Tomb Raider series

[Neo Flint]

Decided to look into a Tomb Raider game for the first time seeing as I have $24.99 in my PSN account. What's your take on the games and which game would you guys recommend?

It's either that or Metal Gear Solid. I'll save the rest for PSPo2i. If it gets an international release that is... :/

[amtalx]

The best Tomb Raider games are Tomb Raider I and II. The series as a whole was pretty much garbage from that point all the way up until Lara Croft: Guardian of Light. Either of those three are a good choice.

[AOI_Tifa_Lockhart]

Hmm I played 1 and 2 and revelations. Errm they were alright for their time I guess. The movement was very wooden though, and the tendency to get all the way to the top of somewhere, miss a jump and have to restart was beyond annoying. Also just the general lack of aiming was pretty shoddy for a game involving guns. All in all I found them more frustrating and infuriating than fun but that's just me :P

Tifa

[Akaimizu]

Pretty much until Tomb Raider Legends and the Guardian of Light, Tomb Raider was not much about combat. Combat was pretty much action to break up the exploration and puzzle solving of the games. Yes, the older tomb raider games aren't quite a smooth around the edges, but the gaming style was deliberate. When tomb raider started, the control of the character was basically based around the idea of a 3d Prince of Persia. Except a lot more akin to the 2d Prince games than the 3d ones. 3d Prince wasn't made yet. Even the same rules of negotiating jumps were in place.

What made it especially nice was the music, the puzzles, and the discovery. Take notice that Tomb Raider was a game that arrived right around the corner from Mario 64. And Tomb Raider 1 and 2 borrowed heavily from Indiana Jones when it came to certain trap set ups and devices. There were times in which my memory of the films seemed to give me even a bit more premonition of what was to come.

Other than her being a lead character in one of the first full 3D games in existence, and being female, it was a bit of a shock that anybody considered her particularly attractive. Her initial model was human passable at best, and she had a character quality which I would've imagined to keep her out of that category. A character quality I kind of liked, because it distanced her from anything but the hunt for relics. She did everything with no feminine wiles at all. She was initially developed with no people skills whatsoever. She had the personality that would have a better social relation with a thousand year old relic than any real person. Her best act of being social was behind a gun. Her only way of negotiating. Her butler solidified that aspect of character. Seeing someone like that, who was anything but a people person, was interesting and original. A good attempt, but it seems enough adolescent teens of this day don't require much.

Anyway, I being the huge indiana Jones fan, ate these games up. Loved the challenges, and the discoveries. The first games really pushed that idea home, in which a new discovery was almost cinematic. The pacing of it all really made you feel some accomplishment for your efforts leading to discover an ancient civilization buried and hidden from eyes for hundreds of years, until you showed up. The later games kind of lost that, started throwing you in exotic locations for free, and pretty much killed off the thrill of discovery. A case of too much, too often, less thrill.

Also, around the time of the movies and such, Lara's character was changed drastically. She was, all of a sudden, a person willing to work with others, no longer a loner who abused her butler. Etc. More friendly. A product of trying to sell to the adolescent teens instead of holding onto her original identity.

Legends had one of the best stories of the tomb raider series. Probably the best, actually. And it took a few steps back to the character she originally was, by coming up with a story that helped explain a good reason how she became the social void she was in the first Tomb Raider games.

Guardian of Light was more or less a compromise between the two Laras. While she worked together with one other, her character initially started with a distancing of herself from the Guardian. Especially considering her methods were anything but something the Guardian would technically approve of. She knew that. Didn't care. She's no Indiana Jones, who tries to do things while distinctly trying to respect the sanctity of the place he visits. (Though his tussles with enemies often cause some form of destruction, but not really his fault) Lara uses brute force methods, if that's the easiest way. Except if it's the prize. That should be protected.....and taken for *ahem* proper collection.

[Outrider]

Tomb Raider Legends is fun, even if it's nothing special.

But if we're talking about the original Tomb Raider series? Go with Metal Gear Solid instead.

[Ishia]

PSX Tomb Raider games were pretty meh. The current ones are just pretty.

Although, Lara Croft Reborn looks to be VERY promising.

[Neo Flint]

I may give Legends and GoL a shot when I get the chance. Also, maybe it's because I don't like change but I personally don't like Ms. Craft's new design. Let's hope the game more then makes up for it. ^^;

[Akaimizu]

Guardians of light is surprisingly one of the best Tomb Raider games to come out in a long time. Perhaps the best playing one. There is very little to the story, but you can tell that wasn't the idea. In terms of action, puzzle solving, and combat. Second to none in the Tomb Raider series. The new perspective actually did a lot of good for it. The concentration was clearly on gameplay. It is the one you want to play last as the action (and the needed suspension of belief that Lara is even still human) really ramps up in that current final game.

[Monochrome]

Metal Gear Solid... get it.

[Blue-Hawk]

Metal Gear Solid... DON'T get it.

Fixed for you.

On topic, Underworld wasn't bad. But if you want to try the games, Anniversary is good for a remake of the original. Legend had it's moments but GoL was GOD awful.

[Mantiskilla]

Fixed for you.

On topic, Underworld wasn't bad. But if you want to try the games, Anniversary is good for a remake of the original. Legend had it's moments but GoL was GOD awful.

Aww man no way. Play GoL with a 2nd player and the game is WAY more fun. Underworld was pretty good game and tied up the story arc alright. Anniversary gotta agree was pretty sweet.