Introduction

After revisiting and reviewing Tomb Raider 2, I've been on a bit of a Tomb Raider kick.

I already did the review for Tomb Raider 2 - the game in the series I'm most nostalgic for - but thought I'd like to make a more in-depth retrospective that looks into why Tomb Raider was such a landmark game franchise back in the day.

This is partially due to the fact that I've mentioned Tomb Raider during the past few days to a couple of gamer friends of mine, and they didn't seem to have full understanding of why Tomb Raider is important.

I try not to repeat myself too much, since I just did a full post on Tomb Raider 2, but in this one I try to touch on the series as a whole. I'll be talking about the original five games, known to fans as "the original series".

Since the original series, Tomb Raider has been rebooted not once but twice, with both reboots giving us a different Lara and a different Tomb Raider, I only recently purchased the first rebooted trilogy, and will get to them once I've finished them. So far, I've liked what I've played a lot.

But before that, let's go back in time

Tomb Raider 1996

Lara Croft

Originating in 1996, Core Design's Tomb Raider changed gaming forever. That's extremely dramatic and buzzwordy, but in this case it's true.

Let's get the big thing out of the way first. More specifically, two big things.

Tomb Raider introduces us to Lara Croft, the series' protagonist. A British archaeologist, adventurer and quite the efficient gun slinger. Lara was a groundbreaking character since she was a female protagonist in a videogame during an era when the videogame demographic consisted predominantly of males. Yes, there had been female heroines in games before, but none were as feminine and as unashamedly so than Lara.

This was never without controversy, though, as some have considered Lara Croft to be a sexist abomination of a lead character, with her one and only purpose being to show off her boobs and ass, this is just simply not the case, and I have argued this for years.

It's true that the original series does not give a lot of depth to Lara's character, but by no means does that mean that she's just a pair of boobs.

Lara, throughout the entire series, does incredible feats, doing all the things male characters had done in videogames up that point. Why this is never brought up when discussing Lara, I don't know. Yes, her proportions are exaggerated, but like I already said in my Tomb Raider 2 review, they are so exaggerated that I don't think I'm supposed to take them seriously anyway.

And if one is to complain about her proportions being too unrealistic, Lara can also jump like ten feet up in the air, perform a roll mid-air and aim and shoot at a bad guy at the same time.

Also, what I often say in the topic of characters being too unrealistic and sexy, some people actually are sexy. You aren't, but trust me: sexy people do exist in the real world. And not just in Photoshopped magazine covers, I mean in the real world. Walk around town for a while, and you will come across women that are sexy and indeed have large breasts due to being blessed with good genetics. No, it's not fair, but life isn't fair. Don't take the anger out on videogames. Anyhoo.

Since sexy people do exist, there's nothing really preventing a particular sexy person becoming a tomb raider adventurer like Lara Croft.

Also, Tomb Raider, along with maybe Pokémon and The Sims, is one of those games that female friends of mine know and have played, some even still own a game in the series.

Some of you may not remember this, but back in my day, in the early to mid 90s, the question of how to bring girls into gaming was a huge deal within the gaming industry. Nothing ever seemed to work, games were a boys' thing, and seemed destined to remain that way.

Tomb Raider broke the mold.

Girls who weren't into games, per se, were suddenly interested in Tomb Raider.

They could take control of this badass female protagonist who jumps and shoots, avoids traps, steals treasure and goes on an adventure around the world, all by herself, on her own. And she does this while being feminine throughout.

This was huge back in the day. Almost as huge as her boobs.No, but seriously.

I have female friends myself who still have fond memories of the Tomb Raider games. And they don't generally play games. But they were engaged by the Tomb Raider phenomenon. In the entertainment industry, whenever you can branch out and reach people from outside of the bubble of your usual demographic, that's when you're successful.

And this wasn't some feminist concerted effort, it was simply game designers creating a cool character that people liked. And boom, millions of copies sold. This isn't rocket science.

Lara Croft is basically a rich asshole who goes on adventures to make money. And because she's so rich she has nothing better to do, and needs to challenge herself.

I love this part of her character.

She doesn't - in the original series - have a deep, dark history, childhood traumas or anything of that nature. A lot of protagonists today all follow the same formula of being dark and broody, having issues and problems that drive them to do what they do.

Lara's not like that. She's a breath of fresh air.

Lara did not have superpowers, she was just a human being. Unless you count her boobs as superpowers, of course. But that was also something that made Lara standout. She wasn't a superhero, she was just a badass.

She goes on adventures because, well, she fucking feels like it. She has a huge mansion and more money than God, she seeks thrills and entertainment in her life. In the process she may save the world, but it's not because she planned to, it just happens by accident.

That makes Lara even more badass.

Gameplay

As I go over in the Tomb Raider 2 review, the gameplay is dated by today's standards. In the first Tomb Raider even more so than in the sequel. Tank controls, stiff grid movement, it's 1996 at its finest.

The controls can definitely be unenjoyable to a newcomer, if one were to pick the game up in 2017. The controls were fixed to a degree in Tomb Raider 2, and goig back to this for a bit after playing Tomb Raider 2 really showcased how dated the control scheme is in the first game.

The controls themselves are actually the same in the first game as they are in the second game, save for a few new tricks Lara can do in the sequel, but the overall feel is just a bit smoother in Tomb Raider 2.

If someone were to say that he or she doesn't enjoy playing Tomb Raider in 2017, I'd totally understand.

But for its time, this was revolutionary.

I'd say it was Mario 64 and Tomb Raider that really set the pace for 3D adventure games to keep up with. And even though I will get a lot of hate for this, I feel Mario 64 is one of the most overrated games of all time. I may make a post about it one day, but I never got as much fun out of it as everybody else seemed to at the time. I guess I was a Tomb Raider guy.

Tomb Raider is still playable, but I'd still point to Tomb Raider 2 as a better starting point in the series. It fixes some of the flaws that the first game had.

Though it has to be said that first game stays more true to its name, since you're actually, you know, raiding tombs. There are no urban environments like in Tomb Raider 2, and the game is way more focused on puzzles and platforming than the sequel, which brought a heavier emphasis on combat.

In the advent of 3D gaming, we had not yet been spoiled by today's controls, so we took and liked what we got and liked it.

Tomb Raider was an unexpected hit, selling 7.5 million copies worldwide, making Lara Croft one of the most recognizable and popular videogame characters of all time.

People have since sort of forgotten about the original Lara Croft and Tomb Raider, but at the time, the Tomb Raider craze was huge. It was not to last, but when it was big, it was big. Lara Croft became a female game character that won over the hearts of boy and girl gamers alike.

And that's a historic accomplishment.

That's why it gets under my skin when people ask what the big deal was about Tomb Raider.

Tomb Raider 2 1997

I obviously already just reviewed Tomb Raider 2, soI won't repeat myself much here. But I'll say a few things in the context of having talked about the first game.

Tomb Raider 2 didn't reinvent the wheel, it didn't reinvent the formula, but it perfected it. Everything was - while still admittedly clunky - smoother to do.

Tomb Raider 2 brought vehicles and urban areas to the mix to differentiate the game from its predecessor.

Even though the game used the same engine as the previous game, the graphics received an overhaul, and Lara herself was made to look much better than the original in-game Lara we had in the first game.

Tomb Raider 2, to many, is the peak of the original series. It was a lot of people's first Tomb Raider game, and it's the one they are the most nostalgic for.

Myself included.

Commercially, Tomb Raider 2 was an even bigger success than the first game, having sold over 8 million copies worldwide as of 2003, making it one of the best-selling games released up to that point.

A lot of the things that people liked about the first game returned in a more polished manner in Tomb Raider 2, and Tomb Raider 2 remains one of the best sequels of all time, in my opinion.

I can't remember who, but some smart person I've looked up to once said that sequels are either much better than the original, or they suck; if the creator loves what he's doing, the sequel will be better since he can take everything learned from the first one and create something better, but if it's done just for the money, the sequel will be unavoidably worse. Because it will lack heart.

Tomb Raider 2 was better than its predecessor, and the love that Core Design had for the franchise showed.

However, the yearly release cycle would eventually get to them, and we will be covering that.

Tomb Raider 3 1998

Unlike the previous two entries, Tomb Raider 3 is not remembered nearly as fondly. It still did well commercially, but not as well as the other two.

Tomb Raider 3 operated on an improved engine, unlike the previous two games that used the same engine. Lara functions mostly the same as she did in the past. The graphics are once again improved, and Lara has a few new tricks up her sleeve.

The criticism mostly stems from the fact that the level design was not on par with the previous two games, with the general feeling being that Tomb Raider 3 is unnecessarily hard.

I agree with the fact that the third game is the hardest of the original series, and often times it's way harder than it needs to be. It's easy to get lost, the levels are sometimes illogical, and the puzzles are cryptic. For instance, climbable surfaces can be hard to detect, and only by really examining the blurry textures the player can realize that it's possible to climb up a particular wall, etc.

While Lara has new abilities and new vehicles, and the enemy AI is improved, the core mechanics were largely the same, and that left a lot of the contemporary critics feeling unsatisfied, as Core Design didn't really do anything to really improve the gameplay.

Tomb Raider 2 did a lot to iron out the imperfections that the first game had, but Tomb Raider 3 wasn't nearly as big of a jump forward from 2 as 2 was from 1.

It still has its positives; the locales are nice, the soundtrack is really good, and it's still a Tomb Raider game, and a lot of the good things that were present in the series were still in place.

But the frustrating level design and sometimes unfair difficulty level do make Tomb Raider 3 the worst in the original series, in my opinion. And this is an opinion shared by the general gaming population.

It's a shame, too, since Tomb Raider 3 turned a lot of people away from the series. It had a lot of promise and potential, but perhaps it was the fact that the game needed to be rushed out just a year after the previous game that didn't leave Core Design with enough time to playtest properly.

Not a bad game by any means, but it's not one I would revisit like I would Tomb Raider 2. This is unfortunate, since the franchise was in a real high after Tomb Raider 2, and a more ironed out Tomb Raider 3 would have been a jackpot for Core Design.

But it was just not to be.

All in all, it was the same game as Tomb Raider 2, with an improved engine, but with worse level design, and the lacking in level design was what essentially broke the game, and prevented it from being a classic, looked back on as fondly as Tomb Raider 2.

Tomb Raider 4: The Last Revelation

Originally planned as the end of the series, Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation was released in 1999, and could objectively, without nostalgia glasses on, be considered to be the best Tomb Raider out of the original series. It's not my favorite, but I can recognize its positives.

Still mostly similar to those that came before it, this is very Core Design's burnout was really becoming evident; The Last Revelation is a great game, with some critics at the time calling it the best since the first one, and some even saying it surpassed the first one and was the best in the series, period, it was heavily panned due to the fact that it was still more of the same old, same old.

However, the once again improved engine allowed for noticeably better visuals compared to the first three games, and lighting, shadows, lens flare and such really brought the levels to life in a way the previous games were not capable of.

Lara can now aim and shoot in first person, which is appreciated, but by and large unnecessary.

The character models also now move their lips while speaking, and in general the game was given a more cinematic feel.

Since The Last Revelation was designed as the end of the series, it is far more story driven this time around, attempting to create a more epic feel.

The story is not a Shakespearean masterpiece, but it's not too bad, and I enjoyed it as a kid. It gives some depth to Lara's character, while not sacrificing its integrity.

Lara's character model is different this time around, it's a matter of taste whether it's better or worse. I personally prefer the model in 2 and 3, but I've read people liking The Last Revelation's model more.

The Last Revelation differs from the rest of the original series since all of the game takes place in Egypt, instead of being an adventure around the globe. This was a decision that was heavily criticized by fans of the series, and I can see why. One of the appeals of the Tomb Raider series was the fact that during the course of the game you would visit multiple different areas, and now you would only be adventuring in Egypt. So, yes, it's definitely a downgrade.

But on the plus side, the locales in Egypt are extremely nice. While there's nothing in the game quite like the Wreck of Maria Doria, I really like the atmosphere and level design this time around. A big jump forward from Tomb Raider 3

It may be just Egypt, but at least Egypt has been done really well. The soundtrack also paints a very Egyptian adventure, and the soundtrack for The Last Revelation is probably my second favourite Tomb Raider soundtrack behind Tomb Raider 2.

The puzzles in The Last Revelation were the best in the series so far, with a lot of them aspiring to be more clever and unique, and specific to a certain situation, instead of simply being key and box puzzles in different settings.

A lot of thought was put into the puzzles this time around, and it shows that Core Design went into this one thinking it was going to be the last one, so let's really work for it.

Sadly, the gaming community was already turning away from Tomb Raider, after Tomb Raider 3 failed to meet expectations, and while Lara Croft was still a strong franchise, it was never going to reach the heights of Tomb Raider and Tomb Raider 2.

That's why, despite being perhaps the best game in the series, The Last Revelation is almost never really talked about. It's always Tomb Raider and Tomb Raider 2, as well as how much Tomb Raider 3 sucked.

But Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation is definitely a game I can recommend to people who were fans of Tomb Raider 2, which to a lot of people is the first and only Tomb Raider game they've played.

The Last Revelation doesn't quite manage to capture the same feeling and atmosphere as Tomb Raider 2, which forces me to put is just slightly below it, but a lot of things it still does better than 2, and can be seen as being the best Tomb Raider game objectively.

The controls are polished, the level design is great, the emphasis on story gives the game some new life, the soundtrack brings Egypt to life, and all in all it's a really good Tomb Raider experience.

Tomb Raider 5: Chronicles & Angel of Darkness

And finally there was Tomb Raider: Chronicles.

Even though Core Design wanted to move on from the franchise, Eidos said no, you won't, and basically pressured Core into making yet another Lara Croft game. Hard to turn down that money, right?

There is nothing wrong with Chronicles, at all. The problem with the game is that instead of a sequel, it feels even more like an expansion pack to the last game, as the predecessors did to their predecessors.

Chronicles does nothing to add anything into the game. And this is where most gamers and critics finally had it with the fact that nothing was really added into the Tomb Raider games. It was just the same game in a different setting, and that's it. The controls were starting to feel outdated, and other 3D adventure games were already moving way past Tomb Raider. Tomb Raider was starting to be an old relic, like the ones in the game.

The structure in Chronicles is much like in Hitman: Contracts, where the missions are separate missions from different parts in Lara's life, told as stories by Lara's friends and closed ones reminiscing about her.

Neat idea, it gives the opportunity to create cool stages and missions without worrying about story context.

But there is nothing new to get excited about in Chronicles. Yes, if you enjoyed The Last Revelation, Chronicles will undoubtedly give you enjoyment, but at this point in the franchise, being the fifth game, you really wanted something new and different. You wanted something that would update the game, instead of rehashing the first game, still. I can forgive Core for this, since they never wanted to make Chronicles to begin with, but it doesn't change the fact that by Chronicles, Tomb Raider had overstayed its welcome. At least in the form it was being presented in Chronicles.

At the same Chronicles was being developed, Core worked on Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness, released for the Playstation 2, which was received so badly, it almost killed the entire franchise. This was due to the fact that because of time constraints and other problems, the game was rushed out the door unfinished, and it was universally panned by critics and gamers alike.

I have never played Angel of Darkness, so I can't comment on that one, and it's not even available on the Playstation Store, so I'll likely never play it.

But its legacy in gaming was to go down as one of the worst games in history. And that's truly a tragedy, considering where Tomb Raider was at its height.

After the utter failure of Angel of Darkness, Core Design lost the rights to work on the Tomb Raider franchise, and the rights were given to another studio, which lead to the first reboot of the series. I will be covering the reboot trilogy one day in the future.

Last Words

Tomb Raider went from being an influental trend setter and trailblazer in gaming into an old relic that should have retired sooner than it did. It went from the highest of heights to something that was looked at as an Old Yeller that needed to be put out of its misery.

But what gaming history will always remember is Tomb Raider setting the tone of 3D adventure gaming, introducing a strong female lead that brought girls into gaming, and showing a female character can be just as captivating as a male character - if done right. No feminism was needed here, just good and engaging design.

Lara Croft will always be a character that people into gaming know about.

Yes, she had large breasts and yes, she was sexualized a lot. But only focusing on her appearance leaves out a lot of her character, and that's not fair to the character. Lara kicked ass, and it was exciting for a lot of girls at our school that there was a videogame character that was a woman who would handle herself in any given situation. All of a sudden, this world of videogaming was something that invited girls in.

That's an impressive feat, and it can only be appreciated by those who lived it at the time.

I'm no feminist, but I still think that what Lara was able to do to the videogame industry was pretty cool and commendable.