Tomb Raider review (finally...)

After countless days of expectation, here it is at last, my review of Tomb Raider 1 for the almighty Saturn!

Read on, dear children...

The first thing anyone talks about this game is, obviously, the gameplay, since the whole reason why the game was a success was because of its innovative and responsive gameplay (ok, that and Lara’s boobs…).

The thing is, controlling Lara today is not really what it used to be, so, instead of being amazed with the endless possibilities (you can jump, climb, roll, hang on ledges, etc, etc…) most gamers today will rant about how slowly she turns, how rigid she moves and how long she takes to stop after a sprint, resulting in an inevitable fall from a high place.

This takes me to the probably worst thing about this game. It is so fucking easy to die! You’re trapped between an enemy and a wall, you die. You do a standing jump, can’t make it, you die. You do a running jump, the ledge is too close, you smash your face against it and you die. You jump too soon, you die. You jump too late, you die. You die. You die! You DIE!!!

...let a video demonstrate...

If this is bad enough on the pc version, where you can save anywhere, imagine in the Saturn version, where you can only save when you find save points in the form of some crystals, and, to make it better, you only find 2 or 3 of them in a level that takes from 30 min to a whole hour to complete. FUCK!

Of course the game has some positive aspects too, so let’s talk about them for a minute. For a start, back in the days it was different from everything you had seen. Here you control Lara Croft (don’t tell me you didn’t know that…), probably the sexiest grave robber, err… tomb raider ever, in a quest to find a powerful artifact known as the Scion. In order to do that you’ll travel around the world visiting 4 main areas; Peru, Greece, Egypt and finally Atlantis (let me say that these levels probably aren’t what you’re thinking, whatever it is that you’re thinking…).

In each level you’ll invariably have to find keys, activate switches, kill some animals (and later some more paranormal beings) and jump, jump, jump (and die, die, die…). The focus on the puzzles and the exploration make for a slow paced game, so if you’re expecting a shooting fest, look other way. This, in addiction to the hard nature of the game and the controls that today don’t seem nearly as good as in 1996, makes this game appropriated only for the pacient retrogamer.

Another good thing about this title is the presentation, with varied locations (the grey caves where you start contrast with the brown of the Greece levels and the yellow of the Egypt ones) and an awesome level design. This may not appeal to everyone, though, because, although the level design is really great, this makes for more open-ended levels instead of the linear design many gamers like. As it is, expect to spend a lot of time thinking about what to do next, since that isn’t always obvious.

But the graphics also have negative aspects about them, with the framerate being the worst. When you’re walking in corridors or something like it it’s all fluid and fine, but when you reach a large area (and there are many of them) the game slows down to the point it affects gameplay. At first you forgive this, thinking that the detail demands sacrifices, but as time passes by you start to get really annoyed by this.

What makes me think is, they said that the Saturn version had worst graphics compared to the PS1 but had faster gameplay. Well, I can see the “worst graphics” part, but I can’t really see where is this “faster gameplay” they talk about…

Anyway, at least the sound is the same everywhere, so you can expect the same atmospheric soundtrack the PS1 or PC players are listening to.

So, overall, what’s my opinion about this title? Well, Tomb Raider sure was a great game for it’s time, but it didn't aged so well, and today even a retrogamer, at least one that never played it 10 years ago, may not like it. I still recommend this for the more patient gamers out there or any collector that wants to have a piece of gaming history in his collection, but all the others should play TR Anniversary instead. Believe me, you'll have much more fun.

PS – I know a lot of you guys were expecting the “greatest review ever seen”, so you might be a little disappointed with this modest piece of writing. To make up for that, here is a photo that might sheer you up

And a bonus comic (click to enlarge)

Tomb Raider 1 vs Tomb Raider Anniversary

As promised, here I am to talk about the differences between Tomb Raider 1, particularly the Saturn version, and the newest Tomb Raider Anniversary (PS2 version in this case). Before you ask, let me say that I haven’t played Tomb Raider 1 to the very end, but I went pretty far with just 4 levels remaining to beat the game (more on that in the end of this post) and from what I played and seen of TR: Anniversary I feel pretty confident to talk about the differences and similarities between the original and the remake.

The greatest difference is, obviously, the presentation, but there’s more to it than you might think at first. That’s because those guys over at Crystal Dinamics didn’t just upgrade the models and textures, they’ve rebuilt and redesigned all of the levels accordingly to what the PS2 hardware is capable of. But fear not, old fans, for the most unique aspects of each level remain here, and for that TRA is indeed a remake and not just a game “inspired by” the original.

The other differences are the sounds (I kinda miss the original ones) and the general gameplay, which is basically the same present in TR Legend, with the new addiction of Lara being able to jump into the top of vertical poles.

But more demonstrative than mere words is the following video, so if you want to see for yourself check out the footage below.

My conclusion is, this is one hell of a remake! Capable of appealing to both fans of the original game and gamers that are new to the series, I think everyone, with no exception, should try this awesome game.

Now, as a bonus for reading this post, here is the update of my progress in Tomb Raider for the Saturn. As I said in the beginning of this post, I’m currently in the level “Sanctuary of the Scion”, level 12 out of 15, so, with just 4 levels remaining (counting the one I’m at), one would think that if I got this far it’s just a matter of time before I beat the game. Well, I’m not proud to say that I decided to quit. Yes, dear readers, in a shameful twist of events, this humble gamer didn’t beat the game, he was beaten by it. The truth is, the game was so fucking hard by then that I just wasn’t having fun anymore, so I think it’s best if I just dedicate my time to other games.

Nonetheless, I played enough to write a review, or at least post some commentaries about my experience while playing it, so my posts about Tomb Raider don’t end here…

Goodbye and good games ;)

Oh Lara...

I was at a Media Markt the other day, buying some cd’s and dvd’s and thinking to myself what a shame it is that here in Portugal it’s almost impossible to find a store selling used/old videogames outside the big cities (that are basically just Lisbon and Oporto, and maybe Coimbra), when I saw a PS2 linked to a big arse HDTV with Tomb Raider Anniversary. (as a side note, let’s just say that such a TV linked to a PS2 was a waste. The image was all blurry and it was so pixelated that I can get way better with my good old standard tv…)

Needless to say, I picked the controller right away (there was no one playing) and started to jump and shoot like a pro, since I’ve played TR: Legend not too long ago and the control scheme was almost the same. Speaking of the game itself, it’s basically just Legend with new levels and back to the basics, with more animals to kill instead of humans. The good thing is, this kind of gameplay never gets old, and I was immediately sucked in by the sheer fun that it is to jump and climb through such well designed levels. The point is, I liked it so much that I’m planning on buying it, but not before I finish something else…

And that “something” is what brings me to this post and the reason why I’m talking about a PS2 game in a Saturn blog. In case you don’t know, this TR: Anniversary is not an entirely new game, but instead it’s some kind of remake of the original Tomb Raider, that awesome game that came out on the Saturn (as well as on the PC and PS1) in the distant year of 1996.

I first saw that hallowed game in action in a demo cd (Preview Vol. 1, I think) a long time ago, back when I was a kid (I had my first Saturn when I was 8 or something), but I never had the chance to play the full game until a couple years ago, although it was none of the original versions but the more recent N-Gage port (gamers phone, oh yeah!). Although the conversion was pretty good, it wasn’t the same thing as playing it on a little black box, and since it wasn’t the more appropriated game for a portable machine I got tired of it rather soon. After that I thought I would never play the original Tomb Raider again…

…until now! That’s right, the newest addition to my ever-growing collection of Saturn games is none other than Tomb Raider! Been playing it since yesterday and I’m already a little farther from the point I quitted when I was playing it on the NG, so there’s a good chance I might finish it this time. Too bad I’m already stuck in a room with spikes (yikes!), but that’s nothing that a little of perseverance (and many tries) can’t solve.

So, if I manage to play it to the very end, you can expect it to be my next ‘yard-exclusive review, and, in the event that if I finish both this and the Anniversary edition, maybe I’ll post a little comparative review about how much they actually have in common.

Until then, goodbye and good games ;)