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The Guardian
20-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered review – the good, the bad and the gloomy of Lara Croft releases
Digging up treasures from the past is an exciting business. So exciting, in fact, it's kept players coming back to the Tomb Raider series for nearly three decades. The original trilogy was successfully remastered and rereleased last year. Now a new collection has been recovered from the attic and put on show, like a family heirloom on the Antiques Roadshow. But will this turn out to be the gaming equivalent of a priceless Ming vase? Or a commemorative ashtray from when Prince Andrew married Fergie? A lot will depend on your personal history with Lara Croft. Those of us who wasted entire English Literature degrees watching her fall off things will thrill at the sight of every rusty key and sinister spike pit. My 13-year-old son, however, took one look at the blocky visuals, asked if I definitely had the enhanced graphics turned on, and walked out of the room shaking his head in pity. Bloody kids. There are three games in this collection. The standout title is Tomb Raider IV: The Last Revelation. First released in 1999, it is set in the ruins of ancient Egypt, which feels equally long ago. Like all the best games in the series, it combines expansive, atmospheric environments with smart puzzles that are satisfying to solve. There are some lovely moments of Lara lore, like the scene that explains how she got her iconic leather backpack. (Although not how it's able to contain six guns, eight medipacks, countless keys, the Amulet of Horus, a grenade launcher and a kayak.) At the time of launch, Last Revelation was criticised for lacking innovation. But looking back, and at what came next, maybe we didn't know how good we had it. Bloody kids. Chronicles was the fifth Tomb Raider game released in five years. The team at Derby-based studio Core Design was burned out, by all accounts, and fed up with being forced to deliver yet another instalment in time for Christmas. The result is a game that is technically serviceable, but feels flat and soulless. The locations are uninspired and devoid of atmosphere. The visuals are bland and gloomy. It feels like Lara is just going through the motions. She can walk a tightrope now, and there's a bit of stealth, as was the fashion at the time. But these are tedious tricks, and they aren't enough to distract from the fact that the magic is gone. However, it's the final offering which marks the low point of this collection, and the entire series. The Angel of Darkness was the first Tomb Raider outing for PS2. It was released in 2003, which you can tell just by looking at it. The game opens on a rainy evening in Paris, apparently; the dismal industrial buildings and empty warehouses make it feel like a damp night in Croydon. Lara is a vision in double denim, complete with the obligatory cropped jacket and hiphugging bootcut jeans of the era. It feels like you're on a quest to find out what happened to the other members of B*Witched. Maybe the tightness of the clothes have restricted Lara's ability to navigate environments with her usual grace and dexterity. Her movements are sluggish and clunky in this game, her jumps awkward. She is weaker than she's ever been; a new stamina meter limits her ability to hang off ledges, and you have to build up her strength by pushing crates around before she can handle more physically taxing tasks. This is as dull and annoying as it sounds. Lara has a new love interest, Kurtis, who is incredibly irritating and looks like he plays bass for Linkin Park. (Maybe they met at the Smash Hits Poll Winners Party.) There's more stealth nonsense, which involves Lara crouching slightly as though she's suffering from digestive issues, and a badly executed attempt to introduce some open world elements. The whole thing is messy, frustrating and depressing. It's also intriguing if you're interested in the history of video games and how they're made. Yes, there's a clear failure to maintain what made Tomb Raider so special in the first place: Lara's agility and autonomy, clever puzzles, actual tombs. This game is too busy trying to keep up with the Joneses; or rather, the Metal Gear Solids and Grand Theft Autos that were so popular at the time. But there are also hints at ideas that series such as Assassin's Creed and Uncharted would go on to execute brilliantly. Sign up to Pushing Buttons Keza MacDonald's weekly look at the world of gaming after newsletter promotion So what stopped Core from pulling it off? Perhaps it was the limitations of the technology at the time. Maybe it was poor team management, or the pressure to hit shareholder deadlines before the game was ready. Probably a combination of all these things. In any case, while The Angel of Darkness is tiresome to play, it's interesting to look at as a historical artefact. The same is true of Chronicles, as an example of what happens when you try to produce creative work in a sweatshop. But The Last Revelation is vintage Tomb Raider. So for £25 you get a well-crafted, enjoyable game, a strange curio, and a flawed but fascinating piece of gaming history. Not quite as valuable as a Ming vase, but good value, and a lot more fun. Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered is out now, £24.99
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
How Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered Improves Classic Lara Croft Games
ComingSoon spoke to Aspyr Brand Manager Matthew Ray to learn more about the new Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered release, which brings Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation, Tomb Raider: Chronicles, and Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness to current consoles and PC. It is out February 14, 2025, for $29.99. 'Following the incredible success of Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Starring Lara Croft, released earlier this year on PC and consoles, Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered will bring the next trio of beloved, globe-trotting Tomb Raider adventures, originally developed by Core Design, to modern platforms with a variety of improvements for players to relive or experience for the very first time,' says the game's description. 'Discover remastered visuals that bring new life to environments, characters, and artifacts, with the option to toggle between classic and modern graphics on the fly! Choose between new modern controls inspired by later entries in the series for smoother movement and camera capability, or opt for the original tank-style controls. Photo Mode is also back with all poses from Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Starring Lara Croft included, along with brand-new ones to commemorate the adventure! Players will also find quality-of-life updates like boss health bars, plus new trophies and achievements nodding to iconic moments from the series.' Tyler Treese: What were the biggest lessons learned from the I-III remaster that helped the team in remastering IV-VI? Matthew Ray: The overwhelmingly positive response to Tomb Raider I-III Remastered truly solidified our commitment to our initial vision, which was to give fans the complete remastered classic Tomb Raider experience. The response was a powerful reminder of how much these games really mean to this passionate community, and it motivated us to bring that same level of care and passion to Lara Croft's darkest adventures.' Remasters always have a fine line to walk between improving and modernizing a game and helping preserve gaming history. Aspyr gives gamers plenty of choices, such as control schemes and toggling graphic modes, but can you speak to that balance? Here at Aspyr, we believe in additions, not revisions. It's all about respecting the original art direction while taking advantage of modern technology to elevate the experience. Every visual enhancement—whether it's improved textures, refined lighting, or updated character models—is designed to amplify the immersive atmosphere that Core Design originally envisioned. What kind of quality-of-life upgrades can we expect? We've introduced several key enhancements to gameplay without compromising or taking away from the original games in any way. The addition of modern controls makes the game more accessible to players who are newer to the series, but we've also kept the classic tank controls for longtime fans. We've included boss health bars (also toggleable), which help players strategize during tough encounters without taking away from the thrill of the challenge. Lastly, we've made the rare 'Times Exclusive' level from The Last Revelation available to all players for the first time ever, giving everyone a chance to experience this unique chapter in Tomb Raider history. There's plenty more to be excited about, but we won't spoil it all here! As a trophy hunter myself, I loved that the first Tomb Raider remastered trilogy had a ton of trophies, which encouraged players to get the most out of the game. What can gamers expect in terms of achievements and trophies this time around? We loved seeing players dive into the trophy hunt with Tomb Raider I-III Remastered, and we've taken that enthusiasm to heart in this collection. Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered includes over 150 trophies and achievements. From combat milestones to puzzle-solving triumphs, there's a lot to uncover. We've also designed new, exclusive trophy art that highlights iconic moments and characters from the trilogy—perfect for showing off your progress! The post How Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered Improves Classic Lara Croft Games appeared first on - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More.
