The Rise and Fall of Tomb Raider

[@DrDemonq8]

I get that anniversary isn't a faithful remake, but it's far from a bad game, I really enjoyed it, certenally better then the latest reboot

[@xlegendgamerpro]

Anniversary is my fav game

[@SonicDeeHedgehog]

@@xlegendgamerpro Mine too.

[@shiannafoxx]

I agree. It may not be the most faithful and could definitely due without those stupid QTEs, but to say it's a bad game is just a bold faced lie

[@shinbakihanma2749]

Tomb Raider Anniv. Is an amazing game.

[@realamericannegro977]

Not bad but I simply didnt want to finish it. It felt so gutted and hallow like the original was stripped of its soul to be famous or something.

[@firstreality3867]

It's a shame the series has been getting mishandled since the beginning. They got it right with the first game but even that got ruined due to the publisher forcing out annual releases. The fact that there's still an active community for the original games with lots of custom content while the other reboots barely get talked about anymore really says a lot about what fans actually want.

[@Top-Lip]

Lara has been rebranded so many times, she's lost not only her consistency as a character but also her iconography and unfortunately she's no longer part of modern popular culture, even among other female characters. Bringing back classic Lara would really help reinforce the brand, by bringing back a touch of nostalgia and semblance to the 90s icon, and bringing Lara back into mainstream pop culture. Faithfully bringing the original style of level design, combat and navigation could really save the series as it's been too long for the formula to stagnate that it would be a welcome change back to its roots.

[@SaithMasu12]

The thing with the past is, its past. Its over You cannot replicate that. Even if you would go back to the complete roots, you forget that the world as a whole has changed as well. Kids that played games back then are not the kids nowadays. True, there are still some hardcore fans left that cling to the old times, but they are in the minority. The Reboot games simply appeal to the broader market and as a puplisher /SE, you are intrested in making some profits. Again, i can understand the sentiment that people want old Lara back and recently Crystal announced that they want some unification. That doesent mean we go back to the old times. That soly means that they try to gather the biggest playerbase possible by appealing to both old and new fans.

[@johnnybensonitis7853]

@@SaithMasu12 I think expectations are somewhat important for fans to keep in minds a sentiment similar to this. The reboot trilogy were played by millions, but a shockingly huge number of them didn't complete most, if any, of the optional tombs. Remaking the classic games would be a tough undertaking and there's no chance of that project being given more than a fraction of the budget received by the reboot series. Still, I'd love to see an attempt and I do believe that most fans will be understanding of certain concessions being made to make it happen. Shadow seemed to lean in that direction with the larger tombs, but the game still emphasized the combat mechanics with upgrades/crafting/weapons/etc along with environments allowing several routes of stealthy traversal. There are as many number of options to approach combat as there are actual enemies in the game, and those enemies can be overcome by lining up headshots while standing in one spot. All the effort put into the combat of Shadow was a mistake and seemed to conflict with their overall design. Remaking the classics would definitely require refocusing entirely with very low emphasis on combat. That probably sounds obvious but felt good to sort my own thoughts out lol.

[@Top-Lip]

@@SaithMasu12 There's too much competition in the market now, especially with the upcoming Indiana Jones game and the recent uncharted series, for Tomb Raider to be a consistently successful IP if it continues to be like its competitors. The sad truth is, other similar action adventure games have been doing Tomb Raider better than Tomb Raider in recent history. Trying to broaden the audience by homogenizing the gameplay with the competition, has resulted in Tomb Raiders fanbase splitting and splitting and the loss of brand identity. You are right that audiences have changed, but you underestimate the power of the past. Nostalgia sells, only a small portion of the Spyro and Crash franchises felt a need to return to the roots, but the remakes reinforced brand identity, were commercially successful and brought Crash Bandicoot and Spyro back into mainstream popularity, increasing consumer engagement with those brands. Demons Souls has also received a massive surge in popularity on the PS5 which has put Bluepoint Studios in the public eye and created more demand for classic remakes across the industry. Off-record Nintendo are about to reveal remakes of Pokemon Diamond and Pearl on 27th February, reinforcing brand power after the controversies surrounding the latest direction of the franchise. Mass Effect: Legendary Edition is reinforcing hope in the brand after the commercial damage done to the franchise by Andromeda. Microsoft's announcement remaking the original Perfecr Dark, has also attracted a lot of positive consumer engagement with Xbox. Resident Evil 2 and Final Fantasy 7 have also been highly commercially successful. I would argue that the past is important, especially for Tomb Raider. It's not just about nostalgia. In the 90s, Lara was an icon, she was more popular than Mario and Sonic and a very powerful marketing tool even for other businesses outside of the gaming industry, she was one of the few individual characters in video game history to reach similar levels of popularity as the pokemon franchise. The name Lara Croft sold the first few games purely by IP recognition alone, just because of her brand power. Because the brand has become so diluted now, from a business perspective, Lara is a has-been and what makes it worse is the constant reboots to her character have made audiences apathetic to the Tomb Raider franchise overall. Modern Lara croft is essentially a pink darth vader with a guitar, she's a yellow sonic with super strength, a Spanish mario. She has little to nothing in common with the icon she used to be and consequently, as a character she is no longer popular or iconic because audiences don't care about Lara as a brand anymore. Classic Lara on the other hand still has a lot of underlying and unused brand power and remakes are selling like hot cakes, I think a lot of people underestimate Lara's potential to be a character with mainstream popularity again. The roots are always important for the health of a tree in my opinion, if the roots are neglected then the tree will suffer.

[@jaykry7072]

I think they should do this with a number of characters and games, like Regina from Dino crisis and the silent hill series. Remakes should reignite any nostalgia which is the goldmine of the game industry rn

[@raposainvernal]

I don''t know if i want to see the femme fatale Lara Croft again, with shorts and big boobs doing acrobatics in the middle of the battle, i came back to the game with Tomb Raider (2013) and had a lot of fun with her personality and game mechanics. And it sell a lot too, 38 million sales only with this trilogy.

[@eezamanna20]

I’m a die hard TR1 fan, always found myself going back to it during the releases of 2 & 3. So when anniversary came out I was more than excited, it’s still to this day my favourite tomb raider game

[@Rocket1377]

Same here. It was an incredible remake. I would be happy if they just remade that game and enhanced it with modern graphics. The gameplay still holds up to this day.

[@jcage1022]

Zip didn't first appear in Legend. His first appearance was Chronicles.

[@sebthederg5459]

True

[@SchrollShepard]

Ok so, perhaps unpopular opinion here; but I liked how in Angel of Darkness the parisian streets were mostly empty. That, paired with the melancholic music that sometimes played when exploring those backstreets, really gave it a palpable feeling of grim, ominous, loneliness. Especially with the whole "there's a serial killer on the loose in these parts" narrative. I understand people not liking it, though. But I can't help to love that atmosphere.

[@ReganSkye2010]

I agree. Sure the game had its bugs, but the overall story and atmosphere was amazing. I loved the vibe of it. And that soundtrack was top tier 🤌🏻

[@thestraggletag2616]

I just hope they make her glamorous and bad ass again.

[@gistvisions]

They're too woke to return her to her former glory.

[@flupetepak]

They should also hire some of the old CORE Design developers to try to bring back the old feel.

[@johnnybensonitis7853]

At least maybe consult the level designers and lead writer/composer of music so they can nail that unique atmosphere.

[@jaykry7072]

THIS

[@vodkavecz]

LAU era was the best iteration of Tomb Raider for me. Modernized, way smoother gameplay, but still very much like the original games in its core. The 2013 reboot trilogy are good games, but not good TR games. Almost nothing resembles the originals just that the character is named Lara Croft. Anniversary is my favourite of the series, so I say it does need to be the baseline for remakes. But we all have different opinions.

[@kiriavatar123]

I feel so sorry for AOD dev team, they were over worked with a tight deadline, it wasn't their fault it was mismanaged by eidos. I respect that they tried to elavate the TR experience with rping aspects, it didn't work but I get the feeling they didn't have time to workshop these ideas and had to figure out how to handle a new software system as well as creating a challenging experience with a compelling story. For someone who has worked in the animation industry, it makes my head spin. I couldn't imagine the stress an sleepless nights. Eidos shouldve got fired, not core.

[@swordguy1243]

Those of us that grew up with the ps1 era TR know that there hasn't been anything like it ever since. Those games are unique and there will never be anything like it again

[@ciaran1235]

Couldn’t agree more 😌 I grew up with the classics and barely recognise Lara anymore. I gave up on the tomb raider brand after completing tr2013... The games were still great in their own right but it’s not the Lara I know and love.

[@alanjay479]

This echoes a lot of my own thoughts about the franchise. I do have a lot more love for the post-Core Design games than I think you do but I agree that I do want classic Lara back and for the games to go back to that style of games design. I feel a tad hopeful that Square Enix may see how popular 90s nostalgia is right now and see how a classic-feeling TR is received now, but sadly I think they'll continue to chase the most popular trends until it fails again. I'm sure people said that about Resident Evil before RE7 though.

[@ivorbiggun710]

It was a real shame about Angel of Darkness. I really liked its look (especially Lara) and the atmospheric environments but it was pretty much unplayable. I don't think I ever finished it.

[@arvinjay336]

They should make a TR story like AoD's it was intriguing tbh.. the reboot TR well 2013's was interesting, then Rise and Shadows were okay and they had to add in Lara's parents again 😪

[@tombplayer6911]

Wasn’t that hard to finish 💀 fans complain so hard about this game

[@shemjeffs2953]

I really miss games which made working the way through the environment part of the challenge. There was so much satisfaction in nailing a timed jump that you could either miss or overshoot by a button press, and peril below, as opposed to what you see so often where you just run to the edge/wall and your character will find a safe place to jump to successfully and it's almost impossible to get it wrong

[@OuterOrange]

I’m so glad someone else understands how to bring the franchise back. I’ve been saying for years that this franchise needs a remaster like Spyro and crash. Replaying the originals, rather they’re perfect or not, is still amazing. Seeing a remaster will bring it back to life, both for old and new.

[@SchrollShepard]

It doesn't need a remaster. What it needs is a completely new game that gives us a modernized look at the series' old roots. Like what Resident Evil did with RE 7; and Zelda with BotW, for example. *That* is what TR really needs.

[@stijnvdv2]

@@SchrollShepard Yeah, I like the games; most of them. However what I absolutely hated is how Lara is dumbed down. The last movie to me was just cringe coz instead of a badass Lara or maybe a little more uncertain Lara from the last reboot; we got some arrogant, narcissistic university progressive sorority girl. I half expected her to break down at any moment complaining about identity and diversity politics or a question where the cry closet or safe space was or cry over a cold soy latte Starbucks coffee.... an annoying millennial version of a 'Karen'. Like they completely destroyed the character.

[@SchrollShepard]

I didn't hate the new games, but I didn't particularly like them either. They're fun enough on their own, but at the end of the day, they're simply a trilogy of generic 3rd person shooters with a tomb raider skin over it. And that's *not" what TR should be.

[@OuterOrange]

@@SchrollShepard I dunno. I think seeing the old levels in action like Spyro and Crash would be fun. Some of the levels really made you think and bringing back what started Lara would bring back the love and nostalgia while also fixing some of the mechanics for those who can’t get into the old ones for that reason but want to from playing the newer ones.

[@SchrollShepard]

@@OuterOrange That's what I'm saying, I agree with you. I feel like there's a communication problem here lol

[@andrewhirshbach7097]

Maybe TR 1,2,3 were so good and possibly unrepeatable, because of the ‘limitations or the tech of that time’. The creators had to radically extend the original ideas of Tomb Raiding for each successive game, which demanded extracting more ingenuity, graphical capacity, character movement etc, from a fairly simplistic and restrictive piece of tech, which was arriving rapidly at its ‘used by date’. For me, the level of creative effort in those games is reflected by the depth and quality of play and enjoyment, which is still experienced by most people who play those games, to this day.

[@shanenice5380]

I did liked all on ps1 and angel dark was good when legends came out all went downhill

[@MR.__G]

I feel like 2 and 3 are definitely inferior to 1… The fact that both those games practically don’t have any tombs/caves/ruins is a let down to me… and all the shootouts with enemies didn’t help either as it kills the amazing isolated feel from the 1st game.

[@Dragonblaster1]

I have all the TR games, now on Steam. I have gone further in Shadow than the other remakes, but still find myself playing the first three games far more often than any other in the series.

[@Clammiest]

100 percent yes!!! Remaking 1 2 and 3 would be amazing!!!

[@Dragonblaster1]

I really want to see a reimagined Vienna Opera House and Venice, the City of Khamoon, Thames Wharf, and above all the Wreck of the Maria Doria. I have seen on KZbin a remake of the Great Wall of China level, and it a) looks fantastic and b) has generated a LOT of interest.

[@Clammiest]

@@Dragonblaster1 Yeees. That would be so amazing. The one I believe you are referring to is fan made be one person and it looks soo good!

[@faradiaulia5560]

1 was recreated (The Anniversary one)

[@hanshans4814]

And here it is atleast a remastered

[@Clammiest]

@@hanshans4814 Crazy how it actually got even just the remasters. Never thought that would ever happen considering Crystal Dynamics.

[@ridgegamer735]

Under world and Shadow of the tomb raider are not terrible games and weren't failures

[@foxrock2807]

I don't know about y'all, but I thoroughly enjoyed Shadow of the Tomb Raider. I'm surprised at it's reception.

[@SavannahLion]

it's because of this new Lara Croft! The classic one is in many ways far far away from the reboot-Croft. They should have given the last 3 games any game title and everything would have been fine. But they called it Tomb Raider with a Lara Croft, who is not and not became in that storyline of the reboot games. That's why!

[@JrAccessDenied]

I love both classic and modern Lara. Although, I do like the non super human like Lara. While I will always LOVE the classic TR, especially the PS1 games. I feel the reboot with the last three really captured a new side of everything. Is it the same Lara? No. Is the old Lara more of a badass? Absolutely. However I feel they're both fantastic for their own reasons and I love them both and their respective games... Except angel of darkness.

[@makesparkzfly]

@@caleb_16 she barely even cried lol

[@kiearawagner7901]

It's because some people don't like the fact that this trilogy focused on a Lara who wasn't immediately the bada** Lara who had ten-odd-years of experience already under her belt right from the gecko. Like, seriously, Lara's complaints are "too emotional" or "too stupid" in the reboot trilogy just feels dumb to make. She's NOT the experience archeologist/treasure hunter we know yet; the ship's incident in TR 2013 was her first real massive expedition out of university. This reboot trilogy was about her finding herself and understanding that her world is far more complicated and mysterious than she knew. We even see that semblance of the woman she will become in Rise of the Tomb Raider and Shadows of the Tomb Raider. Yes, the trilogy isn't perfect, it focused way too much on combat and felt a bit too much like something from Uncharted, but it had it's own identity and story it wanted to tell. Now that it's completed, maybe the devs will fast forward about five to seven years and we will see that Lara that everyone wants to see.

[@sonofccn]

@@kiearawagner7901 I might find that argument more compelling if we were talking about a solitary game. A sort of Batman Begins for Lara Croft. But instead we're talking about three full games and she still hasn't become the character. Again to lean on my Batman analogue this would be like the Nolan trilogy focusing on Bruce Wayne and maybe ending with Ra's al Ghul offering him to train with the league of shadows hinting at him maybe becoming Batman at some far future time. But no promises. As you said, the Reboot had it's own identity and story in mind it wanted to tell. And I certainly think it's fair to judge the Reboot Trilogy on that story. If you liked the Trilogy , cool i'm happy for you. But certainly not everyone does and considering each game sales millions less than the previous I think that's a growing issue

[@iamnotanumber100]

That was a really enjoyable video 👏 Tomb Raider 1 & 2 will always be the best for me.

[@ultrairrelevantnobody1862]

1 is fantastic. I didn't like 2 though.

[@MR.__G]

@@ultrairrelevantnobody18622 had really good level designs but what killed it for me was the lack of tombs, caves, ruins and so many freaking enemies. The best levels in this game are the ones without enemies with the only exception being the level with the monks because the location and design for that level was flawless.

[@itriedspice3677]

TOMB RAIDER UNDERWORLD WAS ONE OF THE BEST IDC WHAT YOU SAY!

[@Wingedlight-nn4hl]

The next game is set to unify the Classic and Survivor Timelines I feel like that is going to be difficult because of Lara’s different backstories for each timeline and when each one takes place (with survivor taking place in modern times and Classic taking place in the 90’s) and there will also be an anime that takes place after the Survivor Trilogy and Classic Lara is returning in a mobile game titled Tomb Raider: Reloaded and it is an Arcade style shooter with RPG elements.

[@Jay_Sullivan]

Crystal Dynamics is clueless.

[@travislarson8470]

Watching in 2024 - your predictions have mostly come true! 1) New logo ✅ 2) Remastered Classic Trilogy ✅ 3) New game announced ✅

[@ab-ud8np]

We need a TR2 remake

[@ultrairrelevantnobody1862]

No, yet yes. Tomb Raider 2 hasn't aged well, but they could fix and improve on the bad parts which took up 70% of the gameplay.

[@madamaczone]

My very first game was Tomb Raider II and I felt in love with it, then I played TR III, TR IV and then jump to Tomb Raider Legend, then I played Tomb Raider Anniversary, TR Underworld and the last trilogy. I have never played TR 1, Chronicles and Angel of Darkness. Now, I'm 31 yo and felt the nostalgia to bring to those wonderful days. I want to re-played all the series.

[@SethMcKenzieTV]

The 25th anniversary is a good time to replay the whole series from start to finish :D

[@reng935]

EXACTLY! Who even is Lara now?

[@jaykry7072]

I believe the NA classic Tomb Raider logo would be the most definitive and iconic and memorable. Think about it! It’s all over the video games AND all over the box arts from the classic video games and action figurines. I stand with the NA tomb raider logo.

[@RealHyperHedgehog]

Tomb Raider is like Sonic. Both are some of my favorite media series, yet their quality and reputation keep going up and down, then up and then down and so on and so forth.

[@bubblebobbler]

The reboot series is good, but it just isn't very tomb raider

[@lilithsimoneau8488]

Yeah it feels like a whole new game

[@Rocket1377]

Yeah, it's like a parallel universe. Toby Gard never wanted Lara to be a cold blooded killer, and yet she murders hundreds in the reboot trilogy. A total betrayal of who Lara is supposed to be.

[@morkgin2459]

It's not good, it's "okay" but it can be fun so kudos to that ig

[@josemkay9272]

The classic core design games will always be a favorite of mine, I even hold Angel of Darkness in high regard in spite of it’s many flaws. I thoroughly enjoyed the Legend trilogy, though I felt Underworld could’ve been more polished. The present iteration of Tomb Raider are good games within their own right, but it isn’t Lara Croft anymore. She’s become Nathan Drake’s little sister. Jonell Elliot was also my favorite voice actress, and I’d love to see the originals given a HD remake. If they ever do a remake I just hope they give Lara her classic British Military approved Browning HiPower duel pistols as opposed to the American 1911s everyone always try to give her. I’ll even accept the iconic HK USP Match pistols, but it would be cool to see a Walther P99 in their as two other famous Brits use them. James Bond and Selene of the Underworld series.

[@calebgroves6526]

I didn’t know that about the guns! Great insight! I will take that to heart next time I do a tomb Raider illustration!

[@apo.7898]

Did you play the Legend trilogy on a console or a PC? With a gamepad? I bought them now because they were being sold 0.97 euros each. I am not really a gamer and don't own consoles but the controls on a PC seemed awkward.

[@dazbry7612]

I liked the 2000's game trilogy legend to underworld, played rise of the tomb raider , it was o.k haven't played any of the rest of them so can't give my full thoughts. I felt i was playing uncharted at times with that game, i know why obviously it felt like that.

[@Zedek]

TRIII will always be my favourite though. It had the most exotic locations, best weapons, still the nice ring menu, fantastic soundtrack and the engine was probably one of the best for the PS1 (nice smoke effects, many sprites like bubbles and 3D objects like bullet casings going on, fire effect looked plausible, enemy models had good polygone count, good render distance, gigantic levels and a fantastic light sourcing). I remember on PC though that, due to the ambience coming from disk, our 40x speed drive was sounding like a blowdryer, so we had to use a tool to limit it to 6x speed.

[@jamesjgi]

Nailed the remake idea 4 years before it was announced 👏

[@tomcrawley3343]

I feel like the Legend trilogy gets an undeserved bad rep. Legend and Anniversary were good games. I even enjoyed Underworld and appreciated its attempt to go back to its roots. It was fun being able to actually explore ancient environments again and hit that classic Tomb Raider itch.

[@ts6603]

i want my badass lone ranger lara back! when lara put on the mud in shadow of the tomb raider it felt like a glimpse of what i would like. she is supposed to be a female rambo feat. indiana jones. the settings need to be more mystical and scary too.... (i liked the catacombs of tomb raider 2013 in that regard). the mystery detective noir style that angel of darkness had was also really interesting.

[@Karifi]

I agree with a remake with 2 parts. But looks like Square Enix don't give a s about and will double down with the survival era with a new series in Amazon.

[@soleyalexandravalbergsdott3126]

My first Tomb Raider was Shadow. Yet I went back and am playing the old games now and I love them. Who's to say thousands of more won't? All the reboot fans need is at least to be honestly introduced to Classic Lara before making up their minds.

[@Jay_Sullivan]

I don’t think more than a handful will enjoy them. They are used to a cinematic experience in which you basically hold the forward key to win. They might enjoy the exploration and automatic aiming, but the challenge would be too great for them and they would call the controls “clunky,” even if the controls were smooth, simply because the movement requires skill and timing. I suppose there could be an easy mode that automates much of the movement and gives you the solutions to puzzles and slows time for traps, etc.

[@soleyalexandravalbergsdott3126]

@@Jay_Sullivan I guess it depends on the person. But I want to believe they will give it a chance. There is so much more to the old Tomb Raider games that the public just doesn't see. It really annoys me that the advertising at that time gave it such a bad name, when in the games, none of that stuff is really present. To be honest, I didn't play the original Tomb Raider right after playing the reboot, I first found this niche community of youtubers that talk about the classic games and that is what made me go back and play them. Maybe they just need to be introduced to the right community. Remakes would be a good way to get them to appreciate the classics, but alas.

[@Frank074]

It took a few years longer but our girl will finally return 😁. Looking forward to get back to Venice!

[@DUDUDISCH]

Gotta appreciate the effort that must’ve gone into making this video! I enjoyed it thoroughly

[@dazbry7612]

Its a shame there's not a tomb raider classics collection at this point for both platforms , XBOX and Playstation?

[@sandracardoso2602]

Lara Croft's personality has changed too much. I often feel that the younger Lara is only a "daughter" of Lara Croft, living in the shadow of her older obnoxious confidence. Also, they removed Lara's visual branding, which is the most stupid idea ever for a company. Imagine removing Mario's mustache because having a mustache isn't fashionable. To be honest, I would prefer they kept her dead, and come with this child/apprentice that would try to live up to the name. That would justify the extreme change while allowing titles to "go back" and play as actual Lara. I understand that some games dwelve into Lara's origin, how she was as a scared teen and young adult, but they are so different that I fail to see where does the older Lara comes up. For such a change, she would have to be "broken" and become vengefull. The movie was the best of both personalities. Bold, talented, but with a natural sensitivity. Last time I could "see" Lara was in Legends I think. Anniversary's problem was the events and the exceding wall climbing, the rest was fine. People change, but their core remains, and Lara's main characteristic was that boldness. I don't see that on the more successful newer titles. Can you imagine the new Lara "play for sport"?

[@TacoSpaceKitten]

They actually did have TRU on ps2 but it was a lot shorter and scaled down

[@DamnTheBeavers]

Shadow is waaaaaay better than tr2013

[@GamingCornerYT]

I think when tomb raider went from the D-pad to analogue it was the end! Can’t beat Venice violins 🙏RIP Lara Although I did enjoy shadow of the tomb raider with the 7 extra tombs with the season pass, I still jump onto the originals

[@j_biscuit9330]

We want those remasters and the original Lara back!

[@CloudlessStudio]

crazy how you predicted the remakes =D

[@SethMcKenzieTV]

We're not getting remakes, only remasters, which I'm still happy with :)

[@Leppalimes]

An honest remaster of the first three games is coming February 14th!

[@NawiTheCore]

As a LAU trilogy fan, I honestly don't understand why Core Design fanboys hate them so much. Are they perfect? Far from it. But each game was better than its predecessor, and Lara is an infinitely more interesting and human character in the LAU trilogy than in the originals. She was a two dimensional character in the original games, whether CD fanboys want to admit it or not. Controls are amazing in the LAU trilogy, particularly in Underworld, and levels are more interesting and complex, and not just big and confusing for the sake of being big and confusing like the originals. I just don't understand why people like Seth trash on the LAU trilogy when it saved the franchise and brought people like me into the fold, when I had never been interested in Tomb Raider up to that point. It's like those Resident Evil fans who hate Resident Evil 4, in spite of being an AMAZING game, just because it wasn't a carbon-copy of the previous one, just like the four games that came before.

[@APEABOUTSIMS]

Underworld wasn’t down outside sales. From a gaming perspective, it’s was great. Fans loved it until Uncharted 2 came out and stole its thunder and so people felt like they were playing a poor mans version and that’s where the hate started.

[@Rocket1377]

The marketing for that game was also terrible. You can't even see Lara's face on the games cover.

[@APEABOUTSIMS]

@@Rocket1377 yeah that isn’t ideal tbh lol

[@relic8085]

What would be cool is if core design would resurface to design the original titles using the original CGI as the main gameplay.

[@Sagevil]

Your dream came true. We got the remastered trilogy now.

[@Gamerz5GT]

This needs about half a million views

[@Victorcolongarcia]

Anniversary is great. I love the 1, 2, 3, 4. Anniversary, 2013 some parts, and 2018 also great exploration and jungle environments

[@thelahna-8747]

about the latest trilogy, i don't mind Lara begins with unexperienced situation, but I don't like her being a copy of Katniss or whatever Jennifer Lawrence's character was from the hunger games with dull personality. And I wish they gave the dual pistols. they gave a bow to Lara just because the Hunger games were hot in the movie industry.

[@sinhueherrera8984]

I HATE tr since the new Lara came out in 2013, not only the character lack of personality, but the game is literally just another lineal/shooting game, is like getting another FIFA game, the exact same thing as everybody else, I can’t stand it and it bothers me cause that’s exactly what made this game so great, yes we had to follow some things to complete a level, but now is like, you can’t even explore or anything, everything is about shooting, shooting and hearing Lara complaining about life

[@PvEPodcast]

Really wish I had come across this channel before playing through 2/3 of the survivor trilogy. I've always enjoyed the tomb raider games but I had no clue just how storied the history previous incarnations and differences between these reboots have added to (and in some cases taken away from) Tomb Raider's legacy in gaming. Great content man! Maybe the reason I enjoyed shadow was because I didn't have the same experiences you did essentially growing up with the series through the console generations lol

[@SethMcKenzieTV]

It could be a good thing you played the reboot trilogy "fresh" so it's a more, um, "pure" experience? :) But for the record, I'm down for change if it's change for the better in my opinion. :)

[@jjchipol]

This video and your idea has kind of aged really well now that the Trilogy Remaster is out next year! It is becoming a reality! XD

[@SethMcKenzieTV]

And the Unreal Engine 5 part, yeah 😁

[@hazimabron]

my favourite lara model is underworld but level wise, chronicle. The rome start was so iconic 😂

[@WorthlessWinner]

I owe you an apology I laughed when i saw this video, saying "they'll never remaster TR 1-3" Then a few weeks later, they did just that!

[@SethMcKenzieTV]

lol no apology needed, you didn't have a crystal ball

[@anditsunsweet]

It's so sad rewatching this video now that the current TR team have confirmed that the next entries in the franchise will work to link Lara's current story arc to previous versions of Lara. I thought that's what the last reboot was supposed to do and it never did. It's what the original Crystal Dynamics reboot tried to do anyway so what's the point? I really wish someone who cares about the fandom would just buy the rights to the franchise and do what gamers want. Usually doing what gamers want is profitable. It's not rocket science. P.S. - If you haven't heard they basically hinted at a sequel trilogy. As in, the last trilogy is a prequel to the classics so the next one is a sequel. Kinda like Star Wars. So yes - They are coming to destroy all our fantasies of what the Angel of Darkness trilogy could've been. Not trying to ruin your day or anything but mark my words: they will ruin AoD. I mean, linking current Lara to AoD Lara?! Let's just mourn her now, it'll hurt less. As for me, I'll keep playing the old games. They're there forever no matter how much they butcher her with future releases.

[@justavaneggtv5772]

fantastic video and analysis of the franchise mate.. i was 9 when my tomb raider journey began playing tomb raider 2. You have covered all my own thoughts and speculations perfectly for each game. I agree, the first 3 need a modern but keeping to its routes remake. I felt they got worse and worse since the core design days.. i did enjoy underworld though but not nearly as much as the classics. But the joke of having OPTIONAL tombs in the new ones in a game called TOMB raider is beyond a joke.. an adventure game that gives you objective vision that shows you what to do and where to go... game design failure. I think this generation of kids these days get their hands held too much and they don't know what its like to be a hardcore gamer like the old days

[@sascara9981]

Great Video 🙈 I just have to say, your American accent towards the end, was hilarious 😅 I am all for 1, 2 and 3 remake. Just bring back the squared grid kind of movement in some sense. You knew a hop back and running forward holding jump would produce the longest jump. Whereas a jump from standing still wouldn't be as big distance wise. And I just love the fact in the old games, the way to go in levels wasn't always lit up at all. You HAD to explore like it was your first time in the location. And yes, you'd hit dead ends. But it added to the joy when u actually progressed. And the BIGGEST thing no one ever mentions... is the secrets. Finding those medipacks and ammo was just SOOOO rewarding. You'd want to check and go exploring just for those. As they meant so much in the game to proceed without actually NEEDING them. Just go back.. look long and hard at the first game, especially... and just redo it with today's graphics. I loooooong for it. And don't forget the secrets... plz 🙏🏻🙏🏻🥰 Great video... again. I think the next company to take on Tomb Raider need to employ you.. honestly 😉😊

[@Sur.Annika]

I didn't like the films at all. Alicia is just awful as Lara. And also, in anniversary the portrail her as an archiologist. At it seems like she had never killed a human being before in the Natla mines she brushes her hands and looks disgusted by her actions. And on the other hand in the games from 2013 and on she's crazy massmurderer. There are to many human enemies. The later games are almost the same too and not fun to play.

[@WhitchurchStuff]

Well, you called it right with the remasters. Have been so disappointed with TR since the 90's, think you nailed most of the reasons why and how I felt the same. Hopefully if the remasters do well, they make a new game using the same ingredients. Yep, won't be a AAA game, but nothing stopping them making a separate game with gambling changes and innovation (or copying lol).

[@deezee2965]

Congratulation for putting such a well constructed video. Just discovered your channel! I'm keeping an eye on it. Keep it up! PS: In my eyes... what a series of remake of the classic PSOne-era games would ultimately lead... would be a TOTAL remake of "Angel of Darkness" with a Trilogy in mind... I always felt that the Tomb Raider franchise never grew up since the critical failure of AoD and resorted back to a... "caricature" of itself I might say... it lost it's edge. As always, I'm keeping faith in what the future is keeping for the Tomb Raider Gurl.

[@EXHellfire]

gonna give this a chance even though I don't consider the reboot from 2013 an up in the slightest, instead the biggest down there's been in the entire series

[@wikstr18]

They should go back to her signature braid, like in One Two Three and Four and the anniversary remake

[@LittleBabyBlue777]

The issue really does stem from having too many cooks in the kitchen; Core Design's as good as it ever got but they got someone in charge of TR6 Angel of Darkness that tarnished their good name and thus crippled the IP to its inevitable destruction. It got resurrected by Crystal Dynamics with the now dubbed "Legend Trilogy" but while I do appreciate this set of games more than Chronicles or Angel of Darkness, it didn't quite fix the biggest problem the series was beginning to face... The loss of what a Tomb Raider game is supposed to be. A lot of these bad habits started to settle in with Chronicles but really did actually begin with The Last Revelation. I adore me some TR4 but they went a bit too literal with the whole "Indiana Jones as a woman" shtick and ran with it full force. The problem here is that it doesn't exactly suit Lara when you consider her personality prior. Lara has always been and always will be a solo woman who absolutely doesn't care about accepting help from others and doing virtually everything she does on her own (though there are always going to be exceptions). This is meant to give players the feeling of isolation that Lara feels on a day-to-day basis but without feeling "lonely" or "depressed" about it... Rather, she seems to embrace it just fine without a problem which seems to intimidate a lot of folks and somehow paints her as a misanthropist. I mean... She kinda is. If you wanna go further, you could even say she was one of the first super popular Asexual female characters out there, akin to Doomguy also being heavily portrayed as Asexual. This is done to further give the player more relatability to the character. For god's sake, Link was portrayed in a similar manner for a long time and not one person ever said a word. I do find it intriguing how a female character's simply just NOT ALLOWED to be as Asexual as these male characters are portrayed but whatever... Muh equality or some other social political bull like that. My point is this; the true, honest-to-god OG Lara is in the first 3 games and she's been staying there ever since. This isn't so much me dissing every other game that came after but moreso realizing where the problems really started. TL;DR - Lara Croft's meant to be an Asexual, stand-offish character who's really more of an avatar for the player who wants to delve into these dark, deadly tombs that no one else dare go into. It's SUPPOSED to be like a dungeon crawler. That's always been what a real Tomb Raider game is all about. I'm not saying you can't deviate from this from time to time to build atmosphere or whatever but this should ALWAYS be the focus of your Tomb Raider game. Period. P.S.: Technically speaking, Samus predated Lara as an Asexual female character who ironically did something similar way before Lara made her debut but my biggest gripe with this comparison's always been clear; one of these heroines seems to have to always make an active attempt to obscure her female identity whereas Lara fully and completely embraces it without any shame. They are not the same whatsoever, even if they may seem like it at first glance.

[@coachgoltzbizpro23]

And I thought Sonic had a weird history of highs and lows...

[@ghost_emre_a7710]

Zip appeared in Chornicles first.

[@SethMcKenzieTV]

A different Zip, though, because LAU is an entirely different timeline. :)

[@DrMemehattan]

Only just watched this one but I just came here to say that you predicted the remasters of classic TR! Even with the add ons for TR 1-3!! 🔮

[@eyezonly8593]

I still want a TombRaider 2nd anniversary on a PS5.

[@redwaldcuthberting7195]

90s was the decade of 'girl power.'

[@urbanmusiq]

I'm glad the TopCow Comics Lara was mentioned! :D It's insane how many versions and timelines of Lara Crofts there are in the 23 years from when franchise begun. Awesome video btw! D

[@mehmedition2245]

Man this was so much fun to watch. Thank you for making this. Also I agree with everything u said.

[@baalmolech]

God if they announced a tomb Raider trilogy remake with expansions included for the PS5 I would be ditching my PS4 so hard.

[@johnnybensonitis7853]

I think I got a great idea on how to untie all the timelines! Next game, just have a message about mental health when being boot up because players are about to control a Lara with multiple personalities who goes on a quest though all of their worlds to try uniting them! Only, maybe it can be revealed at a certain point that she isn't actually afflicted with a mental disorder but through some ancient thing that's got her in some kinda multiple reality quagmire. "Lara's in a real jam and only YOU can get her out this time!" Back of the box line could be this, or: "Join Lara in the most intimate adventure seen in the series as she loses her mind......OR IS SHE?!" Boom.

[@labrynna87]

Personally, I think that the biggest issue with the younger entries of the series (starting with Legends, although I love that game) is the writing. Especially in the reboot trilogy (and here most noticeable in Rise and Shadow) the writing is just bad, in my opinion. TR2013 was okay, although I thought it to be quite disturbing to see Lara go from innocent girl to mass murderer in a blink of an eye without any step-by-step development. But while playing Rise, most of the time I had the feeling I was missing information. (For example, I thought the game was badly lacking information about the main bad, Trinity. What's their goals? Where do they come from? And why would it be disasterous if they got their hands on certain relics?) On top of that, I just can't stand the new Lara. Many people defend her by saying "She's more human now" but, to be honest, I don't think so. She's very sensitive if it comes to herself but she doesn't even bat an eye to kill other human beings in unnecessary brutal ways... That's not human, that's sociopathic and egocentric. The writing of the story and the protagonist appelled my that much that I never even touched Shadow up to this day. I don't want to spent another minute with the new Lara (and not just because she's different than before (I didn't mind the character differences between AoD and Legend) but because she's just that unlikeable for me).

[@SethMcKenzieTV]

I agree, and it's a good observation about how we're seemingly expected to assume Trinity is evil when actually, why is it disastrous if they got their hands on certain relics? True points

[@natl7700]

Yes - 100% agree with remaking the classics, that would be awesome 😃👍

[@xsir_hcx3897]

This is a very excellent video but I gotta say that I truly enjoyed the new origins trilogy in its entirety

[@gajorg69]

Great video even if I don't agree with much of the pillory of the Survivor Trilogy or whatever they call it.

[@lexlarafitness6259]

class iconic character, so much like a rebel against the monsters

[@thefattesthagrid]

The franchise died when they decided to rip Lara of her soul... both of 'em..

[@gate7clamp]

You think we would ever get like a multi-verse video game or all six Lara universes meet each other

[@SethMcKenzieTV]

nah, crystal dynamics are trying to pretend they're all 1 Lara, regardless of what reality tells us

[@gate7clamp]

@@SethMcKenzieTV embracer needs to take that IP from them and give it to another studio, maybe the studio that did the remaster

[@Deimos_Fresh]

As much as I would love to see old Lara back, seeing how current trend of reimagining old games (Resident Evil 2) goes, I'm not sure I would like it. But that just me. Thanks to reimagined RE2 I finally became more accepting to simply move on from favorite franchises of the past. I liked Legends, but still didn't played anything past it and would like to at least try Anniversary and Underworld, but nothing beyond them. I'm okay replaying old games regardless how dated and archaic they can feel.

[@kotowaza-sensei428]

36:26 "Nostalgia would'nt be there if the thing wasn't good in the first place" - YES!!! Excellent point!!

[@GamingCraftTeam]

coming from Tomb Raider Legends and Anniversary and never really experiencing the older Tomb raiders as a Kid, I do really like your take and feel like there does need to be a Definitive Lara Croft to take the Saga going forward but not that of the 2013 version For me a mix of her Personality in Legends and Charm and hardy nature in the Original having watched videos and cutscenes of earlier TR, I really do think they do need to bring the Formula of Tomb raider into a much more Open freedom of choice and level design rather than completely leaner game design something that rewards players for exploration and something that gives them a sense of awe I always used to look at Tomb Raider as a Indiana jones type but realised it's focus on other world travelling and artifact hunting isn't the same the games really do need a better story rather then what we got from 2013 and the other next gen games

[@jeanpaulsinatra]

What went wrong with the first series you can hear from the actual dev team. Eidos worked the dev team to death then shut them down when working a dev team to death caused a dip in quality. Who could have ever foreseen that? Core is exactly why devs need a trade union

[@jeanpaulsinatra]

Says everything about the complete fucking idiocy and avarice of Eidos that they put Core's A team on TRC instead of laying the groundwork for a PS2 launch.

[@Bugmastery]

According to this guy -Playstation exclusive good -Xbox exclusive bad 🤨

[@ManyPeregrine81]

I’m curious to know how to feel about the Tomb Raider Remastered Collection being released last month.

[@SethMcKenzieTV]

I did a video on it and I think the collection is amazing. It needs a lot of fixes but I'd call it the definitive way to play :)

[@croftrider5191]

A little bit late with the comment, but - wow as a hard core TR fan, i feel like you have just read my mind....... This video is pure treasure

[@vitnersantos]

im yet to see the fall

[@MrZootalores]

i loved the 1st 3 games..... 8 yrs later, CD brought out their 3 games which had learned much from "BloodRayne" & "Farcry".they were pretty good.I've only played TR 2013 of the newer ones,dropped it for AC Odyssey..i'm playing the TR1-2-3 remasters, i love what they did!

[@kennymichaelalanya7134]

You know what they should do? Make a Tomb Raider game and just have levels in them for the player to explore. The game doesn't have to have a Story line.

[@Skylerjones624]

Ways the survivor games couldve been that bit better wouldve been to have Lara in her classic outfit and also after the 2013 game duel pistols i know it may sound petty But ngl quite like using the bow especially when doing stealth

[@Gimpygoo]

I’ve only just discovered your videos after History & Geography of TR3 got me interested in TR again. After watching Tomb of Ash, Raidercast and this vid I agree the time is right to remake the original 6 games as 2 bundles. The only thing I’d change is for the TR1-3 gold expansions to be included with the original 3 and market that as the ‘Tomb Raider Gold Trilogy’ as the last 2 levels of Unfinished Business are exactly after TR1, and The Lost Artefact is straight after TR3. To entice audiences to try TR4-6 I think it should be marketed as the ‘Tomb Raider Dark Trilogy’, include The Times exclusive level AND the unreleased TR4 Gold levels as part of Chronicles, and have AOD include the cut locations and levels as originally intended

[@Gimpygoo]

The Dark Trilogy could even include an original Lara’s Home level for completing the 3 main games. Have it resemble the Croft Manor from TR3 but with a few more changes to incorporate TR4-6 gameplay and include way more artefacts in Lara’s trophy room, Von Croy’s journal, sound system with the TR2 Venice score and AOD club tune etc.

[@Chuckster-yh8xq]

4 years later and still no new classic tomb raider...

[@SethMcKenzieTV]

Well we haven't since 2003 😅

[@WorthlessWinner]

3 weeks later.... we get the remasters announced! woo

[@Chuckster-yh8xq]

@@WorthlessWinner lol I forgot about my comment lol, also yessss x cant wait 🤗

[@Laracroftvictims]

1 month later, and im happy to announce WERE GETTING 3 REMAKES, AN ANIME AND A POSSIBLY NEW GAME!

[@emilykeepsmiling9465]

I played TR3 as a child, but was too young to actually commit enough to complete it. I became a proper fan with the Survivor Trilogy, but would adore the chance to play the originals in modern consoles. I think remaking The Last Revelation Trilogy would be too many remakes though, and they should go onto originals after that. Awesome video 😁

[@SethMcKenzieTV]

I have since kind of changed my opinion. I think a double feature remake of TR1&2, and then a double feature remake of TR3&4 (with 4 being given an epilogue showing how she survived) would be great, and then a completely original adventure called Tomb Raider 5: [subtitle] would be good, keeping it episodic going forward

[@emilykeepsmiling9465]

@@SethMcKenzieTV Aw wow I can't believe I got a reply from you!! Hi 👋😁 aah now that's a brilliant idea!! How can we make this happen?! ❤️

[@SethMcKenzieTV]

@@emilykeepsmiling9465 win the lottery multiple times, buy the IP and do it ourselves? lmao

[@emilykeepsmiling9465]

@@SethMcKenzieTV I'm in 😂😂