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Tomb Raider 1-2-3 Remastered Review
a year ago
General
So after 105 Hours of game play time (some spent falling asleep while the game was running), i managed to finish everything in the collection including all DLC expansions. I can see why Tomb Raider took off and why its also a game of its time.
The remaster does a very good job with fixing the lighting of the original graphics while breathing in new life and keeping the atmosphere true to its PSX originals. In some cases like TR3, the remastered graphics actually makes the game less darker and easier to see without having to burn through all the flares especially in the London levels. I also like that they allow you to save anywhere and all the nonsense with save crystals is left to NG+ for anyone who still wants the classic experience as this game is a punishment platformer but in 3D. The models for nearly everything including the level design is well done as it feels like a fresh coat of paint that enhances the base game. The addition of modern controls is smooth though I had to switch back to tank controls for when I need to crawl out of a hole backwards and hang off on a ledge. This is how a remaster should be done.
Everything else is as is but the remaster has some issues that are minor thankfully such as the Remastered TR3 shotgun being the same Compact Cruiser that was use in TR1 & TR2 remastered instead of being the remastered SPAS 12 that was used in the original TR3. There was another instance where I somehow went from 200+ Flares to 80 Flares in TR3 even after doing Nevada as my 2nd mission after India. Turns out it's an overflow glitch that causes my flares to loop to 0 once I go past 255 which should have been fixed in the remaster.
Before I go into detail for each game & DLC, I should inform you that I used a guide because uh, this is game where "Guide Dang It" applies to EVERY SINGLE MINUTE of the game. This means that I got all of the secrets except for all of Peru and Greece-St. Francis' Folly & The Colosseum.
Tomb Raider 1
This is where the series started and by god did it have a rather strong start. You play as Lara Croft, an Archaeologist hired by Natla to find the Scion that would soon open the door to Atlantis by going to Peru, Greece, Egypt, and the Atlantic. First things first, this game is unsettling in all the right ways as it sets up the stage for some very effective jumpscares later on while also introducing levels that are both beautiful and primitive at the same time. This applies to all 3 games as I think they very much nailed the atmosphere of nearly every level in the trilogy. There hasn't been a single level in the original TR1 that feels out of place and I'm able to tell you where each and every level came from in the game. The only real complaint I have is that the levels feel like they tend to go on for longer than they should, again a common issue in all TR1-3 games and there's nothing really to break up the long levels with shorter levels that act as breathers. They're also far too complex than they should be because its very easy to get lost mandating the use of a guide.
The combat in the games is mixed at best such that the game is designed around you being able to jump and dodge while you're shooting but the lock-on system is so clunky that you have to force yourself to face the enemy so Lara shoots at them. I died/got badly wounded so many times because I kept thinking that Lara would continue to fire at the enemy while she was running away from them. This becomes a problem later on when you start dealing with Atlanteans who can rush you or spam you with shots while you have to relocate just so you can aim at them. This ends up turning all the combat encounters into "find a tall platform and use your handguns to kill them from a safe place" which is boring and a total slog. In addition, some of the ranged enemies don't even have a period where they stop firing to reload and only does so when you have to reposition giving you no breathing room. As such, the combat is awful for the classic TR games but TR1 really has it the worst with spongy enemies and not enough tools for the player to counter the enemy's fast movements.
The story is light which is fine for a first outing but I wished that we got more cutscenes to help break up the levels at times. I enjoyed the Unfinished Business DLC but like the main game, the levels felt long and its basically a rehash of Atlanis and Egypt which is kinda meh. The giant statue and the hive was awe-inspiring
The one thing I liked about the game is the awe-inspiring moments such as seeing the Sphinx in full (in the room with the secret MAC10s), the Statue of Midas, and the giant Cat in Temple of the Cat. Those easily made you feel like you were working towards something big to help define the character of each level.
Tomb Raider 2
You play as Lara Croft once again but this time, you're hunting for the Dagger of Xian in a race to get to it before Bartoli and his cult beat you to the punch through China, Italy, and the Adriatic Sea. A noticeable improvement as there are now more cutscenes to flesh out the story but still very light.
Once again, the games all use the same engine so most of what I said about TR1 apples to TR2. Namely, the fact that the designers made sure to give each levels a consistent theme and vibe. However, there's less of the levels that set up the atmosphere or scale of what you're working towards as it feels like there's plenty of filler levels such as the Diving Area, Living Quarters, & the Ice Palace. Again, some restraint on making the levels less sprawling and more focused would have helped here.
I feel like combat has been improved with the addition of more humanoid enemies that forces you to use your stronger guns instead of rushing to the nearest platform and pinking away with pistols. However, this just ends up being a game of knowing where enemies spawn so you can minimize the hit-scan damage you take. If they had just made the enemy fire projectile bullets, then this would have allowed Lara to dodge bullets and put her acrobatics to work. I also like the greater arsenal of weapons but fighting underwater with the harpoon gun SUCKS. Seriously, what the hell is going on with the aiming underwater? I found myself swimming to escape the divers and shooting them with more reliable guns such as the TEC-9s and the M16. The addition of vehicles is a nice touch but I found myself staying on foot to avoid the clunkiness of the vehicles.
The Golden Mask DLC is better than UB in that its an entirely new area being in Alaska. I LOVED the soviet sections of the first 2 missions because it feels like I'm playing Goleneye 007 down to the vibes and the action was great. I thought the gold cave and the jungle levels by comparison were allright as the molten gold was a neat hazard to deal with but getting the 3rd secret in the 4th level was such a pain in the ass. The Vegas level as a reward for getting all secrets was honestly fun as hell for being a level that's so out there it works. This was easily a step up in terms of DLCs for Tomb Raider.
Tomb Raider 3
Now this time, you play as Lara Croft who journeys to India, Nevada, South Pacific, London, and Antartica to recover 4 meteorite fragments for Willard who wants them for some reason. The story took a step up here as there are now cutscenes after every level setting up the next stage and the villain of the level. This is easily the best story of the collection.
The gameplay is still unchanged from pat games being a realistic punishment platformer but it easily has some of the best levels conceptually such as Nevada, Antartica, and London. I felt like I was playing Perfect Dark (N64) which fucking rocks. However, this game is home to several complicated levels such as London: Aldwych & Lud's Gate + India: Temple Ruins. Personally, I really hate jungle levels with a passion so I didn't like India or South pacific that much. (Trying to clear Jungle on 00 Agent will do that to you) Had the devs just scaled back their levels and refined some of the mechanics, then TR3 would be perfection.
The DLC Lost Artifact manages to surpass Golden Mask in terms of quality by being a compact adventure that has you going through Scotland to France via the English Channel Tunnel. You have to recover the Hand of Rathmore from an old foe as they use it to cause chaos and destruction via dumping radioactive materials everywhere. The best part is how amazing all of the levels are including the batshit insane secrets and the creepy vibe. I'll be honest with you, I was getting tired of TR3 but the DLC managed to be interesting enough to keep me going.
FInal Thoughts
Overall, I enjoyed each games for what they were as nobody had done an action adventure game like TR before. I just found it very frustrating and annoying that this game does not have very good signposting and you need to babysit a guide to make sure you're going the right way. This is what I mean when I wish they scaled back some of their levels to be less complex and use more signposting but they kept making the same mistake multiple times over 3 games. There's too many instances where one slope looks like you can stand on it but you can't or massive open areas with no visible starting point such as the Sanctuary of the Scion.
I'm just honestly glad we can save anywhere because I don't think I would have enjoyed the instakill traps this game loves to spring on you which is such bullshit difficulty. It really feels like the games are padding at times when there's no need to.I appreciate the games for what they did for the action adventure genre but there's too many flaws in it for me to consider replaying the games.
For what its worth, I'm happy this remaster modernized the game to the best of their ability and I wouldn't have it any other way as the flaws are part in the original games.
BTW, my fave game is TR3 because I loved so many of the levels in the game even if they sucked such as Aldwych and RX Tech mines.
The remaster does a very good job with fixing the lighting of the original graphics while breathing in new life and keeping the atmosphere true to its PSX originals. In some cases like TR3, the remastered graphics actually makes the game less darker and easier to see without having to burn through all the flares especially in the London levels. I also like that they allow you to save anywhere and all the nonsense with save crystals is left to NG+ for anyone who still wants the classic experience as this game is a punishment platformer but in 3D. The models for nearly everything including the level design is well done as it feels like a fresh coat of paint that enhances the base game. The addition of modern controls is smooth though I had to switch back to tank controls for when I need to crawl out of a hole backwards and hang off on a ledge. This is how a remaster should be done.
Everything else is as is but the remaster has some issues that are minor thankfully such as the Remastered TR3 shotgun being the same Compact Cruiser that was use in TR1 & TR2 remastered instead of being the remastered SPAS 12 that was used in the original TR3. There was another instance where I somehow went from 200+ Flares to 80 Flares in TR3 even after doing Nevada as my 2nd mission after India. Turns out it's an overflow glitch that causes my flares to loop to 0 once I go past 255 which should have been fixed in the remaster.
Before I go into detail for each game & DLC, I should inform you that I used a guide because uh, this is game where "Guide Dang It" applies to EVERY SINGLE MINUTE of the game. This means that I got all of the secrets except for all of Peru and Greece-St. Francis' Folly & The Colosseum.
Tomb Raider 1
This is where the series started and by god did it have a rather strong start. You play as Lara Croft, an Archaeologist hired by Natla to find the Scion that would soon open the door to Atlantis by going to Peru, Greece, Egypt, and the Atlantic. First things first, this game is unsettling in all the right ways as it sets up the stage for some very effective jumpscares later on while also introducing levels that are both beautiful and primitive at the same time. This applies to all 3 games as I think they very much nailed the atmosphere of nearly every level in the trilogy. There hasn't been a single level in the original TR1 that feels out of place and I'm able to tell you where each and every level came from in the game. The only real complaint I have is that the levels feel like they tend to go on for longer than they should, again a common issue in all TR1-3 games and there's nothing really to break up the long levels with shorter levels that act as breathers. They're also far too complex than they should be because its very easy to get lost mandating the use of a guide.
The combat in the games is mixed at best such that the game is designed around you being able to jump and dodge while you're shooting but the lock-on system is so clunky that you have to force yourself to face the enemy so Lara shoots at them. I died/got badly wounded so many times because I kept thinking that Lara would continue to fire at the enemy while she was running away from them. This becomes a problem later on when you start dealing with Atlanteans who can rush you or spam you with shots while you have to relocate just so you can aim at them. This ends up turning all the combat encounters into "find a tall platform and use your handguns to kill them from a safe place" which is boring and a total slog. In addition, some of the ranged enemies don't even have a period where they stop firing to reload and only does so when you have to reposition giving you no breathing room. As such, the combat is awful for the classic TR games but TR1 really has it the worst with spongy enemies and not enough tools for the player to counter the enemy's fast movements.
The story is light which is fine for a first outing but I wished that we got more cutscenes to help break up the levels at times. I enjoyed the Unfinished Business DLC but like the main game, the levels felt long and its basically a rehash of Atlanis and Egypt which is kinda meh. The giant statue and the hive was awe-inspiring
The one thing I liked about the game is the awe-inspiring moments such as seeing the Sphinx in full (in the room with the secret MAC10s), the Statue of Midas, and the giant Cat in Temple of the Cat. Those easily made you feel like you were working towards something big to help define the character of each level.
Tomb Raider 2
You play as Lara Croft once again but this time, you're hunting for the Dagger of Xian in a race to get to it before Bartoli and his cult beat you to the punch through China, Italy, and the Adriatic Sea. A noticeable improvement as there are now more cutscenes to flesh out the story but still very light.
Once again, the games all use the same engine so most of what I said about TR1 apples to TR2. Namely, the fact that the designers made sure to give each levels a consistent theme and vibe. However, there's less of the levels that set up the atmosphere or scale of what you're working towards as it feels like there's plenty of filler levels such as the Diving Area, Living Quarters, & the Ice Palace. Again, some restraint on making the levels less sprawling and more focused would have helped here.
I feel like combat has been improved with the addition of more humanoid enemies that forces you to use your stronger guns instead of rushing to the nearest platform and pinking away with pistols. However, this just ends up being a game of knowing where enemies spawn so you can minimize the hit-scan damage you take. If they had just made the enemy fire projectile bullets, then this would have allowed Lara to dodge bullets and put her acrobatics to work. I also like the greater arsenal of weapons but fighting underwater with the harpoon gun SUCKS. Seriously, what the hell is going on with the aiming underwater? I found myself swimming to escape the divers and shooting them with more reliable guns such as the TEC-9s and the M16. The addition of vehicles is a nice touch but I found myself staying on foot to avoid the clunkiness of the vehicles.
The Golden Mask DLC is better than UB in that its an entirely new area being in Alaska. I LOVED the soviet sections of the first 2 missions because it feels like I'm playing Goleneye 007 down to the vibes and the action was great. I thought the gold cave and the jungle levels by comparison were allright as the molten gold was a neat hazard to deal with but getting the 3rd secret in the 4th level was such a pain in the ass. The Vegas level as a reward for getting all secrets was honestly fun as hell for being a level that's so out there it works. This was easily a step up in terms of DLCs for Tomb Raider.
Tomb Raider 3
Now this time, you play as Lara Croft who journeys to India, Nevada, South Pacific, London, and Antartica to recover 4 meteorite fragments for Willard who wants them for some reason. The story took a step up here as there are now cutscenes after every level setting up the next stage and the villain of the level. This is easily the best story of the collection.
The gameplay is still unchanged from pat games being a realistic punishment platformer but it easily has some of the best levels conceptually such as Nevada, Antartica, and London. I felt like I was playing Perfect Dark (N64) which fucking rocks. However, this game is home to several complicated levels such as London: Aldwych & Lud's Gate + India: Temple Ruins. Personally, I really hate jungle levels with a passion so I didn't like India or South pacific that much. (Trying to clear Jungle on 00 Agent will do that to you) Had the devs just scaled back their levels and refined some of the mechanics, then TR3 would be perfection.
The DLC Lost Artifact manages to surpass Golden Mask in terms of quality by being a compact adventure that has you going through Scotland to France via the English Channel Tunnel. You have to recover the Hand of Rathmore from an old foe as they use it to cause chaos and destruction via dumping radioactive materials everywhere. The best part is how amazing all of the levels are including the batshit insane secrets and the creepy vibe. I'll be honest with you, I was getting tired of TR3 but the DLC managed to be interesting enough to keep me going.
FInal Thoughts
Overall, I enjoyed each games for what they were as nobody had done an action adventure game like TR before. I just found it very frustrating and annoying that this game does not have very good signposting and you need to babysit a guide to make sure you're going the right way. This is what I mean when I wish they scaled back some of their levels to be less complex and use more signposting but they kept making the same mistake multiple times over 3 games. There's too many instances where one slope looks like you can stand on it but you can't or massive open areas with no visible starting point such as the Sanctuary of the Scion.
I'm just honestly glad we can save anywhere because I don't think I would have enjoyed the instakill traps this game loves to spring on you which is such bullshit difficulty. It really feels like the games are padding at times when there's no need to.I appreciate the games for what they did for the action adventure genre but there's too many flaws in it for me to consider replaying the games.
For what its worth, I'm happy this remaster modernized the game to the best of their ability and I wouldn't have it any other way as the flaws are part in the original games.
BTW, my fave game is TR3 because I loved so many of the levels in the game even if they sucked such as Aldwych and RX Tech mines.
