Red Blaster
Member
way too much shooting in tomb raider 2 for my liking
and that venice level wooo man, the cathedral is brutal
and that venice level wooo man, the cathedral is brutal
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Original PS1 Tomb Raiders worth checking out?
- Thread starter SatoAilDarko
- Start date
Baron_Calamity
Member
I'm torn. I can imagine that playing the original Tomb Raider on modern hardware isn't fun.
However I confess, Tomb Raider was one of the games I played on an original playstation recently and there is something to it. Just like playing Super Mario Brothers or Metroid on an original NES and controller.
However I confess, Tomb Raider was one of the games I played on an original playstation recently and there is something to it. Just like playing Super Mario Brothers or Metroid on an original NES and controller.
Novum_Veritas
Member
This thread gives me the itch to replay TR1 again lol.
Maybe I should replay it after such a long time.
Maybe I should replay it after such a long time.
SmokedMeat
Gamer™
Bought TR for my Vita last night. I didn't play too far into it, but it's aged well. I mean, decent platforming is decent platforming regardless of age right? Plus it doesn't hold your hand the way more modern titles tend to.
For a couple dollars go for it.
For a couple dollars go for it.
Agreed. They added too many human enemies in 2. It just wasn't designed for that kind of combat. TR1 is probably best one thanks to not having many human encounters. Its a purer adventure game.
Sub_Level
wants to fuck an Asian grill.
You all were not kidding about the human enemies. I must have saved 40 times at least in this level. I am legit shook by the difficulty of this game, especially since I'm not using a walkthrough and only using 2 save slots.
It was satisfying gibbing a gangster at the end with the grenade launcher though. But now time for the infamous oil rig...I don't know if I can do it...
It was satisfying gibbing a gangster at the end with the grenade launcher though. But now time for the infamous oil rig...I don't know if I can do it...
Haha this thread has got me nostalgiaing to some YouTube let's-plays.
Man, these games are so good and control so well in their own way. It's hard to comprehend people struggling. You hold up to run forward, and lean the d-pad left or right to adjust your forward motion accordingly. Apart from that there are buttons for kneeling and strafing etc. -- you know, controls.
Man, these games are so good and control so well in their own way. It's hard to comprehend people struggling. You hold up to run forward, and lean the d-pad left or right to adjust your forward motion accordingly. Apart from that there are buttons for kneeling and strafing etc. -- you know, controls.
Wait what's infamous about Oil Rig? Is it the flamethrower dudes?You all were not kidding about the human enemies. I must have saved 40 times at least in this level. I am legit shook by the difficulty of this game, especially since I'm not using a walkthrough and only using 2 save slots.
It was satisfying gibbing a gangster at the end with the grenade launcher though. But now time for the infamous oil rig...I don't know if I can do it...
thewhitehawk
Member
I feel the first game had some of the best level design in the series. While the sequels significantly improved the visuals, they didn't reach a level of design quality close to the first game until Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation. If you can stomach the dated aesthetic of the first game, I'd still recommend trying it, if not, then The Last Revelation is where I'd start.
yesrushdt
Member
Available on Steam, however they're cheaper on gog.com ($9.99 for the first 3). Highly advise playing it on the PC as the graphics are much better. Also, there is a great widescreen patch available at this site for 2-4 allowing you to play in HD resolutions without stretching it out. Hopefully somebody will create such a patch for TR1 as well.
I don't know why so many people are down on tank controls. Once you get used to them it's very playable.
Shout out to the Gold level packs, especially TR3 Gold (The Lost Artifact), which was so well-designed that the manual for the Level Editor (released with TR5) used this particular game's design principles as a basis for its suggestions and advice.
Two key principles I still remember to this day are (1) gradually add possibility after possibility so the player's experience in a level unfolds with a nice arc of straight-forward -> confusion -> solution (or words to that effect); and (2) tantalise the player with out-of-reach areas that, when later reached from a totally unexpected path, educe a satisfying "ah-hah!" moment.
This sort of strong game design I feel is lacking in general, these days.
Two key principles I still remember to this day are (1) gradually add possibility after possibility so the player's experience in a level unfolds with a nice arc of straight-forward -> confusion -> solution (or words to that effect); and (2) tantalise the player with out-of-reach areas that, when later reached from a totally unexpected path, educe a satisfying "ah-hah!" moment.
This sort of strong game design I feel is lacking in general, these days.
dapperbandit
Banned
You all were not kidding about the human enemies. I must have saved 40 times at least in this level. I am legit shook by the difficulty of this game, especially since I'm not using a walkthrough and only using 2 save slots.
It was satisfying gibbing a gangster at the end with the grenade launcher though. But now time for the infamous oil rig...I don't know if I can do it...
Actually I thought the Oil Rig level was one of the easier ones.
After THAT you've got the 40 Fathoms undersea bullshit. But for me the hardest levels in TR2 were ones like Temple of Xian near the end with virtually no human enemies, just a grueling, never ending slog of traps and environmental hazards.
Were there too many human enemies in the game though? Perhaps. The combat seems more suited to evading animal/melee attackers like tigers than Italians.
Sub_Level
wants to fuck an Asian grill.
I dunno, havent played it yet. But its a level I have heard mentioned a lot. If its relatively easy then that is good, I need a break after Opera House!
dapperbandit
Banned
Oh I actually just remembered why people hate the Oil Rig: your weapons get taken off you (including infinite ammo pistols) at the start and you have to find them all, I can't remember whether they're all in one pickup or split up into seperate ones.
Jazzkokehead
Member
I agree that I don't like the increased focus on combat in the second game, but I feel it has some of the best level design of the series.
Novum_Veritas
Member
I recently started a play through of Tomb Raider 1 on PS1, and this game never gets old.
I played till the Palace of Midas, my least favorite level are the Cisterns, I hated that one lol.
The controls are easy to adjust to, even of all those newer games out there.
The T-Rex fight is still epic, even if the graphics are not up par for today's standards.
I liked TR2 too, especially the Temple of Xian and the Jade level.
I'm sad that in today's games we do not see that much of variety or levels anymore.
I also miss the good ol' puzzles in games of today.
I played till the Palace of Midas, my least favorite level are the Cisterns, I hated that one lol.
The controls are easy to adjust to, even of all those newer games out there.
The T-Rex fight is still epic, even if the graphics are not up par for today's standards.
I liked TR2 too, especially the Temple of Xian and the Jade level.
I'm sad that in today's games we do not see that much of variety or levels anymore.
I also miss the good ol' puzzles in games of today.
Shadow Hog
Member
Mostly sound advice all around, but if it's the widescreen patch I saw when I was looking into the matter myself earlier, I wouldn't recommend it. Strictly vert-; you're not gaining info to the sides, you're losing it off the top and bottom. Might as well stick with 4:3.
TR2 definitely has too many human enemies, but they are just a minor annoyance and the game never really focuses on them over the level design, platforming, and puzzle solving. They don't make combat arenas, just put enemies in the levels not designed around combat. TR2 has some amazing level design... hell, TR3, as well. TR1 got pretty annoying with Pierre in the Greek levels. At least most humans in the sequels can be taken out very quickly. 2 shotgun blasts will do ya. And the MP5 can kill from a very long range.
I disagree. TR2 has some of the best levels in the franchise. The Oil Rig levels aren't that great, but everything else is. The Great Wall, all of the ship levels, The Catacombs, Ice Palace, The Temple of Xian and Floating Islands are amazing. TR3 has about 4 levels that aren't great (High Security Complex, Area 51, Thames Wharf, and Lud's Gate). Levels like Aldwych and Madubu Gorge are so good. The game is just too dark and the save crystal system on the PS1 version was terrible.
Last Revelation is very good as well, but I think it peaks at Alexandria. Cairo and Giza are pretty messy and less climactic than previous games.
I think people that complain about the controls are actually complaining about how stiff and slow the animations are. Also some people jump in without learning the controls and get upset when they press the jump button and Lara doesn't jump because they didn't start the run from the correct distance. There was a guy who was playing the TR games for the first time and he was having a hard time. I think he made it to TR2 before he got stuck. I think he needed to pass through some spikes and it turned out he didn't know there was a walk button!
The Oil Rig levels are just kinda boring. It's not a very interesting location.
QuantumZebra
Member
QuantumZebra
Member
amen to thatShout out to the Gold level packs, especially TR3 Gold (The Lost Artifact), which was so well-designed that the manual for the Level Editor (released with TR5) used this particular game's design principles as a basis for its suggestions and advice.
Two key principles I still remember to this day are (1) gradually add possibility after possibility so the player's experience in a level unfolds with a nice arc of straight-forward -> confusion -> solution (or words to that effect); and (2) tantalise the player with out-of-reach areas that, when later reached from a totally unexpected path, educe a satisfying "ah-hah!" moment.
This sort of strong game design I feel is lacking in general, these days.
Pilgrimzero
Member
This series is another good case for how games now-a-days are all style and no substance.
I remember when Uncharted was first revealed and everyone called it Dude Raider.
And now, Lara mimics Drake.
How sad.
Great classic series. TR1 is still worth playing today. Still nothing else like it.
I remember when Uncharted was first revealed and everyone called it Dude Raider.
And now, Lara mimics Drake.
How sad.
Great classic series. TR1 is still worth playing today. Still nothing else like it.
Cave Johnson
Member
Here's something a lot don't point out but TR2 had that one level that really tested your "perception":
. It's amazing how they can put all that up within a year's timespan and is still far better level designing than any modern contemporaries as of late.
The one secret dimension inside the Great Wall.
Jimmyfenix
Member
what the fuck
Sorcerer
Member
The first TR is great and TR2 is just that much better.
TR1 for its sense of isolation.
TR2 is just as good but it gets the job done in more modern environments.
To me those set the standard for the series they seem to have never gotten back to.
The series seems to take a dive after this, and some of the later games are very frustrating due to the bugs that literally might mean having to restart the entire game.
Very sloppy and rushed.
I tried to play through the entire series but couldn't do it.
TR1 for its sense of isolation.
TR2 is just as good but it gets the job done in more modern environments.
To me those set the standard for the series they seem to have never gotten back to.
The series seems to take a dive after this, and some of the later games are very frustrating due to the bugs that literally might mean having to restart the entire game.
Very sloppy and rushed.
I tried to play through the entire series but couldn't do it.
Jazzkokehead
Member
Replaying these games now is pretty interesting - some of the levels, particularly in TR3 and forward, are pretty huge and complex, and the player is given minimal, if any, direction. Admittedly, this often ends up working against the game in many cases (frequently, the correct path forward is not obvious or intuitive at all), but compared to more modern, ultra-linear games, the sometimes wilfully obtuse level design of these games is... actually kind of refreshing. Considering some of the puzzles you need to figure out and environmental navigation you're expected to do, I bet one of these games wouldn't even pass focus testing and Quality Assurance nowadays. Likely, most testers would just get confused.
I kind of want to replay TRIV now, but it's a fairly lengthy and difficult game, and I do have several games in my backlog...
I kind of want to replay TRIV now, but it's a fairly lengthy and difficult game, and I do have several games in my backlog...
Sub_Level
wants to fuck an Asian grill.
Diving Area was a bad level. Not due to challenge, pretty easy actually, but so little platforming. Just a buncha combat. Gotta love sassy Lara though. Too bad her character is completely different now in the new games.
Holy hell at 40 Fathoms. The atmosphere is superb. It's not just a sense of dread, of course, because the dread is backed up by dreadful challenges the game throws at you. The game has both bark and bite where a lotta games nowadays only have bark.
Holy hell at 40 Fathoms. The atmosphere is superb. It's not just a sense of dread, of course, because the dread is backed up by dreadful challenges the game throws at you. The game has both bark and bite where a lotta games nowadays only have bark.
AntiFacebook
Member
My favorite area in the game.
Nothing beats the atmosphere and adventure of the original Tomb Raider.
Although Anniversary is good, the atmosphere is removed, the combat increased and it does not retain the loneliness of the original game.
Despite some complaints about the control, it's no more prevelant than other games of that era. Tomb Raider is one of my favourite games ever made, give the original PlayStation game a try.
Although Anniversary is good, the atmosphere is removed, the combat increased and it does not retain the loneliness of the original game.
Despite some complaints about the control, it's no more prevelant than other games of that era. Tomb Raider is one of my favourite games ever made, give the original PlayStation game a try.
dapperbandit
Banned
This so much. Without derailing this thread into a conversation about female characters in games, Lara was so good in the PS1 era because she was this assertive, minimum fuss kind of lady. Hell, even the way she says "No" when you try and open a door without the key is brutal. Discussion of her actual character in that time is always kicked into the long grass in favour of "big square boobs!" talk.
Vorg
Banned
You all were not kidding about the human enemies. I must have saved 40 times at least in this level. I am legit shook by the difficulty of this game, especially since I'm not using a walkthrough and only using 2 save slots.
It was satisfying gibbing a gangster at the end with the grenade launcher though. But now time for the infamous oil rig...I don't know if I can do it...
I just beat this level yesterday, only it took me an extra hour. I got lost and didn't know where to go so I wondered around a lot. At least I found all the secrets. Also, holy shit at the number of enemies. I killed 49! Still, the satisfaction you get when you successfully beat one of these huge levels is an amazing feeling.
eot
Banned
I think they still hold up, played through I and II this year and hoping to get through III and IV as well. The save systems on the console versions tended to be a lot more punishing though, which might make them frustrating to play now.
Anniversary isn't baby easy, half of what I hear about that game is how it's too hard.
That's the worst level in TR2 in my opinion. Aside from the Great Wall, all the good ones come towards the end, or at least in the second half of the game. The Deck is by far my favourite.
Also, I hate how they put the last secret in Diving Area in a spot where you might accidentally trigger the end of the level. Ugh.
Anniversary isn't baby easy, half of what I hear about that game is how it's too hard.
You all were not kidding about the human enemies. I must have saved 40 times at least in this level. I am legit shook by the difficulty of this game, especially since I'm not using a walkthrough and only using 2 save slots.
It was satisfying gibbing a gangster at the end with the grenade launcher though. But now time for the infamous oil rig...I don't know if I can do it...
That's the worst level in TR2 in my opinion. Aside from the Great Wall, all the good ones come towards the end, or at least in the second half of the game. The Deck is by far my favourite.
Also, I hate how they put the last secret in Diving Area in a spot where you might accidentally trigger the end of the level. Ugh.
Awww. I love Opera House.
The way it starts outdoors at night with the creaking, swinging crate, how you find your way onto the roof and navigate the elevator shaft, the massive multi-leveled interior with ornate red-curtained decor, the fright of suddenly running into barking rottweilers, the way the stage and side-stage areas are utilised with falling hazards and trap doors, the golden secret above the elevator, swimming in pitch black rat-infested under-stage passages, accessing the dressing rooms and perilous air vents to pull off a devious block puzzle that ultimately leads us to the circuit board and so to the backstage area with its mazes of crates, and the clandestine gateway to an ocean-destined flight.
Brilliant, IMHO!
Although, yes, probably a good 10-20 henchmen too many.
Shadow Hog
Member
This is just reminding me that I need to redo Venice. I deliberately stopped playing it, despite making good progress, because I missed a secret in the area before the waterfall drop, and it didn't appear you could backtrack to that part (boooo).
WRISTS DO NOT WORK THAT WAY
There's a ladder you can take that leads back to the corridor with that secret (in the room after the waterfall with the pillars).
Jimmyfenix
Member
Yup I am stuck in Venice and the level skip cheat is not working for me.
eot
Banned
If you want to get past Venice that bad you could always exploit the level design bug that lets you skip the whole main area:
Press the button that activates the timed door, then swim out under the door rather than going out the window, the timer doesn't activate and you have as much time as you want to swim to the exit (you don't even need a boat)
i'm playing tomb raider 2 now as well. played the first game last year, thought it was a brilliant game. long and exhausting though, so i left a bit of a break before trying the sequel. this thread and them being on sale again on psn convinced me.
both the great wall and venice levels feel really small and boxed in compared to the first game. maybe it's just the quick jump between locations though instead of the sense of going deep into a vast place in the first game.
both the great wall and venice levels feel really small and boxed in compared to the first game. maybe it's just the quick jump between locations though instead of the sense of going deep into a vast place in the first game.
Jimmyfenix
Member
Yup took me a while to get the weapons cheat working
Ahhh!! I am right next to that button. I will try it right now !
