Re: 2020/8/16: Playstation: Tomb Raider, Tomb Raider II, Tomb Raider III
Posted: August 17th, 2020, 9:29 am
TheEagleXIII wrote:I never realised before there’s no reviews for TLR and Chroncles. Be interesting to see you tackle them too.
You're in luck - check out his Dreamcast reviews. Judging by his feelings on the DC versions, it might be hard to find motivation for the PS1 versions. Only so much punishment one man can take...
TheEagleXIII wrote:Lara definitely helped the series reputation, but the over-sexualised nature of her in marketing was never the original intention. .... But having a female lead adds more than just sex appeal. Sure it made the game stand out for the right reasons and... more questionable reasons too, but the game design was still groundbreaking for the time.
I agree with you fully on your points about Lara as a character. If I was making a list of Best Video Game Characters Ever, I'd have Lara Croft in the Top 10 for sure. (P.S. VGC.. there's another list idea for you!) Lara helped encourage the inclusion of strong female leads in video games, and transcended the games themselves by becoming mainstream in popular culture. And you make a good point about the gracefulness of her as a character and in her exploration/platforming, where the gameplay just wouldn't have worked the same with a male character. A good character adds a lot to a game, just like it does to a movie or TV show, so I guess you're right that my argument there could be made about a lot of classic games.
TheEagleXIII wrote:I understand the games don’t appeal to everyone, but your experience with III may not have helped. I played the first 3 in succession last year and was loving the experience until the third game. I was planning to do all 5 back-to-back but III was so unenjoyable that it put a halt to that plan.
I think you're right that I'd have better memories if I beat TR1 or TR2 growing up, instead of focusing on TR3. I got my PS1 in 1998 and, like a typical kid, I assumed that the latest game must be the best. But I will say that I also found TR1 and TR2 frustrating to play when I tried them out back then. I found the levels confusing and the deaths too cheap and easy. That opinion didn't change when I replayed them last week. In TR1, I was making good progress until I was just about to touch the first save crystal.. then I fell off a ledge due to the clumsy platforming controls, only to be mauled to death by the bear below. Then in TR2, I was making good progress for 30 minutes, only to have a floor crumble beneath me and get spiked by an insta-death trap. I didn't realize you could save at anytime so my progress was lost. In 1998, I'd jump right back in and try to master the levels, but in 2020, ain't nobody got time for that.