Tomb Raider Retrospective

Who's that girl?

Tomb Raider is back on track. Following 2003's berated and broken Angel of Darkness, which saw Eidos relieve Core Design of its duties and ship Ms. Croft over to Crystal Dynamics, the series has made a solid return to form. Tomb Raider Legend was a promising if cautious reinvention, while Anniversary was a glorious update of the original game. This week sees the release of Underworld, the ninth game in the series.

The fact that Underworld is dropping now is sure to resonate with fans of the series as the arrival of a new Lara Croft adventure in November used to be something of a celebrated annual event. Core released five Tomb Raider titles consecutively between 1996 and 2000, with global sales topping 28 million copies. The numbers were huge and the interest in all things Lara was unprecedented. She was splashed on the front of non-gaming magazines and written about in proper newspapers. It seemed that every person in the developed world was playing or talking Tomb Raider.

The original game made its debut on the SEGA Saturn and also appeared on PC, but it was on the PlayStation where the series planted its roots and prospered. As the PlayStation craze took hold, Tomb Raider perhaps did more to bring gaming out of the bedroom that any other title, and that includes Gran Turismo and Metal Gear Solid and any other property that became synonymous with the PlayStation brand. The propagation of Lara Croft as a cyber sex-symbol certainly fuelled Tomb Raider mania, but behind the shrewd character design was a groundbreaking 3D game that deftly mixed action, adventure, puzzle and platform. It had style and substance and it attracted the masses.

'Tomb Raider Retrospective' Screenshot 1

It's somewhat ironic then that a game that turned so many people onto gaming is an absolute bitch to play. Going back and playing it now is a sobering experience because controlling Lara is like practising a dark art. Simple tasks such as pulling levers or pushing blocks quickly become full-blown challenges as you try and sidestep into position while wrestling with the wayward camera. Jumping is even worse, asking you to centre both yourself and the camera before leaping into the unknown, as one misplaced step or misjudged angle usually ends in a painful death. If the steps required to perform a perfect running jump are not indelibly burnt into your brain then the sight of Lara, skewered at the bottom of some spiky pit, certainly will be.

The game also relies too heavily on trial and error. Certain scenarios are like throwbacks to Core's earlier Rick Dangerous games where instant and unfair death threatens to turn levels into dull memory tests. And thanks to the widely-spaced checkpoint-saving system, you're required to complete tricky sequences over and over again until you're able to save your hard-earned progress (PC owners, meanwhile, had the benefit of quicksave). In sharp contrast, the combat system was excellent and still manages to impress. Instead of some torturous targeting system, Lara locks onto the nearest threat and holds it in her sights until it's eliminated. And while she's doing this, you can pull off all manner of cool evasive flips and rolls. If only all of Lara's moves were so effortless.

'Tomb Raider Retrospective' Screenshot 2

So why did we persevere with the cack-handed controls back then? Well it wasn't to see how the story - involving ancient artefacts and dodgy foreigners - played out, that's for sure. No, we pressed on for no other reason that to experience more of Core's amazing underground world. The early levels in Peru were impressive (T-Rex was a 'wow' moment, of course), but it was Lara's arrival in Greece and particularly St. Francis' Folly the showcased the game's exemplary level design. 'Level' is perhaps the wrong word because these were proper 3D environments, alive with atmosphere and begging to be explored. There were spine-tingling moments, usually triggered by the game's orchestral score, when the ambience was tangible and it felt like you really were deep underground in a dusty tomb, walking in the footsteps of civilisations long gone. It didn't matter that you were controlling a pouting lovely - this was real Boy's Own stuff.

Rumour has it that the guys at Core were so whacked after spending 18 months creating Tomb Raider that the last thing they were considering was a sequel. But after the game hit number one in both the UK and US, Eidos wasn't about to knock on Core's door and demand a sequel to Wonder Dog or Blam Machinehead. It was all about Lara Croft and the hugely anticipated follow-up arrived in November 1997, twelve months on from the original. Due to Eidos's tightening relationship with Sony, Tomb Raider II was only released on PlayStation and PC.

When approaching each of the sequels, Core seemed to have a checklist of improvements which went something like this: make the graphics better, the levels bigger, and give Lara new moves, more weapons and better breasts. Bizarrely, the controls were never changed or even tightened, and the mapping of Lara's new moves to the controller often made things worse, although thankfully Core did remove the checkpoints in Tomb Raider II so you could save your progress at any point. The chief graphical improvement was the introduction of 'open' levels with a sky overhead, which allowed the designers to set more of the game outdoors (shown off to great effect in its gorgeous-looking opening level). New real-time light sources made everything look prettier, and flares were available to light up gloomy areas. Lara's main new skill was the ability to climb ladders and scale walls, and while it didn't seem like a big deal, it allowed for more varied level designs. Vehicles were introduced for the first time too, including a motorboat and snowmobile for Lara to speed around on.

There was an obvious 007 influence on the sequel, with more action and shooting at the expense of puzzle-solving. This upset a few fans of the original, but looking back at the series as a whole the first sequel is generally held in high regard and would probably be most people's choice for the remake treatment.

For the third game, Core whipped out the improvements checklists and threw most of its efforts into ramping up the visuals. Triangular building blocks were used to make the levels appear more natural and less LEGO-like, and multi-coloured lighting was utilised. The result was a bit of a mess, sadly, as there was almost too much detail crammed onto the screen. Everything was really dark as well, particularly on the PlayStation where you couldn't just bump up the gamma. Tomb Raider III also stands out as the hardcore entry in the series, as it was amazingly difficult with unpleasant death lying around every smoothed-out corner. Even the first level was daunting, with new elements like quicksand, killer piranhas and devious monkeys all out to get you. But perhaps the biggest criticism is that the level design was lacking. Apart from one fantastically atmospheric level that took place in an abandoned London Tube station, the locations you visited were largely uninspired. There was a distinct lack of tombs too.

'Tomb Raider Retrospective' Screenshot 3

November 1999 rolled around and another Tomb Raider appeared. Subtitled The Last Revelation, the fourth game was a back to basics affair that recreated the look and feel of Lara's debut. It was set entirely in Egypt, so there were tombs aplenty, and it featured a welcome return to the puzzle-led gameplay of the original. Despite growing criticism that the series was becoming stale, Core wisely refrained from the unnecessary meddling that spoiled Tomb Raider III and concentrated on refining the elements that made the first game so memorable. The result was a game designed for fans of the series, and they were rewarded for their loyalty with the largest adventure yet - it was roughly twice the size of the original and took around 40 hours to complete. The fourth game was also the first to appear on the SEGA Dreamcast, where Core made use of the more powerful hardware to deliver the best-looking Tomb Raider to date.

The Last Revelation ended with Lara lost in Egypt, presumed dead, but that slight inconvenience wasn't about to stop the yearly releases. Tomb Raider Chronicles appeared in November 2000 and it was very much a stopgap title created to sustain interest in the series while the new next-gen Lara was readied for her PS2 debut. Featuring a series of unconnected episodes from Lara's past, Chronicles presented a solid challenge but was of interest only to her most loyal fans.

'Tomb Raider Retrospective' Screenshot 4

Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness was due to arrive on PS2 and PC in 2002, but following a series of delays it finally appeared during the summer of 2003. It was billed as "A new Lara Croft for a new generation", which was unfortunate as we soon found out that absolutely nothing had changed. It looked better, as you'd expect given the host hardware, but the gameplay was gratingly familiar and the controls, while tweaked, were still clumsy and unintuitive. The AI and level design was poor too, and it really made you wonder what Core had been doing for two and a half years - especially as the Derby-based codeshop had been given PS2 dev-kits as early as 1998. Later on in the game you could take control of Lara's male cohort, Kurtis Trent, but only those with the patience of saints would ever make it that far.

Although it was slightly sad to see Eidos steal Lara away from Core following the Angel of Darkness debacle, it has proved to be a very smart move. Under Crystal Dynamics the series is definitely back on track, and if Underworld is able to improve on Anniversary to the same degree that Anniversary built on Legend, we could be days away from experiencing the best Tomb Raider game in a decade.

Find out in our Tomb Raider Underworld review at 5pm today.

Comments (24) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • HuggyAtHome #1 3 years ago

    Having played them all I also have the footstep patterns for walking and running jumps burnt into my memory, so much so that the new versions assists with leaps and grabs make them feel a bit of a cheat at times.
  • Kami #2 3 years ago

    The problem wasn't the yearly updates, it was the unwillingness to do anything new with the formula. Chronicles and Angel of Darkness were just inexcusable messes of games with little in the way of redeeming features, a drop after The Last Revelation was expected and not a surprise but following Chronicles with AoD was a mortal injury that will forever scar Lara Croft.

    Personally, I think the modern era of controls has done more to help Lara than getting it back to tombs. An adventure isn't fun if every slight mistake is punished by swift and brutal revenge in the form of a messy and inescapable death, making the games slightly more forgiving on that front has dramatically improved the game. It can still be challenging, but at least not in the way that you think the developers are laughing at you.

    The real issue at hand is that in 1996, Lara was a revolution - both in gameplay mechanics, genre and as a symbol and icon for a new era of technology. After AoD, over-exposure and making Lara endorse anything and everything in commercials really lessened her importance. It's taken a while to get it back to a stage where we can sit down now and actually eagerly await a new Tomb Raider game, without wondering what she'll be plugging or expecting her boobs to put Pamela Anderson's to shame. They know this, we know this. That is why we can await it, because CD and Eidos know we are wise to the old crap that was being pulled. In return, we're not being treated as idiots.

    And that said, AoD pales in comparison to the lucozade ad that had grown hairy men dressed up as Lara Croft. The people behind that campaign should burn in the hottest and most pointy corner of hell for eternity and a day.
  • drumbaby #3 3 years ago

    TR2 was the best by a whisker, then TR1, then Anniversary. TR3 was a bit too clever for its on good, and AOD was....pah. Legend was dull.

    Hope the PS3 gets a version of Underworld on parity with the rest.
  • SteveB #4 3 years ago

    After reading this article, I was surprised at how few TR games I have played. I loved the 1st one, but not the 2nd, so didn't bother with the rest until Legend (average) and the excellent TR Anniversary.

    I’m really looking forward to Underworld as it’s supposed to be 90% exploring which is what I love about the TR games. That feeling of adventure and discovery, that only computer games can give you.
  • gareth886 #5 3 years ago

    Its difficult to keep a game like this fresh throughout the years while trying to keep the winning formula the same. Tomb Raider, to me, was all about the sense of adventure, exploring and a little bit of action.

    I am more than happy with the way the current series has panned out. The new series may suffer slightly in the reviews for being more of the same but I'm more than happy with the current formula. After all, it just wouldn't be Tomb Raider if they mixed things up a bit.

    So...from my point of view anyway...I want more of the same and lots of the stuff that made Tomb Raider great in the first place.
  • the_mtfr #6 3 years ago

    I'd have loved if this article came with a video of various clips of TR from the first to the last, just for fun.
  • Solvalou #7 3 years ago

    It's incredible how much people must be reminded by the press that the guys behind Angel of Darkness have nothing to do with the new ones. Every single time a Crystal Dynamics game has hit shelved, I've read retrospectives which say "Lara is back on track".

    Well, too early to tell. Legends was quite messy, and yes, Anniversary is great but then again, it's based on the best Tomb Raider ever...
  • layleeloo #8 3 years ago

    I never did like the whole Tomb Raider thing. I played the first but never really got the whole geeky freakiness of everyones obsession with her just cos she has a pair of tits etc? Was all to off putting for me. However after seeing the demo of the latest version, and Loving Uncharted I am quite willing to give this one a go. Seems a lot smoother and better controlled so may be worth an investment for me i thin.
  • gelf #9 3 years ago

    I remember feeling like a lone voice in disliking the original Tomb Raider. The controls where simply atrocious and constant replaying with sudden death after sudden death meant I gave up on it...but at least I got to the T-rex before I did that.
  • miufs #10 3 years ago

    Oh man... just seeing the screens from the good ol´TRs made me shiver...
    God, those games were and still are amazing!

    I loved all TRs from 1 to 6 (yep, i liked AoD) and since CD got the franchise i dont enjoy playing TR.
    In the new games the only thing Tomb Raiderish is... the name! =|

    Well, this weekend i´ll give Sack Boy a rest and have some fun with Lara. (No pun intended...)
    Step in TR2...
  • Feanor #11 3 years ago

    TR > TRA > TR3 > TR2 > TRL >TR4 >TR 5.
  • AlvySinger #12 3 years ago

    I remember hiring a PSone at uni for the weekend and my roommate and I played TR 2 for pretty much 48 hours.

    The scariest fact, though, is that we couldn't afford to hire a memory card - so were trying to complete it in one sitting. An endurance feat of epic proportions

    Christ, what a glorious waste of time that was.

    /wipes tear from eye.
  • crickson #13 3 years ago

    I managed to wring enjoyment from AoD. The controls were dreadful, but it wasn't a fundamentally broken game. In fact, the only TR game that failed to hold my attention was Last Revelation. It might have been twice as big, but only in so much as you had to trek twice as far between interesting points of gameplay. And those un-killable skeletons and insects...
  • Artemus #14 3 years ago

    TR2 > TR1 > TR4 > TRL > TR3 > TR: AoD

    Never played Chronicles
  • awb83 #15 3 years ago

    I can't wait to get this.
  • darc #16 3 years ago

    I liked Legend, maybe because it was short and linear and I could actually get a handle on it with my limited schedule.

    Anniversary actually seemed like a step backwards visually - at first. It's taking me months to get through it and I'm really surprised at the way it will introduce new ideas and new (often improved) aesthetics so many hours in. Egypt is just gorgeous! However, the game is sometimes punishing devoid of signposting and will happily let you run laps over the same long sequences until you're furious with it. Or maybe I'm just an idiot.

    Underworld looks absolutely beautiful (with the exception of those ugly XBox 360 checkerboard shadows, which are in evidence the moment you start the game LOL. Can't believe devs haven't found a remedy for that yet.)
    Edited by 1 at 19/11/08 @ 17:14
  • laudy #17 3 years ago

    ok...so where's the review?
  • sirtacos #18 3 years ago

  • lssl17 #19 3 years ago

    "I’m really looking forward to Underworld as it’s supposed to be 90% exploring which is what I love about the TR games. That feeling of adventure and discovery, that only computer games can give you."

    Have you never slipped your hand in your girlfriend's undies?
  • VMerken #20 3 years ago

    From the games (demos) I've played:

    TR > TR3 > TR2 > TRA > TR4 > TRU > TRL

    TRA made it high as it's derived from TR, TRU rating was based on the demo and the assumption that the product is more of the same.
    Edited by 1 at 21/11/08 @ 19:47
  • 7creature #21 3 years ago

    For me: TR > TR3 ~ TR2 > TR4 > TRL ~ TRA demo

    I rate TR2 the same as TR3, because albeit I consider TR3 superior in all technical aspects (level design, difficulty, graphics, secrets...), TR2 has (had) this weird charm for me (snowmobile, Maria Doria, bizzare last levels). Oh, and maybe also because I haven't used any stimpacks, flares and any weapons besides pistols in first two TR games (heh, yes, I consider it silly nowadays, but around that time I've even finished my first Diablo playthrough without actually using any scrolls and keeping potions usage to absolute minimum - using those cheap Heal staves preferably, or just free healing in town).
  • m0thr4 #22 3 years ago

    It's somewhat ironic then that a game that turned so many people onto gaming is an absolute bitch to play. Going back and playing it now is a sobering experience because controlling Lara is like practising a dark art.

    Not if you're old enough to have played those original games when they were first released. Those controls are still second nature to me...

    EDIT: Actually, it helped to have played Prince of Persia, Another World, Flashback (and possibly Fade to Black) before playing Tomb Raider. Those games also had the same concept of having to start a running jump a certain set distance before a cliff edge, otherwise risking jumping too soon or not at all.
    Edited by 1 at 03/12/08 @ 14:53
  • m0thr4 #23 3 years ago

    Tomb Raider Anniversary is an interesting exercise, but it simply highlights everything that was wrong with the original Tomb Raider game... i.e. nothing in the rest of the game ever matches the T-Rex encounter that occurs in the first 30 minutes.

    I would probably appreciate an Anniversary-style remake of Tomb Raider 2 though.
  • rarebit #24 3 years ago

    i remember a mate from college almost coming to blows with another friend due to wiping his saved game of TR1. that game was tough, unforgiving but compelling.