Best of Series: Tomb Raider

[RCBH928]

I have a confession to make...I never played Tomb Raider.
Actually I remember when i was younger I had it , where you could go into your backyard and practice and a butler will follow you but thats it. I do not think I passed level 1.

I am here to ask which is the best of the series, but this game has so many sequels and maybe prequels and I am not willing to play them all.

Could you please recommend one of them?

[prfsnl_gmr]

Tomb Raider II was my favorite. I have not revisited it recently, however, but I suspect that time has not been kind to it.

[Stark]

I'd start by getting the Tomb Raider HD Collection for the PS3. This comes with Legend, Underworld, and Anniversary. To me, it seems that the original games on the PS1/Saturn and PS2/DC/oXbox have aged poorly, especially in the control department.

Legend is the first game done by Crystal Dynamics and they did a great job of translating the controls to a more modern feeling, third-person, action game. I also felt that the story and presentation was much better than its predecessors. Then if you enjoy that, you automatically have Underworld, Legend's sequel, and Anniversary a remake of the original Tomb Raider.

[Gamerforlife]

It's hard to properly appreciate Tomb Raider if you didn't play the original when it first came out. It's not impressive by today's standard, but was amazing back then. TR Anniversary is a nice remake, but really doesn't recapture what made TR special back then. The T Rex encounter in Anniversary for example, has nowhere near the same impact as the original T Rex encounter in the original TR did. The sense of wonder, mystery and isolation the original TR game created is pretty much lost in modern Tomb Raider games. Now, the series is all about emulating big summer action movies similar to the likes of Uncharted or Gears of War. It's no longer a lonely, dangerous journey into the far removed, long lost corners of the world where untold wonders and dangers await

For a lot of people, Mario 64 introduced them to the wonders of 3D gaming when it was just emerging. For me, it was Tomb Raider that did that.

I think the best of the series right now is actually Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, but it doesn't represent what most modern Tomb Raider games are like or even what the original game was like. It's something fresh and new, but incredibly fun

[prfsnl_gmr]

It's hard to properly appreciate Tomb Raider if you didn't play the original when it first came out. It's not impressive by today's standard, but was amazing back then. TR Anniversary is a nice remake, but really doesn't recapture what made TR special back then. The T Rex encounter in Anniversary for example, has nowhere near the same impact as the original T Rex encounter in the original TR did. The sense of wonder, mystery and isolation the original TR game created is pretty much lost in modern Tomb Raider games. Now, the series is all about emulating big summer action movies similar to the likes of Uncharted or Gears of War. It's no longer a lonely, dangerous journey into the far removed, long lost corners of the world where untold wonders and dangers await.

Agreed. Here is an article discussing how Tomb Raider Anniversary missed everything that made the original T. Rex encounter so great:

http://gameological.com/2012/05/tomb-raider-lost-valley/

[turbolegs]

Gamerforlife nailed it.

The original Tomb Raider is one of my all time favourite gaming experiences and I regularly replay it. It is, I would argue, the only game in the series to live up to its name.

Also, if you're in any way interested in the implementation of music in games, it's definitely worth playing. Nathan McCree's soundtrack is incredible. Here's an excellent video from behind the scenes at Core with some great insight into his style.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7dTNHaU2jQ

It's in French but you can still make out what he has to say.

The game itself is also a testament to what a very small team can do in a very limited amount of time. I'm fairly certain the original dev team consisted of six people who worked on the project for about 18 months.

[ZeroAX]

I think the first game in the series nails the "lone explorer in undiscovered ruins" better than all the other games in the series.

Tomb Raider 1 opens in a snowy mountain ruin where you feel completely alone. The greatest danger is nature itself (wolfs, bats.....T-Rexes ) and imo it's still a breath taking experience (btw I played the game for the first time a few months ago so it's a brand new experience for me).

I played 3 and 4 when I was a decade younger, and I can say they completely lost the original game's sense of focus and atmosphere. They just put in action sequences because they "seem cool" and you end up with a ruined experience.

Tomb Raider (the Core games) was never about action, it was about exploration. The controls were bad because you were supposed to go slowly and explore (remember, this was still the early 3D game era, so just you know EXPLORING A 3D ENVIRONMENT, was exciting by itself (and a bullet point on the back of the box), even if said 3D environment wasn't that great (not talking about TR, talking in general). So the heavy emphasis on later games (even starting from the second, if the rest of the game is like its opening level which is the only one I played) on action ruined the series imo.

It's like Sonic becoming just about speed. Totally missing the real point of the series.

[alexis524]

i gots mad love for TR1. I have fond fond memories of it. It was one of the first games i played on heavy rotation when i first moved out into my first apartment. God i loved playing it until early in the morning. I was listening to this track just the other day which encapsulates the TR1 experience:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gZrnEARFeA

[flojocabron]

I have played and beaten both one and two (PS1). I have the others as well, but they arent the same. Just like ZeroAX said.

Something is missing from the rest of the games on the PS1/dreamcast.

On part one (and possibly two) for either saturn or PS1 there is a level skipping cheat. If you get frustrated you can simply just do that. Skip to the next level.

You may be tempted to do this since some levels are hard. And the clues although right in your face, you dont see them. There is always a hidden ledge or gap that leads to a secret or other areas.

As I frustratingly learned back in the day, some secrets (ledges) can be acessed just by pushing up and action(button). I was trying for a long time to jump and then grab, and it ended up hurting lara.

The first game does have a certain pace to it and the second one is a little bit more action oriented.

I have played Tomb Raider legend on the PS2/GC, I haven't beaten it. but I have not played the rest after them.

I think angel of darkness is the worst of the lot. Lots of mistakes on that one.

[ice445]

Funny this thread was brought up now, I'm actually playing Tomb Raider 1 for the first time right now. I really don't get why I keep hearing "oh, time has not been kind to it" or "it doesn't hold up well now". Not the case at all. The levels are brilliantly designed and quite large (surprising for a PS1 game, load times are extremely minimal), art design and graphics are great for the time (although I'm one of the rare people that likes the look of PS1 graphics so take it with a grain of salt I guess).

And then there's the big one, control. I'll be completely honest: It's actually very good. I went into it expecting horrible things since everyone has nothing but bad things to say about the control. But it's actually very well done. Other than my thumb tiring from all the dpad pressing, it's a solid B. Lara does what I ask her to do every time, and the controls are very natural once you get a feel for them.

Also, the feel and atmosphere are excellent. I only wish there were more ambient sound effects, but the music is fantastic. In fact, the atmosphere is so good, the T-Rex encounter really threw me for a loop. I was like, OSHI. And it's not like I haven't played newer games. But yeah, the feeling of stepping into a lost world was just awesome. Thoroughly enjoying this game. I actually collected the entire series before playing any of them (funny really). Just going to go through one at a time.