So I Finally Played...The Tomb Raider Expansions

The Tomb Raider remasters released a couple of months ago which has given me the perfect opportunity to play the expansions for the original trilogy. So here are my thoughts on each level after playing them for the first time!
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[@TheDoctorOfThrills]

The lost artifact was one of the most spectacular adventures in tomb raider history. Some of the best secrets in the entire series, the best environmental storytelling, the most solid color palettes. Its honestly a marvel of thebseries and everyone should play it.

[@RisuAlto]

"My ranking is objectively. correct. (at representing my subjective opinion)." Fantastic line. Loved this video; thank you.

[@basharbahlawan504]

I’m very surprised you didn’t cover the secrets in The Lost Artefact. They are the best part of the expansion and provide very unexpected and beautiful environmental storytelling

[@LG-Moonlight]

I second this! The secrets are just so good! Especially the one with Nessie in Highland Fling and the one with the pterodactyls in Shakespeare Cliff!

[@RetroGamer99999]

I think the expansions are really great, it's also the first time I played them. Unfinished Business felt like a remixed versions of levels we already played. But Golden Mask and Lost Artefact, man they were really a banger and I had so much fun playing them, especially "Nightmare in Vegas" and "It's a Madhouse!" :D

[@tomeekun]

There was supposed to be a Tomb Raider 4 Gold as well. It was supposed to be set in New Orleans during Mardi Gras then continue into the bayou with Lara eventually stumbling into a lost city. Not sure why it was cancelled

[@dutchnintendo94]

About the first levels of unfinished business. I actually play the combat to the atlantians as a puzzle. I tried to figure out their behaviour..and found the best ways to kill them all without losing much or any health and only using pistols. Which in most cased meant: find safe spot/lure them/back to safe spot.. attack.(And dodge sometimes) I actually enjoyed those levels because I play it like that..

[@Bobthepetferret]

That honestly is part of the problem. Sure, in many cases there is a place to stand and get out the way, but because you start with just pistols, it often leads to a lot of tedious "stand and wait until their large health bar eventually runs out" moments

[@dutchnintendo94]

@@Bobthepetferret true it takes a lot of time. But i prefer them over the bartoli goons from tomb raider 2. when an atlantian shoots u can dodge the shots. But when a baroli goon with a gun appears.. You have to accept getting hurt...or find a hiding spot as quickly as possible. (i am a perfectionist XD i like to play patiently only trying to use the normal guns most of the time, without getting hurt or barely getting hurt)

[@Hunter-ib9ks]

I was elated when I heard about this remaster. If any game franchise deserves it, it's the O.G. Tomb Raider games. Seeing TR1 in high-def with updated models and lip synching... we really are lucky that this happened! And it was done so true to the original. It's perfect.

[@romeostruedude]

Now! Nightmare in Vegas features Vegas Lara where she is in an outfit only Fran Fine would wear. It’s brilliant. Also TR3’s graphics has been significantly improved. It’s a shame this video cannot show that off. But hey it’s still great.

[@Bobthepetferret]

Yeah, all my footage was before the first patch, let alone the second that added the Vegas outfit, unfortunately

[@Chrissers88]

Glad you got to play them :) LA is my favourite, also the secret areas were very unique. Temple of The Cat and Furnace of The Gods are some of my favourites too. The developers talk about the games on a stream which is really interesting, on Tomb of Ash channel :D

[@Bobthepetferret]

I have been meaning to watch that stream at some point, I just haven't gotten round to it yet!

[@Chrissers88]

@@Bobthepetferret Yeah it's about 4 hours long. I have been watching a bit everyday :D

[@redknight4805]

I adore all the classic games.

[@SuperTunnelBoy]

I've never played the tomb raider games but they've been on my radar for a long time maybe with this remaster it's time I give them a go

[@johncallaghan8696]

Timeless classics. These games and the extras are still some of the best games ever. The remastered versions are beautiful and very well done. Tomb Raider 3 has some of the best and hardest levels in the series. Lovely to see so much positivity for the games. Hopefully they will remaster the other 2 PS1 games. Steve 👍

[@Bobthepetferret]

You've signed off as Steve but your username says John. I am very confused. Anyway, yes, I stand by the idea there will be more remasters simply because of the Giza coordinates they snuck into TR3. Why else would they put that there?

[@williamwatts6463]

The Tomb Raider remasters reminds me when Nintendo did Mario Allstars on SNES and they would add Lost levels which is SMB2 from Japan to include with that trilogy of games. Tomb Raider did the similar thing by adding the expansions to it's trilogy as well, but for each game.

[@darthkahn45]

To judge these expansions appropriately it's important to understand exactly what they are. A different take on TR level design by a completely different team. An architect with a different (and imo superior) level design philosophy. Same with Rebecca the texture artist who also showed an artistic flare unbound by what must look grounded and believable. As much as it kind of cheapens them it's more fitting to judge the expansions along with the sea of incredible TRLE's rather than the mainline TR games. And there is some ridiculous brutality in some of them. (I'm looking at YOU Sabatu)

[@Bobthepetferret]

Thing is, I don't like comparing official things to fanmade things. Official works have more resources than fan works so in my eyes they should be judged through different lenses. Not to say the TRLE community haven't made some excellent work, it just feels wrong to group it with the expansions as being equivalent.

[@darthkahn45]

@@Bobthepetferret Phil Campbell has said that initially, he was left by himself, wasn't spoken to or helped by anyone on the Core team (because they didn't want him there and tried to bully him into leaving on the first day) and basically had to figure out everything on his own.

[@reelFUTURE]

9:00 “…. While the Atlantis Portion feels like I’m trying to remove my own eye balls with a rusty spoon”🥄. God forbid anyone actually tries that but that floored me. But I do agree. As a first time player of Unfinished Business. I thought I wanted the platinum trophy for this game until I started with the Atlantean levels. It was so hard for me to believe this was a continuation, given my inventory was completely reset. So I didn’t care anymore and used the cheats to get all the weapons to my hearts content. I know this isn’t real life but in my head, I like to think Lara never had to go through these extra ordeals to escape. And yes, the Egypt levels were Godsend. Nevermind the fact this is our first time outside in a TR1 game. Both the retro and remastered graphics achieved in making me feel oddly enchanted at the thought of seeing the sky, even though I’ve played latter games with it. I stopped at 10 minutes of your video. Will come back to it when I get there.

[@SheepyCyanide-hu5bu]

Fun fact about it's a Madhouse's name = You will see posters saying "C'est le zoo ici!" (It's the zoo, here!) which, obviously, you're in a zoo, but... In French, "C'est le zoo, ici!" is also a figure of speech that translates to "It's a madhouse!"

[@Bobthepetferret]

Oh neat! I knew what it literally translated to but wasn't aware of the idiom.

[@SheepyCyanide-hu5bu]

@@Bobthepetferret Sadly the French translators didn't pick up on it and they literally translated the level's name, C'est le zoo ici would have been a perfect name :p

[@HardluckHotelFilms]

I need to get all these games. I played the OG Tomb Raider on a Sega Saturn.

[@joaomilao4230]

OMG I can't believe you used a Gravity Rush song for Nightmare in Vegas, I love those 2 games so much 😱

[@Bobthepetferret]

Oh, well, you might appreciate this video too then: kzbin.info/www/bejne/maSbZp1smLWsn6c

[@davidloring4450]

I’m not sure if you just trimmed them out for time or didn’t encounter them, but The Lost Artifact also has the ability to meet Nessie up close, as well as the entire franchise’s greatest secret at the bottom of the Chunnel - think interdimensional portal

[@Bobthepetferret]

Didn't find them. It was a blind playthrough with minimal walkthrough assistance, and just didn't stumble onto the secrets. Have since replayed the first two TLA levels and seen Nessie though. That was fun.

[@EphramRyan]

​@@Bobthepetferret You should use the walkthrough. You're missing some amazing stuff. Like the Highlander warriors, being inside Nessie, and the dinosaurs.

[@pyro609]

I am currently doing the Tomb Raider 3 expansion, so I cannot comment on those just yet. But I have played the other 2 expansions. Thought the 2 Egypt levels in Unfinished Business were good, Temple of the Cat was a particular highlight. The Atlantis levels were ok but not great. TR2 was better overall IMO, Furnace of the Gods was stunning, and Kingdom was great too.

[@jaranowska]

I'm doing the TR2 expansion right now and though I loved Unfinished Business, all 4 levels, I'm not really enjoying the first levels of Golden Mask so far. They seem very confusing and unnecessarily dark and full of human enemies.

[@Deedonis]

Would your objectively correct ranking move Highland Fling further up if the secret includes a giant mechanical Nessie robot you end up going inside? Because it does.

[@Bobthepetferret]

I have since replayed the level and seen the Nessie, which I highly approve of, but I stand by my ranking as is! (I just really liked the zoo and gold river)

[@njp2k914]

Great video :) I have just found your channel. Have you ever played any custom tomb raider levels?

[@Bobthepetferret]

Nope. I need to sit down at some point and figure out how to get some up and running.

[@xavevoncroy]

I don't get why people think The Lost Artifact final location is Paris. This is France all right, but it's a coastal city. The fake old cars and pittoresque houses too small to be real made me think I was more probably in a small summer holiday village, or a theme park (which brings a monkey island vibe into it🙃).

[@Bobthepetferret]

People think so because most official descriptions, including the original box art from the 90s, describe it as being Paris.

[@lukeneild9918]

Came for Tomb Raider content, subscribed for the Monkey Island reference.

[@Bobthepetferret]

Thank you! Welcome!

[@silliussoddus1715]

There is an official expansion on Tomb Raider 4 for PC

[@gilgamesh310]

It’s a shame there’s no cutscenes in these. It seems like a missed opportunities for the remasters. I think I just would have liked to see some more of classic Lara’s personality again.

[@Bobthepetferret]

It's a remaster, not a remake, they're not gonna add entire cutscenes that weren't there before.

[@redknight4805]

@@Bobthepetferret They could have done it. And for the purists... just press skip.

[@gilgamesh310]

@Bobthepetferret There's been fan made cutscenes for the London section, which flesh out the story. It's not impossible that stuff like that could be added in.

[@countofdownable]

Hated the two Atlantean levels, two long and hard. I was forced to use the weapons cheat to survive. I loved the two Egyptian levels however.

[@brobrochanel]

lmao I've played these before but I really didn't like Unfinished Business this time around either... I wonder if they've beefed up the enemies since the original pc release? bc it was always tedious but not to this level I did think The Golden Mask was better than the main Tomb Raider 2 game this time tho! it's level design is tightened up and has a nice progression. I haven't played TR3's remastered expansion yet but it's really defined by really cool secrets in wacky little areas!

[@Bobthepetferret]

Yeah, I didn't find the TR3 secrets the first time round but I've gone back and played the first two levels and found their wild side quests, and I've heard about what comes later too, and it just cements my feelings that the designers were just allowed to throw whatever cool ideas they had into a pot

[@Erkynar]

Hooray!

[@georginagiethoorn6543]

Great video

[@dwall2]

im surprised you liked Egypt so much in unfinished business. to me the levels really seem to lack the charm of the base game levels, almost as if they are custom levels built by someone who is not a TR dev. Something I find really odd in the Egypt level is the instant death tiles, especially the ones past the fence on return egypt. I cant explain it but to me that just doesnt fit in with TR1.

[@faytneris]

I have to agree to that. These expansion levels feel odd, the mystery of the main games did not shine through to me. They are interesting to play, to explore, but maybe that really comea from the point you brought up, that they weren't made by a different team that lacked the experience back at the day.

[@Bobthepetferret]

Maybe I felt so good about them after how bad the Atlantis levels were idk!

[@LalaDepala_00]

​@@BobthepetferretI loved the Egypt levels as well

[@donilofreedom692]

G.O.A.T.'en Mask!

[@kewldude23xx]

British woman goes around the world collecting ancient artifacts without asking for them. It sounds very familiar...

[@Bobthepetferret]

As a British, allow me to state that anything my country has stol-ACQUIRED from other countries over the past few centuries is legally ours under the rules of no takesie backsies. Don't ask questions about the Elgin Marbles.

[@LinkDragon512]

I have such a soft spot for the OG games from my childhood, and playing through this has been an absolute treat for me. With the crap they're trying to censor though I used mods to restore that in the latest patch and backed my game folder up away from Steam. Don't touch OG Lara you woke ****s.

[@Bobthepetferret]

They didn't censor anything though???

[@Hunter-ib9ks]

@@Bobthepetferret They removed some risque posters of lara in one of the levels and plastered that anti-indigenous genocide message on the startup screen. other than that idk.

[@damiandorhoff719]

@@Hunter-ib9ks the removal of that poster was a mistake and we will get it back