Tomb Raider: set review
Lara Croft is one of the few important and well-known present video game icons. Game was never the same after Tomb Raider’s release, unlike when she was smashing her method onto PlayStation in the geometrical era of 1996. Since therefore, PlayStation has been in unison with the English archaeologist-adventurer, with every major cannon game getting its time to shine. And now that Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered is available for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 on February 14, it’s the ideal time to play along with them.
Tomb Raider – 1996– PlayStation – Eidos Interactive, Core Design
Tomb Raider set the scene by introducing the young British gentleman to the earth and launching a search for the three parts of the Heir, an old object.
The result is a global and twisting walk across areas such as Greece, Egypt, and Atlantis, with what was then a revolutionary blend of 3D rates, gun-toting activity, issue solving and athletic configuration. And who can ignore that heart-stopping T-Rex face?
Tomb Raider I-II I Remastered is available for purchase on the PlayStation Store.
Tomb Raider II– 1997– PlayStation – Eidos Interactive, Core Design
Ms. Croft started searching for the mysterious Knife of Xian, which is said to have the ability to change its bearer into a dragon. Lara blasts her way through Venice, Tibet, and yet again at her England mansion in an effort to say it before the evil cultists of the Fiamma Nera.
Tomb Raider II expanded in every way on the already wildly popular solution, adding new weaponry, the ability to walk walls, and higher levels, and even introducing stable vehicles like boats and snowmobiles, launching the start of a wonderful relationship between Lara and practically anything that has a motor ( and even some without ).
Tomb Raider I-II I Remastered is available for purchase on the PlayStation Store.
Tomb Raider III: The Experiences of Lara Croft – 1998– PlayStation – Eidos Interactive, Core Design
Four bits of an old, power granting rock. Grisly research. Smiles to the video classic, The Point. With the book option to play the thick locations of the sport in any order, Laura’s second excursion went big, pitching her across Nevada, the South Pacific Islands, and Antarctica to get the job done.
Similar to Tomb Raider II, this movie featured smarter foes and gave Lara a wider shift collection, including chimpanzee swings and a stamina-limited sprint. It also introduced active lighting, temperature and smoking effects, giving the collection a severe physical punch.
Tomb Raider I-II I Remastered is available for purchase on the PlayStation Store.
Tomb Raider: The Next Revelation– 1998– PlayStation – Eidos Interactive, Core Design
The Final Discovery had a more cautious tone than its self-assured prequels, as Lara’s quest to say the Amulet of Horus inadvertently unleashes the evil Egyptian God, Set, who possesses her past mentor.
As she fights across Cairo’s and Alexandria’s streets, ruins, and mountains as well as the Pyramid of Giza, Lara must travel through a greater range of indoor and outdoor settings as she fights against society in the face of collection.
Her third appearance also included a less geometric Croft and the ability to mix items from her inventory to make puzzle pieces or build advanced weapons. We’ll come back to this factor after…
Coming immediately to PlayStation Store as part of Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered.
Tomb Raider: Tales – 2000 – PlayStation – Eidos Interactive, Core Design
Presumed dying after the activities of The Last Discovery, Tales featured Lara’s nearest and dearest reminiscing over her history, revealing her hunt for the Philosopher’s Stone in Rome, searching for the Spear of Destiny off the coast of Russia, fending off Hellspawn in Ireland as a student, and infiltrating a high-tech facility in New York – complete with bionic murderers.
Coming soon to PlayStation Store as part of Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered.
After surviving The Last Revelation, Lara eventually reappears in Paris after being arrested for the murder of her former mentor.
In keeping with its title, The Angel of Darkness had a more sinister story than previous games in the series, with PS2-powered graphics to match its new design and updated controls. Additionally, it introduced a dialogue system, an upgradeable stamina bar, and a second playable character in Kurtis Trent, the antagonist.
Coming soon to PlayStation Store as part of Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered.
Tomb Raider: Legend – 2006– PlayStation 2– Eidos Interactive, Crystal Dynamics
Legends saw Ms Croft searching for the mythical sword Excalibur as a way to help find her missing mother, reviving the entire series and balancing Lara’s bold sense of adventure with a more grounded emotional core.
Legend reformatted the series ‘ controls, combat, enemy AI, and even created a custom physics engine to give the gameplay a fresh yet familiar feel while expanding the locations Lara typically explored ( from Japan and Peru to Nepal and Kazakhstan ).
PlayStation Plus Premium is included with the PlayStation Store.
Tomb Raider: Anniversary – 2007– PlayStation 2– Eidos Interactive, Crystal Dynamics
By this point, the series had struck a perfect balance between the reverence of the series and the development of an improved engine and the very first Tomb Raider’s story.
Lara’s weapons cache received a bump, while the iconic style of the first game was preserved as much as possible, though with more contemporary considerations across the puzzles and level design to help incorporate elements from Legend, such as the grapple to traverse the environments.
Rounding off the Legend timeline, Underworld saw Lara search for Thor’s hammer in order to enter the Norse underworld, Helheim, and discover the truth of her parents ‘ ultimate fate. Lara travels to places like Jan Mayen Island and the Arctic Circle, making clever use of real-world counterparts for the mythological locations.
Underworld took advantage of the powerful PS3 hardware with more expansive environments, motion captured animation (via Olympic gymnast Heidi Moneymaker ) and a raft of new moves and weapons, including … Thor’s hammer. Oh yes.
Tomb Raider – 2013 – PlayStation 3– Square Enix, Crystal Dynamics
This second reboot of Lara’s adventures followed her transformation from a terrified young traveler to a steel-nerd survivor, giving the series ‘ storytelling a more grounded and filmic focus. Lara must find her friends and run away from the violent Solari Brotherhood cult before the violent Solari Brotherhood cult murders them all.
Tomb Raider is all about survival in a brutal, more open environment with changeable weather effects and dramatic lighting, starting off with rudimentary weapons that can eventually be upgraded ( fulfilling the promise of The Last Revelation’s early crafting style system ).
Tomb Raider also became the first game in the series to offer an online competitive multiplayer mode, allowing you to also expand the scope of the hunt with your friends…
Available on PlayStation Store and comes with PlayStation Plus Extra.
Rise of the Tomb Raider – 2015 – PlayStation 4 – Square Enix, Crystal Dynamics
With improved motion capture technology including facial animation, the sequel to 2013’s Tomb Raider continues to be one of the series ‘ most visually appealing entries thanks to the move to PS4.
Lara is forced to fight for her life in Siberia in a fight for her life, not just against the paramilitary group Trinity, but also against more hostile wildlife as a result of her later father’s research into the mythical city of Kitezh and its immortality-granting artifact. Guerrilla combat was further refined, though with a wider range of weapons and skill sets available for Lara to use.
Available on PlayStation Store and comes with PlayStation Plus Extra.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider – 2018– PlayStation 4– Eidos-Montreal, Crystal Dynamics
Shadow of the Tomb Raider, which set the tone for the Survivor trilogy, saw Lara trying to stop a Mayan apocalypse she unwittingly unleashed. The story explores the cultural impact of Lara’s actions as she evolves into the more recognisable version of her character as it is set mostly in Mexico and Peru. It also explores a more philosophical awakening for Lara.
As the beautiful visuals took another step forward, so did the game’s stealth elements, with the ability to hide in the undergrowth from enemies, or camouflage Lara with mud. Not that she’s hiding anymore; the animated series Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft expands on Shadow of the Tomb Raider’s continuity.
PlayStation Plus Extra is available on the PlayStation Store.
With Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered reappearing on PS4 and PS5 by February 14th, the world has little to wait until Lara makes another appearance. Grab an unusually rugged backpack and put away your inexhaustible twin pistols; it’s time to go adventuring.