Recent reviews by Walsh451

Tomb Raider 2013 - Review

Tomb Raider 2013 is a completely new beginning for the Tomb Raider series. Almost every aspect of what we've come to know, love and hate about Tomb Riader has been changed, some for the better and some for the worse.

After Square Enix brought out Eidos, they wanted a triple A Tomb Raider experience and pumped money into the development of Tomb Raider. Crystal Dynamics set out the reinvent Lara and her games after the disappointing sales of the last two Tomb Raider games.

Tomb Raider joins Lara on her first ever expedition to find the mystical ancient Japanese island of Yamatai. Not much is known about this island other than many people have disappeared while searching fort it. It is believed a "sun queen" once lived there, who had the power to control the weather. While searching for this island Lara and her band of friends become shipwrecked on Yamatai and must fight to survive this hostile new enviroment. The story is good and keeps the pace of the game flowing nicely, you learn lots about Lara's reasons for wanting to join the expedition which I wont spoil and her new back story is fleshed out nicely. The game certainly takes ques from the Uncharted series with how it tells its story, with scripted action sequences throughout and much bigger focus on Lara and her friends. Sadly however Lara's supporting cast are one of the weakest new additions to the game, they are all terribly chliched and have a kids TV feel to them, none are memorable at all and all poorly written.

Lara herself is very different to the Lara we have seen over the years, the developers do a fantastic initial job of depicting Lara as a green eyed, inexperienced adventurer who is desperately trying to survive. It's quite shocking to see Lara like this at first, when she kills her first human it's a very touch moment, as Lara grapples with the weight of what taking a life means. However all of this is undone within ten minutes, as Lara goes on to dispatch enemies as if it's nothing for the rest of the game. Lara goes from green eyed novice, to a killing machine in seemingly moments in Tomb Raider and it's very jarring. This speaks to the greater problem of Lara being somewhat unlikeable in Tomb Raider, mainly due to the inconsistencies with her character, leaving a disjointed feeling to the story and character of Lara.

On the gameplay front you'll be doing allot of running and gunning in Tomb Raider, more so that any other game in the series. Clearly once again cues from Uncharted have been taken and Tomb Raider is a far more action focused game. Forced action sequences litter the game and you'll have gunned down hundreds of humans and animals by the end of the Game. Gun play is good here, and both straight combat and stealth work well. There is a myriad of weapons to choose from and all are upgradable with componants scattered throughout the world. Lara now sports a bow as her main weapon and sadly her iconic duel pistols are only avaliable towards the end of the game if you upgrade the pistol. Tomb Raider also introduces a leveling system into the game. Lara will gain experience as she completes challenges, tombs, or kills enemies. She can use this experince in the new skill tree that has skills that improve her aim, help to scavenge more items, hold the bow aim for longer ect. Its a basic system but works well for a firs time introduction to the series.

In terms of traversal, Tomb Raider is described as an "open world Tomb Raider" and this is not 100% accurate. The best way to describe it is linier corridors linking small open areas. Here Lara can hunt animals for crafting items, find hidden items, take part in optional challenge tombs hidden in the enviroment. Some tombs will require Lara to back track once she has a certain item, allowing her to over come an obsticle, ala Zelda. She can do this by fast traveling from different camp sites she finds throughout the world. Some areas are only re-accessable via fast traveling, meaning the "open world" aspect of the game is some what mute. The tombs I mentioned are also a dissapointment. Often being just a small puzzle in a room, Lara has access to an ability that allows her to see areas that can be manipulated, almost making the puzzles too easy. The lack of big open Tombs is noticeable throughout Tomb Raider and something series veterans will no doubt miss.

If there is one area Tomb Raider is not lacking then that is the graphics department, for a 2013 game it looks fantastic. The PC, PS4, and Xbox One versions of the game look great with fantastic enviromental detail and some great cinematography.

To Summarise, Tomb Raider 2013 is a good but not fantastic game, it's clearly taking allot of cues from the uncharted series but never tops that game in any area. The times when you are doing what a Tomb Raider game has always done best, exploring the enviroments and platforming to creepy tombs, is when Tomb Raider is at its best, but sadly these moments are far too rare. I have no doubt the increased action focus will bring a younger new market to the series but as a long time fan I cant help but be disapointed.

PC/Xbox One/PS4 - 7.9/10 PS3/Xbox 360 - 7.5/10

Tomb Raider: Underworld Review

Tomb Raider: Underworld is one of the only games in the series that does not seem to be loved by someone in the Tomb Raider fan community. Even Angel of Darkness has a rather avid community online however Underworld seems to underwhelm with so many people.

Released in 2008, Tomb Raider: Underworld was deemed as a truly “next Gen” (or rather current gen) experience. Released with a brand new graphics engine, improved character models and physics, this was the Tomb Raider game designed to bring Lara back to the top of gaming. It follows on after the events of Legend with Lara continuing the quest to find her mother, this adventure will as before take Lara all over the word and delve further into Norse mythology. Returning characters Zip and Alistair are back with Miranda playing the protagonist once again. However to bring Tomb Raider: Anniversary into the fold we see the return of Natla, who is appearing in her first mainline Tomb Raider game since 1996’s original. The story jumps around with Croft manor exploding and then the game tracking back a few days to play out the events leading to this. At first it appears Lara is behind it but all is not as it seems as the game digs deeper into Lara’s fathers past and his deadly secret he’s been keeping from his previous adventures.

I think in many ways the story is what lets Underworld down, it’s ok but as it follows on from Legend that leaves allot of people needing to play that game before they even pick this one up. Legend did sell well but not the number of Tomb Raider when it was on the PS1 and everyone knew everything about Lara and her adventures. The story is also a little muddled, the flipping back and forward in time and new and old characters coming into it left and right leads to a slightly complex mess that can be hard or at least uninteresting to follow.

But it’s not all bad news however, graphically Underworld looks incredible. In 2008 and now in 2019 it is a very good looking game indeed. Dynamic lighting, beautiful water effects, with lush looking environments. Tomb Raider has never looked this good before. Lara’s character model has also been updated, Crystal Dynamics have given Lara a more “sexy” look this time around. Lara looks fiercer than before with deadly eyes and pouting lips. All in all it looks good but in many ways I feel Lara looses a bit of her character in this redesign. The new engine is a big step up from Legend and Anniversary, it’s great to look at. Unlockables return also meaning there is plenty of replay value here for returning players, but the lack of new outfits for Lara is a blow as they are exclusive to the 360.

For me however where Underworld really shines is in its gameplay. Crystal Dynamics brought in specialist motion capture artists this time and all of Lara’s moves have been motion captured. This gives Lara a far more realistic look to her running, jumping, climbing and back flipping that we’ve all come to know and love. She moves around the environment with easy and going from running to a jump to a back flip all happens without any awkward stutters or pauses and looks natural in motion. Lara has never been this much fun to control. The levels too have been designed in a way to allow Lara the freedom to use these new found abilities. Levels are far more open than before, allowing for multiple pathways, puzzles that can be completed in different orders. Underworld is clearly a Tomb Raider game through and through, it has been designed with Tombs and adventuring in mind. Which is a good thing as this is the games strength, that’s not to say combat takes a back seat however. Lara will fight human and animal enemies alike but they are far less common here than in Legend. Enemy AI has been improved and the fire fights are better for it. One strange new addition to combat is that Lara has every weapon in the game (bar one) available to her at any time in the level. She has her dual pistols with unlimited ammo and then can choose before a level and during to switch between any of the five other weapons. So Lara can switch weapons mid fight, it’s a strange dynamic that makes the game a little too easy on the combat front.

But let’s not get carried away just yet, as Underworld is no perfect game on the game play front, the camera here is atrocious at times, getting caught on the environment, randomly jutting about and has been the cause of my death on many occasions. Also due to the improved graphics ledges that Lara can climb onto are less obvious this time around, so it is often difficult to know what to do next in a level when you can’t clearly see a ledge right next to you that Lara can climb onto. Fall damage is also all over with place with Lara surviving huge falls and then dropping down dead when she steps off a slightly high ledge.

Playing through Tomb Raider: Underworld again I could not shake this strange feeling, despite its flaws I should love this. On the surface its pure Tomb Raider, big on puzzles, tombs, exploration with just a sprinkling of fun combat to pad it out and some vehicular sections too. However I just felt the overall experience felt a little flat compare to Legend and a lesser extent Anniversary. The story is a big factor in this, I enjoyed Legend’s story but can’t say the continuation here is very good at all, I just found myself not really following it and the game suffers as a result. The levels despite being fun never quite grabbed me like Legends Tombs and more modern environments did. I feel like it’s a case of one step forward and two back.

PC – 7.0/10 Xbox 360 – 7.2/10 PS3 7.0/10

Tomb Raider: Anniversary Review

Released in 2007, Tomb Raider: Anniversary is a complete top to bottom redesign of the original Tomb Raider game. To celebrate the 11th (Strange) anniversary of that games release Crystal Dynamics put the Legend story on hold and have brought us a well designed, thoughtful take on the original game. This is a great way for modern gamers to experience what the original Tomb Raider games where all about.

Anniversary dose nothing new with the story, its still about famed adventure and archaeologist Lara Croft being hired by Jacqueline Natla to find the scion of Atlantis. However new cut senses have been added and new voice acting recorded in order to bring it up to modern standards. This all does a great job is making the story far easier to follow than it was in 1996 and it serves its purpose well in moving the game forward. New elements to the story have been added in an attempt to link it slightly to the events of Legend but not in a major way. The story will take Lara from Peru to Egypt, Greece and then Atlantis. All the levels have been redesigned in the Legend engine and look fantastic. There is still plenty here for returning players to remember, however new puzzles and traversal methods make the levels so much fan to play now the platforming elements from Legend have been introduced.

On the game play front not much has changed from legend, but that’s not a bad thing. Lara moves the same around the environment, she has her grappling hook and can jump off enemies for bullet time kills. What has been added this time is the ability to time Lara’s dives to enable a bullet time headshot if you line up two ridicules on the enemy. Lara can also jump between multiple flat surfaces to climb up the environment which means you have to think more outside the box when traversing in Anniversary. Anniversary is filled with options also, you can change the control style so that it plays more like the original game, for example Lara wont just automatically grab onto a ledge when jumping, you the player will have to hold a button to get her to grab on.

Level design is top notch here, the game focuses primarily on adventuring and platforming, all of which is great fun, levels feel new and fresh while also adding new challenges for players. Some of the tombs here are pure classic Tomb Raider. Combat is still a bit messy however, enemy AI is still poor, that may have been left in to call back to the original also but it’s very noticeable. Another thing that has carried over from Tomb Raider Legend is unlockables, completing the game on different difficulties, collecting hidden items in levels will unlock new outfits of Lara, developer commentary, artwork and more. Croft manor is back, it’s the same as it was in Legend but in the nod to the original its filled with boxes as it was then and also serves are a mini Tomb, with items to find unlock like it did in Legend.

Graphically the game looks good, On PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 the game looks sharper than Legend did, better lighting and textures is also noticeable here. The game can run at 480p on PS2 and looks good considering at this point it was 7 year old hardware. The game dose suffer from some strange graphical bugs at times however, Lara’s shadow dynamics really fail regularly and will go through items on the ground or just render really strangely. This has been patched out of the more modern systems but on the PS2 and Wii it is still very much a problem.

Tomb Raider Anniversary is a good addition to the series, it’s a great way for gamers to experience what the classic Tomb Raiders where all about, exploration. Combat makes up a tiny amount of this game and for that It was really refreshing to play, especially considering how the original games are so combat focused. If you have only ever played the current Tomb Raider games, Anniversary is a great place to go to experience what Tomb Raider is really all about.

PC – 8.6/10 Xbox 360 - 8.6/10 PS2 – 8.0/10 Wii - 7.5/10

Tomb Raider: Legend – Review

Tomb Raider Legend is a massive return to form for the series, a series that has not seen a critical or commercially successful entry since 1999’s The Last Revelation. Since that game seven years have passed, two unsuccessful games, one successful movie and one unsuccessful movie had left Lara and her Tomb Raider series feeling a product of the 90’s, never to return. Also since the last game we have new developers in California based Crystal Dynamics. Core had been removed from all Tomb Raider games after the disappointment of Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness and now an American developer was taking on one of Britain’s most iconic names.

In Tomb Raider: Legend, British archaeologist-adventurer Lara Croft returns. A key event in her back-story is a plane crash in Nepal in the Himalayas she survived with her mother Amelia. Publicly she was the only survivor of the crash, while her mother was apparently killed upon interacting with a magical artifact in a Nepalese temple where they took shelter. After her ordeal, Lara goes on archaeological expeditions with her father Richard before his disappearance and presumed death in Cambodia when she is sixteen. In the years since, she has become both famous and infamous for her work as an archaeologist and explorer, privately driven by the need to understand her mother's fate. Tomb Raider Legend is a full re-boot for the series. A new game engine and back story have been put together for the game in order to allow CD to put its own stamp on the series. Original Tomb Raider creator Toby Guard was invited to CD’s offices in California to advise on the game, ensuring the new games stays true to the original series roots.

The funny thing about Tomb Raider: Legend is how much has changed, yet remained the same. CD made distinct changes to the game's every aspect, yet Legend is still very much a Tomb Raider action-adventure title. Lara no longer controls like a tank on ice, she moves around the environment with ease, she still can do all the things from previous games but this time everything feels free and easy. When shimmying across a cliffside or climbing up a mountain, for example, by pressing a single button Lara can double time it across the object. This is pulled off by rhythmically pushing the button to her motion. Seems simple enough, but it actually speeds up the game's pace, an idea the previous six games could've used. Little changes create a sense of experimentation and playfulness in Legend. Lara pulls off a beautiful swan dive from a 20-story cliff into a lake. By pressing and holding a button while grabbing a cliffside, Lara can transform a normal jump into a silky smooth back-bend to a perfect landing. If you time it right, she executes a series of back flips and summersaults.

Combat has also been improved, again small changes to the way she animates makes combat far more enjoyable. She can shoot while in mid-air and run and jump of enemies enabling a bullet-time style back flip which looks very cool. She has a multi-purpose grappling hook that hauls enemies into her clutches. She also has a slide attack, which can send enemies into a nice juggle; and she can hit and kick, too. On the weapons front, Lara can wield two weapons and grenades simultaneously, and her trademark pistols never run out of bullets. She can also use an MP5, Assault Rifle, shotgun, grenades as well as a grenade launcher. Medical kits are found throughout the levels, stored in the inventory and can be applied with a one button press. It’s not all good news however; enemy AI (both human and animal) is retarded, getting caught on the environment, not knowing Lara is standing next to them and just standing in the open for Lara to shoot. Combat is still fun however, it’s just noticeable in 2019 how bad the AI is here, and to be fair it was bad for 2006.

Regardless of which system you buy this on, Crystal Dynamics' art direction and design are top notch. The menus and interfaces are all sleek, easy, and fast. The game really is attractive on all levels. Obviously, the Xbox 360 and PC versions will shine the brightest. In particular, the Xbox 360 version offers an enormous amount of specialty shaders and lighting techniques that add texture and detail to otherwise normal environments. The water effects, large, well-detailed level, explosions, and the clarity of all the objects, enemies, and creatures are all high.

Lara will ride a handful of vehicles in Legend. The main new vehicle is a motorcycle, which Lara will mount twice in the game. The motorcycle riding is simple stuff. It serves more to break up the action than to provide much of a thrill, it’s a liner ride down a straight road with jumps and enemies to shoot. Speaking of Liner the level design in Tomb Raider Legend is rather. The levels themselves look great and are a blast to explore; Lara will explore old Tombs as well as visit more modern environments such as sky scrapers. The entire levels house the typical mix of Tomb Raider action, exploration and puzzles, but all three elements to that tri-force feel great, a perfect balance in my opinion. Two Tombs in particular rank among the very best in the series, my only gripe would be the length of the game. It took me four and a half hours to complete, admittedly it was my 4th or 5th play through but all the same this won’t take even first time players more than 6 hours to complete. When you compare that to previous games it’s very short indeed.

The Croft Mansion is back. Instead of a training ground, however, it's Lara's own personal tomb to raid, filled with an array of great puzzles. The mansion is a freestanding home that's meant just for exploration, outside of the story proper. It's filled with collectables, secrets and hidden stuff. As are all the levels and collecting these can lead to new outfits for Lara to ware, pistol upgrades, director’s commentary and artworks. So there is reason to return after the story is finished.

Tomb Raider: Legend is a massive return to form for the series, Eidos did the right thing changing the status quo and brining in a new developer. Tomb Raider now feels like a game for the 21st century and is a blast to play. It’s up there with the best the series has to offer and despite its short run time the collectables and new outfits will keep you coming back time and time again.

PC – 9.2/10 Xbox 360 – 9.3/10 PS2/GameCube – 9.0/10 Xbox - 9.1/10

Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness – Review

In 2003 the Tomb Raider series was in an odd place, it had not seen a block buster hit in almost 4 years but a fairly successful movie in 2001 had re-kindled the fire slightly. A new generation of consoles had since come out, games were telling stories more akin to a movie script and action adventure games controlled far better than the Tomb Raider games of the late 90’s. Would Tomb Raider the Angel of Darkness bring Lara Croft into the 21st century? Or would we be left feeling her best days where far behind her?

The story of TAOD is an almost direct continuation of The Last Revelation. Lara, back from being buried alive is confronting her old mentor Werner Von Croy in his Paris apartment when during an argument he is killed in mysterious circumstances. He mentions something about a cult, who are after him and Lara escapes into the Parisian night chanced by the police and now framed with his murder. The story then moves onto Lara trying to clear her name while chancing a serial killer linked to the cult. It’s a fairly well written and delivered story which is clearly designed to last longer than one game. All cutsenses are well put together and you do get a good sense of what is going on, Core have used the new gen tech available to them to tell an interesting story that is by no means great, but slightly more interesting than we are used to seeing in a Tomb Raider game.

My first twenty minutes with AOD were frustraighting to say the least. You start in a Parisian back ally and have to climb your way out. The entire section of the level is designed to take no longer than five minutes max and acts as a mini tutorial. However the first thing I noticed is how bad the controls are in AOD, much had been made about how Lara now no longer controls “like a tank”. Well in Tomb Raider AOD Lara still controls like a tank, but a tank on an ice rink. Time and time again I would fall of edges, overshoot jumps, randomly back flip to my death due to the over sensitive movement controls. This is not helped by the fact the camera controls are slow and unresponsive, to the point you hardly use them and stick to the pre-set view point. All throughout my play though it was difficult to control Lara and it took away from the overall experience the game was trying to produce, compared to other games from this genre, AOD has terrible, clunky controls. Regular frame rate dips and slow down are also a problem and don’t always seem to be triggered by anything in particular.

Some new additions to the game play are that Lara can “upgrade” her abilities. For example strength and grip can now be improved throughout the game. This is done by doing the actions and overtime her ability to pull or push heavier objects will increase, or the length of time she can grip a ledge will improve. However these add-ons add next to nothing to the experience as you improve these in line with the story as you progress, it’s not like a Zelda game for example where you need to return to a section once you have improved your skill in order to progress. In AOD it just so happens that you always improve them just as you need to use them, effectively eliminating the point of having this in the game at all. There are reasons that this is the case, much was cut from AOD and a levelling system was one of these additions that was cut. Stealth was also added, but again there is no punishment for not using it and enemy AI is terrible, just making it much easier to shoot them. The game was also meant to include a large open Paris level with side quests and other activities. Again however most of this was cut, apart from Paris itself which is now just an empty semi-open space for you to walk around in and watch a loading screen every 5 feet.

One of the most striking new additions to AOD is that you now play as someone other than Lara. Through the course of the game you will meet a character called Curtis and end up playing as him in a couple of levels. Somehow he controls even worse than Lara and is an entirely unlikeable character.

It’s not all bad news however, the graphics in the game are very impressive. Lighting and textures are great for the time and Lara’s model has seen allot of attention looking fantastic as do other NPCs in the game. Environments look the part, from Parisian streets to the Louvre and even the one Tomb in the game, they all look very impressive.

But that’s it! That’s the only positive segment of this review, having struggled to get into this game 15 years ago I find myself even more unable to play it in 2018. It’s a mess of a game and almost un-playable in its current form. There is a rather loyal fan community that have created many mods that make this game more “playable” but even with them installed it’s not worth the play through.

Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness is a game that is well documented, discussed and lamented. It features on many top ten lists for all the wrong reasons, and was sadly the last curtain for Core Design with Tomb Raider. It was in development for 3 years, delayed twice and finally forced out the door by Eidos in order to come out in time for the second Tomb Raider movie. Lots was cut from the game, and many at Core felt the game was over ambitious and needed more development time. In the end it fell short of what many wanted and the future of Tomb Raider, with the second movie doing poorly, now seemed bleak. There is a distinct lack of what made the original Tomb Raider games so great (tombs for example) while Core added nothing of any note to improve things, leaving us with an empty shell of a game.

As a Tomb Rider fan I am sad, you can see what Core was trying to achieve and this may have even worked out well if more time had been given and development was less hellish. In many ways Eidos milked the games during the PS1 era and that has haunted Core up to this point. Tomb Raider :TAOD is a very poor game and an even poorer Tomb Raider game.

PS2 – 5/10 PC – 5/10

Tomb Raider Chronicles - Review

Tomb Raider Chronicles was the Tomb Raider game that was never meant to be, well at least if you ask anyone at Core Design. Prior to working on The Last Revelation, Core had begun to get fatigue with the series and even tried to “kill off” Lara in order to get a break from the series to work on new titles and the next gen Tomb Raider. However when TR:TLR became another critical and commercial success, Lara’s star was signing brighter than ever and Eidos wanted one last Tomb Raider for the PS1 generation for fill the 2000 holiday period. So Core split into two teams, around three quarters of the staff worked on new titles and the next gen Tomb Raider while a quarter of the team worked on Chronicles, and it shows.

Tomb Raider Chronicles is set just after the events of TR:TLR with Lara buried alive in Egypt presumed dead. You are show Winston (The Butler) at a memorial service and the game then shifts to Winston and two of Lara’s other friends discussing some of her adventures. The game then takes you through four adventures. The first is situated in Rome, where Lara is searching for the fabled Philosopher's Stone. Pierre DuPont and Larson Conway are reintroduced and we learn that they too are after the Stone. The second adventure entails Lara on the hunt for the famed Spear of Destiny. This see’s Lara go against the Russian mafia and take them on, on a submarine. The third adventure is set in Lara's childhood on Black Isle of Ireland. She is staying with Winston but overhears him and Father Patrick Dunstan conversing about strange paranormal happenings on the island. She stows away on the small boat Father Patrick drives to the island and encounters many strange beings such as the Hanging Corpse, Changelings, a monster intent on chasing and killing her, the Grim Reaper, ghosts and the Demon Verdilet. The fourth and final expedition involves Lara infiltrating a high-tech complex owned by Werner von Croy in pursuit of the Iris artefact, an artefact Lara sees as her own from the beginning events of TR:TLR.

The way the story is set out and plays very much makes the game feel more like an expansion pack to The Last Revelation than a fully fledged new game. The gameplay of Tomb Raider Chronicles is closely tied to that of Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation. Lara now can walk on a tightrope, grab and swing on horizontal bars, and somersault forwards from a ledge while crouching. Lara sports a new camouflage snow-suit and a black catsuit suitable for infiltration. The crossbow and grenade launcher from Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation have not returned, but the MP5 submachine gun and Desert Eagle from Tomb Raider III are revived. New equipment consists of a TMX-Timex that Lara uses to track her statistics and grappling gun, which fires a grappling hook into perishable surfaces and produces a rope from which Lara can swing. It is used to latch on certain areas of the ceiling and swing across vaults. Only one vehicle (of sorts) appears: a high-tech diving suit designed to penetrate deep waters. The ability to save wherever one desires returns from The Last Revelation as does the combining system of puzzle items used to progress in the level. Lara also uses a crowbar and a torch to progress through the virtual world.

From a graphics perspective this is easily the most refined Tomb Raider to date. Lara’s character model is the best yet and draw distance and environmental detail have all been improved. It is the most varied Tomb Raider game in terms of level design, seeing you go from Rome, to Siberia, to a hunted island to a futuristic skyscraper. All look fantastic and a each fun to play. The game also features a special features menu that is unlocked when you find all the hidden items in the game. It features some content art as well as a short FMV showing off what the next gen Tomb Raider might look like.

Tomb Rider Chronicles is a strange game in the series, it in no way feels like a brand new game, more an expansion pack. It’s clear that this game didn’t have as much time and effort put into it and the final product is very, very similar to what has come before. It is also by far the shortest Tomb Raider game, clocking it at around 6 to 8 hours. If you love Tomb Raider then its worth picking up to add to the collection but if you don’t or like Core Design you are a bit burnt out with it, you may want to give this one a miss.

PC – 7.6 PS1 - 7.5

Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation - Review

Tomb Raider the Last Revelation is very much Core Designs swansong to the PlayStation 1 era. It very much feels like they have taken everything they have learnt from the last three games and produced a near perfect (original era) Tomb Raider game, moulded from the first three games.

Despite its success on the sales front Tomb Raider 3 struggled to gain the critical acclaim of the first two titles, so one year later we have Tomb Raider: TLR. Lara Croft was as much of a pop culture phenomenon back in 1999 as she was a year before and the hype surrounding this game in 1999 was like nothing we’d seen before in video games. Was the hype justified or was Tomb Raider: TLR a let-down? Let’s find out.

The first thing you’ll notice is that this Tomb Raider does feel different to the previous three. Gone are they old menus, replaced with more conventional style while we are shown clips of the game in the background. Croft manor has also been removed, in part due to the lack of disk space on a CD but also as Core felt they had done all they could with that setting in the last three games.

Core have brought in professional story writers from TV and movies this time around and it really shows. The story opens in Angkor Wat in 1984, when Lara Croft is 16. She and her mentor, Werner Von Croy, are exploring ancient ruins, searching for an ancient artefact called the Iris. They find it, but Lara finds inscriptions that warn of terrible retribution for any who disturb the artefact. Von Croy ignores the warnings and the temple begins to close. Lara is forced to run, leaving him trapped inside.

In 1999, Lara and a local guide are searching for the Tomb of Seth, hoping to find the Amulet of Horus. Upon removing it from a sarcophagus, she finds that the amulet is the key to sealing the dark god Seth away for eternity. Horus and his ally Semerkhet constructed the sarcophagus to hold Seth and that, by removing the amulet, Seth has been released. Her guide is revealed to be working for Von Croy, who is determined to take the amulet for himself. Lara quickly escapes after being chased by Von Croy's mercenaries. Lara must work to re-seal Seth away before he destroys the world and stop Von Croy from taking it for himself.

This is easily the best story in the Tomb Raider series up to this point and the addition of professional writers really shows. Told again through FMV and in game cutscenes the story moves at an almost perfect pace and keeps you far more invested than in previous titles. The ending (as I’m sure you all know) is a huge cliff-hanger and one that kept fans talking for years, right up to the release of Angel of Darkness.

One of the key differences with TR:TLR is that apart from the first level, the game is based entirely in Egypt, rather than a globe hopping adventure as before. My initial fears with this were quickly eased as the level design is almost second to none. Each area of the game feels different with great lighting, architecture and new puzzles to explore. Levels are now spread over multiple loading screens and back tracking is now required to complete objectives. For example one level has a tomb door that requires you to go to three different levels to collect part of the key and return each time. This helps lend a bit of believability to the levels that feel far more like you would expect a Tomb to feel. It’s a linier game than Tomb Raider 3 was but levels are not as linier as they were in Tomb Raider 1 & 2 striking an almost perfect balance.

TLR features many new moves. Lara can now grab hold of ropes dangling from the ceiling and swing from them. These can be used to cross large gaps. She can climb up and down ropes and poles also. She can now shimmy around corners unlike in previous titles. Lara herself in this instalment has a smoother, more refined appearance. This is due to moving and flexible joints between meshes, creating a more realistic approach to the heroine. You can also combine items such as puzzle pieces and there are different ammo types for the shotgun as well as other weapons. Lara can upgrade weapons as well, such as adding a sight to the new revolver and crossbow allowing for first person aiming.

Tomb Raider the Last Revelation was meant to be Core designs final Tomb Raider game before they turned their attention to a next generation Tomb Raider title and it shows. This for me is the perfect balance of all that the original games brought to the table. Combat is great with new and old weapons but not over the top as it was in Tomb Raider 2. Exploration is fun and diverse but not as “all over the place” as it was in Tomb Raider 3 and despite 95% of the game being set in Egypt the level design moulds and changes well throughout the game, unlike the original games repetitive environments.

However if you have not liked Tomb Raider up to this point you’re not going to enjoy TLR. It’s a near perfect example of what the original Tomb Raider series was and a great way to bow out for Lara and Core design. Sadly they would be forced to make one more title prior to working on their next gen Tomb Raider game but we will get to that another time. If you like the original Tomb Raider series you own it to yourself to pick this up as for me it’s the best in the series.
PC – 9.2 PS1 – 9.1

Tomb Raider 3 – Review

Released in 1998 Tomb Raider 3 was the highly anticipated follow up to one of the best games in the Tomb Raider series, Tomb Raider 2. Tomb Rader 1 had taken over the world in 1996 and thanks to the phenomenal Tomb Raider 2 a year later Lara Croft was still riding high as a pop culture phenomenon in 1998. Eidos therefore demanded another game the next year to ensure the success of the Tomb Raider series continued. So a year later we got Tomb Raider 3, was it as much as a leap forward as Tomb Raider 2 was or was it more of the same?

The story of Tomb Raider 3 see’s a corporation called RX Tech excavate a crash site of a meteorite that impacted on Antarctica millions of years ago and finds strange Rapa Nui-like statues alongside the grave of one of HMS Beagle's sailors. Meanwhile, archaeologist-adventurer Lara Croft is searching for an artefact known as the Infada Stone in the ruins of an ancient Indian Hindu temple once inhabited by the Infada tribe. After taking the artefact from a researcher working for RX Tech, Lara is approached by RX Tech scientist Dr. Willard, who explains that polynesians came across a meteorite crater in Antarctica thousands of years ago and found that it held incredible power. Using rock from the meteorite, they crafted four crystalline artefacts, one of which is the Infada Stone. They then fled Antarctica for unknown reasons, but in the 19th century a group of sailors travelling with Charles Darwin came to Antarctica and rediscovered the artefacts. The four artefacts were then distributed across the globe. Dr. Willard has been able to track the artefacts by using the diary of one of the sailors. Lara agrees to help him find the other three.

The story as in the last two games is presented in FMV and in game cutscenes. Its’ a serviceable story that moves the game along but it still suffers from the same issues as the last two games in that it’s not always clear what’s going on. Again this is due to FMV cutscenes that seem lacking in story and direction as well as a script that’s rather poor. It’s a problem that Core have still not addressed from the last two games and again in hurts Tomb Raider 3. It does however take Lara on a globe hopping adventure from India to the East Indies, Area 51, London and Finally Antarctica. The level design here is solid if not a little uninspired for Tomb Raider.

Area 51 and London are the stand out locations as they are slightly different from what we have seen before, one requiring you to break into the top secret base and then start a prison riot to get out. The other making you explore old underground stations before making you’re way up to London’s skyline in order to fight it out with enemies on London’s roof tops. The other three areas however are rather standard Tomb Raider and I can’t say I particularly enjoyed them, as it felt like levels I had spent that last two years playing. One change to level design this time however is multiple paths Lara can take. Almost all the levels have different routes that can be taken in order to complete them and in some cases this can add or save the player upto 30 minutes worth of level depending on the path they take. Different secrets are also hidden down the differing paths so completionists will enjoy the replay value here. It’s a far less linear game, levels are massive in size and scope this time around. There is also a hidden level that can be unlocked once all the in game treasures have been found and this is fun to play.

Gameplay is the main area that has seen changes this year. Lara can now run, crouch, crawl and monkey swing as well as hang off edges from crawling or crouching. All these new gameplay tweaks are factored into the gameplay well and you will be required to use them regularly throughout the game. They all come together to make Lara feel much more maneuverable than in previous titles. Vehicles also make a return this time and Lara has access to kayaks, quad bikes, mine karts and boats just to name a few. They all handle well and are fun sections of the game. Sadly it’s not all good news on the gameplay front however, one of the worst parts of Tomb Raider 3 is the re-introduction of the save crystals from the first game, albeit with a slight twist. This time they are scattered throughout the level but instead of having to save at each one Lara can now collect them and use them as she pleases. This is slightly better than before but a massive step backwards from Tomb Raider 2, seeing as this is one of if not the hardest Tomb Raider games, its frustrating not being able to save whenever you want.

There have been a number of small improvements to the graphics engine for Tomb Raider 3. Multi-coloured lighting, rippling water, reflections, fog and changing weather effects have all been added, as well as an improved character model for Lara. It is bar far the best looking Tomb Raider game we have seen upto this point, and this extends to the fantastic looking environments that feel very real for a late 90’s video game.

Overall Tomb Raider 3 is a solid game. It improves the game play and graphics of the series but at this point it is starting to feel like we have been here before. Story and level design fall short here when compared to what’s come before. I just can’t say I enjoyed Tomb Raider 3 and much as 1 and 2 because of these issues. If you enjoyed Tomb Raider 1 and 2 you will enjoy this and it’s well worth playing to play through the London and especially fantastic Area 51 levels.

8.2/10 – PC 8.0 – PS1

Tomb Raider 2 - Review

Tomb Raider 2 continues the adventures of Lara Croft. One year after Tomb Raider took over the world, the team at Core design return with what is considered by many, myself included as the very best Tomb Raider game in the original series.
The story of Tomb Raider II surrounds the mythical 'Dagger of Xian', a weapon which was used by an Emperor of China to command his army. By plunging the weapon into its owner's heart, the weapon has the power to turn its bearer into a dragon. The last battle fought with the Dagger ended when the warrior monks of Tibet removed the knife from the Emperor's heart, whereupon the Emperor died. The Dagger was then returned to its resting place within the Great Wall of China. This will take Lara all over the world and she will battle a dangerous cult intent on getting their hands on the dagger. As before this is told through FMV cut scenes and in game clips, these are an improvement on before and there is more voice acting than in the previous game which helps improve the story telling experience. As before however it’s not always easy to tell what’s going on but you always have a rough idea and it keeps the game moving well.

I personally preferred the story in Tomb Raider 2 to the first game and it takes Lara from the Great Wall of China to Venice then onto an underwater shipwreck, then to the mountains of Nepal and back to China. The level design is fantastic here and all the levels feel unique. One of my complaints about the first game is that many levels felt similar in design, but in Tomb Raider 2 this is not the case, they all stand out with tough, puzzles, great exploration and improved combat. Special mention must go to the Barkhang Monastery level that sees Lara explore an ancient monastery that’s full of great puzzles, many enemies and monks that if left un harmed, aid Lara against the cult members. In 1997 this was very impressive and it made the level stand out in gaming let alone Tomb Raider 2 with the impressive number of people on screen and AI.

Graphically Tomb Raider 2 is much improved over the original. Lara’s model has been improved with a higher polygon count, her famous ponytail also makes its first appearance here and reacts impressively to the way Lara moves, running over her shoulder and reacting to wind ect. Environments also look improved with more varied textures, Lara will find herself in more modern surroundings such as Venice and an oil rig rather than just ancient tombs. Dynamic lighting has also been added, Lara’s weapons will cause light to bounce off the environment as she fires them and she now has flares to help brighten up darker areas.

Game play has been greatly improved this time around, from the moment I picked up Tomb Raider 2 Lara felt more responsive and allot less “tank” like. It makes it much easier to play Tomb Raider 2 in 2017 than say Tomb Raider 1. Combat has been improved with more guns added to Lara’s arsenal, a grenade launcher, M16 assault rifle and harpoon for underwater combat have been added alongside the classic duel pistols, uzi’s and shotgun. The amount of gun fights in the game has been increased with Lara fighting many more human enemies this time around, the AI is rather standard for 1997 and at times can be relentless in their pursuit of Lara. The combat to exploration balance in Tomb Raider 2 feels perfect and adds a new dimension to the game play. The save system has also been changed, dropping the save crystal’s from the first game for a save anywhere system that makes the game far more forgiving than before, no longer will you have to play through the same sections of the game over and over again when you die.

Tomb Raider 2 is an impressive achievement, in one year Core Design has managed to improve on the original in almost every way and create an all time classic. Not only is it one of the best games in the original Tomb Raider series, it’s one of the best games on the original PlayStation.

If you’re a fan of Tomb Raider, Lara Croft or action adventure games, it’s a must play!
9.6/10 – PC 9.4/10 – PS1

Tomb Raider 1996 - Review

It’s hard to know how to review this game, if you hold it up to modern standards then of course it’s got more than its fair share of issues. But if you take it for what it is and compare it to games at the time it is one of the best games ever made.

At the time of its release we has seen nothing like this, the graphics on both pc and console where fantastic and the game play and level design where fluid and expansive. It really did blow allot of people away. I won’t go into too much detail regarding Lara's history or legacy as we all know the impact she had on the video game industry as well as pop culture its self. So let’s begin.

Tomb Raider puts you in the boots of arceologist Lara Croft who is approached by a rich and powerful business woman known as Natla to recover an artefact in Peru, and that is all that is know when Lara sets off on this adventure. The story on the whole is decent but It can be hard at times to piece together exactly what’s going on, I guess in modern gaming we are so used to incredible cinematic experiences that a handful of short FMV's and in game cut sense don’t quite cut it. The clues are there however and its a decent story that keeps the game moving on nicely. The game itself see's Lara tackle 4 areas that are broken up into 3 to 4 levels each, these are Peru, Greece, Egypt and finally Atlantis. The level design for the time is incredible and really second to none, its the classic Tomb Raider design of platforming, key/switch finding and occasional animal or boss battles but for the time is was fresh and exciting. My Only gripe with the levels is that each areas levels can feel repetitive from a graphical point of view, even though the layout of these levels are vastly different they use allot of the same styles and textures.

From a graphics and sound stand point, for a 1996 game it looks and sounds great. 3D environments bring the world together and Lara’s character model looks good if not a little.....pointy. Only issues are a poor draw distance which can be quite jarring in 2016 and sounds sometimes don’t play when they are supposed too however this is an issue in both PC and console versions of the game. The levels don’t have a soundtrack as such, but more occasional sound bites as you adventure, or sounds play to symbolise and secret being discovered or door opening. Sounds of Lara's movements, gun fire and other NPC's are all good for 1996. Some character models of other humans could be improved however as the difference between them and Lara in quality is quite obvious.

The game play is what we have all come to know, love and find frustrating. It’s the usual fair of run, jump, roll, dodge and shoot. There is allot more emphasis on platforming in Tomb Raider as opposed to the other games in the series and only a few enemies appear in levels. To be honest in 2016 Lara did not feel as "tank" like as I thought she might but it can be a challenge to move her around. More often than not I died because she did not jump when I wanted her too or due to the dated graphics a ledge was not as close as I thought. This was frustraiting in 1996 and is frustraiting in 2016 so be warned before you play. It did however not stop my overall enjoyment of the game and replaying it 20 years after it first came out was a complete joy. The PC version also bennifits from its ability to save wherever you like mid level, PlayStation and Saturn versions of the game had to make use of save cristals scattared thoughout the levels and this became more than a slight annoyance on the consoles.

Over all Tomb Raider is a fantastic game, it blew us away in 1996 and in 2016 it’s not as hard to play as I thought it would be. The story is solid and helps move things forward nicely and the overall presentation for the time of release is top notch. This is all complemented with fantastic level design if not slightly aesthetically repetitive. On a modern PC with windows 10 the games runs well, only issues I had is FMV's stretch to fit the screen which can make them harder to watch and there is also a slight delay between them starting and playing on screen only a second or two but this really does not detract too much.

Overall Tomb Raider is an all time great that will go down as a classic. - 9.2/10 - PC 9.0/10 - PS1/Saturn