"Tomb Raider I–III Remastered Collection" (EDIT: And Now 4-6) Video Game Talkback (Spoilers)

[wonderfly]

Fall in love all over again!

Tomb Raider 1, 2 and 3 (Remastered)
Platform: Playstation 4 and 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, Nintendo Switch and PC
Studio: Aspyr Media, Crystal Dynamics
Release Date: February 14th, 2024

Description: The first three Tomb Raider games are being remastered and they are set to arrive on February 14, 2024.

Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Starring Lara Croft will not only feature updated visuals, but they will include all of the expansions and secret levels for each game. Players will also be able toggle between the original polygon look of the games and the updated visuals whenever they desire.

Anyone else picking up this game?

 

[Classic Speedy]

I've already pre-ordered the digital version for XB Series and can't wait for tomorrow to be here already!

I love the concept of being able to switch between old and new graphics on the fly- we also saw it recently with Gargoyles Remastered, which, say what you will about the game itself but the presentation and ease of switching back and forth was generally solid.

 

[Spacething7474]

I love the concept of being able to switch between old and new graphics on the fly- we also saw it recently with Gargoyles Remastered, which, say what you will about the game itself but the presentation and ease of switching back and forth was generally solid.

This was also in Asterix & Obelix XXL: Romastered (sadly not in the remaster of XXL 2 though), which even had the option of playing the original graphics in either 16:9 (a first for this title) or its original 4:3.

For no good reason, the regular game was only in 16:9 (as are its remasters and modern sequels, but that's another problem), meaning that playing it in a 4:3 ratio and setting the original graphics to 4:3 just double letterboxes it!

 

[Classic Speedy]

So, this game is amazing, well worth the wait. Seriously, if you've never played any classic TR games, there is no better way to start than this compilation. Especially since this is the first time since their original release that the expansion packs have been officially released. You're getting a lot of bang for your buck.

Graphics switching is as easy as pressing Start, and is instantaneous. I find myself using the modern look more often, simply because it's 60 fps and has better textures and Lara model. However, for some reason modern mode is a bit darker so I switch to classic mode whenever it gets a little too hard to see what I'm doing.

In-game cutscenes now have moving character mouths and eyes, a big plus. FMV cutscenes are upscaled and look quite nice.

Modern controls make certain aspects easier but I'm sticking with tank controls because that's what I'm used to.

Unlike the first and third PS1 versions, you can save anywhere, cutting down on the frustration factor.

Highly recommended!

 

[wonderfly]

I collect Nintendo 64 era games on the Switch (whether they be ports, remasters, or remakes). So that includes all of the "Turok" games, the "Star Wars: Episode I: Racer" game, "Doom 64", "Quake" etc

I've started branching out to other games of that era (not just ones on the Nintendo 64). That includes the remakes of the first 3 "Crash Bandicoot" games, the original "Final Fantasy VII", and the upcoming "Star Wars: Dark Forces" remaster.

So yeah, I'm picking the "Tomb Raider" trilogy up. Eventually.

I just love that late 90's aesthetic.

 

[Classic Speedy]

I've said this in another thread but if you like that era's aesthetic, you've gotta check out Powerslave Exhumed. Definitely an underappreciated FPS.

 

[the_joker]

Apparently, the very first game sort of got remade as Tomb Raider: Anniversary. I wonder if that could've gotten something of a remaster and been bundled in this collection. Looks like I'll just have to wait for a number of old games to get re-released.

Still, I plan on playing the Survivor Trilogy before getting to these games. I know they play differently, but they're still Tomb Raider, and I want to make my time with them last.

 

[Classic Speedy]

Totally decked out physical edition announced:

Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Collector's Edition (PS5) – Limited Run Games

Tomb Raider I-III Remastered is on a region-free physical disc for the PlayStation 5. This is an open pre-order for a limited time. PRE-ORDERS CLOSE ON SUNDAY, JUNE 23, 2024 AT 11:59 PM EASTERN TIME. Play the original three Tomb Raider adventures with all expansions and secret levels in this...

limitedrungames.com

Not sure if I'll go for it because I already have it on digital on Xbox One/Series, but if you haven't taken the plunge yet and have money to spare, this is definitely the way to go.

 

[the_joker]

Thankfully, the base game will also be getting released by itself as that's the only thing I would want.

 

[Classic Speedy]

The latest patch includes an outfit selector (yay!) and restores the pin-up posters that were excised from the start of Sleeping With the Fishes in HD mode, among other various fixes.

 

[wonderfly]

From the front page of AnimeSuperhero.com:

"Tomb Raider 4-6 Will Be Remastered Just Like 1-3 Were"​

"It’s a good time to be Lara Croft. Even though the next official Tomb Raider game is nowhere to be seen, she’s getting plenty of exposure lately otherwise: her new animated series just premiered on Netflix, there’s a live-action series directed by Phoebe Waller-Bridge in the works at Amazon, all her games are on sale this week, AND the original three have been faithfully remade thanks to Crystal Dynamics and developer Aspyr.

In fact, the remakes must have sold very well, because we’re getting a second set. Crystal D announced Tomb Raider 4-6 Remastered this morning. It’ll rebuild what were the next three games in TR history: The Last Revelation, Chronicles and The Angel Of Darkness.

This news is a bit surprising. Yes, 1-3 did well, but they’re 1-3. 4-6 have long been considered the low point in the Tomb Raider series, with 6 (Angel of Darkness) being the worst. And for the answers why, here’s a bit of history…"

Read the full article here.

And here's the trailer for the upcoming collection:

 

[Classic Speedy]

I'm stoked for this collection just like I was for 1-3. I disagree with Peter about the controls; the tank controls work just fine and the block environments meant you could plan your jumps precisely. Now the controls for AOD, those DO suck, simply for how sluggish and clunky they are compared to 1-5. It'll be interesting to see if they give players the option of modern controls again, and how that will affect the game (hopefully positively).

 

[the_joker]

I'm surprised there hasn't been a new Tomb Raider game for a while now, but I'm perfectly fine with remasters as I haven't played them. The only mainline games that have yet to be released on modern consoles are Legend, Anniversary (a remake of the very first game), and Underworld, so I'm hoping for those to also get remastered so the list of Tomb Raider games available doesn't look incomplete.

 

[Classic Speedy]

I'm surprised there hasn't been a new Tomb Raider game for a while now, but I'm perfectly fine with remasters as I haven't played them. The only mainline games that have yet to be released on modern consoles are Legend, Anniversary (a remake of the very first game), and Underworld, so I'm hoping for those to also get remastered so the list of Tomb Raider games available doesn't look incomplete.

Tomb Raider Legend, Anniversary and Underworld are all compatible with Xbox One/Series, and the PS2 version of Legend got released on PS4/PS5 recently. But yeah, hopefully those three will be next.

 

[the_joker]

Tomb Raider Legend, Anniversary and Underworld are all compatible with Xbox One/Series, and the PS2 version of Legend got released on PS4/PS5 recently. But yeah, hopefully those three will be next.

I forgot about the Xbox consoles, and I actually didn't know about Legend getting ported to PS4/5. Supposedly, that game was still stuck with low resolutions if reddit is correct, so those 3 games will need some kind of update for PS consoles. I don't know how well they look on Xbox, though.

 

[Classic Speedy]

LAU look good on Xbox, but they could benefit from a framerate boost, which a hypothetical remaster would give us. But we're getting ahead of ourselves.

 

[wonderfly]

The latest trailer (for Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered):

 

[Classic Speedy]

Eh, boss battles were never my favorite part of TR games. Except for the centaurs from Anniversary, which was innovative in how you defeated them.

Still stoked for the game though and glad we got a new trailer!

 

[Classic Speedy]

Well, after many years, I've finally gotten to the last level of Angel of Darkness. My opinion of it is a little better than when I first played it on PS2, due to the controls being a bit more forgiving (full disclosure: I used the D-pad to move; the joystick was still pretty finicky), there is no random slowdown, and the loading times are much faster in this remastered version.

Regardless, it's still my least favorite of the first six. There aren't nearly enough tomb-like environments, the platforming is still hella clunky despite the improved controls (was reloading a LOT), and human enemy AI is very dumb, eliminating the need to use the new stealth abilities. Some levels also felt really short, a far cry from the first five games which had long, intricate levels.

The story also felt muddled/unfocused, because it seemed to be combining both a murder mystery and the cult that's creating a new race of creatures. The game was originally going to be part of a trilogy but that was nixed at some point in production, so you get the feeling they were trying to merge two different types of stories into one game and it just doesn't work.

Also not a fan of the three Kurtis levels, which felt out of place in a TR game and felt like they belonged in one of the TR knock-offs that were prevalent in the late '90s/early '00s.