Tomb Raider Angel of Darkness is very important in this collection. It will be decisive for Aspyr/CD to show what they are capable of in restoring/correcting/improving a game and gaining more and more space in the gaming world.
@@RafaPai84Saber is the publisher, Aspyr is the developer (but a good chunk of the team is made of fans who have been trying to fix the games for ages), CD mostly just slaps their logo on it.
Tomb Raider The Last Revelation loved it. Tomb Raider Angel of Darkness I liked it but I was disappointed at Core. As they rushed the game to be released alongside *"Tomb Raider Cradle of Life movie"* as so many gaming publishers that make the same mistakes of rushing the game to be released alongside movies is always ends in disaster. I can't wait to play Angel of Darkness fixed and hopefully restored levels, voices dialogues, enemies, Kurtis own levels with his special weapons. New enemies and locations and new places to explore beyond Paris and Prague this time. I hope and so much more as for *The Last Revelation I'm so excited* Tomb Raider Chronicles was a weird game but I had a good time!
The tomb raider 1-3 remasters are pretty much perfect. An absolute dream release for me. I never thought in a million years we would get a release like that. Honestly my 2024 game of the year lol. Animal Well not far behind.
If I could add just two things, I just wish Lara had her signature Tomb Raider 1 tied back bun thing. She didn't have a ponytail in the original release. The other thing would be maybe a toggable objectives ticklist. It's frustrating being in the middle of a big 45 minute level and forgetting what I'm supposed to do, because I did a puzzle out or order or something.
@@skycloud4802 Agree with the first bit but not the second. I personally love how hands off it is. Unless you take your guns out you dont even see Laras HP bar. Its just you trying to figure your way through, no map, no way points, no hints, painted white ledges or yellow tape. Even the levers and switches you need to interact with often blend in and dont stand out that much, keys too. I love it personally. Of course if they DID include it and you could toggle it off its no big deal then I guess but I just kinda love that they are really trying to stick to its original design. As a matter of fact now that I think about it one critique I do have is that there is no option to bring back ps1 save crystals. This would be cool for those that played these games on ps1 and not pc and want to re experience it that way. I hear you unlock these ps1 save systems if you beat each game though?To this day I have not been able to beat TR3 but I will be trying again soon.
It's so awesome that they pretty much run and look great on any device too. I've even tried running the PC version on an Intel atom 4gb hand-held device (original Gpd Win) and it can almost hit a flawless 60fps in remastered mode. It's an awesome release and I love it to death. I've already bought it twice (PC and PS5) but I'm thinking I'm gonna grab a physical Switch copy too.
@@Terron29completely agreed with what you said about the hands off nature too. One thing I cant stand about TRL is the constant chatter in your ear from the characters. I really miss it just being Lara not needing anyone else and essentially just raiding tombs for sport (like it should be). I'd personally hate it if there were missions and things forced into the older games, but those who want that kind of thing could pin achievements to their screen I guess, but that doesn't personally appeal to me either,because I've given up on them and gone back to my roots of just enjoying games for fun, not for trophies and achievements.
@@skycloud4802 The bun was more or less an improvisation on the developer's part because, back then, the consoles couldn't handle rendering the braid like they originally wanted (animated and all). They managed to fix it starting with TR2. So, I'm glad they managed to get it fixed and added in the remastered version of TR1. It was something that bothered me for a very long time, plus, it adds some consistency between the gameplay and FMV cutscenes.
Yes have to admit this was interesting to hear. Especially the theory about why you can't make games like this anymore. My issue with the new gen Tomb Raiders is all of the platforming and interesting level design has gone. Arguably this is what made Tomb Raider. The platforming and movement is all just auto pilot now, press forward to progress and jump levels of basic. I'm sure there must be a way to make a proper 3d platformer like the original games again but in modern graphics. Otherwise the new games play identically to every other 3rd person shooter or assasins creed.
I think it's good that they're giving a 2nd chance to a game like TR: AoD that had potential, but got released undercooked. There's quite a lot of games like that out there that have been lost in time due to being from series not as popular. These remasters will probably be the last good Tomb Raider content in a long while too judging by the series new direction seen in the recentlly released Netflix series and leaks concerning the next game.
Judging how popular these are, I can't see why new Core Design inspired Tomb Raiders can't be made? They don't exactly have to have huge AAA budgets or be full priced to turn over a quick profit.
TR4 was always the best for me personally, followed right on its heels by TR1 and TR2 after that. It was a HUGE adventure. With a ton of levels (which had also interconnected open areas, with loading screens, hoping they do away with those) secrets and a VERY cohesive ominous feel when compared to the rest which at times take themselves less seriously. Still has those moments, sure, but overall? More of what I liked about the originals. A lot of atmospheric, gloomy, guttural sounding tombs to explore. With deadly traps, enemies and pitfalls lurking around every corner. Branching paths, gimmick enemies that require you to think on your feet, and give the previously repetitive combat a good shake up. The atmosphere is top Tomb Raider, unparalleled in either of the reboot trilogies. It really feels like it was going to be the last Tomb Raider and they poured their heart and soul into making it stand out. TR6's biggest problem for me is it was uncontrollable. The older ones may have had tank controls and what not, but you could accurately measure each jump by knowing Lara's moveset and counting tiles. TR6 abandoned the tile/grid based platforming, technically increasing interactivity and allowing for more detailed stuff to grab onto... but making it WAY more dodgy at the same time. It just asked of the player a level of precision the character controller itself did not support. While 1-5 have work best and have a less context-sensitive (making it feel more dynamic at times) character controller stuffs. That and the lower/upper body strength system was whack. I'm pretty sure you can lock yourself out of some routes/items if you don't grab all of them early. It's one of those things that DEFINITELY needed more time in the oven, and not come out like an attempt to copy MGS2's grip level mechanic.
@@tommapar The first 4 chapters of TR4 are definitely S-tier TR. However, chapter 5 is a complete dud (the bike controls still give me nightmares), 6 is better but feels like kinda hit or miss. The whole game in its later levels just gives off this quantity over quality vibe. Overall it still may be a better game than TR3 for sure but TR 1-2 seem much more consistent
@@Georgeirfx Yeah for sure, but I still like the sense of... pace you might say those later sections gives to the game. Cairo levels are so obscure- pun intended and hostile and tangled that makes me love em just for daring to be that opressive. And the atmosphere is a huge plus towards that feel. But yeah the Pyramids / Sphinx levels are hit or miss, like you say. I do appreciate though the weird logic at play that was also present in the Cairo levels with stuff like the guy you had to lock in to have enough time to reach a ladder. Like the button pushing puzzle in Underneath the Sphinx was it? And the liters of water puzzle. Or shooting the heads with the Revolver scope in that other level. That and the ascent to the Great Pyramid was hella memorable for me. It's like the ultimate platforming challenge, if you don't count running away from Seth like the game's last platforming challenge. With enough attention and reflexes most stuff it throws at you is reactable. Which is a big plus since other games, like TR2 or TR3 have so much stuff that feels barely reactable. The only thing I hate in this game each and every time it appears is the scarab swarm. Except that time where I believe you can actually get rid of them kind fast by luring them into a petrol pool with a fuse that's slowly going to light the whole pool on fire.
I loved how the trilogy turned out, and I can't wait for 4-6. I'm just throwing it out there, but Crystal Dynamics deserves no credit or praise for these remasters.. Saber interactive were the brains behind these amazing remasters, and Aspyr published it. 🤙💯
Completely agreed and thanks for sharing about the true developers, they aren't getting close to enough credit that they deserve. TR 1-3 are one of the few examples I will think of whenever I think of what a "perfect" remaster means for me. I love it to death and I'm sure I'll feel the same about the new ones too.
The Tomb raider fans and community have asked for this for decades basically. I’m so glad they have finally done all the classic games remastered. I would like to see a tomb raider 2 anniversary though one day. Like a remake not a remaster like they did
Despite all it’s flaws, still love Angel of Darkness to this day as a diamond in the rough ♥️ Looking behind it’s flaws you can see what it could have become if only the team would have been given the time. One‘s I started playing first remasters on Switch laying on sofa I dreamed to do the same with AoD and now it comes true ♥️
I have so much I want to say about this that I don't even know where to start.. So I'll just keep it short and say I loved the recent remasters, how faithful they were, how well they looked and ran on pretty much anything and I'm very keen for the new ones too, especially since I completely agree with John about AOD. It was clearly too ambitious for its own good, but man I'd love to see what the finished product could have been because despite its obvious flaws, I did really enjoy a lot of things about it (the aesthetics, the music, the crazy attention to details and the general atmosphere). It genuinely feels like a team of people trying really hard to evolve how people could experience a new generation of gaming and I'd personally rather a game that tries to do that and doesn't quite land it than the same safe and tired gameplay concepts on repeat for several decades like where we are in a lot of ways now.
Absolutely love the enthusiasm John for Tomb Raider. These Absolutely deserve the love they are getting, many fond memories for lots of ppl. Hope they remaster legend, anniversary and underworld as well
This is exactly what I was hoping they would do once it turned out 1-3 were so fantastic. I love that remaster set. It is incredible. On the level of Nightdive remasters honestly. Maybe not some of Nightdive's more recent work with creating and restoring cut or unfinished content, but nearly there. I hope they can REALLY smooth out the edges with 6 and fix those bugs and hopefully make the world more seamless than it could've been at the time. We'll see. I'm hoping for the best considering the quality of the first remaster.
8:28 - exactly hit the nail on the head. The trouble with current level design with such high fidelity graphics and geometry is that reading how to navigate a modern gameplay space is so difficult now.
If there's one thing I've learned over the years, it's that there are different fans of the TR series that have a preference to different things. What they like the most in the series is what draws them to one of the first four games. I've seen great reasons for liking any of them. The only thing that TR fans can agree on is that TRC and AOD are the weakest entries and are always at the bottom of the list. I think correcting the bugs in TRC will make people like it a bit more. I really hope they do something about the very slow speeds for tightropes and cabinet searching.
I think aspyr did the Mac port back in the day so they should have access to the original source code, I hope they do as good a job on it as they’ve done with 1-3
People who say AoD is bad, probably never got out of Paris. The game got way better the further you got. (apart from that boss Boaz near the end...that sucked major suckiness)
ever played the tomb raider dox demo? it's tomb raider 2 re made/remastered by a fan. it is amazing. it's built in a new engine with modern graphics and i freekin love it. if i was rich i would find the person who made it and pay them whatever he/ or she wanted to finish it. so, new graphics will work with these types of games if they are made right.
If I remember, the 1-3 remaster ran native 4k at 120fps of PS5. If Sony is requiring all games after its launch to have a Pro patch, what more could you want a game to have?
They could go the OpenLara road and add dynamic ripples and caustics to water. AND add 2 player coop splitscreen and 1st person mode. Just make it so cutscenes trigger for both, and 2nd player gets tp'd over to the player that triggered the cutscene after it finishes. Should work for 99% of the game. And it would add replayability. They could also make a "dyna light" or even "RTX" version where instead of the shitty baked lighting we got in someplaces we got actual dynamic lights (maybe ray traced?) that cast environment and character shadows. Refusing to even try to do that just shows they're not willing to touch the engine hard enough. Which is a shame, considering they did touch it for stuff that didn't need touching, like the "modern camera angle" to the "modern" look that IS SOMEHOW BUGGIER THAN THE ORIGINAL. I wish they just gave us a separate option for camera type and graphics. Instead of doing that they still refuse to add dynamic lights like in Wreck of the Maria Doria, which makes the original look WAY better and more atmospheric.
Angel of Darkness is an amazing game. I am so happy that they are remastering it. Just fix the bugs and include some of the community made mods that restore some cut content and it'll be a perfect game.
I’ve been a Tomb Raider fan for almost 20 years. I’ve always been a physical collector and I live in a small area, so I don’t have a ton of access to things. Because of that, I never got my hands on Chronicles. Very excited for this!
4 was pretty good, 5 was basically collection of previously unused levels stitched together, and Angel of Darkness I never finished because of the bugs. Definitely getting this collection Day 1.
There’s no argument that TR IV was the “almost-return-to-form” TR. Core was given 2 years to make this one because they intended on making it a quality TR game, avoiding the burnout fatigue of one game per year as possible, hence TR III felt foreign to I and Ii, being developed by the team who developed the expansion levels. Even then, burnout fatigue was sensed halfway through TR IV. Publisher studio interference by Eidos really did a number on them, all the way to TR VI, which arguably, had the potential to be a great game.
Whats funny is that i just woke up 130am to search this game again after i just dreamed about last revelation tomb of seth. Cant wait to play iv again after finishing it on ps1 many years ago. Imagine if i had to choose this or gta6 i would choose this remaster.
🙂 I, have noticed two mistakes in this video. 🙂 The first one at 9:18 when I, can see the remastered graphics in the original section and then I, can see the original graphics in the remastered section. 🙂 In the second one at 9:37 I, can see the same thing happening again.
I only played Legends, underworld DS and 2013 (and a bit of anniversary) I am already amazed by what I saw from 1-3, I hope they will keep the good work
I remember Angel of darkness being heavily sponsored by AMD back in the day, maybe that was the programmable pixel shader tech you remember at the time. Having said that I'll buy this for nostalgia reasons, the first triology were mostly ms-dos games not worth fiddling around with to get running again today. And yeah Angel of Darkness needs revisiting and some love
Tomb Raider 4 had new mechanics and got controversial actually for killing her off not for “oh another one” people WANTED more Lara and the sales were still reflecting that
@@Georgeirfx The cringe was a product of its time. I thought the Nephilim and Obscura Painting and the Cabal thing were pretty cool topics to cover in a TR game. But besides the terrible character controller, the biggest problem is uninspired level design. It had SOME cool ideas but none of them were explored to their full extent. Also something really funny and memey about telling Bouchard to go f itself and getting blasted like Lara couldn't take 10 million bullets as long as she had chocolate bars and medkits in her pockets.
@@WheeledHamster I wouldn't say terrible. Part of it was to let you be Lara using her street smarts to plow through the obstacle. And you know it's not bad but flawed when there's actually MULTIPLE ways you can get to your destination. And that is true for both Le Serpent Rouge AND Bouchard's Hideout in the Graveyard.
The first game I played, with pixel shaders, was Morrowind for PC and Xbox, both had the hardware for it and both used it on water. I missed out on Angel of Darkness on PC.
They did a fantastic job with the TR1 remake. 60 fps beautifully updated environments. They took a game with some of the best level design ever and made me want to play through it for the 10th time no exaggeration. Love the original thank u to the developers. And by the way 4 was the 2nd best one out of 1 through 6.
I played AoD all the way through only once, back at release. The only thing I remember being awful about it was the loading times and awkward jumping mechanic. I’m very sure they’ll have fixed both things.
It would be great if they could do away with the loading screens that split levels from the larger areas in TR4. Make them big seamless open worlds. Would be great.
I remember Angel of Darkness was one of the reason I left PlayStation behind and went and got an Xbox instead of a PS2. I remember being super excited about the Xbox and what it would be capable of in terms of raw power but there were a number of series exclusive to PlayStation I as worried about leaving behind but then hearing Tomb Raider Angel of Darkness was so bad I didn't feel as bad about leaving the Tomb Raider franchise because apparently the newest game wasn't good anyway.I eventually ended getting a PS2 but still never played Angle of Darkness but then Tomb Raider ended up coming to Xbox anyway. Tomb Raider the Last Revaltion is my favorite game in the series tho just loved it.
I'm still waiting for my physical copy of the original HD remaster trilogy, but hearing John's sentiments make me very curious to see how this second one pans out.
I kinda rather they combine all six games into one disc. Having an Ultra HD Blu-Ray disc is such a waste of space lol, even a single layer Blu-Ray would be enough
I agree with this video about classic Tomb Raider games being somewhat difficult to recreate today with today's graphics in mind. I think there's a sort of Munkiki's Castles or Minecraft-like feel to classic Tomb Raider. The simplistic textures marry so well with the level design, which although relatively small and compact at times, is also be somewhat sandboxy yet brutal if you don't do particular things it wants. It can be a worry to accidentally backtrack and lose direction, or accidentally miss a key or ledge. You could sometimes do different mini-Tombs withinn larger tombs in any order that pleases you, but forget which ones you've already done, then you'll be revisiting them all just to check. But the graphics are delightfully simple and blocky. So you think 'ah okay, this block can be pulled here, and this lever will do this', and proceed forward. This was a time without prompts or hints. You had no help. You had to figure everything yourself.
I wish the versions with the “classic” graphics ram at 60fps. If you want 60fps performance you absolutely have to play it with the remastered graphics which I think is a bummer.
After buying the remastered first 3 games and playing 2 of them all I'll say is....I wish Crystal Dynamics had remade at least 2 & 3 back in the late 2000s.
I do dislike the modern gaming hand holding. It's interesting to hear it framed as an answer to how high fidelity and detailed modern graphics are. I'd always thought it was a marked pessimism regarding the attention span of modern, younger gamers and their stamina for challenge. Silent hill 2 remake had the white rags around things, I had hoped they wouldn't go that way, but par for the course in 2024. I love Resi and Capcom but they have been highly responsible for it.
Tomb Raider 4 at its time was using maximal potential of PSX and it was praised graphically also on PC. Engine was the same but was improved a lot, they changed a lot stuff like models inventory menu and many mechanics... Chronicles got treatment of 3rd one being directly worst copy of pervious title - was also unfinished in many aspects. AOD is totally different story... just to clear that TR4 was actually best TR at its time...
What?! The Tomb Raider games harder to make with today’s graphics due to readability? Well. There’s an answer for that. Just apply some Yellow paint here and there. (Ducks and hides for cover) P.S. - the best title wouldn’t be “With Kurtis Trent” it would obviously need a gold round sticker on the cover saying “Featuring Kurtis Trent”. Even use that same Dante font for the text.
Oh wow, we might get a usable version of AOD! Wasn't the story that they lost/deleted the gold version of the game and had to release an older build which is why it was so jank.
I actually think fixing V would be the real win here, people forget how broken this one was. VI is just a technical and conceptional mess, I don't see this turning into a satisfying experience through a remaster project.
Wasn’t the American release of AoD worse than the Euro release which was a later build so John woulda played a worse version back in the day? Something consider to when he does the comparison vids next year, region differences along with system tech differences hehe
Yes, talking about setting, it is. Referring to game mechanics, it can't be, obviously... In this case, Prince of Persia is the original Tomb Raider game.
I think the reason Tomb Raider is called Tomb Raiders in Japan is so that the title does not imply that you are THE Tomb Raider, because raiding ancestral tombs in Japan is a big no no.
It's Saber Interactive who is doing these remasters. Not Crystal Dynamics, and Aspyr is the publisher. There are some controvertial things happening behind the scenes with these remasters, cuz Cristal Dynamics doesn't like the original Lara, I'm serious! There's a push for a modernized Lara, and these remasters doing sucsses is destroying their future plans with the character.
@@madmandonna1 Just research a little, and look at the fight that CD had with CORE in the past, the original creators, and the new Netflix series wich is canon to the CD's Survival Trilogy. The next CD's Tomb Raider game has nothing to do with original Lara and you can assume they are not liking the remasters been the more sucsseful and well acepted product.
@@RafaPai84 I have hard time believing that a corporation for any reason doesn't like that a product they are selling is succesful and is making them money, this is business. One can hate the creative decisions of Crystal all they want but this is farce.
![[안방1열 풀캠4K] 베이비몬스터 'DRIP' (BABYMONSTER FullCam)│@SBS Inkigayo 241110](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/AQ4RIghEvUs/mqdefault.jpg)
Tomb Raider Angel of Darkness is very important in this collection. It will be decisive for Aspyr/CD to show what they are capable of in restoring/correcting/improving a game and gaining more and more space in the gaming world.
We will see. They didn't deliver it with Kotor 2, so who knows what they will do here.
This remasters are made by Saber, not Aspyr or Cristal Dynamics.
@@RafaPai84Saber is the publisher, Aspyr is the developer (but a good chunk of the team is made of fans who have been trying to fix the games for ages), CD mostly just slaps their logo on it.
Yes, remaster/remake and correct games that missed the mark. I would like to see Bloober Team have a go at Silent Hill 4 The Room.
Tomb Raider The Last Revelation loved it. Tomb Raider Angel of Darkness I liked it but I was disappointed at Core. As they rushed the game to be released alongside *"Tomb Raider Cradle of Life movie"* as so many gaming publishers that make the same mistakes of rushing the game to be released alongside movies is always ends in disaster.
I can't wait to play Angel of Darkness fixed and hopefully restored levels, voices dialogues, enemies, Kurtis own levels with his special weapons. New enemies and locations and new places to explore beyond Paris and Prague this time. I hope and so much more as for *The Last Revelation I'm so excited* Tomb Raider Chronicles was a weird game but I had a good time!
The tomb raider 1-3 remasters are pretty much perfect. An absolute dream release for me. I never thought in a million years we would get a release like that. Honestly my 2024 game of the year lol. Animal Well not far behind.
If I could add just two things, I just wish Lara had her signature Tomb Raider 1 tied back bun thing. She didn't have a ponytail in the original release. The other thing would be maybe a toggable objectives ticklist. It's frustrating being in the middle of a big 45 minute level and forgetting what I'm supposed to do, because I did a puzzle out or order or something.
@@skycloud4802 Agree with the first bit but not the second. I personally love how hands off it is. Unless you take your guns out you dont even see Laras HP bar. Its just you trying to figure your way through, no map, no way points, no hints, painted white ledges or yellow tape. Even the levers and switches you need to interact with often blend in and dont stand out that much, keys too. I love it personally. Of course if they DID include it and you could toggle it off its no big deal then I guess but I just kinda love that they are really trying to stick to its original design. As a matter of fact now that I think about it one critique I do have is that there is no option to bring back ps1 save crystals. This would be cool for those that played these games on ps1 and not pc and want to re experience it that way. I hear you unlock these ps1 save systems if you beat each game though?To this day I have not been able to beat TR3 but I will be trying again soon.
It's so awesome that they pretty much run and look great on any device too. I've even tried running the PC version on an Intel atom 4gb hand-held device (original Gpd Win) and it can almost hit a flawless 60fps in remastered mode. It's an awesome release and I love it to death. I've already bought it twice (PC and PS5) but I'm thinking I'm gonna grab a physical Switch copy too.
@@Terron29completely agreed with what you said about the hands off nature too. One thing I cant stand about TRL is the constant chatter in your ear from the characters. I really miss it just being Lara not needing anyone else and essentially just raiding tombs for sport (like it should be).
I'd personally hate it if there were missions and things forced into the older games, but those who want that kind of thing could pin achievements to their screen I guess, but that doesn't personally appeal to me either,because I've given up on them and gone back to my roots of just enjoying games for fun, not for trophies and achievements.
@@skycloud4802 The bun was more or less an improvisation on the developer's part because, back then, the consoles couldn't handle rendering the braid like they originally wanted (animated and all). They managed to fix it starting with TR2. So, I'm glad they managed to get it fixed and added in the remastered version of TR1. It was something that bothered me for a very long time, plus, it adds some consistency between the gameplay and FMV cutscenes.
I love hearing John talk about this era of gaming.
I love hearing John talk.
Yes have to admit this was interesting to hear. Especially the theory about why you can't make games like this anymore. My issue with the new gen Tomb Raiders is all of the platforming and interesting level design has gone. Arguably this is what made Tomb Raider. The platforming and movement is all just auto pilot now, press forward to progress and jump levels of basic. I'm sure there must be a way to make a proper 3d platformer like the original games again but in modern graphics. Otherwise the new games play identically to every other 3rd person shooter or assasins creed.
John is seriously my favorite DF guy. He just loves his games. Great energy in this video.
I think it's good that they're giving a 2nd chance to a game like TR: AoD that had potential, but got released undercooked. There's quite a lot of games like that out there that have been lost in time due to being from series not as popular.
These remasters will probably be the last good Tomb Raider content in a long while too judging by the series new direction seen in the recentlly released Netflix series and leaks concerning the next game.
Judging how popular these are, I can't see why new Core Design inspired Tomb Raiders can't be made? They don't exactly have to have huge AAA budgets or be full priced to turn over a quick profit.
@@skycloud4802 because in the grand scheme of thing they haven't been that popular, they've been successful, but they've not even hit 1 million sales.
TR4 was always the best for me personally, followed right on its heels by TR1 and TR2 after that. It was a HUGE adventure. With a ton of levels (which had also interconnected open areas, with loading screens, hoping they do away with those) secrets and a VERY cohesive ominous feel when compared to the rest which at times take themselves less seriously.
Still has those moments, sure, but overall? More of what I liked about the originals. A lot of atmospheric, gloomy, guttural sounding tombs to explore. With deadly traps, enemies and pitfalls lurking around every corner. Branching paths, gimmick enemies that require you to think on your feet, and give the previously repetitive combat a good shake up. The atmosphere is top Tomb Raider, unparalleled in either of the reboot trilogies.
It really feels like it was going to be the last Tomb Raider and they poured their heart and soul into making it stand out. TR6's biggest problem for me is it was uncontrollable. The older ones may have had tank controls and what not, but you could accurately measure each jump by knowing Lara's moveset and counting tiles. TR6 abandoned the tile/grid based platforming, technically increasing interactivity and allowing for more detailed stuff to grab onto... but making it WAY more dodgy at the same time.
It just asked of the player a level of precision the character controller itself did not support. While 1-5 have work best and have a less context-sensitive (making it feel more dynamic at times) character controller stuffs. That and the lower/upper body strength system was whack. I'm pretty sure you can lock yourself out of some routes/items if you don't grab all of them early. It's one of those things that DEFINITELY needed more time in the oven, and not come out like an attempt to copy MGS2's grip level mechanic.
@@tommapar The first 4 chapters of TR4 are definitely S-tier TR. However, chapter 5 is a complete dud (the bike controls still give me nightmares), 6 is better but feels like kinda hit or miss. The whole game in its later levels just gives off this quantity over quality vibe. Overall it still may be a better game than TR3 for sure but TR 1-2 seem much more consistent
@@Georgeirfx Yeah for sure, but I still like the sense of... pace you might say those later sections gives to the game.
Cairo levels are so obscure- pun intended and hostile and tangled that makes me love em just for daring to be that opressive.
And the atmosphere is a huge plus towards that feel. But yeah the Pyramids / Sphinx levels are hit or miss, like you say.
I do appreciate though the weird logic at play that was also present in the Cairo levels with stuff like the guy you had to lock in to have enough time to reach a ladder.
Like the button pushing puzzle in Underneath the Sphinx was it? And the liters of water puzzle. Or shooting the heads with the Revolver scope in that other level.
That and the ascent to the Great Pyramid was hella memorable for me. It's like the ultimate platforming challenge, if you don't count running away from Seth like the game's last platforming challenge.
With enough attention and reflexes most stuff it throws at you is reactable. Which is a big plus since other games, like TR2 or TR3 have so much stuff that feels barely reactable.
The only thing I hate in this game each and every time it appears is the scarab swarm.
Except that time where I believe you can actually get rid of them kind fast by luring them into a petrol pool with a fuse that's slowly going to light the whole pool on fire.
I loved how the trilogy turned out, and I can't wait for 4-6. I'm just throwing it out there, but Crystal Dynamics deserves no credit or praise for these remasters.. Saber interactive were the brains behind these amazing remasters, and Aspyr published it. 🤙💯
Completely agreed and thanks for sharing about the true developers, they aren't getting close to enough credit that they deserve. TR 1-3 are one of the few examples I will think of whenever I think of what a "perfect" remaster means for me. I love it to death and I'm sure I'll feel the same about the new ones too.
The Tomb raider fans and community have asked for this for decades basically. I’m so glad they have finally done all the classic games remastered. I would like to see a tomb raider 2 anniversary though one day. Like a remake not a remaster like they did
Despite all it’s flaws, still love Angel of Darkness to this day as a diamond in the rough ♥️ Looking behind it’s flaws you can see what it could have become if only the team would have been given the time.
One‘s I started playing first remasters on Switch laying on sofa I dreamed to do the same with AoD and now it comes true ♥️
You guys mixed up the original footage and the remastered, labeled them as each other 😅
I have so much I want to say about this that I don't even know where to start.. So I'll just keep it short and say I loved the recent remasters, how faithful they were, how well they looked and ran on pretty much anything and I'm very keen for the new ones too, especially since I completely agree with John about AOD.
It was clearly too ambitious for its own good, but man I'd love to see what the finished product could have been because despite its obvious flaws, I did really enjoy a lot of things about it (the aesthetics, the music, the crazy attention to details and the general atmosphere). It genuinely feels like a team of people trying really hard to evolve how people could experience a new generation of gaming and I'd personally rather a game that tries to do that and doesn't quite land it than the same safe and tired gameplay concepts on repeat for several decades like where we are in a lot of ways now.
Absolutely love the enthusiasm John for Tomb Raider. These Absolutely deserve the love they are getting, many fond memories for lots of ppl. Hope they remaster legend, anniversary and underworld as well
I grew up with all these games and I'm just glad that these remasters exist and I can play them on a handheld. What a great time to be a gamer.
This is exactly what I was hoping they would do once it turned out 1-3 were so fantastic. I love that remaster set. It is incredible. On the level of Nightdive remasters honestly. Maybe not some of Nightdive's more recent work with creating and restoring cut or unfinished content, but nearly there. I hope they can REALLY smooth out the edges with 6 and fix those bugs and hopefully make the world more seamless than it could've been at the time. We'll see. I'm hoping for the best considering the quality of the first remaster.
8:28 - exactly hit the nail on the head. The trouble with current level design with such high fidelity graphics and geometry is that reading how to navigate a modern gameplay space is so difficult now.
That Tomb Raider 4 is pretty good is an understatement, John. It's regarded as the best game in the entire long-running franchise by countless gamers.
I enjoyed the Tr4 visuals and adventure, but if I had to be objective I think it doesn't stand next to the original 3.
Naw, 2,1,4
@@oasisbeyond 1,2,3 are best.
If there's one thing I've learned over the years, it's that there are different fans of the TR series that have a preference to different things. What they like the most in the series is what draws them to one of the first four games. I've seen great reasons for liking any of them. The only thing that TR fans can agree on is that TRC and AOD are the weakest entries and are always at the bottom of the list.
I think correcting the bugs in TRC will make people like it a bit more. I really hope they do something about the very slow speeds for tightropes and cabinet searching.
I really hope that you guys will talk about AOD in detail when it's released. It was amazing from a technical standpoint too
I think aspyr did the Mac port back in the day so they should have access to the original source code, I hope they do as good a job on it as they’ve done with 1-3
People who say AoD is bad, probably never got out of Paris. The game got way better the further you got. (apart from that boss Boaz near the end...that sucked major suckiness)
ever played the tomb raider dox demo? it's tomb raider 2 re made/remastered by a fan. it is amazing. it's built in a new engine with modern graphics and i freekin love it. if i was rich i would find the person who made it and pay them whatever he/ or she wanted to finish it. so, new graphics will work with these types of games if they are made right.
If I remember, the 1-3 remaster ran native 4k at 120fps of PS5. If Sony is requiring all games after its launch to have a Pro patch, what more could you want a game to have?
Unlimited breadsticks
They could go the OpenLara road and add dynamic ripples and caustics to water. AND add 2 player coop splitscreen and 1st person mode.
Just make it so cutscenes trigger for both, and 2nd player gets tp'd over to the player that triggered the cutscene after it finishes. Should work for 99% of the game. And it would add replayability.
They could also make a "dyna light" or even "RTX" version where instead of the shitty baked lighting we got in someplaces we got actual dynamic lights (maybe ray traced?) that cast environment and character shadows. Refusing to even try to do that just shows they're not willing to touch the engine hard enough. Which is a shame, considering they did touch it for stuff that didn't need touching, like the "modern camera angle" to the "modern" look that IS SOMEHOW BUGGIER THAN THE ORIGINAL.
I wish they just gave us a separate option for camera type and graphics. Instead of doing that they still refuse to add dynamic lights like in Wreck of the Maria Doria, which makes the original look WAY better and more atmospheric.
A level making tool like the original crysis
@@disastermaster3K Well damn now I'm interested.
8k native
Angel of Darkness is an amazing game. I am so happy that they are remastering it. Just fix the bugs and include some of the community made mods that restore some cut content and it'll be a perfect game.
The essence of Lara and TR maintained and improved
Yeah John you rock 🤘 Looking forward to another TR vid from you.
I’ve been a Tomb Raider fan for almost 20 years. I’ve always been a physical collector and I live in a small area, so I don’t have a ton of access to things. Because of that, I never got my hands on Chronicles. Very excited for this!
4 was pretty good, 5 was basically collection of previously unused levels stitched together, and Angel of Darkness I never finished because of the bugs.
Definitely getting this collection Day 1.
There’s no argument that TR IV was the “almost-return-to-form” TR. Core was given 2 years to make this one because they intended on making it a quality TR game, avoiding the burnout fatigue of one game per year as possible, hence TR III felt foreign to I and Ii, being developed by the team who developed the expansion levels. Even then, burnout fatigue was sensed halfway through TR IV. Publisher studio interference by Eidos really did a number on them, all the way to TR VI, which arguably, had the potential to be a great game.
Whats funny is that i just woke up 130am to search this game again after i just dreamed about last revelation tomb of seth. Cant wait to play iv again after finishing it on ps1 many years ago. Imagine if i had to choose this or gta6 i would choose this remaster.
tomb raider 1,2,and 4 were my fav
I only played Legends, underworld DS and 2013
I am already amazed by what I saw from 1-3, I hope they will keep the good work
🙂 I, have noticed two mistakes in this video. 🙂 The first one at 9:18 when I, can see the remastered graphics in the original section and then I, can see the original graphics in the remastered section. 🙂 In the second one at 9:37 I, can see the same thing happening again.
I only played Legends, underworld DS and 2013 (and a bit of anniversary)
I am already amazed by what I saw from 1-3, I hope they will keep the good work
I remember Angel of darkness being heavily sponsored by AMD back in the day, maybe that was the programmable pixel shader tech you remember at the time.
Having said that I'll buy this for nostalgia reasons, the first triology were mostly ms-dos games not worth fiddling around with to get running again today.
And yeah Angel of Darkness needs revisiting and some love
Tomb Raider 4 had new mechanics and got controversial actually for killing her off not for “oh another one” people WANTED more Lara and the sales were still reflecting that
@11:08 Core Design actually planned to do spin-off games featuring Kurtis Trent if he was well received in Angel of Darkness.
The reason why angel of darkness did terrible is because it was a broken game. I still have the original version on disc I bought ten years ago.
It was broken, unfinished and just so full of cringe. Also it had this weird stamina bar for climbing, which is just a blasphemy for any TR
@@Georgeirfx The cringe was a product of its time. I thought the Nephilim and Obscura Painting and the Cabal thing were pretty cool topics to cover in a TR game. But besides the terrible character controller, the biggest problem is uninspired level design. It had SOME cool ideas but none of them were explored to their full extent. Also something really funny and memey about telling Bouchard to go f itself and getting blasted like Lara couldn't take 10 million bullets as long as she had chocolate bars and medkits in her pockets.
I didn't know where to go running around Paris like an idiot. It was terrible level designs.
@@WheeledHamster I wouldn't say terrible. Part of it was to let you be Lara using her street smarts to plow through the obstacle. And you know it's not bad but flawed when there's actually MULTIPLE ways you can get to your destination. And that is true for both Le Serpent Rouge AND Bouchard's Hideout in the Graveyard.
Ten?! I bought mine 20 years ago on ps2.
The first game I played, with pixel shaders, was Morrowind for PC and Xbox, both had the hardware for it and both used it on water. I missed out on Angel of Darkness on PC.
can't wait for the Legend remaster
Which Senheiser headphones does John use? Thank you
They did a fantastic job with the TR1 remake. 60 fps beautifully updated environments. They took a game with some of the best level design ever and made me want to play through it for the 10th time no exaggeration. Love the original thank u to the developers. And by the way 4 was the 2nd best one out of 1 through 6.
Great video, love the classic tomb raider games
TR7 and 8 are legend and underworld.
9:29 👀
Its a dream come true❤ classic lara is the best!
I've always loved the vibe of Angel of Darkness as a kid... and I still do! There, I've said it! 💪
u did say it, no going back , you said it, you own it, it done , it dusted
I played AoD all the way through only once, back at release. The only thing I remember being awful about it was the loading times and awkward jumping mechanic. I’m very sure they’ll have fixed both things.
It would be great if they could do away with the loading screens that split levels from the larger areas in TR4. Make them big seamless open worlds. Would be great.
I remember Angel of Darkness was one of the reason I left PlayStation behind and went and got an Xbox instead of a PS2. I remember being super excited about the Xbox and what it would be capable of in terms of raw power but there were a number of series exclusive to PlayStation I as worried about leaving behind but then hearing Tomb Raider Angel of Darkness was so bad I didn't feel as bad about leaving the Tomb Raider franchise because apparently the newest game wasn't good anyway.I eventually ended getting a PS2 but still never played Angle of Darkness but then Tomb Raider ended up coming to Xbox anyway. Tomb Raider the Last Revaltion is my favorite game in the series tho just loved it.
I'm still waiting for my physical copy of the original HD remaster trilogy, but hearing John's sentiments make me very curious to see how this second one pans out.
I kinda rather they combine all six games into one disc. Having an Ultra HD Blu-Ray disc is such a waste of space lol, even a single layer Blu-Ray would be enough
I'll wait for the 6pack release on steam I guess.
9:20 I prefer the original graphics here because they’re so much more detailed. They really dropped the ball on the remastered version!
They mixed up the footage at 9:20, the original version ia marked as remaster & vice versa
Lol
Yeah the lighting is just better on the OG
That's because they mismatched the videos in that particular shot. The better looking one is actually the remaster.
@@Haribo211 No way!
Tr4 had a "new" engine back in the day.
I really hope that this time they get the classic mode running at 60fps.
I agree with this video about classic Tomb Raider games being somewhat difficult to recreate today with today's graphics in mind.
I think there's a sort of Munkiki's Castles or Minecraft-like feel to classic Tomb Raider. The simplistic textures marry so well with the level design, which although relatively small and compact at times, is also be somewhat sandboxy yet brutal if you don't do particular things it wants. It can be a worry to accidentally backtrack and lose direction, or accidentally miss a key or ledge. You could sometimes do different mini-Tombs withinn larger tombs in any order that pleases you, but forget which ones you've already done, then you'll be revisiting them all just to check.
But the graphics are delightfully simple and blocky. So you think 'ah okay, this block can be pulled here, and this lever will do this', and proceed forward. This was a time without prompts or hints. You had no help. You had to figure everything yourself.
5:38 They used the Mac sourcecode for 1-3 so should be the same for 4-6. Aspyr still had it from when they did the original Mac versions.
Do you reckon they'll do a remaster of the Legend trilogy or just do a port of the PS3/360 set?
I would suspect a full remaster with a release window of Feb, 14 2026 before Lara’s 30th anniversary so all games can be on all modern platforms
Can't wait for Angel of Darkness 😮
The name Trevor fits him perfectly for some reason.
I wish the versions with the “classic” graphics ram at 60fps. If you want 60fps performance you absolutely have to play it with the remastered graphics which I think is a bummer.
Thank god AoD had save anywhere since the game was so buggy!
They should remake Stone Keep. the best dungeon crawler ever made.
I hope they are able to fix the glitches from V and VI. Might help improve the opinion of these games. Might.
Kurtis Trent spin off Games were planned by Core Design but these games never saw the light of day when AOD did poorly.
I hope we get a physical cope of 4,5,6
tomb raider 4 is the BEST
aod needs a full-on remake
I sense a possible DF Retro episode comparing AoD on PS2 and PC...
After buying the remastered first 3 games and playing 2 of them all I'll say is....I wish Crystal Dynamics had remade at least 2 & 3 back in the late 2000s.
I do dislike the modern gaming hand holding. It's interesting to hear it framed as an answer to how high fidelity and detailed modern graphics are. I'd always thought it was a marked pessimism regarding the attention span of modern, younger gamers and their stamina for challenge. Silent hill 2 remake had the white rags around things, I had hoped they wouldn't go that way, but par for the course in 2024. I love Resi and Capcom but they have been highly responsible for it.
So happy 😍😍
recently 1-3 has been released on disk. Are the games on the disc or is it just a license key? Thanks
The whole game is on disc. At least on ps5 so probably on everything else
I knew it before I clicked it. But I'm so hyped anout what they will do with angel of darkness 🔥🔥🔥🔥
If Aspyr manages to fix AoD, I wonder if it would motivate CD to continue that story. Originally it was supposed to be a trilogy.
I also enjoyed AoD. It was still our lady Croft.
TR 1 was and always will be the best one for me. hated 2 and 3 and then gave up on it till the latest shadow of the TR.
I'm more excited about War Thunder(the ultimate air land sea modern warfare MMO)'s ray tracing update. )
When I first played tombraider on my voodoo 1 I swear i was watching the remastered graphics 😂
I'm extremely interested, how the Angel of Darkness gonna come out
Tomb Raider 4 at its time was using maximal potential of PSX and it was praised graphically also on PC. Engine was the same but was improved a lot, they changed a lot stuff like models inventory menu and many mechanics... Chronicles got treatment of 3rd one being directly worst copy of pervious title - was also unfinished in many aspects. AOD is totally different story... just to clear that TR4 was actually best TR at its time...
What?! The Tomb Raider games harder to make with today’s graphics due to readability? Well. There’s an answer for that. Just apply some Yellow paint here and there. (Ducks and hides for cover)
P.S. - the best title wouldn’t be “With Kurtis Trent” it would obviously need a gold round sticker on the cover saying “Featuring Kurtis Trent”. Even use that same Dante font for the text.
Oh wow, we might get a usable version of AOD! Wasn't the story that they lost/deleted the gold version of the game and had to release an older build which is why it was so jank.
Why does the 6th one looked the same?
AOD>>>>
John, Tomb Raider IV was actually not the same engine as TR1-3.
I actually think fixing V would be the real win here, people forget how broken this one was. VI is just a technical and conceptional mess, I don't see this turning into a satisfying experience through a remaster project.
Kurtis Trent forever
Wasn’t the American release of AoD worse than the Euro release which was a later build so John woulda played a worse version back in the day? Something consider to when he does the comparison vids next year, region differences along with system tech differences hehe
Hopefully!
Tomb Raider AOD has always been Tr6
Am I the only one that prefers this sort of thing than remakes?
Pitfall is the original Tomb Raiding game.
Yes, talking about setting, it is.
Referring to game mechanics, it can't be, obviously...
In this case, Prince of Persia is the original Tomb Raider game.
Don't Get Me Wrong The Reboot Tomb Raider Trilogy Was Good But The Original Tomb Raider Will Always Be The Best / GOAT...😌
It'll need a FF7 like remake to make the game playable.
you mean Kurtis Trent
Leave me alone. I'm busy.
AOD needs Remake
Trevor 😂
I think the reason Tomb Raider is called Tomb Raiders in Japan is so that the title does not imply that you are THE Tomb Raider, because raiding ancestral tombs in Japan is a big no no.
It's Saber Interactive who is doing these remasters. Not Crystal Dynamics, and Aspyr is the publisher.
There are some controvertial things happening behind the scenes with these remasters, cuz Cristal Dynamics doesn't like the original Lara, I'm serious! There's a push for a modernized Lara, and these remasters doing sucsses is destroying their future plans with the character.
Money counts 💰🤑. They'll soon realise that appealing to gamers actually is more effective not doing so.
Stop spreading crap. Why are Crystal trying to bring Classic Lara's look and attitude back for their next game, if they hate her?
@@madmandonna1 Just research a little, and look at the fight that CD had with CORE in the past, the original creators, and the new Netflix series wich is canon to the CD's Survival Trilogy. The next CD's Tomb Raider game has nothing to do with original Lara and you can assume they are not liking the remasters been the more sucsseful and well acepted product.
@@RafaPai84 I have hard time believing that a corporation for any reason doesn't like that a product they are selling is succesful and is making them money, this is business. One can hate the creative decisions of Crystal all they want but this is farce.
Shoch tomb raider gane was it? Where lara croft sits on someome and holds weapon to head.
Lightning was bad in a lot of situations.
no interest in these games but Im hoping for Anniversary and Underworld remasters ...