These two games broke me as a child , yet felt so amazing. The stuff TR 2 brought fleshed it out and set it for the future. Yet sadly due to the pressure of other sequels such as say Resident Evil 2 , there was a high bar to reach. However , the year by year games were to test and advance the engines. These cost time , money and some were hit some miss. Yet the modern rendition of TR is quite something to behold ,hopefully we can see some more good ones. Love your videos man , keep up the good work
You are right, but i think the core of classic Tomb Raider's was the levels. And the sequels really improved on level design. i wish there where new Tomb raider games like the classic ones, the current formula kinda sucks
Not just kinda. It completely sucks. But then, I'm not surprised. The game industry is a hot bowl of *insert random swear word here*. And, there is no hope that it will get any better. Rather worse.
@@Timbermannetje good were the times where moving lara was a puzzle in itself, there was a button to crouch, grab and do flips, you had to time your jumps, you could jump backwards and sideways, etc. they could do so many cool things with the tecnology we have today, instead they introduce a lame double jump and a climbing axe.
@@nosferatu9561 Yeah I love the old school controls, it is like classic Prince of Persia and Flashback. Maybe it is a smaller group of people, maybe they should make Classic Tomb Raider for that subgroup. By the fans, for the fans! Just like Sonic Mania!
Agree, Finishing a complicated level really was a challenge and it was insanely rewarding , just like finding new weapons. The progress was slow and you had to grind through levels by checking every area multiple times but The level teasers in the main menu kept you coming back because you really wanted to see all the game had to offer. But i wonder if in the current gaming climate you could get away with designing a game like early tomb raider and people liking it
I disagree. I love Tomb Raider 2 and it's atmosphere and level design. I DO agree with you saying the amount of human enemies was a little ridiculous though. Either way, those urban sections had their own cool vibe to them too. To me, it was a nice change of pace. This is still my favorite Tomb Raider game out of the whole series
@GT2PS1 Same here. Even though I hate the Maria Doria underwater enemies, it's my favourite Tomb Raider. @dangox3370 Yeah but you do get to tomb raiding. It's not like the majority of the game is dealing with human enemies and city exploration. Maria Doria feels like a tomb of its own and after that you get to the Tallion catacombs and ice palace, followed by Xian and that whole section.
@@dangox3370thank you ! That is literary the best part of TR1. Exploring through these ancient, cryptic locations. Its so dumb to have boulder traps in opera house 😅😅 don’t get me wrong I love the level designs and the challenge from TR2 but the locations really turned me off
Tomb Raider 2 is definitely my favourite TR game from late 90s, by far. This game is million times better than 1st Tomb Raider in every aspect, I completed TR2 propably hundreds of times and never got bored. And I don't care what people think about this game, it won't change my opinion :)
Not in every aspect. I got into TR1 because I was super into ancient cultures, mythology and ruins at that time and 3/4ths of that game took place in environments built around that. TR2 is really lacking in that aspect.
TR2 is great but it just does not have the magic of TR1 the feeling of isolation and loneliness! Plus in TR1 you are doing exactly what it says on the tin! Raiding tombs! The original will always be the best! The music, the levels, just everything! They just really nailed it!
I would enjoy Tomb Raider 2 so much more if it weren’t for the constant, merciless onslaught of italian bodybuilders advancing on Lara in groups of 2-3, crowding her so she can’t even raise her arms to shoot a gun, except when she manages to get the high ground, at which point they all run away to where Lara MIGHT notice them and deign to aim at them now and then, but they can just fill her with lead with perfect accuracy and since there’s also a crowbar guy pacing nearby Lara will decide the guy not actively killing her is her priority and murder him as he sternly parades his blunt weapon around a tile, putting him down just in time for Lara to die so we can reload and try to be slightly quicker. Oooh and the divers! Really love how they have perfect aim with their infinite ammo harpoon guns and Lara seems to burn through like 29 ‘poons while just vaguely gesturing at her attackers as she stared at the gun in confusion and concern!!! Just could a used a few less I think
For me: The Great Wall Bartoli's Hideout Opera House Living Quarters Temple of Xian Floating Islands Home Sweet Home are the reasons TR2 to be my favorite game from the Core Design's times.
For me it's also Venice and the monastery of Talion but otherwise agree (though Living Quarters gets a minus for its jumpscare 😂), really liked those levels too. If I had to choose my top 3 it'd be Venice, the monastery and Floating Islands.
I played through TR2 again recently and yeah, pretty much agree. Although, it's only when going back to TR1 I realise how many little things TR2 changed. Like flares, rolling mid-air, etc etc. It's a lot of subtle stuff. I still love the Maria Doria as a unique spin on a "tomb" -- it's a modern tomb really.
This one and 3 were my favourites. I finished 2 as a child. But I could never ever finish the 3rd one. While I liked London levels very much I was always getting stuck in them.
I found the endless wave of human enemies tedious as well. The controls were not built for that. I also agree that Tomb Raider's aging engine stuck around far too long. After the 3rd game they should have built another engine.
There was no time to build a new engine. Eidos DEMANDED a new Tomb Raider game every November. The poor devs at Core Design were completely destroyed after 5 games, that's why they killed Lara.
i prefer the isolation feel of the first one the atmosphere i got from this game was whack....the first level was nice tho...but then boom lets kill mafia dudes
Great vid, love this game. I think the single factor deciding which Tomb Raider is best is level design - most of the classic games (1996 - 2000) are technically much the same. But all the games have massively different levels, which usually people love or hate. Myself I find it hard to improve upon Tomb Raider 1 and 2's level design.
I played through TR1 and TR2 back-to-back, and my biggest complaint was how the level design didn't really fit the controls and mechanics of Lara. She was made with the caverns and tombs of the first game in mind. Throwing her into tight, building-like places that were full of enemies was NOT the direction they should've taken, unless they completely changed up her kit (which, from what I've seen, is how they handled it in TR3 and beyond). Great game, but man, I'd rather replay TR1 over and over again than trudge through half of the levels in TR2 again.
I agree, and also, she looks kinda small in some enviroments. Golden seats in Opera House or in the theatre in Crew Quarters looks so huge. Feels unnatural. But yeah, tight corridors don't work while shooting. You just cant evade shooting properly
Ahh good old tome raider 1 grid system. i have noticed that there are some jumps that would have worked in TR1 but don't in TR2, increasing the speed of lara made adjustments to her jump ark. so a ledge grab you could have made on TRq, you just wouldnt on TR2 Theres is a main one i am thinking about on the Deck level, There was a jump that i know full well i could have made on TR1 easily, that just refused to work in TR2. There also might be some kind of invisible wall tricks on certian ledges so you can't skip vast parts of levels but i can not be certain of that.
nah i totally disagree. TR2 is honestly my favourite. the biggest problem with TR1 was how samey it was. same open tombs, same enemies etc.... i love all of them but TR2 easily has the most interesting locations, best level design, better enemies, good vehicles....
I actually liked the mixed level design between beeing isolated in century-long-abandoned places or roaming around a city. I thought it gave the title a nice variety, and TR 2 is my favorite from the classic games. Especially the Maria Doria-Levels had an eerie, nice mix from both for me. Considering the fact how fast they had to develope that game, I think it turned out splendid. But I can understand everybody who prefers the lost and abandoned places. They were, without a doubt, the speciality of the classic series. Overall, a great video, and I understand your points of view. How I miss the classic TR Series. The new games missed something special the old games had for me. Thanks for the video =)
It's good to hear the views of someone who isn't a fan of Tomb Raider 2, the game really is a lateral move in so many ways. I'd say the reason for so many of the changes was to encourage younger gamers - the first game is great but you have to be a lot more stoic and methodical in exploration and puzzle solving so kids would give up a lot easier. It's kind of an Alien/Aliens situation.
btw I've subbed, i watched almost all your TR vids, glad you found Anniversary good as I did too and your commentary is very articulate and descriptive. Love the accent too. Feels like if Arnie in an alt. universe didn't become a body builder, Terminator etc. but delved into the wonderful world of TOMB RAIDER
the first tomb raider that felt like that was in my opinion tomb raider iv, it was a huge step to it but it had still the old tank controlls that were outdated at that time and the same block scheme as the first game, it introduced a lot new mechanics but those could not make up for the lack of innovation in the mentioned other parts
I slightly pushed Duckstation emulator to do the magic. Upscale, smoothness and geometry correction and stuff. It can almost look like PC version at the times
I know that TR2 is a beloved game for so many people, but it is my least favourite game in the classic series. It's too long and too difficult and not in a fair way. It feels like every enemy has a gun, and it was the start of the games having too obscure solutions to the puzzles. Then again, I unironically like Angel of Darkness (despite it's many, many flaws), so I guess that I am in the wrong. ;P
I hope to see a video on Tomb Raider III, that game is so obnoxiously hard. Hardest game for me that I ever played. Maybe not for others but it is my Achilles heel. Madubu Gorge is sadistic.
I have all the footage recorded and half of the script done. I hope to finish it within a week, but I got a bit ambitious + I was away from home for several days so it kind of prolonged the work. Can't wait to finish it, though. I didn't find Madubu gorge that tough. Yep, kayak handles like crap, but when you do everything else on foot or arms :D, it goes alright. London levels were the ones that kicked my nuts very hard.. And Lost City of Tinnos
I think 3 was better. A better mix of urban/nature/ancient environments. Better atmosphere and sound, better balanced amount of enemies, the only downside to 3 is the saving system/too dark screen/london levels. And maybe obscure puzzles in a pre-internet world 😅Well, the saving system never gave me trouble but I would have preferred it if the 2’s had been implemented.
3 is always so conflicting for me because the PS1 version has some of the best atmosphere by far, the concepts were great, the soundtrack is great, the locations are good, and the story is a lot of fun. But the gameplay was so unfinished that it doesn't feel good to play. I've always ranked it closely to AOD where it had the makings for something fantastic but it wasn't able to come together properly as a game.
honestly for me TR3 feels like too much trial and error. theres a huge amount of things in TR3 that will kill you no matter how perceptive you are on a first playthrough, probably which is why i despised the save system first time playing.
Tomb Raider 2 was my first TR game, and the one I fell in love with so I couldn't grasp its weaknesses first. It remains my favorite because of the nostalgia and first love factor lol. But when I played and grasped the whole series, I realized it was the game that had the least amount of TR essence, the characteristics you describe like raiding tombs, isolated places, little action etc were less featured. The first Tomb Raider is really objectively the best TR game ever in those regards, it had the purest adventure feel, the best imagination, and the best balance between action and puzzles. The rest all had some cons, though I think it is still impressive they were able to make these games with only a year of development.
I agree, for what they are, they are all decent games given that development would be so short. Despite flaws, I can find certain charm in all of the sequels. I guess I'm getting sentimental a bit, who knows haha
I couldn’t agree more. I decided to play TR2 first when I got the remasters. It’s great. But then I went back to TR1 and there’s just no comparison. The sense of isolation and discovery in the first game is like nothing they’ve ever been able to replicate.
More human enemies really changed the "feel" from the original. I don't think it's an entirely bad thing but I'd argue that it would probably fit an RE4 combat style better.
Well, I always thought that people were exaggerating when they say TR2 has lots of human enemies, but it has. And they are like sponges when it comes to killing them
I've always gotten a kind of Indiana Jones-vibe with Tomb Raider 2 due primarily because of the many human enemies. Like Indy, Lara is up against a large, well-financed and highly determined organisation of bad guys hell bent on acquiring the artefact for nefarious purposes. It helps make TR2 stand out among the other classic games I think.
When I first played this, I didn't realise you weren't supposed to shoot the monks. And thus I had to get through that entire level with everyone trying to murder me. It was absolutely rock hard 🤣 - still love TR2 the most though, probably followed by Last Revelation.
I think Tomb Raider 3 definely suffered more from sequel syndrome over 2, i think 1 was better than 2 but, well, i guess there are reasons to like 2 over 1 and, it certainly is how it's always leaving you in your toes, but the Tomb Raiding feel just, isn't really there thanks to the amount of human enemmies and more mondane locations, which is TR2's greatest weakness i think, besides, it's not fun to keep always dealing with hit scanners, so, i guess you're right as said in the video.
that's the only big reason why I called it that. Too bad Core opted for action oriented approach. Otherwise it would be so much better. Thanks for the comment. Highly appreciated!
whilst i agree with some points i disagree with you saying TR2 had more mondane locations. personally i think it has the best locations in the franchise.
I didn't think that anyone would agree with me that TR2 felt unbalanced with how much combat was involved. While there are a lot of weapons to get Lara out of any situation, it still felt like too much at times, especially with how many human enemies had guns on them. What made it worse was how early these gunmen appear, showing up as early as the second level. Having so many human enemies also took away from the isolating atmosphere that the first game utilized so well. There are only three levels with no human enemies: The Great Wall, Ice Palace, and Temple of Xian. While the former two are great levels to me, they still didn't have that isolated feeling in them, with the Great Wall taking place in broad daylight for parts of the level, and Ice Palace being bright with so much snow and yetis being loud and obnoxious by this point. It was only the Temple of Xian that felt like an excellent return to what made TR1 so amazing: feeling alone and afraid of what would come next, with so many hazards throughout that could easily take out Lara and only animals like tigers, vultures, and spiders inhabiting the place, adding to that isolating feeling. I still like TR2, but I can't love it like what came before and after it. What I said above are the main reasons why TR1, TR3, and TR4 are better games to me.
13:15 Unless you're paying attention to the monk right before this mission who says they bombed the ship because Gianni Bartoli had the seraph. Then you don't have to wonder.
Tomb raider 2 had sharks. That for me is a very negative point. I am very scared of them 😅 I sold the game right away when I saw 40 fathoms. Bought it months later and worked up the courage to overcome those levels. Maybe I saved therapy money?
Tomb Raider 2: Too many human enemies Too many urban and not interesting environments Poor storyline and forgettable characters Boring level design (no puzzles, too linear) And why The fuck there is a boulder in a opera house
i found the human enemies more interesting that the animals, the environments were waaaay better in tomb raider 2, much more diverse than in tomb raider 1, you are reaching with the storyline, the vast majority of fans claim tomb raider 2 storyline to be the best. the level design is much better in 2 and theres plenty of puzzles. the only thing on that list i will give you is the boulder. the rest of them are ridiculous.
@@dentismemla6879 I personally think 2 is the weakest of the original trilogy as someone who has played all of them as a kid - It's the only tomb raider game where you explore zero actual ancient tombs, and I wouldn't really count the great wall of china (especially given how laughable fighting the dragon is). It relies too much on fighting human enemies to the point of tedium, especially given combat was always the weakest aspect of the games. The game is afraid to actually have quiet moments where it's just you, the environment and puzzles, something the first game allowed you. It's difficult to feel like you're exploring somewhere abandoned or ancient when you're blowing up mafiosos on an Oil Rig. The sunken ship was an original level idea again spoiled by the over-abundance of human enemies. For all 3's flaws, at least it mixed things up and had some levels exploring ancient or remote locales. I personally think 1 and Last Revelation were the games that most understood what a Tomb Raider game should actually be.
TR 2 was a worthy sequel but it doesnt have the magic of the original, it was better than 3 though which was too ambitious and way way too hard, my favourite TR games were the original by far, legend which was fun, and the 2013 reboot, the rest are pretty forgettable
Love the videos. Lovely accent also. When it comes to TR2, i was 4 when the first game came out and i remember watching my mum beat the entire first game. Wholesome memories how excited we got whenever we were stuck and found a way to progress. TR2 was the game my mum did not want to play because of all the human enemies and her just being lovely. To me on the other hand fighting humans in a video game in crazy industrial levels with big ass machine guns was the coolest thing when i got to play it alone and still adore this game a lot. every level finished was the craziest feeling back then, trying to reach the ski-doo levels showcased in the main menu and discovering new guns, that was such a big achievement back when there were no guides and walkthrough videos. in this regard TR 2 was the perfect game for me back then
The original trilogy shares equal value and quality. Even the praise seems equal in my opinion, but I wasn't into it back in the day so maybe the amount of exposure wasn't the same as with the first game, but that's not a problem if that was the case. It was still enormous promo and popularity for the whole trilogy which sparks interest even today.
If I can remember, the exposure for TR2 was huge, but nothing compared to TRIII and future sequels. From the year 1998 onwards, Lara was everywhere - in magazine commercials, TV commercials, Playboy magazine etc. Just about anywhere. Everything with Lara Croft was selling. She was a mascot. The crown was movies with Angelina Jolie, but quickly after that - it all went downhill. That all sure helped the originals to sell like crazy.
The first level is so hard, because it "leads right into" the Temple of Xian, which is a hard level at the end of the game. Lara met that one dude and took a detour to Venice etc. Many games do/did that with their characters. You start the game with a strong high level character, then get into a disaster-situation, lose all your levels and skills, then have to play the game to reaquire your skills.
@@chasmkek the third had too many flaws to be the best one in my opinion. the awful save system (i had the ps1 version) the difficulty was insane, the solutions to a couple of puzzles were really obscure and i would argue stupid (only one vender takes the coin in aldwych, the star behind the curtain that you didnt know you could jump through), way too much trail and error on environmental traps that you can forsee, also poison enemies can fuck right off.
@@rhyswhittington8759 I love tha challenge. Idk, I feel like if my 10 yr old ass could go thru it, so can ANYONE! I know its not a fan favorite, thats why I said in my opinion. It will always hold a special place in my heart ❤️
I was never able to get through the "great wall" level as a kid. I recently played tr 1 and had a blast. before I decided to get to tr 2 the remasters were announced and I'm just kinda waiting for a good sale.
At Last !! I've been waiting for somebody to make this video. I didn't care for TR2 for the longest time. Too much combat, Too much foolishness and not many tombs either. I felt more like a mercenary than a adventurer/ archeologist when I played. I still think TR 1, TR 3 and TR 4 are better games. One thing you forgot to mention was that Core design worked on TR 2 and TR 3 at the same time with two completely different teams. One thing that you didn't quite get perfectly accurate. There never was a BIG STASH of health packs for collecting 3 secrets. Just a lot of ammo and the gun to use it. That changed for every new level with out getting the same reward two levels in a row. I'm glad they got rid of that system too. It just didn't work in a Tomb Raider game.
Now when I think of it, yeah. I would get only ammo from getting secrets. You said it right, it's like Core Design have seen that first and third person shooters are way to go so then incorporated some of it in Tomb Raider 2. But it just ain't gonna work for me and you and everybody that agrees
TR2 was the last of the Classics I played, so I don't have the emotional attachment many others do. I enjoy it, but the number of enemies is very distracting... the platfomrming and puzzles is great thought, the difficulty is actually not really frustrating for me. But also I'm able to die a million times at the same place and just try again, I'm very patient :D But overall, I mostly don't get stuck, which is nice (my first TR was TR3 so I kinda judge the difficulty of every other TR in comparison to that). I can see your point about not much changing gameplay-wise, though to this day I'll happily go play TRLE levels so I don't mind not much changing, it's comfortable and the traversal is clear and logical, and I adore the precision. Somehow, my biggest complaint about TR2 (apart from the many human enemies) is... locations. I don't think many people mention that, and I like that you pointed it out. I wouldn't count Barkhang Monastery among the non-TR levels, but there was too much time spent in the rig, in the ship and in Venice. All are great, but I'd prefer them shorter, while adding something more tomb-like.
If you play TR3 first and get the overall experience, TR2 gets easier by comparison. Because you already know how Core Design thinks with level designs so theres less surprises. But yeah, most of the levels are lacking that atmosphere. Rig levels are the first to come to mind. I would rather be in some ancient temple thryin to evade indiana jones traps or something. But TR3 on PS1 is harder in comparison from PC version for 2 reasons. Save game crystals and increased overall darkness. Even if I turn brightness to a 100%, its still too hard to see in certain points of the game. Anyways, thank you very much for comments, I appreciate this longer ones very much
@@kristijan893 While I played TR3 first, I finished it as one of the latest, so I'm not sure if I had the overall experience by the time I played TR2, more like just knowing how hard it might be to get from point A to point B, which was so much easier in TR2. And yeah I heard a lot about how much more difficult the PS version is due to crystals and darkness. It's a shame because I also hear it has some cool additional visual effects. No prob, I love chatting about Classic TR!
Personally, I'm glad Core stuck to their tank controls as I find I prefer them to the controls found in other platformers, including more recent Tomb Raiders. They tend to feel too slippery for me, like the character and the world around them are soaked in oil. I never feel like I'm completely in control of them; when I mess up it feels like the game's fault, not mine, because it wouldn't do what I expected, so I inevitably grow angry at it for making me redo a section. In contrast, 90s Tomb Raider's controls felt more grounded and predictable. I know what every button press will do. When I mess up in TR, I know it's my own fault and I know how to fix it. No rage necessary.
Weird, that's the first time I've seen such a reaction to non-tank controls; everything you listed here is what everyone says about tank controls. Since it's counter-intuitive to your natural instinct (pressing left to make the character walk left instead of just turning left), and having input lag between turning the character and moving, like a tank. I'm glad tank controls died off as a control scheme, cause it always felt insanely stiff even back then. The game may have been designed around that jank, but it doesn't make it feel any better, it's still counter-intuitive, lol. Especially compared to games with direct control on the same platform, like Crash Bandicoot for PS1.
@@tamerkoh I know, it's so weird that I don't like the shitty AI making my character grab ledges I wasn't even facing. It's really bizarre that I want the character to grab a ledge when I take an action that should lead to that, rather than smash into the ledge because the AI glitched. It's completely ridiculous that I don't like over-sensitive directional controls that make the character feel like a wet egg on a spoon that I'm frantically trying to balance. Listen, I've played modern games with controls that felt natural. Dishonoured was a joy to experience. But for the most part, I feel like these games with "more fluid and intuitive controls" are making themselves artificially difficult by removing my control over the character. I hate that. If I wanted to watch someone else get their character killed, I'd go on TH-cam, not pay money to actually play the game myself. Enjoy the controls you like, but don't call me weird for not agreeing with the majority. I'm not you.
@@theredlioness2502 What games are you playing that have such sensitive control problems? Even the earlier ones I was talking about: Crash Bandicoot, heck even Zelda Ocarina of Time, they don't have momentum based controls; it's direct movement. The characters move and stop when you press and stop pressing. Control literally cannot be more responsive and snappy than that. I have played some games with momentum physics that do make the character feel like they're sliding around, like Kid Chameleon, and it does make precision platforming more difficult. But there are an insane amount games that don't use that kind of movement. 2D games too, like all the metroidvania style Castlevanias.
@@tamerkoh hes right about the more recent tomb raiders. it definitely feels like lara is floating when controlling her. anniversary, legend and underworld felt horrible to play in my opinion.
I totaly agree with you man. I like Tomb Riader 2, but its no match in innovation like Resident Evil 2 or Super Mario Bros 3 because they had the time and commitment
Idk how tf I beat this game as a kid without a guide. III was way beyond fucked tho and way harder imo. That's where I couldn't progress anymore. Although I recently revisited III last year as an adult, it was just way too hard for a kid to beat without help.
When I was a kid playing TRIII, I couldn't beat it without walkthrough. I mean, I could pass India, but that's it. Every other levels, especially London ones were crazy hard. To this day I can't beat Aldwych or Lud's Gate without some hints to show me where to go and what to do.
@@kristijan893 Same here, that was a huge accomplishment for me as a kid. haha But the majority of the time was spent just skipping each level with the cheat because I wanted to see if I could beat the next one. Revisiting now, I was able to beat 90 percent without a guide except for Lud's Gate. That level will always haunt me.
4 was the first game my brother and I owned for the PS1. We spent years playing and only used a walk through a couple times. Mainly because we didn't have internet or know there were walkthroughs for years lol.
The intro has always confused me Monk shoots arrow at dragon, then everything goes blurry for the monk? He then pulls the dagger out - then the dragon kills him with fire? Then the dragon dies But the emperor is still alive in human form - but then dies?
I think the mink was probably unconcious during the battle, and he got up just in right time to pull the dagger. Dragon probably had a second of life left in which it burned the poor monk. Then dragon immediately dies. All of the emperor/dragon fellow warriors also have some influnce on them (you can see their eyes being cat-like). As soon as dragon/emperor dies, the infuncle vanishes and their eyes return to normal
What I really wont to know why are the switch placements so hard to find and some doors are over you head so you can see them I'm literally at the same part that I died and can't get past yet again and I'm not one to use codes because I use them all my childhood
Man your voice overs kill me 😂. I get your points and I agree but also feel like some of the level designs (whilst not tombs) were necessary to get to where you end up. Eg tracking down an ancient artifact that was last seen back in the 50’s on a sunken ship, then off to the monasteries of Tibet, then underneath them. I think it’s a really well written story. Thought the video was great.
pros: level design, smoother controls/combat, and flares for dark areas. (if TR1 had the smooth controls of TR2, PLUS flares, it would be close to perfect.) cons: far too cryptic when it comes to finding keys and doors. and the endless human enemies grate on me, but ESPECIALLY on the shipwreck levels. IT'S A SHIPWRECK!! can't the human enemies be absent or just rare? that way the setting would be far creepier.
I feel like TR games more or less degraded with each installment. The original was the best, second game was the second best and so on. I really enjoyed the series until The Angle Of Darkness came along.
You might be right, even though it just boils down to personal preferences.I was first playing TRIII back then so it holds a special place even though it's not the best in the series
@@kristijan893 Don't get me wrong I think the classic TR games were all great but none of the following installments managed to capture the original's atmosphere. What I mean is that the series went further and further away from the original formula with each installment. I also played TR3 a lot and enjoyed it. Higher polygonal models, colored lighting, smoke and particle effects were really cool too.
My problem with TR2 was that it moved too far from what made TR1 great... same gameplay mechanics, sure, but the atmosphere of exploring lonely tombs was lost in favor of more shooty shooty action, which Tomb Raider's engine just isn't good at. They thought "Hey, let's make TR more like Quake!" and it didn't work that well tbh.
i have to disagree. theres plenty of sections in TR2 that have the feeling of lonely tomb. the biggest problem with lonely tombs is that after half the game it gets boring. i still love tomb raider 1 but the enemies pose zero threat and the locations get very samey. i personally think TR2 was the absolute peak of the franchise.
I’m glad the games didn’t follow the trends on what’s popular. They made improvements the the predecessor and same again for number 3 and 4. That’s how I believe sequels should be.
Back when Tomb Raider 1 was new, I was a huge fan. At the time, exploring 3d spaces like this was a novel experience. And I think the team at Core felt the same way, you can feel their passion in every level. But upon replaying the series many years later I have to say the sequels aren't great. It strikes me odd how diligently the developers tried to avoid Egyptian settings for some reason, at least until the 4th entry which almost captured the essence of what made the first game so good. I think it might have been a combination of developer hubris and corporate meddling that caused the sequels to go so wrong. Lara was just too popular for her own good.
My favorite TR, and one of my all time favorite game It may sound crazy and unbelievable to you, but i was able to reach level 10 without memory card, it was too hard to go more in the bike snow area without dying too much
I dunno who in his right mind filled the middle of the game with six water levels, if you ask me. After Opera house... it's water, underwater, half underwater and underwater again. I mean WTF Core was thinking? No wonder people dropped it, it's like if after first 2 levels in Super Mario you get another four and all of them are underwater.
best game in the series. really needs an official remake.. bartoli's hideout(the detonator at the end),the deck and tibetan foothils are fucking masterpieces. also tr2 gold is NUTS,especially nightmare in vegas the bonus level. TR3 is so damn hard it nearly had me throw it away, but its really cool too. however tR2 is the best to me
But I like the sequel syndrome when it comes to game series, it adds consistency and ensures a solid story and allows for the legacy mechanics to improve with little to no effort on the consumers part. I loved that I could jump into any of the 3 og series and just know what I'm doing. There are games in franchises right now that don't even use the same engine lol
For me TR2 had the perfect balance; platforming nearly as good as TR1, traps easier to spot and better signposted from TR3, best locations of the whole series. The Great Wall is the master template for the rest of the game, and for me possiblly best level in the entire series!
I LOVE all the ps1 tomb raider games, i think those are the best ones still., but the first tomb raider is the most perfect of them all., i think because the locations and because it is the most tight of them all., when original creator left the style of the franchise changed and lost that original magic, but still were good games in my opinion., i remember that "the new gimmick" was the deal about the new entries in the franchise
i was turned off from the aspect of you will die many times unless you know whats coming up. tomb raider one didnt have that kinda slow down were you do a thing then have to save. i feel in 2 and 3 your either fine or getting one hit koed.
See TR2 is a tricky one.. Because they added the human enemies in abundance specifically to address tr1s biggest issue.. difficulty. The animals in TR1 are laughably easy to the point you're never worried. Sure the end of the game is challenging there, but you can't just have mutants running around an entire game lol. I do agree with a sentiment that difficulty should be about the platforming, however NOT the puzzles. Those should relatively remain simple otherwise you end up with TR4 where everything is needlessly obtuse.
honestly i have to disagree. they improved upon almost everything. the levels were more interesting and varied, i personally love the amount of human enemies they put in there because honestly animal enemies just arent that interesting to fight and most of them dont pose any threat. the vehicles were good albeit janky but it was a nice change of pace, laras model deisgn looks way better here than in tomb raider 1, the soundtrack was better.... they really did improve on a lot from tomb raider 1 and i disagree that it suffers from sequal syndrome.
the SEQUEL LAW: "when the first product is a masterpiece the sequel SUCKS, but when the first game SUCKS the sequel is a masterpiece or at least better..." the 3rd game is a complement or "more of the same"., more than 3 games = milking franchise
I just finished this game in the remaster. I did play it as a kid in the 90s but I never owned it. I was borrowing TR1 and TR2 from a friend. They didn't let me keep them long enough to finish them. I always loved these games but never owned them till now. I really disliked all the human enemies in TR2. The enemies with guns have perfect aim. It's ridiculous.
Personally, Tomb Raider 1 and 2 are my all time favourites. The only one I wasn’t so fond of was Chronicles. It was okay overall. One thing I can say for a certainty though is that the latest Tomb Raider games don’t come close to the classics. Today’s games are getting worse and worse. I can’t understand people who base their opinion on graphics. It’s almost like saying a good rapper is good because of his looks.
TR2 is better than TR1. However, certain levels should've been animal only. ie: all of the underwater levels. They deffo should've added a level or two which was a TR1 throwback in its style./ TR1 could've done more, and TR2 could've done less. TR3 is when the series started to slide IMO.
controls are better by far, some of the level ideas are not. tomb raider 1 was far more cut and dry. this one obviously takes it story pretty differently ending you up in radically different places from the first title mostly.
I don't know. I mean TR2 has better level ideas, but some of the elements were kinda lost in translation. Story could be slightly better. Maybe Bartoli could be better characterized as a villain. But I play TR mostly because of fun, not story to be honest
Tomb Raider 2 was much better than the first game, it is enough that it has a diverse environments, In the first game you always feel like you are playing the same level
@@michaelmyers7039 'Better' is subjective. TR2 lacked the elements that made TR1 magical whilst adding some things that ultimately weren't important to me. The mechanics of TR2 is better, but the feel TR1 had is lacking.
For me TR2 is a much better game than the first one, I cleared both, what you need is to not take games too seriously. I was not able to clear TR3 on PS1, it was too hard, I would not use any guides or cheats.
@@kristijan893 Karima was so sweet and warm . Nathalie was more rushed . But Karima loved to talk . Think we talked for a good couple hours before she had to fly to England . Met her when she was modeling before eidos
A good sequel with great platforming and storytelling, just one that got too carried away with the shooting. Tomb Raider 3 is my favourite. It felt more fair, and the exploration was back in full force. That said, I still haven't forgot my first playthrough of Aldwych, it drove me mental.
In case you missed, there's my take on the Tomb Raider 1 here - th-cam.com/video/2wKkLE9bIYw/w-d-xo.html
These two games broke me as a child , yet felt so amazing. The stuff TR 2 brought fleshed it out and set it for the future.
Yet sadly due to the pressure of other sequels such as say Resident Evil 2 , there was a high bar to reach.
However , the year by year games were to test and advance the engines. These cost time , money and some were hit some miss.
Yet the modern rendition of TR is quite something to behold ,hopefully we can see some more good ones.
Love your videos man , keep up the good work
You are right, but i think the core of classic Tomb Raider's was the levels. And the sequels really improved on level design. i wish there where new Tomb raider games like the classic ones, the current formula kinda sucks
Not just kinda. It completely sucks. But then, I'm not surprised. The game industry is a hot bowl of *insert random swear word here*. And, there is no hope that it will get any better. Rather worse.
I can't even call the new TR games videogames. They are non-interactive horror-shows.
@@Timbermannetje good were the times where moving lara was a puzzle in itself, there was a button to crouch, grab and do flips, you had to time your jumps, you could jump backwards and sideways, etc. they could do so many cool things with the tecnology we have today, instead they introduce a lame double jump and a climbing axe.
@@nosferatu9561 Yeah I love the old school controls, it is like classic Prince of Persia and Flashback.
Maybe it is a smaller group of people, maybe they should make Classic Tomb Raider for that subgroup. By the fans, for the fans! Just like Sonic Mania!
Agree, Finishing a complicated level really was a challenge and it was insanely rewarding , just like finding new weapons. The progress was slow and you had to grind through levels by checking every area multiple times but The level teasers in the main menu kept you coming back because you really wanted to see all the game had to offer. But i wonder if in the current gaming climate you could get away with designing a game like early tomb raider and people liking it
I disagree. I love Tomb Raider 2 and it's atmosphere and level design. I DO agree with you saying the amount of human enemies was a little ridiculous though. Either way, those urban sections had their own cool vibe to them too. To me, it was a nice change of pace. This is still my favorite Tomb Raider game out of the whole series
its called TOMB raider. Not city explorer.
@GT2PS1 Same here. Even though I hate the Maria Doria underwater enemies, it's my favourite Tomb Raider.
@dangox3370 Yeah but you do get to tomb raiding. It's not like the majority of the game is dealing with human enemies and city exploration. Maria Doria feels like a tomb of its own and after that you get to the Tallion catacombs and ice palace, followed by Xian and that whole section.
@@dangox3370 If they knew how successful it would have been they would have called it 'Lara Croft'.
@@dangox3370thank you ! That is literary the best part of TR1. Exploring through these ancient, cryptic locations. Its so dumb to have boulder traps in opera house 😅😅 don’t get me wrong I love the level designs and the challenge from TR2 but the locations really turned me off
@@crygreg8484isn’t funny how the Maria Doria is sunken but there’s places with no water ? Lol
Tomb Raider 2 is definitely my favourite TR game from late 90s, by far. This game is million times better than 1st Tomb Raider in every aspect, I completed TR2 propably hundreds of times and never got bored. And I don't care what people think about this game, it won't change my opinion :)
Fair enough, even I though I think the original is better :D
Totally agree with you 100%
Better than tr1 and tr4 and much better than tr3!
Not in every aspect. I got into TR1 because I was super into ancient cultures, mythology and ruins at that time and 3/4ths of that game took place in environments built around that. TR2 is really lacking in that aspect.
TR2 is great but it just does not have the magic of TR1 the feeling of isolation and loneliness! Plus in TR1 you are doing exactly what it says on the tin! Raiding tombs! The original will always be the best! The music, the levels, just everything! They just really nailed it!
@@guesswho2616 idk, I preferred the locations in tr2 and open sky level + the vehicles.
15:04 im pretty sure you meant to say "dynamic lighting", with just one 'n' in there.
I would enjoy Tomb Raider 2 so much more if it weren’t for the constant, merciless onslaught of italian bodybuilders advancing on Lara in groups of 2-3, crowding her so she can’t even raise her arms to shoot a gun, except when she manages to get the high ground, at which point they all run away to where Lara MIGHT notice them and deign to aim at them now and then, but they can just fill her with lead with perfect accuracy and since there’s also a crowbar guy pacing nearby Lara will decide the guy not actively killing her is her priority and murder him as he sternly parades his blunt weapon around a tile, putting him down just in time for Lara to die so we can reload and try to be slightly quicker.
Oooh and the divers! Really love how they have perfect aim with their infinite ammo harpoon guns and Lara seems to burn through like 29 ‘poons while just vaguely gesturing at her attackers as she stared at the gun in confusion and concern!!!
Just could a used a few less I think
For me:
The Great Wall
Bartoli's Hideout
Opera House
Living Quarters
Temple of Xian
Floating Islands
Home Sweet Home
are the reasons TR2 to be my favorite game from the Core Design's times.
For me it's also Venice and the monastery of Talion but otherwise agree (though Living Quarters gets a minus for its jumpscare 😂), really liked those levels too. If I had to choose my top 3 it'd be Venice, the monastery and Floating Islands.
I played through TR2 again recently and yeah, pretty much agree. Although, it's only when going back to TR1 I realise how many little things TR2 changed. Like flares, rolling mid-air, etc etc. It's a lot of subtle stuff. I still love the Maria Doria as a unique spin on a "tomb" -- it's a modern tomb really.
Always nice to find someone analyzing old TR games. Subscribed.
Pozdrav :)
This one and 3 were my favourites. I finished 2 as a child. But I could never ever finish the 3rd one. While I liked London levels very much I was always getting stuck in them.
I found the endless wave of human enemies tedious as well. The controls were not built for that. I also agree that Tomb Raider's aging engine stuck around far too long. After the 3rd game they should have built another engine.
There was no time to build a new engine. Eidos DEMANDED a new Tomb Raider game every November.
The poor devs at Core Design were completely destroyed after 5 games, that's why they killed Lara.
honestly liked the amount of human enemies, the enemies by and large were rather boring in tomb raider 1 if you ask me.
@@mistersurrealist I definitely blame Eidos. They handled the Tomb Raider series terribly.
i prefer the isolation feel of the first one the atmosphere i got from this game was whack....the first level was nice tho...but then boom lets kill mafia dudes
Great vid, love this game. I think the single factor deciding which Tomb Raider is best is level design - most of the classic games (1996 - 2000) are technically much the same. But all the games have massively different levels, which usually people love or hate. Myself I find it hard to improve upon Tomb Raider 1 and 2's level design.
Yeah, even though TR3 has some very good level designs but also some of very bad design choices
TR 1 - 3 were pure gold. That is all.
I played through TR1 and TR2 back-to-back, and my biggest complaint was how the level design didn't really fit the controls and mechanics of Lara.
She was made with the caverns and tombs of the first game in mind. Throwing her into tight, building-like places that were full of enemies was NOT the direction they should've taken, unless they completely changed up her kit (which, from what I've seen, is how they handled it in TR3 and beyond).
Great game, but man, I'd rather replay TR1 over and over again than trudge through half of the levels in TR2 again.
I agree, and also, she looks kinda small in some enviroments. Golden seats in Opera House or in the theatre in Crew Quarters looks so huge. Feels unnatural. But yeah, tight corridors don't work while shooting. You just cant evade shooting properly
Ahh good old tome raider 1 grid system. i have noticed that there are some jumps that would have worked in TR1 but don't in TR2, increasing the speed of lara made adjustments to her jump ark. so a ledge grab you could have made on TRq, you just wouldnt on TR2
Theres is a main one i am thinking about on the Deck level, There was a jump that i know full well i could have made on TR1 easily, that just refused to work in TR2. There also might be some kind of invisible wall tricks on certian ledges so you can't skip vast parts of levels but i can not be certain of that.
nah i totally disagree. TR2 is honestly my favourite. the biggest problem with TR1 was how samey it was. same open tombs, same enemies etc.... i love all of them but TR2 easily has the most interesting locations, best level design, better enemies, good vehicles....
@@kristijan893make her jump into her own kitchen sink at croft manor and see how she can really shrink!!
@@rhyswhittington8759dude you had 6 straight levels of water. That was the biggest drag ever
I actually liked the mixed level design between beeing isolated in century-long-abandoned places or roaming around a city. I thought it gave the title a nice variety, and TR 2 is my favorite from the classic games. Especially the Maria Doria-Levels had an eerie, nice mix from both for me. Considering the fact how fast they had to develope that game, I think it turned out splendid. But I can understand everybody who prefers the lost and abandoned places. They were, without a doubt, the speciality of the classic series.
Overall, a great video, and I understand your points of view. How I miss the classic TR Series. The new games missed something special the old games had for me. Thanks for the video =)
It's good to hear the views of someone who isn't a fan of Tomb Raider 2, the game really is a lateral move in so many ways. I'd say the reason for so many of the changes was to encourage younger gamers - the first game is great but you have to be a lot more stoic and methodical in exploration and puzzle solving so kids would give up a lot easier. It's kind of an Alien/Aliens situation.
Haha great analogy!
btw I've subbed, i watched almost all your TR vids, glad you found Anniversary good as I did too and your commentary is very articulate and descriptive. Love the accent too. Feels like if Arnie in an alt. universe didn't become a body builder, Terminator etc. but delved into the wonderful world of TOMB RAIDER
the first tomb raider that felt like that was in my opinion tomb raider iv, it was a huge step to it but it had still the old tank controlls that were outdated at that time and the same block scheme as the first game, it introduced a lot new mechanics but those could not make up for the lack of innovation in the mentioned other parts
I agree completely. And it's the same with Chronicles
Watching this, imagining all these levels in the remaster… gonna be amazing !
it is
i really enjoyed the venice and the thibet chapter, but hated the whole underwater/ship chapter.
Your TR videos are really good! I love your style, man 😁
Thanks very much! This kind of comment means a lot to me
Excellent video! What did you do to the textures? They look upgraded.
I slightly pushed Duckstation emulator to do the magic. Upscale, smoothness and geometry correction and stuff. It can almost look like PC version at the times
@@kristijan893 I have the PC version but it doesn't look as good as this 😉
@@michaelgeorge1737 really? Didn't compare them do I was guessing. Even if you max out pc version, it doesn't look as good as this?
What kind of texture filter you use? that looks awesome! BTW I didn't like TR2 back in the day, but I really enjoyed it in the remaster.
And I had no idea there was a way to save anywhere but between the levels when played it through for the first time
So you unintentionally played it hardcore nightmare difficulty style, then, haha
I know that TR2 is a beloved game for so many people, but it is my least favourite game in the classic series. It's too long and too difficult and not in a fair way. It feels like every enemy has a gun, and it was the start of the games having too obscure solutions to the puzzles.
Then again, I unironically like Angel of Darkness (despite it's many, many flaws), so I guess that I am in the wrong. ;P
too long? TR3 and 4 were way longer than TR2... also i cant name one obscure puzzle in 2, tomb raider 3 however definitely had a few.
I hope to see a video on Tomb Raider III, that game is so obnoxiously hard. Hardest game for me that I ever played. Maybe not for others but it is my Achilles heel. Madubu Gorge is sadistic.
I have all the footage recorded and half of the script done. I hope to finish it within a week, but I got a bit ambitious + I was away from home for several days so it kind of prolonged the work. Can't wait to finish it, though. I didn't find Madubu gorge that tough. Yep, kayak handles like crap, but when you do everything else on foot or arms :D, it goes alright. London levels were the ones that kicked my nuts very hard.. And Lost City of Tinnos
I think 3 was better. A better mix of urban/nature/ancient environments. Better atmosphere and sound, better balanced amount of enemies, the only downside to 3 is the saving system/too dark screen/london levels. And maybe obscure puzzles in a pre-internet world 😅Well, the saving system never gave me trouble but I would have preferred it if the 2’s had been implemented.
3 is always so conflicting for me because the PS1 version has some of the best atmosphere by far, the concepts were great, the soundtrack is great, the locations are good, and the story is a lot of fun. But the gameplay was so unfinished that it doesn't feel good to play. I've always ranked it closely to AOD where it had the makings for something fantastic but it wasn't able to come together properly as a game.
honestly for me TR3 feels like too much trial and error. theres a huge amount of things in TR3 that will kill you no matter how perceptive you are on a first playthrough, probably which is why i despised the save system first time playing.
Tomb Raider 2 was my first TR game, and the one I fell in love with so I couldn't grasp its weaknesses first. It remains my favorite because of the nostalgia and first love factor lol. But when I played and grasped the whole series, I realized it was the game that had the least amount of TR essence, the characteristics you describe like raiding tombs, isolated places, little action etc were less featured. The first Tomb Raider is really objectively the best TR game ever in those regards, it had the purest adventure feel, the best imagination, and the best balance between action and puzzles. The rest all had some cons, though I think it is still impressive they were able to make these games with only a year of development.
I agree, for what they are, they are all decent games given that development would be so short. Despite flaws, I can find certain charm in all of the sequels. I guess I'm getting sentimental a bit, who knows haha
If you think TR2 is hard..
Me, who played TR3: you poor child
Ive played it. And doing it right now for recording the next video... And, its still hard as fuck
4:08 carcass reference?
I couldn’t agree more. I decided to play TR2 first when I got the remasters. It’s great. But then I went back to TR1 and there’s just no comparison. The sense of isolation and discovery in the first game is like nothing they’ve ever been able to replicate.
More human enemies really changed the "feel" from the original. I don't think it's an entirely bad thing but I'd argue that it would probably fit an RE4 combat style better.
Well, I always thought that people were exaggerating when they say TR2 has lots of human enemies, but it has. And they are like sponges when it comes to killing them
@@kristijan893 Yeah sponge bullets are annoying. haha
I've always gotten a kind of Indiana Jones-vibe with Tomb Raider 2 due primarily because of the many human enemies. Like Indy, Lara is up against a large, well-financed and highly determined organisation of bad guys hell bent on acquiring the artefact for nefarious purposes. It helps make TR2 stand out among the other classic games I think.
When I first played this, I didn't realise you weren't supposed to shoot the monks. And thus I had to get through that entire level with everyone trying to murder me. It was absolutely rock hard 🤣 - still love TR2 the most though, probably followed by Last Revelation.
Yes, they are your allies, unless you accidentally kill them. Then, everybody's out for your blood haha
same
I think Tomb Raider 3 definely suffered more from sequel syndrome over 2, i think 1 was better than 2 but, well, i guess there are reasons to like 2 over 1 and, it certainly is how it's always leaving you in your toes, but the Tomb Raiding feel just, isn't really there thanks to the amount of human enemmies and more mondane locations, which is TR2's greatest weakness i think, besides, it's not fun to keep always dealing with hit scanners, so, i guess you're right as said in the video.
that's the only big reason why I called it that. Too bad Core opted for action oriented approach. Otherwise it would be so much better. Thanks for the comment. Highly appreciated!
whilst i agree with some points i disagree with you saying TR2 had more mondane locations. personally i think it has the best locations in the franchise.
I didn't think that anyone would agree with me that TR2 felt unbalanced with how much combat was involved. While there are a lot of weapons to get Lara out of any situation, it still felt like too much at times, especially with how many human enemies had guns on them. What made it worse was how early these gunmen appear, showing up as early as the second level. Having so many human enemies also took away from the isolating atmosphere that the first game utilized so well.
There are only three levels with no human enemies: The Great Wall, Ice Palace, and Temple of Xian. While the former two are great levels to me, they still didn't have that isolated feeling in them, with the Great Wall taking place in broad daylight for parts of the level, and Ice Palace being bright with so much snow and yetis being loud and obnoxious by this point. It was only the Temple of Xian that felt like an excellent return to what made TR1 so amazing: feeling alone and afraid of what would come next, with so many hazards throughout that could easily take out Lara and only animals like tigers, vultures, and spiders inhabiting the place, adding to that isolating feeling.
I still like TR2, but I can't love it like what came before and after it. What I said above are the main reasons why TR1, TR3, and TR4 are better games to me.
Well said!
13:15 Unless you're paying attention to the monk right before this mission who says they bombed the ship because Gianni Bartoli had the seraph. Then you don't have to wonder.
Tomb raider 2 had sharks. That for me is a very negative point. I am very scared of them 😅 I sold the game right away when I saw 40 fathoms. Bought it months later and worked up the courage to overcome those levels. Maybe I saved therapy money?
Tomb Raider 2:
Too many human enemies
Too many urban and not interesting environments
Poor storyline and forgettable characters
Boring level design (no puzzles, too linear)
And why The fuck there is a boulder in a opera house
and also, why the fuck those bags fall on you in Opera House? :D
@@kristijan893 And why the fuck there's people inside an upside down ship deep under the sea.
i found the human enemies more interesting that the animals, the environments were waaaay better in tomb raider 2, much more diverse than in tomb raider 1, you are reaching with the storyline, the vast majority of fans claim tomb raider 2 storyline to be the best. the level design is much better in 2 and theres plenty of puzzles. the only thing on that list i will give you is the boulder. the rest of them are ridiculous.
@@rhyswhittington8759 It depends on the person. People who prefer Tomb Raider 2 tend to like acting packed games also.
@@dentismemla6879 I personally think 2 is the weakest of the original trilogy as someone who has played all of them as a kid - It's the only tomb raider game where you explore zero actual ancient tombs, and I wouldn't really count the great wall of china (especially given how laughable fighting the dragon is). It relies too much on fighting human enemies to the point of tedium, especially given combat was always the weakest aspect of the games. The game is afraid to actually have quiet moments where it's just you, the environment and puzzles, something the first game allowed you. It's difficult to feel like you're exploring somewhere abandoned or ancient when you're blowing up mafiosos on an Oil Rig. The sunken ship was an original level idea again spoiled by the over-abundance of human enemies. For all 3's flaws, at least it mixed things up and had some levels exploring ancient or remote locales. I personally think 1 and Last Revelation were the games that most understood what a Tomb Raider game should actually be.
In my opinion the best classic TR is 3
TR 2 was a worthy sequel but it doesnt have the magic of the original, it was better than 3 though which was too ambitious and way way too hard, my favourite TR games were the original by far, legend which was fun, and the 2013 reboot, the rest are pretty forgettable
TR3 is next on my list to cover, but you are right. That game is insanely hard and overly ambitious for its own sake
Magic is the word. No other game has ever given me that same feeling.
Love the videos. Lovely accent also. When it comes to TR2, i was 4 when the first game came out and i remember watching my mum beat the entire first game. Wholesome memories how excited we got whenever we were stuck and found a way to progress. TR2 was the game my mum did not want to play because of all the human enemies and her just being lovely. To me on the other hand fighting humans in a video game in crazy industrial levels with big ass machine guns was the coolest thing when i got to play it alone and still adore this game a lot. every level finished was the craziest feeling back then, trying to reach the ski-doo levels showcased in the main menu and discovering new guns, that was such a big achievement back when there were no guides and walkthrough videos. in this regard TR 2 was the perfect game for me back then
I love how you made this as if Tomb Raider 2 came out just a few days ago.
The original trilogy shares equal value and quality. Even the praise seems equal in my opinion, but I wasn't into it back in the day so maybe the amount of exposure wasn't the same as with the first game, but that's not a problem if that was the case. It was still enormous promo and popularity for the whole trilogy which sparks interest even today.
If I can remember, the exposure for TR2 was huge, but nothing compared to TRIII and future sequels. From the year 1998 onwards, Lara was everywhere - in magazine commercials, TV commercials, Playboy magazine etc. Just about anywhere. Everything with Lara Croft was selling. She was a mascot. The crown was movies with Angelina Jolie, but quickly after that - it all went downhill. That all sure helped the originals to sell like crazy.
The first level is so hard, because it "leads right into" the Temple of Xian, which is a hard level at the end of the game. Lara met that one dude and took a detour to Venice etc.
Many games do/did that with their characters. You start the game with a strong high level character, then get into a disaster-situation, lose all your levels and skills, then have to play the game to reaquire your skills.
The pleasure of exploring and discovery mysterious places
Tomb Raider II is the best Tomb Raider, so, I can't really say that I agree here.
Close call with the 3rd one in my opinion
@@chasmkek the third had too many flaws to be the best one in my opinion. the awful save system (i had the ps1 version) the difficulty was insane, the solutions to a couple of puzzles were really obscure and i would argue stupid (only one vender takes the coin in aldwych, the star behind the curtain that you didnt know you could jump through), way too much trail and error on environmental traps that you can forsee, also poison enemies can fuck right off.
@@rhyswhittington8759 I love tha challenge. Idk, I feel like if my 10 yr old ass could go thru it, so can ANYONE!
I know its not a fan favorite, thats why I said in my opinion. It will always hold a special place in my heart ❤️
I was never able to get through the "great wall" level as a kid. I recently played tr 1 and had a blast. before I decided to get to tr 2 the remasters were announced and I'm just kinda waiting for a good sale.
At Last !! I've been waiting for somebody to make this video. I didn't care for TR2 for the longest time. Too much combat, Too much foolishness and not many tombs either. I felt more like a mercenary than a adventurer/ archeologist when I played. I still think TR 1, TR 3 and TR 4 are better games.
One thing you forgot to mention was that Core design worked on TR 2 and TR 3 at the same time with two completely different teams.
One thing that you didn't quite get perfectly accurate. There never was a BIG STASH of health packs for collecting 3 secrets. Just a lot of ammo and the gun to use it. That changed for every new level with out getting the same reward two levels in a row. I'm glad they got rid of that system too. It just didn't work in a Tomb Raider game.
Now when I think of it, yeah. I would get only ammo from getting secrets. You said it right, it's like Core Design have seen that first and third person shooters are way to go so then incorporated some of it in Tomb Raider 2. But it just ain't gonna work for me and you and everybody that agrees
TR2 was the last of the Classics I played, so I don't have the emotional attachment many others do. I enjoy it, but the number of enemies is very distracting... the platfomrming and puzzles is great thought, the difficulty is actually not really frustrating for me. But also I'm able to die a million times at the same place and just try again, I'm very patient :D But overall, I mostly don't get stuck, which is nice (my first TR was TR3 so I kinda judge the difficulty of every other TR in comparison to that). I can see your point about not much changing gameplay-wise, though to this day I'll happily go play TRLE levels so I don't mind not much changing, it's comfortable and the traversal is clear and logical, and I adore the precision.
Somehow, my biggest complaint about TR2 (apart from the many human enemies) is... locations. I don't think many people mention that, and I like that you pointed it out. I wouldn't count Barkhang Monastery among the non-TR levels, but there was too much time spent in the rig, in the ship and in Venice. All are great, but I'd prefer them shorter, while adding something more tomb-like.
If you play TR3 first and get the overall experience, TR2 gets easier by comparison. Because you already know how Core Design thinks with level designs so theres less surprises. But yeah, most of the levels are lacking that atmosphere. Rig levels are the first to come to mind. I would rather be in some ancient temple thryin to evade indiana jones traps or something. But TR3 on PS1 is harder in comparison from PC version for 2 reasons. Save game crystals and increased overall darkness. Even if I turn brightness to a 100%, its still too hard to see in certain points of the game. Anyways, thank you very much for comments, I appreciate this longer ones very much
@@kristijan893 While I played TR3 first, I finished it as one of the latest, so I'm not sure if I had the overall experience by the time I played TR2, more like just knowing how hard it might be to get from point A to point B, which was so much easier in TR2. And yeah I heard a lot about how much more difficult the PS version is due to crystals and darkness. It's a shame because I also hear it has some cool additional visual effects.
No prob, I love chatting about Classic TR!
I loved tr2 way more than any other game. I still play it maybe 4 or 5 tines thru a year
My favourite TR by far! 👍
Personally, I'm glad Core stuck to their tank controls as I find I prefer them to the controls found in other platformers, including more recent Tomb Raiders. They tend to feel too slippery for me, like the character and the world around them are soaked in oil. I never feel like I'm completely in control of them; when I mess up it feels like the game's fault, not mine, because it wouldn't do what I expected, so I inevitably grow angry at it for making me redo a section. In contrast, 90s Tomb Raider's controls felt more grounded and predictable. I know what every button press will do. When I mess up in TR, I know it's my own fault and I know how to fix it. No rage necessary.
Weird, that's the first time I've seen such a reaction to non-tank controls; everything you listed here is what everyone says about tank controls. Since it's counter-intuitive to your natural instinct (pressing left to make the character walk left instead of just turning left), and having input lag between turning the character and moving, like a tank.
I'm glad tank controls died off as a control scheme, cause it always felt insanely stiff even back then. The game may have been designed around that jank, but it doesn't make it feel any better, it's still counter-intuitive, lol. Especially compared to games with direct control on the same platform, like Crash Bandicoot for PS1.
@@tamerkoh I know, it's so weird that I don't like the shitty AI making my character grab ledges I wasn't even facing. It's really bizarre that I want the character to grab a ledge when I take an action that should lead to that, rather than smash into the ledge because the AI glitched. It's completely ridiculous that I don't like over-sensitive directional controls that make the character feel like a wet egg on a spoon that I'm frantically trying to balance.
Listen, I've played modern games with controls that felt natural. Dishonoured was a joy to experience. But for the most part, I feel like these games with "more fluid and intuitive controls" are making themselves artificially difficult by removing my control over the character. I hate that. If I wanted to watch someone else get their character killed, I'd go on TH-cam, not pay money to actually play the game myself.
Enjoy the controls you like, but don't call me weird for not agreeing with the majority. I'm not you.
@@theredlioness2502 What games are you playing that have such sensitive control problems? Even the earlier ones I was talking about: Crash Bandicoot, heck even Zelda Ocarina of Time, they don't have momentum based controls; it's direct movement. The characters move and stop when you press and stop pressing. Control literally cannot be more responsive and snappy than that.
I have played some games with momentum physics that do make the character feel like they're sliding around, like Kid Chameleon, and it does make precision platforming more difficult. But there are an insane amount games that don't use that kind of movement. 2D games too, like all the metroidvania style Castlevanias.
@@tamerkoh hes right about the more recent tomb raiders. it definitely feels like lara is floating when controlling her. anniversary, legend and underworld felt horrible to play in my opinion.
Awe :<
I agree it has too many human enemies, but I think the game is delightfully creative, and has some series-best levels.
I totaly agree with you man. I like Tomb Riader 2, but its no match in innovation like Resident Evil 2 or Super Mario Bros 3 because they had the time and commitment
Idk how tf I beat this game as a kid without a guide. III was way beyond fucked tho and way harder imo. That's where I couldn't progress anymore. Although I recently revisited III last year as an adult, it was just way too hard for a kid to beat without help.
When I was a kid playing TRIII, I couldn't beat it without walkthrough. I mean, I could pass India, but that's it. Every other levels, especially London ones were crazy hard. To this day I can't beat Aldwych or Lud's Gate without some hints to show me where to go and what to do.
@@kristijan893 Same here, that was a huge accomplishment for me as a kid. haha But the majority of the time was spent just skipping each level with the cheat because I wanted to see if I could beat the next one. Revisiting now, I was able to beat 90 percent without a guide except for Lud's Gate. That level will always haunt me.
4 was the first game my brother and I owned for the PS1. We spent years playing and only used a walk through a couple times. Mainly because we didn't have internet or know there were walkthroughs for years lol.
@@226butters226 me as well. Lol I only figured out that cheat codes existed. haha
@@226butters226 IV is also the only one I have never beaten.
The intro has always confused me
Monk shoots arrow at dragon, then everything goes blurry for the monk?
He then pulls the dagger out - then the dragon kills him with fire?
Then the dragon dies
But the emperor is still alive in human form - but then dies?
I think the mink was probably unconcious during the battle, and he got up just in right time to pull the dagger. Dragon probably had a second of life left in which it burned the poor monk. Then dragon immediately dies. All of the emperor/dragon fellow warriors also have some influnce on them (you can see their eyes being cat-like). As soon as dragon/emperor dies, the infuncle vanishes and their eyes return to normal
Ah thanks...I didn't notice the eyes part - I thought the soldier who that happened to was the emperor returned to human form
What I really wont to know why are the switch placements so hard to find and some doors are over you head so you can see them I'm literally at the same part that I died and can't get past yet again and I'm not one to use codes because I use them all my childhood
Man your voice overs kill me 😂. I get your points and I agree but also feel like some of the level designs (whilst not tombs) were necessary to get to where you end up. Eg tracking down an ancient artifact that was last seen back in the 50’s on a sunken ship, then off to the monasteries of Tibet, then underneath them. I think it’s a really well written story. Thought the video was great.
thanks for the feed back, appreciate it! Is my voice so bad or?
@@kristijan893 haha no not at all! Phrases like “pedestal of weirdness”. Kept me watching.
@@jamesholmestravel3011 thanks! I was watching a lot of Top Gear before so I'm trying to do the narrative in similar fashion :D
I'm looking forward to seeing what they come up with for the next Tomb Raider reboot.
Hell Yea. Bring back sexy Lara Croft !!!!
pros: level design, smoother controls/combat, and flares for dark areas. (if TR1 had the smooth controls of TR2, PLUS flares, it would be close to perfect.)
cons: far too cryptic when it comes to finding keys and doors. and the endless human enemies grate on me, but ESPECIALLY on the shipwreck levels.
IT'S A SHIPWRECK!! can't the human enemies be absent or just rare? that way the setting would be far creepier.
This was my favourite one. Venice & Barkhang Monastery are 100/10s. Heck Venice alone is so far ahead of every game only Tr1's T-Rex competes.
I feel like TR games more or less degraded with each installment. The original was the best, second game was the second best and so on. I really enjoyed the series until The Angle Of Darkness came along.
You might be right, even though it just boils down to personal preferences.I was first playing TRIII back then so it holds a special place even though it's not the best in the series
@@kristijan893 Don't get me wrong I think the classic TR games were all great but none of the following installments managed to capture the original's atmosphere. What I mean is that the series went further and further away from the original formula with each installment. I also played TR3 a lot and enjoyed it. Higher polygonal models, colored lighting, smoke and particle effects were really cool too.
Love this game, it still gives me the spooks! (But in a good way)
China levels, right?
@@kristijan893 a few, Opera House scares the hell out of me in places, The Deck also
My problem with TR2 was that it moved too far from what made TR1 great... same gameplay mechanics, sure, but the atmosphere of exploring lonely tombs was lost in favor of more shooty shooty action, which Tomb Raider's engine just isn't good at. They thought "Hey, let's make TR more like Quake!" and it didn't work that well tbh.
i have to disagree. theres plenty of sections in TR2 that have the feeling of lonely tomb. the biggest problem with lonely tombs is that after half the game it gets boring. i still love tomb raider 1 but the enemies pose zero threat and the locations get very samey. i personally think TR2 was the absolute peak of the franchise.
I’m glad the games didn’t follow the trends on what’s popular. They made improvements the the predecessor and same again for number 3 and 4. That’s how I believe sequels should be.
Back when Tomb Raider 1 was new, I was a huge fan. At the time, exploring 3d spaces like this was a novel experience. And I think the team at Core felt the same way, you can feel their passion in every level. But upon replaying the series many years later I have to say the sequels aren't great. It strikes me odd how diligently the developers tried to avoid Egyptian settings for some reason, at least until the 4th entry which almost captured the essence of what made the first game so good. I think it might have been a combination of developer hubris and corporate meddling that caused the sequels to go so wrong. Lara was just too popular for her own good.
My favorite TR, and one of my all time favorite game
It may sound crazy and unbelievable to you, but i was able to reach level 10 without memory card, it was too hard to go more in the bike snow area without dying too much
Thats radical. I guess you PS1 worked several days non stop? :D
@@kristijan893 nope i turn it off at the end of the day normally
Loved 3s lvl design! Would like to see a remake.
I dunno who in his right mind filled the middle of the game with six water levels, if you ask me. After Opera house... it's water, underwater, half underwater and underwater again. I mean WTF Core was thinking? No wonder people dropped it, it's like if after first 2 levels in Super Mario you get another four and all of them are underwater.
best game in the series. really needs an official remake.. bartoli's hideout(the detonator at the end),the deck and tibetan foothils are fucking masterpieces. also tr2 gold is NUTS,especially nightmare in vegas the bonus level. TR3 is so damn hard it nearly had me throw it away, but its really cool too. however tR2 is the best to me
But I like the sequel syndrome when it comes to game series, it adds consistency and ensures a solid story and allows for the legacy mechanics to improve with little to no effort on the consumers part. I loved that I could jump into any of the 3 og series and just know what I'm doing. There are games in franchises right now that don't even use the same engine lol
I could only finish it with cheats back in the day, but I'm hoping the upcoming collection will give me a chance to do it legit
I'm sure it will. I have a feeling it will be done properly so we will have a nice chance to play the games again
For me TR2 had the perfect balance; platforming nearly as good as TR1, traps easier to spot and better signposted from TR3, best locations of the whole series.
The Great Wall is the master template for the rest of the game, and for me possiblly best level in the entire series!
I LOVE all the ps1 tomb raider games, i think those are the best ones still., but the first tomb raider is the most perfect of them all., i think because the locations and because it is the most tight of them all., when original creator left the style of the franchise changed and lost that original magic, but still were good games in my opinion., i remember that "the new gimmick" was the deal about the new entries in the franchise
Cool review and yep, i agree with the points made here
thank you very much :D
i was turned off from the aspect of you will die many times unless you know whats coming up. tomb raider one didnt have that kinda slow down were you do a thing then have to save. i feel in 2 and 3 your either fine or getting one hit koed.
Brilliant video 😁
thank you very much! :D
@@kristijan893 Thank *you* for making it 😁
I still think the Temple Xenia is the best level in tomb raider so far i haven't beaten 3 yet i'm about a quarter through
Great test !
See TR2 is a tricky one.. Because they added the human enemies in abundance specifically to address tr1s biggest issue.. difficulty. The animals in TR1 are laughably easy to the point you're never worried. Sure the end of the game is challenging there, but you can't just have mutants running around an entire game lol. I do agree with a sentiment that difficulty should be about the platforming, however NOT the puzzles. Those should relatively remain simple otherwise you end up with TR4 where everything is needlessly obtuse.
honestly i have to disagree. they improved upon almost everything. the levels were more interesting and varied, i personally love the amount of human enemies they put in there because honestly animal enemies just arent that interesting to fight and most of them dont pose any threat. the vehicles were good albeit janky but it was a nice change of pace, laras model deisgn looks way better here than in tomb raider 1, the soundtrack was better.... they really did improve on a lot from tomb raider 1 and i disagree that it suffers from sequal syndrome.
I agree that the first game was an overall better pacakge, but to me Venice is one of the best levels of all time
the SEQUEL LAW: "when the first product is a masterpiece the sequel SUCKS, but when the first game SUCKS the sequel is a masterpiece or at least better..." the 3rd game is a complement or "more of the same"., more than 3 games = milking franchise
I just finished this game in the remaster. I did play it as a kid in the 90s but I never owned it. I was borrowing TR1 and TR2 from a friend. They didn't let me keep them long enough to finish them. I always loved these games but never owned them till now. I really disliked all the human enemies in TR2. The enemies with guns have perfect aim. It's ridiculous.
Personally, Tomb Raider 1 and 2 are my all time favourites. The only one I wasn’t so fond of was Chronicles. It was okay overall. One thing I can say for a certainty though is that the latest Tomb Raider games don’t come close to the classics. Today’s games are getting worse and worse. I can’t understand people who base their opinion on graphics. It’s almost like saying a good rapper is good because of his looks.
TR2 is better than TR1.
However, certain levels should've been animal only. ie: all of the underwater levels. They deffo should've added a level or two which was a TR1 throwback in its style./
TR1 could've done more, and TR2 could've done less.
TR3 is when the series started to slide IMO.
all 6 tomb raider is my favorite.not the new ones
I wonder how these games would have turned out if the developers had empathetic bosses and less peer pressure...🤔
controls are better by far, some of the level ideas are not. tomb raider 1 was far more cut and dry. this one obviously takes it story pretty differently ending you up in radically different places from the first title mostly.
I don't know. I mean TR2 has better level ideas, but some of the elements were kinda lost in translation. Story could be slightly better. Maybe Bartoli could be better characterized as a villain. But I play TR mostly because of fun, not story to be honest
Tomb Raider 2 was much better than the first game, it is enough that it has a diverse environments, In the first game you always feel like you are playing the same level
Strongly disagree
I think I'd agree that TR1 is a lot of the same. It's just way better than anything TR2 came up with imo.
@@ghihbgyu Tomb Raider 2 is better, All of the elements that made Tomb Raider such a great game are present in Tomb Raider 2 with some enhancements
I agree tr2 is a much better game than tr1
@@michaelmyers7039 'Better' is subjective. TR2 lacked the elements that made TR1 magical whilst adding some things that ultimately weren't important to me. The mechanics of TR2 is better, but the feel TR1 had is lacking.
For me TR2 is a much better game than the first one, I cleared both, what you need is to not take games too seriously. I was not able to clear TR3 on PS1, it was too hard, I would not use any guides or cheats.
I'm not, just pointing right and wrong..from my perspective. I'm still overall enjoying playing them
i was an still am a huge lara croft fan . i had the pleasure of meeting a few of the models . karima adebibe and Nathalie Cook
Really, how was it?
@@kristijan893 Karima was so sweet and warm . Nathalie was more rushed . But Karima loved to talk . Think we talked for a good couple hours before she had to fly to England . Met her when she was modeling before eidos
@@amdintelxsniperx thats so cool, man :D
great watch please do Last revelations
I will, but it's gonna take a time. It's a big game
@@kristijan893 Yeah thanks for putting these videos together i really enjoyed them🥰
Tbh, I take human enemies over poor endangered snow leopards and tigers.
"hot cupcakes" Adorable 😂
A good sequel with great platforming and storytelling, just one that got too carried away with the shooting.
Tomb Raider 3 is my favourite. It felt more fair, and the exploration was back in full force. That said, I still haven't forgot my first playthrough of Aldwych, it drove me mental.
NGL, I really hate the look of those upscaled textures...
Why?
it’s my favourite tomb raider!
I love the 1st 3 tr games so idk.
Tomb Raider II is the best Tomb Raider.