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[Filben]

Played both on PC due to not having a PS back then. Liked them both but when the 8 year old me played them I couldn't beat neither of them. Then again it was Win95 era and my PC was constantly crashing and blue screening until I updated RAM and CPU and got a Riva TNT GPU. By that time I've already moved on to TR2 and 3 but mainly cRPGs.

In retrospective, I like them both and wouldn't want to choose. But gun to my chest I think I'm going with Lara.

 

[Dr.Morris79]

It's Tomb Raider. I remember getting Resident on the day of release and even then you knew it was a hammy B movie type game..

It didnt hold a candle to Tomb raider.

Resident Evil is the definite winner. It was a system seller.

What are you on about

You must be thinking of Wipeout.

 

[Kev Kev]

I'm surprised to see TR so high. I never played TR so I can't say for sure, but RE seems to have the bigger legacy. And I love old school RE so, it's gotta be that.

 

[Paperclip Killa]

There certainly wasn’t any excuse to keep using them after Mario 64 came out and showed how 3d games should be controlled. Spyro, Soul Reaver, Banjo Kazooie, Ape Escape, Medievil, Zelda – the whole industry moved into that direction in the 90s,

Not really, and those controls were abandoned too for PC controls.

Tank controls had less problems with the game design, as much as people like to look back and act like that wasn't the case at the time. It was easier to have your character with the camera following it to show off the level then it was to have to fight the camera. You mentioned Spyro and outside of collecting it doesn't control like Mario or Banjo, because they were trying to aim for the middle. Turns out all of that would be thrown out for direct camera control by way of two analog sticks which was already an option for controlling 3D games at the same time the games you listed were relevant, but just on computers instead of consoles.

Tank controls were the least experimental and the most balanced until the dual stick movement and camera controls took over. All the prototype stuff was fine for the time on consoles, but that's just it, it was fine for the time. Eventually the industry moved forward prompted by PC developers who finally unified with the console games through the Xbox console which PS2 also quickly joined in on. There were some stray TR/RE and Banjo controls scattered that gen elsewhere but then faded away.

Personally I would rather not go back to either of those, or any of the other incredibly chunky inconvenient prototype controls from the 90s consoles. There's nostalgia there but it's kind of like going back to use a pager instead of an early smartphone. Why?

 

[bentanchorbolt]

The original Tomb Raider games were trash and I knew it at the time. Horrid controls.

So, Resident Evil by defailt.

 

[Azelover]

I love Tomb Raider, but RE was better..

It aged better too.

 

[fart town usa]

Resident Evil.

Both were huge deals though.

 

[fart town usa]

I have played numerous RE games, but I never got into the first, because I always ran out of ammo and got stuck with the knife. I would like to go back someday, because given its popularity, I don’t see how it could possibly be so bad.

I have never liked Tomb Raider, but I played through it at Christmas on the Saturn for the first time, and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it.

Ps, op, both of these are also Saturn games.

If you play the Directors Cut on PS4/5, it has auto-aim and the Hunter enemies are nerfed. You'd be alright. The OG NA 96 release is still brutal at times but that version is only available via physical disc or emulation these days (unfortunately).

Please give it a go at some point, use the dining room and main hall as a tutorial area for tank controls. The OG game is sublime, too many people write it off cause of REmake and act like the OG is some kind of unplayable mess. It's a total masterpiece.

 

[DaGwaphics]

RE primarily because the effort was quite polished for a game of that scope at the time, where the first TR was good but rougher, it found its footing more with the second game.

 

[Kvally]

Tomb Raider. But I played it on Sega Saturn. I guess I never realized it came to PS1 after that.

 

[fart town usa]

Tomb Raider. But I played it on Sega Saturn. I guess I never realized it came to PS1 after that.

Launched on Saturn first too, lol. (I think)

 

[Elysion]

Turns out all of that would be thrown out for direct camera control by way of two analog sticks which was already an option for controlling 3D games at the same time the games you listed were relevant, but just on computers instead of consoles.

People were playing PC games with dual stick controls in the 90s? That’s the first time I’m hearing this. Which PC games are we talking about here? I mean, back then it was rare enough for games on PC to offer native controller support at all, nevermind dual stick controls. And other than Sony, who even was making controllers with two sticks at that time?

 

[Markio128]

I’m clearly in the minority, but I preferred (just) Tomb Raider. The sense of adventure and isolation it gave me as a young lad was incredible at the time. There’s a flea’s leg between them though.

 

[Kvally]

Launched on Saturn first too, lol. (I think)

It did.

 

[{insert code here}]

RE because it was unlike anything else ever made at the time (that I can remember). Tomb Raider was great though and I own have all the PS1 games on my PS3.

 

[Rambone]

I liked both but Resident Evil was the most exhilarating.

 

[Paperclip Killa]

People were playing PC games with dual stick controls in the 90s? That’s the first time I’m hearing this. Which PC games are we talking about here? I mean, back then it was rare enough for games on PC to offer native controller support at all, nevermind dual stick controls. And other than Sony, who even was making controllers with two sticks at that time?

You're talking about gamepads. I'm talking about Joysticks. Joysticks were the primary controller that wasn't the keyboard since the 80s at least for computers.

Even Sony had a dual analog joy (though they chose a large flight-stick for some reason) stick that led to the Dual Analog (gamepad) then Dual Shock (gamepad) to try and attract developers to port PC games over, although most of the developers on the PS1 never thought to use the right stick for camera for 7 years oddly enough.

As for DOS (and WIndows 3.death) I'd say as far back as 1992 was when you started seeing games giving you the option to plug in two sticks but it could have been earlier, but I only noticed that trend usually for more open-ended game design, starting then. Much better and more precise than the keyboard, works very well for 3D games and was almost necessary:

Some 3D flight games used it too but mostly fictional combat games like jet fighters or space ships. I don't think Microsoft Flight (when it added a controllable camera) or Flight Unlimited ever supported two plugged in. I've never bothered to check those out.

 

[Elysion]

As for DOS (and WIndows 3.death) I'd say as far back as 1992 was when you started seeing games giving you the option to plug in two sticks but it could have been earlier, but I only noticed that trend usually for more open-ended game design, starting then. Much better and more precise than the keyboard, works very well for 3D games and was almost necessary:

Interesting. I knew about joysticks of course, but I had no idea there where games back then that allowed camera control through a second joystick. In that case it‘s indeed a bit weird that it took until the 2000s before analog camera controls became common, despite the original dualshock having been released in back in 1997.

 

[Apocryphon]

I completely understand people saying Tomb Raider. It was fantastic and all I wanted to do at the time was show people the t-rex. But… the atmosphere in the original Resident Evil was hugely impactful on me, and the apparent level of detail in the environment made every room interesting. The first two Resident Evil games have been as important to me as the first two Doom games. The Resident Evil series is one that I have spent more time with than any other outside of stuff like Zelda and Mario games.

The RE1 Remake is also better than Tomb Raider Anniversary. Wait until they remake the remake! I’ll buy that shit too

 

[Paperclip Killa]

Interesting. I knew about joysticks of course, but I had no idea there where games back then that allowed camera control through a second joystick. In that case it‘s indeed a bit weird that it took until the 2000s before analog camera controls became common, despite the original dualshock having been released in back in 1997.

Yes for some reason PC developers had to go through Xbox to set the standard which never made sense to me.

Most games that supported the Dual joysticks for PS1 (1996) or Dual Analog (1996-7) or Dual Shock (1997-98), didn't even use the right stick. Sony never figured out what to use the right stick for and neither did most developers. Outside arcade games like Ace Combat.

The games that did use it only had pan in and out tilting up and down, or to use as turbo for shooting games (The Bruce Willis exclusive PS1 game using the actors likeness 'Apocalypse' for example and a few other shooters, where using the right stick auto-shoots in the direction you point)

Can you imagine how many games would have played ten times better if those games used both the PS1 analog sticks?

They didn't even try to copy Arrow Keys+Mouse-look even for first person games. Kileak and those early exclusive console FPS games were hot garbage.

It's really something to ponder. I can only imagine all those 1999-2001 open world games with proper controls, that are so hard to go back too now because they play so poorly.

 

[MarkMe2525]

One can only speak for themselves and IMO Tomb Raider was initially more impressive to me, but I had a lot more fun with RE. It was great to have multiple runs through RE to unlock the extra characters and perks.

In saying that, I spent many of hours in Crofts Manor attempting to jump on the fountain to then dive into the pool.....ask me why

 

[NinjaBoiX]

Resident Evil, easily.

It was a game changer for me, right up there with FF7, OoT and Mario 64 as touchstones in my gaming history.

I thought Tomb Raider was kind of wonky and awkward, even at the time.

 

[Frayed Ends of Sanity]

Didn't play them when they were new since I was too young at the time. I was busy with Crash Bandicoot and Spyro. Going back to these games as an adult, I must say I think RE holds up incredibly well. Sure the tank controls take a while to get used to, but there are some genuine panic moments that are still effective to this day (dogs jumping through the windows, the giant snake, and encountering a hunter for the first time.) I've tried multiple times with the first Tomb Raider and while I can see why the series is so iconic, I just don't think it holds up well gameplay and control wise. Do the other PSX Tomb Raiders hold up any better?

 

[dezzy8]

If I had to choose one. I’d pick Resident Evil because it still holds up well to this day!! But at the time those games were two juggernauts.