Tomb Raider Trilogy Remastered

[The F Bomb]

Playing the original TR when we got a PlayStation Christmas of 96 is one of the greatest gaming memories for me. The loneliness and sense of exploration and adventure are wonderful. The level design is a great mixture of tight, tense corridors and sprawling, cavernous spaces. Before everything was spoiled, the T-Rex moment was unforgettably brilliant and terrifying.

I also loved the lighting effects, the colour of the water, the architecture, the scale, the animation of the animals and the chunky precision platforming. Best of all was the soundtrack. I still love it so much, the synthesised harp and oboe (?) are so gorgeous and clean in the main melody. It really brings life to some pretty empty spaces.

I got stuck on TR2 and didn't enjoy the combat focus or quotidian settings as much, so I'm looking forward to giving it another go. No clear memory of TR3 unless it's the one that started out in the jungle and had a big lake. I'd probably left home by the time we got that one but remember my bros playing it.

I just picked up the remastered trilogy on PS5. The original graphics mode runs at a stuttering 30fps which is perhaps authentic but I can't play that on a big telly, makes me feel queasy. 'Modern' graphics are actually really nice at 60fps, feels more like PS3 quality textures but definitely evocative of the original, just with more detail and little flourishes. Tank controls take a little getting used to again but the game is completely designed for them so it becomes quickly intuitive.

I dunno how I'll feel about the sequels without the comfort blanket of nostalgia but the original, at least, has really put a smile on my face, a snapshot of an elegant and confident leap into the future. X

[Pink Gregory]

brilliant exploration and platforming but my god, having played it recently, how do you make backflipping over tigers while shotgunning them in the face the worst part of the game

[druss]

I only played the first game and don't think I ever finished it as I was a thick idiot child but I do remember the atmosphere when exploring the levels was fantastic and even though the T Rex moment was spoiled for me it was still a great as I didn't know exactly when there would it would happen.

Have they backtracked on not having the platinum in the ps5 version? I guess I could google this...

[The F Bomb]

brilliant exploration and platforming but my god, having played it recently, how do you make backflipping over tigers while shotgunning them in the face the worst part of the game

The combat is certainly an interesting feature, really janky and not something you can get good at. Even at the time, while the lock-on was kind of impressive, it was also really awkward and stressful. Does it add anything at all? Variety, I suppose. Tension and release. I remember not at all enjoying the human enemies firing at me because there's very little you can do apart from somersault around. Maybe I'm missing some nuance but I doubt it.

[Thursday]

Yeah I've been playing this, having a nice time. The new graphics are nice... until you'll come up against lighting issues, where the way to go is harder to see. Keys are barely visible. Some odd choices made with it sometimes.

2 is the one I actually have more nostalgia for as I played that first as that was the one I got a playstation with (Along with ISS Pro) Although I do now think the 1st is probably the best game by a fair distance.

3 I'm not so fond of, as I feel like the levels just got too sprawling. I remember having a walkthrough for the trilogy that came with a magazine and they basically doubled and tripled in size with each one.

Yeah combat is not good, but it's never much of a problem to really be annoying.

One interesting thing I find is you can really abuse photo mode for exploring. Can be quite useful for those bits where you're like "Hmm I want to check that bit over there, but it'll be a bit of a pain to get there, and probably not worth it." And so photo mode can just get you there, as it's untethered from Lara, unlike a lot of these one's you get.

[madhair60]

i find the modern graphics very patchy and I don't understand why you can't have the original visuals but running at 60fps. it's a bizarre choice. the major issue I run into with the new visuals is as mentioned above they tend to obscure crucial details as well as I think ruin a good deal of the original game's carefully considered lighting that naturally draws your eye to certain areas. Here there's an effort at verisimilitude which while it is more consistent and realistic doesn't do much for the game flow.

That said these are still hugely enjoyable games to play and I really do rate this collection; I hope they patch in Last Revelation and Chronicles or add them as DLC, to make this really complete.

[The F Bomb]

Good posts all round. I do wish I could just have the original graphics and lighting, so I hope they patch in 60fps there. The 22-30fps 'authentic mode' should really have been a graphics option. That said, I've not really been bothered by the darker lighting at times, I think it's nicely offset by the perks and little touches, like the snow and God rays. I think it's a pretty faithful attempt to recreate 'the mind's eye' version.

With nearly thirty more years of gaming experience, I'm also enjoying the flow of it. Nice little diversions into secret areas (and that 'curiosity' sound effect is still wonderful) and well balanced exploration. Some great Metroidvania/Soulsy loops and shortcuts.

Nice collection, glad to be playing and enjoying something again.

[idunnosomename]

Has she still got great big tits then

[Thursday]

Yeah this is before WOKENESS made her boring. Even better now it's old school big tits, but they're actually round and you can use the photo mode to zoom in on them with ease!!!

To think I could go back and tell 13 year old me that in the future they make Tomb Raider and Final Fantasy 7 again but now Lara and Tifa  look more realistic than ever and you can look at them really close up. Also that you are single and out of work at 36!

I did have the thought that it'd be funny to make a mod where there's constant Lara voice over from the reboot trilogy throughout the game.

[Lemming]

TR1 and TR2 are two of the best games ever made so the collection's worth it just for that, but yeah, the new graphics look pretty terrible at times. The new models are awful as well, pretty boy Larson actually made me laugh out loud. Not a fan of the Lara model either, it's faithful to the FMV Lara of course but the FMV Lara always looked weird as fuck to me. From her voice and in-game model in TR2 and TR3 I always just imagined that Lara was a normal-looking woman in her 30s, even though the FMV model suggests she's a hideous alien made of plastic who is simultaneously 25 years old and 12 years old and has had her head and chest inflated by a car tyre pump.

I swear the framerate on the original graphics mode in the remaster is lower than just launching the original TR2 directly from Steam, even though that can't be true.

TR2 is a beautiful game, start to finish. The increased focus on combat is a problem (especially in Maria Doria where it shits up the otherwise impeccable atmosphere) but combat never bothered me too much in these games, just backflip while firing and it'll be over quickly.

[chutnut]

Never played 1 or 3 but the 2nd one was my favourite game for ages when I was a kid, and probably the only game I completed at that age.
Really want to get into this but I'm finding the controls incredibly frustrating (both types) so I havent managed to last more than about 10 mins a go so far

[Waking Life]

Before I knew about these remastered versions, I played and completed the original on the Steam Deck last year. I loved revisiting it; part nostalgia, but I appreciated the locales and levels a lot more this time (Peru meant little to me back then). The loneliness aspect was one thing I enjoyed the most - it really feels untouched (puzzles notwithstanding) and unpopulated, which heightens the exploration aspect. You quickly get used to the controls and not sure I quite get people saying the game is hard - I'm no gaming expert, but I breezed through it barely using my magnums or uzis. Save anywhere I guess lessened the repetition of failed jumps, particularly in the obelisk level (a fucking stonker by the way).

I also enjoyed the second one when younger (same Christmas as FFVII, as I alternated between the two for the whole holiday), but it loses that loneliness aspect. Far too many goons shooting at you, and as highlighted, the combat was always a secondary element. Some great levels but I decided to start Anniversary instead but I sacked it off as couldn't garner the motivation so soon after the original.

I might pick this up for the second one, although I don't have much interest in playing the third (is that supposed to be the really frustrating one?)

[Poobum]

Loving these. TR2 is probably my formative gaming experience, going back to it is always comfort. I had to stick with tank controls, yes Lara moves like you're a parasitic worm in her head that's she actively resisting, but it just suits the gameplay so well. I echo the problem with seeing items and locks in new graphics, this is especially bad in TR3. In general I think TR3 is the worst, the levels just feel aimless. The India levels are especially awful, using gimmicky jump scare level insta kills rather than clever design. Have enjoyed the opening Nevada level though, lots of open air and puzzle jumping.

It has been great completing TR1 for the first time ever. The cameras great, it feels like I'm on safari.

Spoiler alert

This is my favourite little updated detail. See that, 3 fingers not two. Of course we're in South America, no known Tyrannosaurids (though possible basal Tyrannosaur Santanaraptor) here only giant Carcharodontosaurs...



...like my very own Giggy here telling Mapusaurus to get very much in their place.

[close]

The laughs we had.

Spoiler alert

Some details don't stand up to a zoom.




Horrifying.

[close]

Always remember how my mind was blown that you didn't have to kill these guys.



Winston as guffy as ever.



One secret missed. I misremembered the underwater section on the Maria Doria where you get the key with the underwater section in 40 Fathoms.

[The F Bomb]

Playing this and Skyrim on a Sunday early evening with a couple of beers is basically ecstasy.

[purlieu]

Never been much of a gamer, but the Core Design games are such a big part of my childhood. Finished the first game yesterday, gonna start on Unfinished Business soon. I've never completed the two Atlantis levels of that game, for some reason.

The graphics are a lovely upgrade, although the reliance on holes in the ceilings to provide believable lighting is a bit daft - no matter how many times you journey deeper and deeper underground (especially in Greece, which is a continuous downwards voyage), there are always little gaps up to the sky. Atlantis is my favourite of the upgrades, they managed to not only make the original ideas pop, but also went all out in making the entire level far, far more disgusting than the original. I have no idea who came up with the whole living city idea, but it really worked here (better than the TR Anniversary version which removed all that stuff and totally castrated the level in the process).

If anybody fancies hearing me natter over the levels, I've been doing some playthroughs on YouTube here. Probably going to play all the remasters as well as The Last Revelation and Chronicles (apparently there's an Easter Egg in TR3 remastered suggesting we're going to get remasters of those two), and possibly Angel of Darkness if I feel masochistic.

[Critcho]

I'm not suggesting we go back, but I do wonder if the grimy low-res pixel-soup effect might have added to the atmosphere of the original Tomb Raider. Seeing everything with crystal clear clarity draws attention to the seams and boxiness of it all a bit.

I seem remember TR2 giving several of the things I thought I wanted more of from the first one (outside locations, shooting human enemies), but somehow not being quite as involving overall. I seem to remember dropping it after the submarine bit. Might have to pick this set up to finally finish the thing.

[The F Bomb]

@Critcho u can press a button to swap between graphics modes on this for info

[Thursday]

Are the expansion levels any good? I've not felt much enthusiasm to play them, which is strange really, I've just assumed they'll be hard for the sake of it and less well designed, but that could be completely unfair.

[Poobum]

Started the one for TR1. It's a return to Atlantis, very combat heavy but quite fun. Not ridiculously hard, plenty of ammo and health drops to get you through and the levels are enjoyable to navigate.

[Memorex MP3]

How did they have time for expansions? Iirc the sequel deadlines were insane to the point they were miserable making TR3 and killed her off in 4 to try and ensure they wouldn't be forced to make a sequel

[Poobum]

Well Lara, if only you did what I wanted instead of what I told you.

Managed to finish these. TR3 is definitely the worst of the three, obviously rushed and made by a new team. Where the first two disguise the flaws and utilize the strengths, TR3 does the opposite, forcing you into dark cramped mazy areas were combat, movement, and camera feel broken beyond repair. Really don't like India, far too many insta kills that require no more skill than reloading and then creeping forward to trigger. Nevada is better, the opening level evokes Tibetan Foothills but not quite as good. The prison levels were actually fun, enjoyed breaking out who I assume were al-Qaeda. The laser hazards were interesting.

Thames Wharf is a nice level, the updated graphics are really good. Aldwych is not so bad, it was where I gave up as a kid because I never noticed the penny. It still spooks me out and I do love this little detail in the updated graphics...



Lud's Gate is truly awful and I can only put it down to lack of play testing. The little sub thing should be fun but the level is too narrow so it gets caught on everything and the camera is as bad as it gets. It's also a pain to get Lara to interact with it, so much drowning. The Sophia Leigh fight level is fun and clever.

The main problem with the Pacific is the racism. Really horrible Australian stereotypes throughout. Also, especially after playing the Unfinished Business TR1 add on, they seem to have gone out of their way to include sections of combat that are purely difficult because of the limits of the controls and camera. In Unfinished Business it made me enjoy the combat, here it just strengthens the argument that it shouldn't be in the game.

Then there's this.



There's a switch in this room. It's not great in modern graphics in general, but in TR3 it's the worst. Also I know the first two well enough that I know where stuff is, or thanks to TR Anniversary, what I'm meant to do. The worst was in Nevada with a black underwater lever against a black wall texture took me around 30 minutes to find. Systematically groping walls just in case is not the kind paranoid induced gaming I enjoy.

Antarctica is fun enough, though the boat is a little wasted. RX mines is fun though the ending section is bullshit.



A normal reaction to reading the content warning disclaimer.

City of Tinnos is a far inferior version of Temple of Xian. The spawning wasps are a chore, easy to dispatch, but necessary. The brutes are tough but there are far less than I thought. Of the challenge rooms only two are any fun. The final boss is easy enough, never understood why Willard wants to be a spider or why it's any of our business.

I do enjoy that Lara has fully devolved into a murdering aristo psychopath. Take that museum guards. Also only game I can remember where I did a full of genocide down to destroy the entire culture for good measure.

New controls in general, monkey swinging and sprinting definitely adds something. Crawling is just slow and awkward. Quick sand is just slow and boring.

Whilst the first two will definitely get revisited for lovely relaxing nostalgia, TR3 is filed under done and gone. Though I have to say the Lost Artifact add on has been way more fun and has one of the best secrets in the game so far.

[Theoretical Dentist]

i find the modern graphics very patchy and I don't understand why you can't have the original visuals but running at 60fps.

That sounds like the kind of thing a reimplementation of the game engine could do – one of those things where the new engine is free software but you need the non-free assets from the original game to play.

And it looks like reimplentating Tomb Raider engines is quite a popular thing to do – OpenLara, TombEngine and CroftEngie all appear to be actively maintained, OpenTomb hasn't been updated for a few years but may still work, and there may be others – I stopped looking at that point. I haven't looked at any of these in detail, but maybe some of these can do what you want. Or they may not work properly at all, I don't know.

OpenLara can be played in a web browser, it has some playable content by default (maybe just a demo level?) and it looks like you can load other levels if you have the files.