted 4, Elden Ring, Last of Us, and a whole host of others.
@@lonestar6709 Horizon Zero Dawn has a much wider possibility of things you can do, and weapons you can use.
You can also climb the same way as in Tomb Raider.
And it's much more of an open world game.
But usually I was reffering to the graphics. They are also better in HZD, than in SOTTR - cut scenes not counted in.
Cringe tr games
I genuinely think that Legend/Anniversary moveset is waaay more fluid and responsive and the gameplay experience is way more superior and fun than the TR2013 ones.
Yes! Comparing the two, 2013 timeline Lara seems to be so stumbly, uncoordinated and tank-like. Also, notoriously slouching her back in the "ready for action" position, which just feels like she can't straighten her spine and actually it takes away from the feel for me. I would rather for other factors, like music and lightning, to make me feel tense. Legend-Underworld Lara's moves feel smooth and fluid, animations are connected nicely and switch fast. When I played Anniversary as a kid, I would sometimes find a flat spot and just try out all the acrobatics she could perform (and kinda fangirl over her abilities).
@@diamondangel3442 The variety of stunts Lara could perform pressing the right buttons in LAU always blew my mind! In the lastest trilogy even jumping to get a ledge felt and looked sketchy and unpolished and it’s sad how acrobatics in videogames nowdays look “legit” only when it comes to superheroes, villains or anything different from a human being. Just imagine if the gameplay could also permit the interaction between ambient and enemies to do some acrobatic combat movesets that don’t feel scripted, up to the player’s skills to perform it, in a some sort of Devil May Cry style. I just hope that at least in the next games the targeting will be back to automatic because to point-and-shoot in a game like that only kills the pace and the huge amount of gameplay potential and possibilities.
@@Flamboyvnt Yes! I found manual aiming very unpolished. I do have to say bow aiming in slower-paced + stationary-based combat was fun, as it is precise and lets you adjust nicely before shooting. However, I had to play through some other areas by trial and error and implementing strategies until I knew the intended way, more or less. A lot of dumb deaths, because I was a little off the hitbox or couldn't keep up with many enemies, my indicator drawing circles and having a casual little dance around the screen while I'm trying to focus and properly point my gun at someone. And I want to believe I'm not very sh!t at video games : p
@@diamondangel3442 that's what made me LIKE 2013, Lara actually moves like Lara, Legend had Crash Bandicoot controls with VERY EASY platforming and highlighted ledges, felt like playing a kids game. Then all this shooting gallery stuff wasn't really great either. Original Tomb Raiders had stiff, tight controls, with hairline gaps between jumps. Not Legend and its sequels. New reboot is back to the roots in many ways, except for their hatred for dual pistols, shorts, and braids. Also she's RAIL THIN, and model-like, bring back muscular Lara!
@@diamondangel3442 omg the back slouching was so odd lol
I get the point about too many humans in TR2, but to me that makes the race to the Dagger of Xian against Marco Bartoli much more exciting.
Sure it's fun, but it nullifies the "tomb raider" experience
I’d say “Venice” is my worst part of TR. it’s just too long…unless I’m misremembering it
@@benironside1264 ur right it’s pretty repetitive and melow
TR2 is the best TR for me
@@benironside1264 your probably misremembering it mate, venice is one of the shorter levels in the game (unless you are counting bartolis hideout and opera house as part of venice in which case it does go on a bit)
I like the energy of this, taking the good and the bad. It makes me hate the recent leaks a lot less honestly. my fave is TR3 and I love it entirely, but if I had to pick one aspect it would be the globetrotting. Being able to choose where to go next was a super cool idea, despite the fact that you can screw yourself by not going to Nevada first. And I guess that's what I hate most about it, that so many things in the game punish you completely unfairly. There's no such thing as surviving that game on a first try. And I get that games can just be hard and unfair on purpose, im a huge souls fan i get it, but in TR3 you have *limited saves*. Death by trolling is soooo unfun when you have limited saves.
The most jerky move from the developers with TR3 was to add the save crystal system, especially when players had gotten used to unlimited saving while playing TR2. I know people who loved TR1 and TR2, but abandoned the whole series when finding out about the save crystal system. Luckily they fixed it with PC version at least (if I remember correctly, the first versions had the save crystal system like PS as well).
The globe trotting is one of my favourite aspects of the series tbh. Which is why I was disappointed with the latest trilogy. I especially disliked the winter setting of the second one.
@@GhostfaceAB Yeah, that was especially frustrating when they gave you this teaser set in that beautiful Syrian tomb. The colours in that early level were mind-blowing, and then suddenly everything for the rest of the game is white and grey.
I survived it first try on PS1, but I *this* close to destroying the TV. 😭😭😭
You have to go to Nevada first...? Wow. Young me from 2001 is very thankful to finally know I wasn't just bad at the game, I literally went to the wrong place xD
I really liked Anniversary. I wished it sold better and was more appreciated, but it came out so late in PS2 life cycle, then got a 360 port and never came to PS3 until 2011 I think. I liked the controls way more than Angel of Darkness and it was so cool to go through TR1 levels with much better graphics. Anniversary does not have a lot of action, but it has a lot of puzzles, adventure, and platforming. It's best to play the PC version because the frame rate and resolution is better. Lara also has her iconic appearance and the mansion level returned. My main issue with Legend is that it seems very short and linear, but it's a good adventure.
I got it FOR FREE with graphics card, and it's the ONLY reason I even learned it existed! Still cannot find the CD was wondering if you can activate the key on Steam or something.
I really liked TRA as well really underappreciated
@@KasumiRINA Pirate
I played TR 2 a lot as a child and always liked the franchise, but I haven't played any other TR game until 2013... And I was absolutely in AWE how beautiful it looked. I actually took a day off work to play through it in one day, I was absolutely hooked
You would probably enjoy the remasters of TR 1-3
Legend is my fav game in thr series
Fav bit - How "tight" the game feels. None of it felt boring, there was always a way to go, and it was fun and eventful, like a good movie.
Least fav - it was so linear. It would've been nice to explore more secret areas and such.
Yeah, you could never accuse Legend of not respecting your time 👍
Same here. I liked the compactness of it in a way, I think now I'd prefer a more sprawling one like Assassin's Creed or something but Legend was the game that got me in to games as a whole. And the storyline was so good, I was truly invested in the dynamics of Lara and Amanda and even the side characters and villains were fun. Visually stunning for the time as well
I hate the linearity of Legend, but it’s my favorite TR game and one of my favorite games period so I let it slide. For future TR games I want a mixture of the old games and new ones in terms of worlds. I want to be able to globetrot again but not be stuck in this super linear path. Semi open world locations would be perfect
TRL and TRA are the best! TRU messed up the game fluidity (animations, player physics etc.) and the games after it weren't about Lara Croft but about a whiny female Robin Hood who for some unknown reason was named Lara.
First you mean not fav.
Paititi in general is the worst thing about "Shadow". It encapsulates everything about the "lack of control" in that game. It's unnecessarily mazelike (making it difficult to easily get from Point A to Point B), it limits your costume choices (which makes a lot of the costume customization pointless), and the story itself grinds to a halt when you get there and never feels like it picks back up. If it wasn't such a large part of the game--storywise and dimensionally speaking--Shadow would be a lot better. In terms of "populated" areas, the Church of San Juan, Cozumel, and Kuwaq Yaku are all much better places in the game, for both gameplay and pacing.
I understand people who don't like Cairo levels in TR4, but for some reason I've always liked that part. It's not the best thing in TR4 for me, but there's something eerie, gloomy and muggy in those levels I find oddly satisfying. It's like going into muddy slums of a huge, unknown city and just exploring its empty streets in the night. It's the same feeling that drives some people to investigate abandoned places like old hospitals, hotels etc.
👏👏👏💙💙 The words I needed to explain the feeling
When I first played that game, I had never played a horror game because I was too scared. That part of TR4 kind scratched the itch of wanting to be creeped out but without being terrified. (Though, to be fair, Cairo is not the only place of the game that can get eerie, but it's the part where that feeling of being a bit unsettled is the strongest.)
As a kid I disliked 4 not because the game was bad but because it had no Laras Home
Regarding 2013 Tomb Raider with the reinventing of the franchise, the game started out interesting in that she has to learn to survive but she goes from being traumatized over her first kill against a human attacker to being a killing machine from thereafter.
that's called a trauma response and compartmentalization; does freaking out for every kill help her survive? no? so pack it away and deal with it later (of course, a large crux of her character in the survivor timeline is that she never stops moving long enough to deal with her shit)
True, it felt so forced and unimaginative. Like it's almost a trope: she predictably makes her first kill in self-defense, responds in absolute horror for about ten seconds and then spends the rest of the game immediately being a master of whatever lethal object she picks up and slaughters her way through waves and waves of trained killers.
@@M4ruta not really like that, maybe try paying attention next time
2013 onwards just isn't tomb raider
@@QuestionableLifeChoicesto be fair we never saw classic Lara or Legends Lara do there first kill, when we play the original, your basically playing somebody who obviously is an expert of some kind. although she wasn't a senseless killer like we see in the modern games,
it's obvious she makes no bones about it when she does kill. now if you go in chronological order, in Tomb Raider Chronicals we get taken back to her early teen years, which continues in the Last Revalation, but what my guess would be, when Lara had to take a life the first time, maybe she did have a certain feeling about it at first, but she probably knew that, if this is what she wanted to do with her life. that obviously means danger will come of it,
which means she's gonna have to deal with others.
now in the Legends timeline, were dealing with an older Lara, so it wouldn't make much sense for her to feel sentimental about killing.
so from a story perspective, Lara in the 2013 having one moment of showing a human emotion, i guess it sort of did what it needed to.
but you do have to question the logic after that point, because if that's how they wanted to do it. i think the game would've served better if they took a page out of Tomb Raider Chronicals playbook, im not the biggest fan of stealth in a Tomb Raider game,
it was actually pretty interesting seeing Lara take down people.
so what they could've did with Lara in the reboot, instead of having so many human enemies you have to kill left and right,
why not setup some kind of scenario, where maybe you get one guy or two, and Lara has to find a way to get around them.
if you have to kill them ok, but if there's a way to get by them without killing,
it would sort of go better with Lara's portayal at that point. now eventually you could increase having a few more enemies,
but have Lara go through some character development first, that way people can take what's going on better.
but if all you're doing is killing left and right, it's kinda hard to take it serious.
Well, I played The Last Revelation in 1999 when it came out and back in the day it was all about the "atmosphere" for me. Cairo was dark, more of a apocapyptic horror setting, which even today I still appreciate. However, Cairo was the only level I got stuck in the entire game (the puzzle of N, S, E, W never made sense to me because in my language we use different letters for the directions) and I actually advanced making use of a glitch unintentionally. Only many years later, with the Internet, I found out you actually had to retrieve a pipe from that random jipe because I swear to God I never understood what was the point of the trenches. After many tries, I simply was able to make the jump with the sidecar without the accelaration boost. However, I still do like Cairo: it's such a different feeling from Alexandria and you really live the moment where you seee civilization collapsing. I wish it was a tad shorter, but the Giza levels are the lowest point in the game for me, they should have been 1/3 of the unnecessary lenght, it simply too repetitive and too much.
I had to do the same with the mechanical beetle. Encountered the bug that made it disappear and soft locked the game, but used what I'd learned watching glitch runs to try to trigger the spikes and discovered a new glitch that got me out of there lol
That part is in legendary top moon logic puzzles. "Nitrous Oxide connected to the carburator should give you the extra push... Go, bring me the codes!" was the FIRST English phrase I memorized, I was a tiny kid and parents tried to understand it. Atmosphere was the best in TLR, and the ONLY game that came close was Assassin's Creed Origins. Which I WISH we could play as Amunet instead... but Lara running over ninjas in Valley of the Kings on a jeep? PERFECTION.
AZIZ, LIGHT!
Yeah when game makes you think of the Mummy, Indiana Jones AND the Fifth Element, you have reached the Holy Grail.
If there’s something that I love about The Last Revelation is how puzzling it is and the feeling of “impending doom” some of the levels had...
The curses of Egypt. Very directly referenced, first act ends with the blood rivers flowing into the sarcophagus. Then there's frogs, locusts and darkness. Exodus is very popular story for adventure, but reason Tomb Raider went with that imagery is the Mummy film.
Also major spoiler:
YOU DIE IN THE END.
Chronicles is flashbacks at Lara's MEMORIAL, you see them find her backpack, and in AoD Lara reemerges looking like she actually DID die, but the game wasn't released until many years later so YOUR CHILDHOOD HERO JUST HAD A HORRIBLE DEATH BURIED ALIVE BY THE RUBBLE AFTER FIGHTING A GOD.
Legend is my favourite as I personally like the aiding commentary by Zip and Alister who help provide the extra nuggets of info regarding where you are and it still allows Lara to be physically alone somewhere (and it must fit my sort of humour, I guess). Plus it’s a good old fashioned Tomb Raider type story, the variety of locations are excellent and one of the best British actresses of this generation, Keeley Hawes voices Lara.
My main negative of it is that it’s quite short and there’s too many human shootouts which could’ve been used to extend set pieces instead.
For a later one, Rise has a much better story overall as it’s actually mostly focused on an mystical artefact and civilisation (Jacob and The Elixir Of Life). But the big negative is that they had to emotionally shoehorn Lara’s past into the villain’s plot and totally ruined what would’ve just been a great villain. The villain’s reasonings for wanting the Elixir Of Life was great and her manipulative personality worked really well but having to shoehorn Trinity into everything really hampered the whole series’ story for me and I hope Trinity are whitewashed from the new combined timeline.
Reboot trilogy is a textbook example of the old saying "different strokes for different folks". They saw Uncharted and wanted a piece of that. They were good games, but they were not games made for the same audience that liked the originals.
The writing was not the best, but canonically they take place before all of the other PS1 and PS2 games, and the Yamatai expedition where Lara acts as a whiny child was literally her first expedition (or among the first ones she went on). Thus, it makes sense, story wise, that she was not ready to face all of the deranged insanity she eventually found on that island which included, among other things, almost being raped and having to kill other human beings, in order to survive and escape that madness. I don't know how many rape victims and/or victims that were forced to kill in self defence you've met, but I would argue that it gives Lara enough of a justification for acting the way she did.
And you can see that growth by the end of 1 and in most of 2 and 3, where she eventually becomes numb to all of the horrors around her, being willing to do whatever it takes to get to the other side.
The main problem of the writing in 2 and 3, on the other hand, was having Trinity in it. The story didn't need an army of brainwashed 21st century templars to be good, but by making that decision in pre-production, they put themselves into a corner they couldn't escape from anymore.
Also, there is an actual reason as to why the reboot trilogy often wrestles controls away from you. Those sections where Lara is forced to walk or crawl through gaps in the walls are more often than not loading screens. In 1 for example it predominantly happens when you go into some tomb, as the game has to load the tomb itself before you can go in as well as the rest of the map once you are leaving the tomb. In 2 and 3 it's more of the same, with the addendum that whenever she's talking over the radio they want to make sure that the conversation she's having is not interrupted mid sentence if you advance past a certain point. It is arbitrary, but it's very rare that they do it for any reason that isn't a game mechanic dependancy.
Nope, it does not take place before all other PS1 and PS2 games. Especially when both Laras have different backstories, the Ireland level in TR Chronicles is what sparked her to become a tomb raider for example.
I agree about the games being for different audience, but the reboot trilogy is set in completely new timeline/universe. For example in the original Ps1 games Lara was in bad terms and distant with her parents who didn't like her adventure lifestyle and wanted her to be a "proper" Croft, but Ps2 era changed Lara's background completely in Legend and made Lara look for her lost mother whom she was close to. Then the reboot completely wiped Lara's story clean again, so the events of the original games don't exist there. It'd actually be interesting to see the reboot saga's take on the original TR in this alternate timeline.
"writing wasn't the best." I don't know. I felt myself feeling for Lara and crying at times. I'm so happy with how well the survival trilogy turned out.
@@FeraNelia Yes a remake of the ireland section with modern graphics and gameplay as a "reboot" would be quite interesting. Or perhaps something about her escape from Egypt where she was thought to be dead hence Tr5 But all in all i would say the latest 2 reboot games especially seem much more like an assassin's creed (especially shadow) then Tomb raider at all its very far away from tomb raider.
Legend got me hooked onto the franchise. I bought a new copy in 2008 and only played it briefly. Wasn't until 10 years later I dug it out and actually immersed myself that I really appreciated what a great game it was - I particularly enjoyed the three way banter between Zip, Lara and Alistair, for which some criticise for being too interfering. Overall I felt the game was quite very versatile in the level environments, vibrant and very engaging. The controls certainly felt much more fluid and easier to grasp than the seriously clunky and stiff experience from AoD.
I was there at the very beginning. People seem to forget this game is so old it only got support for polygon graphics six months after launch. Up until then it was a pixelated mess much like a lot of other Core Design games. But it had something. That sense of freedom. You did your best to survive so you could keep exploring. Gradually over the years they have put more and more into the games but perversely that freedom has lessened with every new entry. The backdrops should be the stars of the show but a lot of the time they just highlight the poor writing and are relegated to be used as gunfighting arenas. Design seems to be on rails and the whole thing just feel like every other pretty looking game that is going to make big demands on your free time. They need to stop shoehorning the franchise into a neverending series of set pieces and start thinking about freedom of exploration. It's like they are afraid to have the player wandering about doing things that aren't in the script. Build a game that lets you do just that and have the writing reflect it. Stop shovelling crafting and gunplay down peoples throats and let the backdrops tell the story.
@@kuvakei I'll stick it on my wishlist.
are there any videos that show how the game looked before that "support for polygon graphics"?
@@dicecard921 idk. it always supported polygons. maybe sega saturn version worked differently. i think it didnt support hardware acceleration for some time though. it was first in software mode.
Freedom of movement..... Walk, don't run. you might miss something..... good looking environments.
This IS why Tomb Raider and Mario 64 were such groundbreaking titles. They had these 3 elements in them as core gameplay mechanics. Hardly anyone has NOT played one or the other OR BOTH.
@@dicecard921 I agree with RealHero. If somebody has uploaded a Sega Saturn version, That's just about what you were asking for. The versions for PS 1 were also software only titles but emulators will just automatically clean up the graphics
The funny thing is that in older games I loved just walking around (especially in areas/hubs where it would make sense). And in TR I would run and then naturally choose to walk and look around. Being forced to walk and even having the camera control stolen from me just to make sure I notice something not only takes that enjoyment away from me but make me annoyed and frustrated; taking me out of the game world!
Great video BTW. I really enjoyed the Sci-fi-ish setting of TR: Chronicles as well!
right? and people have the audacity to say that the og ones dont hold your hands lol
Legend and Underworld are my favourite of the serie. I loved the different environment, the motorbike levels, the return of a more advanced doppelgänger in Underworld and the plot was amazing in my opinion, also cause I’m a big fan of Celtic and Nordic mythology. If I have to choose only one of them I would def choose Underworld for the better graphic and for the more immersive plot
I'd like to add that music in Underworld is also just *amazing.* Thailand level has just a banger after banger. You FEEL like you're in that jungle, and the inclusion of ethnic instruments and sounds characteristic for that area are such a lovely touch!
I'm one of those strange people who likes Cairo. It's just all about atmosphere for me, and Cairo has it in spades. The motorcycle is a bugger to control sometimes (and I end up reloading a lot after crashing into a wall because I cba to spend 45 seconds reversing) but all in all, it's creepy and fun! 😊 I find the Semerkhet levels WAY more dull.
That makes two of us 😃 I also like the city of the dead part in TR4. Like you mentioned, it is all about the atmosphere it has. It's a horrorgame in it's own right.
@@instrumentaldude8349 All Tomb Raiders had horror game elements. The lonely atmosphere, deathtraps everywhere, silence and emptiness with music only playing during STUFF HAPPENING made me scared as a kid! Honorable mentions of most traumatic moments: stepping on Midas Hand. Natla dive to abyss. Meat monsters. Doppelganger. Watching mafia guy stab himself to reborn as dragon, the cult itself. FEAR OF DROWNING. Half of TR2 is water levels. Scare of heights everywhere but especially in TR3 city levels. . Antarctica, all of it. Spiiiiiiiders. SCARABS! The Mummy curses of Egypt dead city levels in TLR. TOMBS, by definition. ALSO YOU F'N DIE! What PS1 game had main character dying in the end? Diablo. That's it? Probably some jRPG. Chronicles had entire horror third chapter. THAT MERMAID. The Dark Knight, freakin' windmills. Being a helpless teen with monsters around... other time Lara was more like mum. But young Lara was more like me. Sure, it was not Silent Hill and doesn't have Resident Evil's jumpscares but other than these two, it was the scariest game series from my childhood...
I never played Shadow, but I thought it was so funny that bit when you tried to grab the ledge beneath Lara but it was not grabable so she just dies 😂 It highlighted your frustration with the randomness of the interactions with the environment
You forgot the add-on packs!
I actually think that TR2: The Golden Mask might be the best Tomb Raider game out there, more so than any of the full-length instalments. The progression of locations from Arctic island with abandoned Soviet base through to forgotten underground city of an ancient civilisation through to mystical cloud forest allows for a compelling variety of environments but also makes them seem logically connected, which anchors the more fantastical third and fourth levels by having them as a natural extension of the more grounded first and second. And on top of that the artistic realisation of those grounded levels is so spectacularly evocative (the aurora of The Cold War, the breaking dawn of Fool's Gold, the interplay between the natural snow/ice/rock and the industrial concrete/metal/rust) that I imagine that exploring such a place in the real world, after having played through this adventure, could only be a disappointment.
And regarding the gameplay, it's the only one of the classic series (1-5) that I was ever able to get through all by myself, without needing the assistance of any walkthrough, whilst also still managing to find all the secrets! A sensible degree of explorability plus some reasonably logical puzzle-solving creates intuitive routes through each level with the end result being a totally rewarding playing experience. However, since we're talking about the bad as well as the good, once you've found all the secrets, you're obligated to finish* your playthrough with a buggy, garish, half-developed after-thought of a bonus level...
* If it'll actually let you.
Yes ! The odd on packs. I enjoyed The Lost Artifact the most. It was the best playing of all the add ons. A nice variety of areas to explore and some were colorful and gave the feeling of being recently occupied.
The most cinematic one was Lara's Shadow. A Great story that was well told. BUT Bad and repetitive gameplay held it back.
Fantastic video and commentary! Agreed with pretty much everything you said. I think for the best thing in TR4 I'd go a step further and include the amount of time spent exploring Egyptian sites in general. The atmosphere of that game is unmatched from start to finish. Art and level design, music and ambience, the varying scales of the environments you discover that range from tiny tomb chambers to the pyramids of Giza. Mindblowing at the time and still holds up even after two decades!
In Anniversary, the worst bit for me was the t-Rex. What made the moment so effective in the original is that there was no build up, it was just part of the game. Yet by building up the t-Rex in TRA, they actually detract from the atmosphere and moment. And don’t get me started on the quick time events…
However I LOVED Lara’s mansion in TRA. Best version of it for me. Great puzzles, wonderfully atmospheric music and just the right amount of unlockables. Fantastic stuff.
I just beat the mansion section in TRA last year again and it was awesome. Probably on par with TR3. I actually don't mind QTEs in games, but I am pretty neutral about it.
TR 1: Exactly the same as video - exploration / Natla's mines
TR 2: Opening (including first two Venice levels) / The undersea levels are a step down
TR 3: South Pacific Levels / Getting stuck constantly
TR 4: The early areas / Losing self-contained levels (you never know where to go or what you're doing)
TR 5: Nice gentle pacing / Those young Lara levels
AOD: Didn't finish it / Early game wasn't enough to keep me playing
Legend: Lara's rig / The car chase
Anniversary: Same as video / The bland graphics
TRU: Thailand seemed fun / Didn't finish it because it was boring
TR: Same as video / Lara sucks
TR 2: The optional tombs / Lara and story sucks
TR 3: The optional tombs / Lara and story sucks + bonus horrible opening
Agreeable takes! 😁
man, venice was such a great part of TR2, even the oil rig was decent, but maria doria brought it down real deep (ironic), but the tibet levels did well to bring it up back to being enjoyable
@@simplysmiley4670 Tibet levels were really good. Temple of Xian one of the best levels in the franchise (though I got stuck last playthrough - it had been a decade - those jumpy platforms).
@@passyourieltsWhat you dislike the most in TR2 its what i like the most , underwater levels well design and balanced enough , a little long tho , and Venice is really cool and well representated , you could actually finish the second level in two different ways , with or without the boat ,either way u will appear in the both at Bartolis Hideout.
@@simplysmiley4670What u didnt like at Maria Doria ?! The level is lengthy and requires backtraking more or less like Opera House , the puzzles are super well done in both levels but u need to think a little bit because u come to the main room and acess new areas constantly . Im an avid TR2 fan and for me the hardest level is Floating Islands .
I was never a huge Tomb Raider fan but I respect the series and had lots of fun with the first two games, part one in particular. I think my favorite part about the very first game is the atmosphere. In and out of the game. Sound kinda meta but Tomb Raider was the first game of the then new console generation that I played excessively. It just felt so new to explore these giant tombs. I guess that's why I think the tombs are the best thing about "Shadow ...", too.
Also thanks for calling out the writing and voice acting in Tomb Raider (2013). That annoyed me so much that I had take a break and finish it my native language which is something I rarely do.
Great video! My favorite is TR2 and I think you nailed it with your comments. I'll add that my favorite thing is the way the levels intra-connect, sometimes in unexpected ways, through exploration. "Level design" I guess. My least favorite part is probably the simplistic combat, but I'm not sure I'd actually change anything about it. Ok back to things I love: the feelings it gives you such as fear as you swim away from a great white while rapidly running out of oxygen or the dread of knowing you have to leave the relative safety of the ship and get back into the scary water if you want to get all the secrets. Or the awe as you stare ahead at the absolutely massive icy chasm you have to cross (but have no idea how you're going to achieve it). Ahhh. I could go on and on....
The Cistern was my FAVORITE level in both the original and the remake. Love the music and atmosphere of that level.
Let me see if I can make my list:
--TR1 is perfect in every way and there's nothing wrong with it
--TR2 is perfect in every way and there's nothing wrong with it XD
--TR3 had great locations but I hated the lighting and that orange flare that lasted 1/4 of the original in TR2
--TRTLR had a cool Egypt-centric story and she moved great but I hated the "run from the unkillable bull in the dark" part and you can't choose your favorite level so you have to play the full game with aforementioned bull to get to them
--TRC was fun to play different areas again but you can't choose the levels, which sucks
--TRAOD had a great concept that was new to the series with introducing alchemy but the controls ruined it
--TRL was the most fun I've had since TR2 but sometimes the quick-time evens were annoying and Lara would slip from every ledge like she had butter in her shoes
--TRA was a great revisit to the original but the environments looked bland compared to the colorful original
--TRU felt good to play and I liked them bringing back the "evil" Lara, but I really didn't like the Thralls respawning endlessly and then it was a chore to encounter and dispose of them
--TRR I liked the linearity of going from place to place with a purpose while moving the story along and I forgive Lara's bland personality on the premise that she is inexperienced, I think the platforming could be improved a little
--ROTR had decent gameplay but I hated the crafting system where you need 100 deer skins to make a single leather strap coupled with the lack of game to get materials from. [edit] also Lara's personality became grating to me in this one
--SOTR had the best tombs in the trilogy like you said, but the forced walking and menial tasks killed the pacing for me, and in this one there's no forgiving lara still having an annoyingly bland personality
There is a cheat code for TRTLR where you can skip all Levels individually. So when you want to play your favorite level i think you should try it :)
@@Bibbes95 I did something like that once, but then I didn't have the item from the skipped episode to progress the story. A tire iron or something like that, idk
Yes, that sums them up nicely. I loved the first three, but the TRAOD controls and the ROTR crafting (among other faults) were total game killers for me, making them abysmal games IMO. I didn't bother to get far in either of them and with the lacklustre recent additions to TR, they've managed put me off the franchise.
Wtf. TR1 didn't had ponytail, Lara's breasts were triangles, the tombs were bright without any source of light and most of the time we didn't had even ambient sounds. I wouldn't call this "perfect in any way" at all. I could point out many problems for every TR game.
@@ps4games164 Bright games are better! Ambient sounds in deserted tombs? But yes, obviously ponytails are the only way to measure a good videogame. :D
Tomb Raider is a different game now entirely.
It was always about being alone in an undiscovered part of the world, searching for artefacts long forgotten.
There was atmosphere and the music added to that without ever being overbearing.
The enemies were animals or mummies.
Now it's about having friends (diverse friends mind you) helping you along the way, using technology like Bond, and when you discover some ancient tomb, there are already 20 armed marines waiting on you that you have to tediously fight through like it's Call Of Duty.
I love the old TR games, I cannot stand the new ones.
Another thing about the new ones, in order to access a tomb, you have to swing, climb, roll, open doors with hidden switches, so how come all those marines managed to do it without leaving any clues they were there? So annoying.
Late reply but I completely agree! I enjoy the newest trilogy as a standalone series but it’s not Tomb Raider to me. They just don’t have the same vibe as the earlier games.
TR 2013 shouldn't be named Tomb Raider since Lara didn't wanna explore or do anything except finding her friends and leave that island asap to get herself a therapist which made people hate the reboot. Lara in the last 2 games wasn't serviving or fighting for her life. But the gameplay didn't change it's always look around, loot, shoot a bunch of enemies behind cover, level up your skills and then go kill the bad guy at the end who was trying to take something away from you.
Btw I don't understand why she loses her skills in every game, like the weapon upgrades is okey but not her skills.
diverse friends? are you kidding me? have you played any tomb raider? jfc
yeah killing a bunch of animals, mummies and w/e those centaurs were, oh and a freaking t-rex... because of reasons lol
thank god they rebooted the series, without the nostalgia they are so bad
@@Spacewind-sb1cq another person that didnt pay attention, Lara was there for the exploration, rescuing Sam was the main goal, but she couldnt help herself and explore the history of the island... and yes, she wanted to explore... play the game and pay attention
I think my least favourite is Chronicles, but my favourite thing about Chronicles was really the chance to experience the Last Revelation-like gameplay with new environments. My favourites would have to be a tie between Last Revelation and Underworld, I get what you mean by the boring sameyness of many of Underworlds levels (which was part of the story conceit as the idea was that a single monolithic culture built the "underworlds" that the tombs are then built on top of) but whenever i look back on Underworld, the diversity of the different areas stands out as one of my favourite things. That first part to each level, where you're in an aesthetically unique environment themed around a different ancient culture each time, just shines in my memory more than the more samey second parts of the levels. Whenever I play through Xibalbá it makes me feel like the classic games felt, and I still distinctly remember the joy of arriving in that level and then realising they've done a whole set piece based around the Mayan calendar - it was such a great moment. It also has some of the most memorable enemies - the naga, the spiders, the yetis...
My favorite part is TR3 - the best thing is the Level Design and the uniqueness of every single Level. For me there is not a bad Level - not even Lud's Gate - that diving part is challenging tho. I think TR 3 has also the best pacing balance between action and exploring and the enemy types are very diverse. My favorite Level is Crash Site (Jurassic Park fan here) and my least favorite but still acceptable Level is London Thames I guess.
The worst thing is the fact that you don't just loose all your weapons in Nevada like in every other TR game, but that the inventory is fully reset. What's the point of choosing the order of your destination when you're in fact forced to pick Nevada first all the time. Why couldn't they just let Lara keep all the carefully collected Ammo and Med Kits?
Also the ammo balance is a bit off. With one Uzi pick up you manage to kill maybe two rats - with one Desert Eagle pick up you can take down the Endboss.
I used the RPG on Spider-Willard but 50 cal works also.
What I hated about Shadow was how you could only wear certain costumes in certain areas. That's the restrictiveness that's kept me from going back to it....
I strongly agree with the Cairo/City of the Dead section in Tomb Raider Last Revelation. TR4 is probably my favorite and it was my first tomb raider game, originally on sega dreamcast. But those levels were dark, convoluted, and confusing. The tutorial never even tells you that Lara can move a dead body. I remember often quitting the game when I made it to those levels. I took some notes to help me next time, though.
everything you said is exactly why I liked the old tomb series and I hate the idea of people in the game especially - hey look there is a whole civilization of people who still live in the mountains hidden from civilization and you are familiar with it and they with you.
stuck in tomb/places looking for a way out, this is excitement.
(I remember when I played, when I was young, when I came out of the tomb and the sun made Lara shield her eyes. this created a sensation and excitement for me, making me feel like I was on an adventure with her
Fun fact about the soundtrack of the first game - I attended a talk with Nathan McCree, the music designer for the first 3 Tomb Raider games (who has now released "The Tomb Raider Suite" - a crowd funded copy of the original soundtracks recorded with the London Philharmonic Orchestra) and he said that there was such a crunch on getting the first game done, that they took all the music he had created for the first game and threw it into the game wherever they liked overnight when he was at home. He came in in the morning, and the music was in all the wrong places, and the project had been finalised, so he couldn't change it. In his words "Evidently it wasn't that bad because you all loved it!"
I grew up with ps1 TR so suffice to say that to me those are the only games I go back and play till this day
The climbing mechanics and desolate mysterious feeling of exploration hasn't been replicated ever since . Not even the so called TR clones of the ps1 era come close to the uniqueness of ps1 TR
I liked your criticism on the tomb raider series as a whole. I can’t wait to see what Crystal dynamics does with the next tomb raider game I would say my least favorite thing about shadow of the tomb raider was a lot of the forest game speed were they had you slow down it did break my immersion as well. Even though I understand why it was done to give the game time to load in those data segments for the upcoming level and section. Now one of my hopes is for the next time raider game I suspect we won’t have that problem with because it’ll be on, the PlayStation five which will be a more powerful Consol and we should not have any of these secret loading segments and games anymore.
My favorite game is Rise and it's also the first one I ever played. The environment and history of the game kept my mind captivated for years. When I returned to the game years later I was happy to learn that it wasn't just nostalgia that made me like the game but that it actually is that great. I really wish we got more of survivor Lara
My least favorite thing is how short and simple the tombs. They are better than 2013 ones which stop after the first step but I wish there were challenges there. It's good that every tomb has a path that you have to traverse first so it elongates the experience but they are still too short
You didn't play TR game pal. Play Legend. It's a TR game. Anniversary too.
@@ps4games164 sure...
Underworld is a pearl too, but I agree with Seth, it can be repetivite here and there. Legend and Anniversary are evergreen TRs.
We’ve already got enough from that cry baby
Hey Seth awesome video!
I quite like the dialogue of Tomb Raider 2013 in my opinion. You had an immediate connection with the characters throughout the play through and when Grim and especially Roth died it was so heartbreaking. My least favourite part is probably the Solarii brotherhood. We’re a little frustrating especially when there was a lot of them
i found that hilarious. a ragtag band out of storm-survivors. then you think about it and wonder how many fucking people stranded there to die to lara and her multitude of weapons
Seriously idk why he hates the writing in 13
Also he seems to forget that camilla luddington is ENGLISH
I dunno, the guy saying "you're pretty, remind me of my sister" followed by a rape attempt and "she also was..." before being bitten was arguably the single worst piece of dialogue I read before I heard the actual convos ruskies had when they called home to their wives and got blessing for mass rapes... from russian women, yes.
P.S. Lara is a shark.
@@KasumiRINA ever talked to a Real weirdo?
Ya thats the sorta shit you get from the real creeps irl
Something I like about Angel of Darkness is the gorgeous soundtrack, man it sound beautiful... Something I don't like about The Last Revelation is the fact that we can't kill Seht like, we just trap him down a cavern and that's all, it's a bit anti-climactlic even if the last cutscene is great
My favorite thing about 2013, my least favorite, was shockingly the story. We needed a new origin to revitalize the franchise and like you said, the premise was good. The execution however.. not so much. There’s so much I could say for dislikes ( seeing as though we’re still being yanked on a chain after 2 more games promising to see her turn into the “tomb raider” she really is ?? ) but what grinds my gears the most is the traversal and movement. The animations are too loose and unrealistic. If there is a balance between LAU controls and Reboot controls, it needs to be found 😭
Enjoyable video, thanks for the content!
My thoughts...
TR1: Best thing, the atmosphere. The sense of isolation, discovery, and exploration is incredible. Worst thing, the controls, very sluggish and sometimes unresponsive.
TR2: best, the varied level design. From China to Venice, to a rig, to the bottom of the ocean to Tibet and back to China! Crazy! Worst, the overabundance of enemies in general.
TR3: best, the Nevada section. Area 51 is one of my favorite levels of the entire franchise, the whole section is one of my faves in gaming; the atmosphere and thrilling exploration is unrivaled. Worst, the frustrating design of the maze-like levels, such as Caves of Kaliya, Temple of Puna, Lud's Gate, RX Tech Mines, and City of Tinnos.
TR4: best, the more cinematic, epic vibe of the whole experience compared to the prior games. It felt really cool and mysterious, especially at launch. Also, DESERT RAILROAD! Worst, the overall level structure and puzzle design. Very boring to me.
TR5: best, the uniqueness and "silliness" in the level design compared to the other classic TRs. Worst, the unfinished nature of the game, it feels bizarre to play.
TRAOD: best, its overall presentation. Very similar to what you said about its style; the art direction, voice acting, music, tone, setting, levels, it all is very distinct, enjoyable, and so memorable and captivating to this day. Worst, the bosses. You can learn how to properly get around a lot of the glitches and tough controls, but the bosses in this game are just beyond broken.
TRL: best, the epic action adventure vibe. Watching the story unfold, listening to the characters banter, the slick designs and fast pace, the drama! Worst, for sure the linearity, the quad bike sections show it off the worst (even though they're still fun.)
TRA: best, the level design. I find it to be one of the most fun and balanced linear TR games, almost every level is quite enjoyable to get through with memorable and unique moments of all kinds, and the secrets were great. And they finally started really getting bosses right! Worst, the inconsistency of Lara's auto grab. It didn't always work as expected, namely in the Egypt section.
TRU: best, the moveset for sure. Lara is a blast to run, climb, and flip around with. Worst, the glitchy controls, traversal, and camera.
TR2013: The ambition and heart. It was clearly a very lovingly crafted game, it may have aged but it was a landmark title at the time and did a lot for the series. Worst, the floaty jumping. Never sat right with me.
Rise: best, the story/mysteries. I loved finding the many different hidden areas, secrets, kingdoms and societies all throughout the story. Also, LOVED the classic and functioning AOD skin in it. Worst, replay value of the main game. I appreciate the challenges but there are just way too many on-rails or very segmented scripted segments in it that feel hollow.
Shadow: best, the overall gameplay and exploration (tombs included of course). Super fun and balanced. Shout-out to it also having the most gorgeous locations in any TR. Worst, the overlong underwater sections.
Currently playing shadow for the first time and i actually love the slow down when she squeezes trough rocks and when she looks at stuff and starts talking i feel like its more personal like she does what she wants and im just keeping her company... I legit start talking to her when i get too into it xD
There is an interesting documentary type video that explores the Core Design team and how they were pushed to release a new TR game every year and everything was rushed and the team didn’t get the creative freedom to do the games justice because they had to adhere to unrealistic deadlines. Overall as a kid I loved the games 1 through 4.
Angel of Darkness had great potential. Too bad so much got cut off. And I dont know why people didn't like Laras character. I think she has the most personality out of all the classic Lara versions.
They tried adding Telltale styled dialouge options and in that way we saw how Lara interacts. And if you choose a bad/rude option, well what do you expect. Lara will be rude.
And adding Kurtis was a brilliant choice. I always saw him as her potential love interest, they match each other's energy so well. Though I didn't particularly like playing as him, as it kind of took away the mystery part of his character. Still, he could've been way more developed.
For me the worst thing about Anniversary is the damn checkpoints, medipacks have almost no use outside of boss battles because you can just kill yourself in the quickest way possible and spawn back at the last checkpoint. Of course you can avoid that yourself but it just ruined the challange, i still love the game because it was my first game ever back when i was only 6. Turned 16 august 2nd and currently trying to actually beat all the classics, only ever managed 1, 2 and 5. Currently on 3 in the Nevada part of the game
I never beat 3 its so hard Kudos to you
Hey that was a really cool video! Great points raised here. The thing that stuck with me was your comment about TR3 vs Legend. I do miss the globe trotting aspect from tomb raider games these days and yes I didn't even realise this before you mentioned it. You do need to strike the right balance between changing of scenery and how much time you spent in each location. It's what makes TR3 one of my favourites!
You also touched on the outfit lock in Shadow. It's probably the top thing that makes me absolutely mad in TR games. Why would they do that is beyond me!! It's a very very lengthy lock too.
I'll admit I haven't played every game yet, but I largely dislike the later incarnations for the following reasons:
1. From Legend onwards the control system is very different, particularly the camera shifting. I've always played via keyboard, but it's almost impossible to play easily without a console. Yes, I need to get myself a game pad, but I loved the way original TR could be played so simply.
2. As mentioned in this video, the exploration is pared down, with the game preventing you from trying out different paths/jumps. One of my favourite things about the Core Design games is spending ages trying to work out how to travel from one place to another - finding the correct jumps etc.
3. Not only is Lara whiny in the 2013 game (and later), she looks nothing like Lara Croft. Her face is completely wrong. It may be a small point, but it makes her seem like a totally different person and disconnects her from previous games.
4. I know all games progress, but it's sad that later designers seemed to be trying to turn TR into a load of other popular games instead of keeping it true to itself. I hate the checkpoint saving system, much preferring being able to save wherever. It seems like a major step back, and also detracts from the exploration as you spend your time just trying to get through sections without being able to enjoy them properly.
The first game I played was TR2 in 1998, and it's probably my favourite not just because of the nostalgia, but because it's so varied and beautiful to look at. I agree there are too many henchmen to kill, however. I also love 1, 3, and parts of 5 (I don't like the end section), and I love the Gold expansions. AoD could have been a masterpiece and I really wish the designers had been given enough time to finish it properly. Legend is okay, and I agree the England section is the best. I know it seems to be most people's favourite, but I've never really enjoyed TR4 - though bits of it are beautiful - as it's just so monotonous with loads of rehashed puzzles, and too much backtracking through levels. I've also never enjoyed climbing the pyramid.
TR2 so good . Quantity of enemies its fine in difficulty just have to constantly jump away from them and shoot constantly . The game is perfect to be honest not even a single tomb raider as came so close to this masterpiece .
Great video as always! I’ve recently just gone through a replay of all the games after many years and I gotta say I struggled finishing Underworld, it’s just so boring in comparison to the others I kept procrastinating it and finally had to force myself through it after I finished everything else. Ironically though it probably has one of the best levels ever which is Thailand of course. The Irish level in TR5 was also completely wtf, feels like a fan-made level. And SOTR gotta agree first time I played it I would scream at the tv with every forced walk cycle and constant cut-scene interruption - second time playing it I knew when to avoid them so it was a much more pleasant experience.
I really like the new remake trilogy. Cause you see Lara growth in it like in Tomb Raider 2013 ,she's truly a greenhorn, then in Rise, she's totally skilled hunter.
For the forced slow transitions in tight spaces in shadow. I think those are supposed to act as loading screnes that dont break immersone, which ironically still happens for some people, while im the animation i think the game unloads the whole area behind you and loads up the area in front of you. One way of keeping the graphics and mechanics looking good and running better than having the whole map loaded at all times
TR1 - Best: The level design. Worst: Controls are more stiff and not as refined as the other classic games, like having sidestep left and right mapped to seperate buttons.
TR2 - Best: Again, the level design and variety of locations Lara visits, a lot more diverse than TR1. Worst: Way too many gun-toting human enemies who drain your health within seconds.
TR3 - Best: See TR2. Worst: The convoluted puzzles and basically being forced to pick Nevada first so you don't go into Antarctica with barely any weapons or ammo and TR3 was very stingy with ammo to begin with.
TR4 - Best: The Alexandria levels. Worst: The entire second half of the game.
TR5 - Best: The VCI levels were a lot of fun and very refreshing, proof that Tomb Raider can work in a futruristic setting. Worst: The game feels extremely rushed with no love put into it, you could tell Core Design was completely over Tomb Raider by this time.
AoD - Best: The story and atmosphere. Worst: The controls, glitches and amount of cut content, again this game felt so rushed out to meet a deadline.
Legend - Best: The grand scale of the levels, some of the series' most beautiful levels are in Legend. Worst: The game is extremely short and linear, I beat the game on my first playthrough in an entire afternoon.
Anniversary - Best: Palace Midas and St Francis Folly were greatly expanded upon and imo superior to the originals. Worst: A lot of levels got cut down and replaced with boring corridors.
Underworld - Best: The controls and Lara's moveset. Worst: The levels are so bland and dull-looking aside from Thailand.
TR2013 - Best: The controls and visuals. Worst: The story.
I haven't played Rise or Shadow.
All right, now I kinda want to see a Tomb Raider kart racing game. The thought of Lara (or some other character) having to kart-race away from a rampaging T-rex or a horde of yetis sounds mighty interesting.
My favorite thing about Tomb Raider 2013 (My least favorite game) is probably controls too, mostly because I can't think of anything else to say lol.
My favorite game, however, is quite easy to have a least favorite part, but I still love it none-the-less and it will always be my favorite game, which is Angel of Darkness. Sure it will always have its glitches but I love the exploration and puzzles in it. The music is of course wonderful. However, I do have to say the glitches bring it down, and make it much harder to play. Not to mention the pc I play it on shows it in terrible graphics, that are even worse then Tomb Raider 1's, despite being made way after.
Thanks for contributing 😁
I think you're missing the point of Natla's Mines - it's there to be a point of contrast to the upcoming section... you won't be as amazed by atlantis if you'd just been through a glamorous mine. I think the bleak and gnarly entry levels are part of what made Tomb Raider such a masterpiece, as you get a real sense of adventure and discovery
Great video! Am I the only one that remembers that Shadow of the Tomb Raider actually had several fish stealth sections in the game? :D
This was a really thoughtful and great video! For me my least favorite is TR 2013, I understand they wanted to make a naive and young Lara, but like you said in the video, it's hard to believe she becomes the hardened Lara we know by the end. It doesn't feel like a real TR game in my opinion, none of the familiar exploration we know going to various places for artefacts is present - she's just surviving on an island. Might as well be Uncharted. I also really dislike that it seems this is the TR represented the most, such as when I see art and Cosplays for example, this Lara is extremely widely used. It bothers me a lot, and no disrespect to anyone that likes the game, but I just can't bring myself to enjoy it.
My most favorite TR is easily TR2. I can see why the human enemies could be overused, I think because you're racing the Fiamma Nera cult the entire game for the Dagger and they're the main antagonist in the game the developers went wild with it. A little more creatures in the remote locations would be welcome. I find the level design absolutely beautiful and such a blast to play. The Venice area is such a classic, the underwater levels are such a cool concept that you're exploring a sunken ship (even if 40 Fathoms is absolute nightmare fuel 😂), the snow levels, Barkhang Monastery, the temple of Xian, honestly all of it is so awesome to explore and experience. I think one of the best touches is the last level, Home Sweet Home, when the Fiamma Nera guys come to get the dagger back/revenge. The fact you have a level in Lara's mansion at the end is so fun to me and makes sense with how mad the cult must be to track her down.
There's far more exploation in 2013 than there was in the earlier Crystal games. The games world design is really well thought out.
Great video! My least favorite is definitely the Angel of Darkness. What I liked about it is the style it had - much like you I enjoyed the combination of old EU backdrop filled with mysteries, catacombs and noir/detective vibes. My sister (also a huge TR fan) loved the graphics and art style. In a way, it was exactly what I expected a more opened up TR game to be. As for my favorite, it is the original and yeah - I hate the mines. After the amazing Egypt section, acquiring magnums and that awesome cutscene, the mines are such a downer. Playing it feels like that forced and undercooked stealth section in some other games.
I agree about most of these really. My big disagreements are Natla's Mines in TR1, which is probably one of my top 5 levels in the game. I think the rest of Atlantis is the weak part. Then also Cairo in TR4, which i love. The whole place feels so eerie, the section with the bike is super nice and it's just memorable in being very different from lot of the other locations.
It was nice how for TR3, you mentioned also my least favorite section Lud's Gate instead of the usual for it being too difficult which i never found to be the case.
I really like Cairo in TRIV: i love the dark atmosfere so much and i loved trying to find the way top beat the Dragon.
I started my journey with Lara Croft since TR 2013 came out - for a 13 year old it was quite an impressive game. But then ROTR was released and it blew my mind - the surroundings, the lost city, the archives, the story behind Kitezh - amazing. What I don’t like is how short this game actually was… And a few years later SOTR was released: I finished it this year because I didn’t like how Laura looked, the unnecessary screamers that made me stop playing it, the story line kinda seemed boring (I think the problem was with the story telling, not actually with the history and myths behind it) and it was so short 🥺 (of course if you’re not completing it on 100% but even if you do it’s still really short). On the other hand I enjoyed the challenging tombs (especially DLCs - these were the only dls I don’t regret purchasing; the ROTR DLCs - 💩) and just how beautiful and detailed the surrounding were.
SOTR really is a wasted potential game.
They did everything right in terms of gameplay, tombs are great as well. But they failed so hard in the story department, every character except Lara feels like an NPC, including the main villain of the story.
I think SOTR gameplay + ROTR writing would make the perfect reboot Tomb Raider game.
Nahh for me ROTR dlcs are fire baba yaga,croft manor, Lara's nightmare and blood ties are great and enjoyable (okay Ik croft manor is technically a walking simulator that's because the dlc focuses on story than gameplay)
I honestly think Rise had the weakest writing. It was fine, but it mostly felt like a lot of setup for what Shadow would do. I do think TR2013 was the best of the three. The gameplay was good, and I actually really liked the writing.
Crystal Dynamics did an evil evil thing for the Survivor Trilogy. They put all the backstory and leadup in other media. Did you know there's a 1000 page comic series? Rise got over 400 pages of leadup backstory in comic book form. Shadow got closer to 600. They were both explicitly prologue for each game, all the setup, with the game being the payoff of the narrative. All the disjointed stuff we don't understand? It's in the comics. Villains seem underwhelming? Well, they were established in the comics. All the stuff that makes them interesting isn't in the games. It is easily, and I do mean that, easily my least favorite thing about the Survivor Trilogy. Rise and Shadow are not complete stories on their own. Crystal Dynamics wanted us to buy the comics to understand some of what is going on in the games.
@@halycon404 haha true the post rise and shadow comic artstyle is ugly tho ngl
I actually enjoy Cairo in TR4. I think it's very fun and nonlinear to explore. The environment is eerie, with it taking place in a city that is falling to ruin with Armageddon. Lara is seeing the chaos she caused and it adds a sense of urgency that she needs to fix what she f*cked up. It's dark and unsettling, overall fun to explore.
I actually am not a fan of the pyramids as the slopes felt annoying to traverse; it's too hard to see which slopes are safe to jump on.
What a fantastic channel you have here. Great video. Loved the shade at Red Dead lol
Thanks so much 😁
Your voice is so calming. My mostest favourite TR is Rise. I loved the whole lore and finding Kitezh. I totally agree with you on its opening, although it could've been as bad as that of TR2013. I didn't enjoy the 2013 game that much. Even though I loved the invention of the bow, I felt the game was short, and there was this anticipation of something horrible coming. We could even see that huge creature on some occasions - Oni if I remember well - but, at the end, they were quite easy to kill.
Oh what an walk on the memory lane... For me it was only TR I,II and III. After that it just went to crap imo. But those first three... OMG. So many nights I spent in those tombs. Wouldn´t change those nights for the world. Ah, wasted youth... : ) All the best from Finland
I think Legend and Anniversary were in my opinion the last really challanging parts. In Underworld i was surprised how easy i got through it. I love sottr and rottr. I love the new Lara! The passages where she slows down are "loading screens*. In the future i hope for some more open world areas
For a lot of people Anniversary was unplayble on PC due to camera issues, controls not working and the special move just not happening and that sucked. But when the game was working as intended it was a decent challenge.
I remember when angel of darkness came out and I was SO excited, but I didn't end up getting very far in the game simply bcuz the controls were so bad and it was so difficult to do even the simplest things. I feel like if they reintroduced that game with everything fixed, it would be pretty high up on the list. I really enjoyed it's artistic style too.
I really just wish tho that the tomb raider games would go back to feeling like TR1 thru Chronicles...idk i just prefer the way those games feel vs legends and onwards. They started making it realistic, and she no longer jumped seemingly enormous distances. I know this is mainly due to the square platform thing, but it just felt better to play? sure a bit clunky sometimes, but the jumps felt so good to land.
and dont get me wrong, i definitely remember enjoying the later games (I have fond memories of Underworld) but none of them ever compare to TR1, 2, 3, TLR, and Chronicles in gameplay. ALSO, newer tomb raider games have the nasty habit of being Very linear and they add details to even the most basic things like ledges to shimmy on or objects you can climb or move. There was a lot more trial and error back in the day.
Tomb Raider 1 for me, plus: the actual locations. Egypt, Greece, Peru. Ancient ruins and tombs, not random submarines.
Minus: lack of weapon variety. Water levels.
TR2 plus: best atmosphere, I was legit creeped out by the cult, A DRAGON, Venice, China & Tibet levels, weapons.
Minus: half of the game is water levels. Venice is tolerable because of rooftops and indoors but the oil rig and THEN a shipwreck are horrible.
TR3 plus: most variety, weapons, costumes, stunts, bosses.
Minus: ANTARCTICA HAS FREEZING WATER. With extra gauge. Just because they hate me. It's also the hardest and has weird head bob during cutscenes, aged the worst.
Last Revelation plus: BACK IN EGYPT! Now with ACTUAL SKY! More weapons, moving between levels, Mummy vibes, car chase, everything.
Minus: No Croft Manor... some puzzles are obscure. City of the dead bike broke out family!
Chronicles plus: Love variety, especially first half of the game.
Minus: Second half. That mermaid cuscene kill when you are unarmed gave me nightmares. And final level has LIMITED AMMO.
Angel of Darkness plus: Denim badass goth Lara. Last game with classic controls and less shooting than exploration. Dialogue and RPG elements are a nice idea...
Minus: horrible execution. To climb a pipeline
Legend plus: Much more fun and less obscure than AoD.
Minus: reboot Lara is a worse character, game itself doesn't have tight jumps, but more meh combat and... turret sections? O_o Also hated the hand-holding and radio. Too easy!
Anniversary plus: Finally we're back exploring stuff! Loved the updated puzzles and graphics. Egyptian and Greek ruins always nice!
Minus: actually dropped it by Atlantis, lol. Has same problems as original PLUS highlighted ledges Uncharted/GoW style. And a talking compass.
I skipped Underworld so no comments...
2013 Reboot plus: archery, combat is good, stealth works (kinda), setting is nice (JAPAN!), back to the roots in many ways.
Minus: too much fighting, open world system is repetitive collectathon, and I hated the character development (did we NEED incest raep threats from a russian siscon for her to fight back? Self defense is reason enough).
Haven't played the other games. I hope I survive to get to them. Also, MODS!
AoD part got truncated. *in Angel of Darkness, to climb a pipe, Lara needs to push blocks in a separate location to "level up" her strength... this CAN work in adventure games, see Quest for Glory where you level up, say, throwing, in one place to throw an item in another. But not in Tomb Raider where just... pushing a SPECIFIC crate is exactly what she needs to now proceed in unrelated place. She can't just work out, needs to find a random trigger. It is infuriating! Dialogue choices are similarly obscure. It's like, devs never actually played RPGs or understood WHY mechanics like ingame shops, economy, or leveled skills work.
I've been playing Tomb Raider since it first came out on PlayStation. One of my favorite series. I value the appreciation and criticism of a series you love.
TR - Love the open and solitary feeling (those black, ominous backgrounds? Umph!) and I actually like the Mines level.
TR2 - LOVE the sunken ship section. Underwater levels get a bad rep, but man, the ambiance! But yeah, it's a steep action curve. Took me months to beat the massive wave of enemies in the Venice levels.
TR3 - This game is a MOOD. More dark and mysterious than AOD, and it is incredibly atmospheric (the lighting in the desert levels especially). But why can't I see what I pick up? And who thought the rail cart/freeze water dive in Antarctica would be enjoyable?
TLR - I continue to be impressed how a game contained entirely in Egypt manages to be so varied and interesting. Seriously. I even adore the Cairo levels. But man do I hate swinging from ropes in this game.
TRC - It's a half-hearted game. Interesting, sure, but you can tell the developers wanted to get it done and over with. The only section that stands out is VCI which, while not very Tomb-Raidery, is a nice set.
AOD - When it's good, it's really good. Kurtis Trent was so underutilized and so wanted. I like what this video said how the mechanics and design masks the kinks.
TRL - The best Lara in the series, imo. Her personality and the storyline keep me invested. Great action and locations. But we can all agree on how linear it is. Needs a lot more exploration.
TRA - A very commendable remake. Some of the raw feeling is lost, but good updates to puzzles and locations. But they mashed together some of the best parts (still not over the Cistern cuts) that really made the original a dreamlike.
TRU - Started off beautifully. Great gameplay and manuevering. Enjoyable. But After Mexico, it's just... well, this game needs to end. Doesn't have a good payoff. Plus, the secrets/collectables were not interesting at all.
TRR - Oh boy. A new generation. I admire and respect all the modernizations made, even with Lara (am I in the minority liking her portrayal?) It's a great game, but it doesn't quite feel like a Tomb Raider game. Would have loved a harder turn into the supernatural towards the end, too.
ROTR - I've accepted the new age gaming trends found in the game (upgrades, etc.) and this game is lovely and wonderful and magical. I'm just... not at all invested in the story. Maybe I don't get it? It's not fleshed out well enough and I despise how it ends.
SOTR - Very solid game. We all love the tombs. I like the central hub, there's a sense of exploration, and, again, have grown to like Lara in this series. Outside of the tombs though, enemies, bosses, and objectives could have been more interesting. They seem pretty trite with not enough imagination.
Great video, nice to see both good and bad stuff for each game! I played Legend and Anniversary the most back then, because the controls were so much better than the original tank ones so naturally they have most fond memories for me. Angel of Darkness was actually my first TR ever, I got so hyped by trailer that promised much more than the game actually delivered - it was bad, also I can't understand why they made Lara kill innocent museum guards! Definitely agree about TR2's battles as well, I sadly gave up on the game as younger when I got stuck in a fight against multiple human enemies. I kinda regret that today, as TR2 is one of the biggest fan favourites and would have been amazing experience overall.
Nice list, Seth. I understood your pros and cons and for the most of it, agreed with you. Good to see a new video the channel again, you sure do a great job.
Thanks man :D
*TR1-TR7 (The best/worst) and TRL/TRA (the best)* : Straight up fully agree with everything! I was already nodding my head hard just by seeing the footage and predicting the commentary lol.
*TRU (The best)* : The Mexico and Thailand levels are magnificent and the Jan Mayen Island level is so unique.
*TRL/TRA/TRU (The worst)* The camera/controls. It would change the angle by itself or not react fast enough after pressing the button..makes for a lot of failed jumps. Also...I hate the grapple x)
*Survivor in Born (The best)* : The lore and how it's introduced. There aren't too many documents to pick up and they add a lot of interesting/vital information about the island, its occupants (the ancient and current ones) and their cultures/beliefs/plans.
*RotTR (the best)* : The most fleshed out of the Trinity Trilogy in my opinion which made it the most fun of the three. Also, I crush hard on Jacob and have weird shameful feelings about Konstantin xD (don't judge).
*SotTR (the best)* : SOUTH AMERICA LET'S GOOOO! The most impactful moment to me was probably the Church of San Juan.
*The Trinity Trilogy (the worst)*
The pacing. Omg the pacing. Somehow, exploring those gigantic maps (and searching for the collectibles) means breaking the immersion (it being optional adds to the issue). We are forced to walk, very slowly in certain areas when we could have had cinematics. But somehow, there are way to many unskippable cinematics (with or without non-sensical buttons mashing moments) when we could have had gameplay. Those games, at times, felt like those nightmares were you want to run but can only walk by painfully (and very slowly) dragging your feet, one at the time, while your legs feel so heavy.
*Others thing I would like to add*
Too many collectables to gather feels like a chore, especially when they don't add anything interesting to the lore. That's something that bottered me in Underworld and SotTR.
TRA and Survivor in Born did it the best.
Great vid! Yeah I think you pretty much nailed it. Although I find the original very hard to fault (I still personally love the tank controls too XD) I agree that Natla's mines was always the chore to get through. I recently played AOD on pc as It was the only one I've never played and felt I had to give it ago. There was actually alot I loved about it ... but man those controls ... even with the control mods on pc I don't think I've ever been more frustrated especially towards the end of the game XD.
Great video, quality content, underrated channel. I can tell when I hear you talk about Tomb Raider that you truly share the passion for the saga. Good job, I'm sure your channel has a great future. I subscribed, you well deserve it.
thanks :)
About Shadow of the Tomb Raider...
The negative point you mentioned, although I find it to be true, it's also the only time when you're transported back to reality.
If it were a real exploration in real life, she would have these slow-down moments so many times in so many places. It doesn't feel like a video game, but more like a real-life chore... and real-life is a chore, as we all know.
Just to give my two cents, but I loved the writing of the mystery in TR2013 and unravelling it. Also appreciated the growth Lara had during the game, even though the "first kill to murder machine" seemed to happen way too suddenly.
Invisible walls in any game is bad, but in exploration/survival games a deal breaker.
Going Old School with The Best TR game. It undoubtedly is and still remains TRIII. Locations are amazingly well developed. Enemies are amazing and of course The Sound Track hasn’t been toppled.
Then there is TRIV. Hell of a game to bear or play through which makes it One of a Kind. It hurt my head to think through on how to beat it, had me on hiatus with playing it once, and Indeed One of The Last GOATS in the Series and franchise. These newer games just stack up
My favourite thing about my least favourite Tomb Raider:
TR4 being pretty much entirely in Egypt was a very nice return to tombs after TR3, which spent too much time in urban and modern spaces. I hate TR4, but I do think the setting and over all look of the levels was excellent.
My least favourite thing about my favourite:
TR2 spends waaaay too much time in the water/nautical levels. I think the developers assumed we'd see the offshore rig theme and the underwater theme as two different level sets/biomes (they have different load screens to that effect), but in practice it doesn't feel that way. I'd trade out two water levels for two more Venice levels.
I love your commentary on this 👌 new sub here. I like your vibe
Thanks 😊
TR1: The atmosphere/the save crystals.
TR2: Home Sweet Home/The Deck.
TR3: Croft Manor/the save crystals again.
TR4: Everything before Cairo/everything after Cairo.
TR5: The Ireland levels/Red Alert.
TR6: The story/the broken controls.
TR7: Keeley Hawes as Lara Croft/the short, streamlined and too easy gameplay.
TR8: Combining The Cistern and Tomb of Tihocan into one level/the overuse of corridors and enemies in corridors.
TR9: The opening. Best opening to any Tomb Raider game in my opinion/some of the story is lazy and contrived.
TR10: Mathias/Tombs being optional.
TR11: Syria/Crystal Dynamics still hammering us over the head with that dumb daddy issues storyline.
TR12: Same as video/same as video.
Thank you, because 2013 was absolutely horrific for me, They stripped everything that was tomb raider, and slapped the franchise name on it, the writing and acting just absolutely killed me as a massive OG fan, Broke my shitty ass heart,
For such a small channel your videos are very enjoyable, subin'.
One thing that it's a kinda of problem in the 2013 game is that they beat up lara in all the possible ways over the history
Yo. Great video mate. I’m pretty new to the series and I’ve been slowly buying the games. I started with the survivor timeline games. I enjoyed the first 2 but for some reason with Shadow I wasn’t as enthusiastic while playing it.
So far all the Tomb Raider games I own are The survivor games, Anniversary, Legend, Underworld and I just bought og PS1 Tomb Raider.
Really well done video. Really well done. Hats off to you!
Thanks ♥
Neat video! Great concept too.
Extremely good production quality for your number of subscribers. I subscribed to see how you progress.
Awesome video man! Alot of nostalgia in one video, i do agree with most points though. What do you think of tbe remastered tomb raiders games that came out a few days ago?
I think they're seriously amazing, and thanks 😊
I'm so glad I've found ur channel! I agree with a lot of your statements, great work
This video was so incredibly relaxing and nostalgic at once. Thank you!
My favorite thing about Tomb raider 2013 is the things that lara croft is put through in order to survive my least favorite thing is that it was a replacement of tomb raider ascension I think that tomb raider ascension would have been so unique but you know it's square enix
I love the approach of the video, and it was a pleasure to watch it, thank you.
I just thought that the balance of liking/disliking something particular in contrast to a concept within the game feels sometimes a bit unfair/unbalanced. My comments to the games/and your video:
TR1: You put very well into words what is great about the game. But I disagree on Natla's mines. It's one of my favorite levels in the game, because I love the setting so much. I love mines and lava-filled caves, and what this level does very well is the slow shift in setting from the industrial sites to the lava caves with the strange, Atlantean architecture suddenly showing up. It COULD be better, but it's not bad. What I dislike about TR1 in general is that it pales in certain things in contrast to its following installments: most areas are quite monotonous or have at least monotonous looks, or the game is having you getting keys with no end in some areas.
TR2: I completely agree. Never thought about it that way, but now that you pointed it out, it makes sense (both points).
TR3: Wow, I only played on PC and I didn't know Lud's Gate could become even worse! While I see your point with what you like and I agree, I think it's also part of its downsides. The game just wants to be "too much" by making almost each level really, really long. Doing so, it has a pacing problem. It also uses cheap level design from time to time to make levels longer, for example mazes. I also disliked the concept of alternative routes. Sounds cool on paper, but when you are a perfectionist trying to get every pickup and secret and trying to explore everything, this is a nightmare.
TR4: While I agree on what you liked and disliked, you did not mention anything specific to the game's concept. What I like: that TR4 is only playing in Egypt, and still manages to have so many diverse settings, atmosphere and gameplay mechanics. You have some really cool riddles, too. What I don't like: the weird concept of the levels, being areas you switch, especially when there is not much to do in some of them. Concerning Cairo: while it's an absolute pain in the ass to play it, the whole section has a really creepy atmosphere and cool setting. As a player, after arriving from Cleopatra's shiny palace, you just notice sh*t is going down, and the end of the world is going to happen. For the first time you really see the consequences of your actions and supernatural stuff is not only happening in isolated places, but in the main streets where people are living (although I guess they are dead by the moment you arrive).
TR5: Happy you like VCI part! It's hard, but it's also so rewarding when you made it through. I don't understand why the game gets so much hate in general. It has, like TR3, many different settings and some really cool riddles (although they are hard to solve sometimes), making each area completely different from the other. It's one of my favorites of the old games. What I dislike about it is the balancing and pacing for some of the parts.
TR AoD: I agree. I love the story, the atmosphere, and most of the areas are really well-designed and interesting. But the controls, and especially combat, makes it so hard to get through. I really would love to see a remake, instead of remakes of TR 1-5.
TR Legend: I agree on the dislike part. Again, I never thought about it like this, but once you see it it's pretty obvious. What I like in general about the game is, on one hand, the story (as a whole for the Legend/Underworld package, also Anniversay). On the other hand I actually enjoyed very much the presence of Zip and Allister. It serves as extra explanation, and it adds more personality to the three of them.
TR Anniversary: I cannot say much about it, since I didn't play it (yet). I watched a playthrough years ago, and I remember being stunned and disappointed at the same time.
TR Underworld: What I liked, again, is the story, and I actually enjoyed the overall gameplay and settings very much. So I kind of disagree with you that it feels too repetetive, although I can understand your point. For me, it just felt different - maybe because I knew what was coming.
TR 2013: I can't say much about it either, since I only started, but never finished the game. What I liked: The vast areas, and I didn't mind the skilling/collecting part as one of the better, if not best gameplay addition. But the dislike-part is much bigger. "Lost potential" can be attributed to almost everything in this game. Not only the characters and writing are cheesy, but also the way it wanted to be brutal so desperately. The brutal death scenes and the "it gets worse" after every scene were so unnecessary. But what I disliked the most was the gameplay itself. Yes, you had a bit of exploration, and the things I mentioned above, but making it full of unnecessary quick-time events and making a shooter out of it in most places just killed it for me.
For the rest, I cannot say anything because I did not play them or watched them so far. I went through the rest of the video nevertheless, skipping spoilers as far as I can say (I don't mind seeing the ares and getting some gameplay explained).
Thanks so much for the lengthy comment, it was a pleasure to read ☺
8:37 honestly my favorite part because seeing and fighting that snake serpent thing was such a shock and I went….I’m like nah the first time 😂
Excellent brief intro, then on with the details. Great work
I like Cairo because of the unique and creepy atmospehre. I was nine when I played this game and had no idea what was going on because my english was barely existent, so those levels were just crazy to me. I also love levels where you use vehicles, because back in the days a game either had vehicels, or people which you control, games like GTA where you can do both were very rare, such as TR
I commented on your video of Tomb Raider remakes.. remasters ect yesterday. Saying it was brilliant and I subscribed. Just watched this... and may I just say again... you are spot on!! You say what all us old school Tomb Raider fans are thinking. Loving your videos. Amazing, keep it up 🤩
Granted.. I have not played Tomb Raider games since Underworld, simply because it was just going in a direction that just wasn't Tomb Raider. Specially when I saw the Combat/Aiming technique. Nah.. that just put me Right off! X
Thanks :)
I actually enjoy the Cairo levels in the last revelation. I love the scary, creepy ambiance and the mix between real and supernatural enemies. Plus, when I was a kid I was too terrified to take a single step in those levels and so beating it for the first time when I was older was such a great accomplishment 🎉