The Ultimate Tomb Raider Comparison Video

[@Raidercast]

Use code RAIDERCAST20 at checkout for 20% discount at the official TR merchandise store! gear.tombraider.com/?ref=xv2P124BhUWe8D

[@xinfr4z893]

I like TR Remastered the best, because it's TR1 but enhanced. No different enemies, same puzzles, same music, the good old platforming etc. It's everything i wanted, classic Tomb Raider but better.

[@Aworldonapage-josh]

As fans we are so lucky to have so many versions of so many beautiful locations to explore and enjoy. On a totally separate note, something that’s really been bugging me since remastered dropped is how many people are praising aspyr for opening up the ceilings and letting light and snow in in special areas. I don’t mind that - I mind how when anniversary come out sooooo many people were outraged that crystal would dare to do something like open the ceilings up in lost valley. (Not saying you, Chris. This was back in my tomb raider forums days…)

[@DarioDarrow]

This really shows off how amazing TRAE would have been, even my colourblind eyes can see how nice the extra colour and lighting effects look 🤩

[@Raidercast]

Couldn't agree more!

[@marinsoletti6586]

TRAE us definitely the one where they took the most creative liberties.... Which is good actually !!

[@codybooth520]

I love the music it just fills my soul. Like I'm not going to lie sometimes when I go to the main menu on game I will just sit there and listen to it for about 10 to 15 minutes

[@Raidercast]

🥰🥰🥰🥰

[@seaward2006]

The best thing about TR1 (and TR2) is how immersive it is. No matter how the graphics have aged, you feel like you are in her world. The music adds to this alongside the independence you feel with Lara and the feeling of achievement of completing a difficult game. It's a unique feeling you either get or you don't. The remastered series is a testament to that.

[@Raidercast]

FAQ: Natla's Mines, WTF? The version of Natla's Mines in TRAE is the remnant of the game's Indiana Jones build. When Eidos cancelled Core's anniversary game, the team tried to salvage it by repurposing the levels into an Indiana Jones game. No doubt he would've gone up against his historic enemies, hence the mines became a base for their operations. What's the status of TRAE? Currently seems to have ground to a halt, I'm unsure if anyone is currently working on it.

[@ThePMMpc]

Great comparison. Anniversary still looks good.

[@blondbraid7986]

2:26 The anniversary edition added a freaking VOLCANO?! That's awesome, and a massive pity none of the finished games had one.

[@Raidercast]

TRAE Lost Valley was incredible, the initial waterfall area they made remains one of my favourite places in all TR!

[@blondbraid7986]

@@Raidercast Indeed, they did so many creative and different takes on all the areas, it's a shame we only have the half-finished prototype. I really hope some fans could try and put together a more complete version one day.

[@sonicsean34]

As someone who’s never played the games, it’s odd how often the TRAE version looks much nicer than TRA despite it being designed around PSP limitations. It’s more an indictment of trends in console game design of that era which forced many devs to go for grey or brown colour pallets and had to justify every choice based on realism rather than technical or artistic ability. I also find a lot of games of that era do not hold up well compared to PS1&2 era games despite being more powerful as they leant on a lot of new graphics techniques that didn’t get used well for a long time (the number of games where every surface was shiny cos they now had speciality maps, for instance, was insane) One day I’ll hopefully have money to spare so I can give the whole franchise a shot (even if I have to track down that Legends trilogy disc on PS3 to give it a fair shake. Tho hopefully we will get the rest of the core games remastered and then a LAU trilogy remaster so everything is in one place )

[@TYR1139]

try on Xbox, the PC and PS3 run not as smootly

[@Speed4Runs]

​@@TYR1139the PC version runs much more smoothly than the xbox, it's just that Anniversary looks worse

[@zenzej]

wow, TRAE had such a cool concepts! its such a shame this game never game to be. While I love Anniversary, TRAE had such a vibrant colours, with vegetation, this vulkano in lost valley... sooo cool...

[@swooningtree]

This makes me appreciate how Anniversary tended to make realism its priority in level design - even if it's not as pretty or exciting. I think they make all those ancient areas look like they truly would in real life. The muted colours, the disrepair, the fact that the city of Vilcabamba actually looks like people would have lived there, the waterfall actually making the cogs work in the Lost Valley, the sand at the edge of the stairs in Sanctuary of the Scion etc.

[@agatha9071]

The saturated colors in Core's anniversary are SO gorgeous, but the CD version looks more realistic and polished. It's hard to choose at the end of the day. I am grateful that we had all these TR games through the years, even the ones we love to bash just as much as playing. While IMO nothing can beat the OG, each one adds something to the franchise for sure. 🥰 I am hoping we will get to see you playing the remasters, so that Alfredo can get the tea this time.

[@Raidercast]

Haha, Alfredo got his tea! I swear! But we aren't doing Remaster play-throughs. This year will be TR4.

[@agatha9071]

I will gladly watch TR4 with you guys. Haha no I wasn't clear sorry XD I meant he is the one in charge of the tea this time.@@Raidercast

[@retrobutiongames202]

@@RaidercastOMG, the hardest Tomb Raider game of all time😂. Please help him calm down if the puzzles get too insane to understand

[@subnormality.]

TR1: fantastic art direction, in spite of and/or because of technical limitations TRAE: some is good, but most looks too cartoony with super dated colored lighting TRA: colors? What are colors?? TR1R: like TR1 but way better, glad they didn't overthink it. Definitely my favorite here.

[@Raidercast]

TR1R is certainly a happy compromise between all versions in terms of colour and lighting 🥰

[@DeanKopri]

This video sums up all my thoughts about TR1 and other versions - I digg the more fantasy level design in TRAE, TRA looks grey and uninteresting, and TR1R is a perfect remaster that stays true to the original! Nice comparison video! Also, 12:45 is 🤌

[@JRMilward]

Precisely my thoughts, Dean. Plus it only just occured how similar the TRA edition Egypt starting area resembles parts of AoD's Lost Domain. Core really had a great breadth of colorus and lighting that really made the environments pop!

[@LS353]

I could never get TR:AE to work so it’s cool to see that version of the environments included with the classic, anniversary and remaster 🥰

[@Raidercast]

I'll never leave it out! 💪

[@prodigal_rebel_2062]

RIP Anniversary Edition, at least we got the 1-3 Remasters so something good did come out in the end.

[@smashlara]

Wow. They're all great in their own unique ways.

[@Raidercast]

THIS. 👍

[@gamebricksTV]

Every game is good in its own way! 🤗 TRA had really nice locations, but I don't like the washed-out/blurry graphics. Also you can see that the new remaster is somehow the perfect mix of all variants. Good video! 👍 And I was confused about the last area from the remaster. I have to check it out now! 🤩😊

[@brandonmoore2237]

It's been a few years but I'm still blown away by the vibrant colors and design choices Core made in TRAE. But I'm also mesmerized by the recent remasters. You can tell Aspyr put a lot of love and care into enhancing the environments we all know and love without changing them completely! 😍

[@EnvolCelest]

Atlantis is so incredible in the remaster ! the horror is sooo palpable and it's much better than the anniversary version, too sleek

[@Raidercast]

That 'nest' room in Atlantis with the hole in the ceiling is incredible 😨

[@gamebricksTV]

That's what I always did not like in TRA. I love the weird and fleshy design of Atlantis and I was so hyped back then to see what it could look like - and then they replaced it with stone and lava. 😑

[@xenthejackal]

That central room of the Great Pyramid in AE is straight up Resident Evil.😱 Also, that final shot from TR1R, is that from the recent patch? I don't remember that area at all

[@Raidercast]

It's right at the end of the final slope in the pyramid! I'm not sure if it's even seen at the end of the game, but someone pointed it out on Twitter and I used the Dev free camera to explore.

[@III_SNIPE_III]

This will be a good one. Fascinating! I must say the Great Pyramid level looks badass in TR Anniversary Edition (Core Design)!

[@arminduplessis212]

I love how TRAE portrayed Atlantis. The eerie darkness, the disgusting flesh veins. The "Amnesia The Dark Descent" atmosphere. Probably the best version of the Atlantis level.

[@ModeSOLOgaming]

I gotta say that I really like Anniversary. It's a game I've revisited a few times. It holds up just fine.

[@c0mpu73rguy]

Love that thumbnail ^^

[@NoraTSS2077]

People shit on Anniversary but it's obvious that game had a degree of love and respect for it's source, might not be perfect but it's hardly the abomination certain people like to paint it as.

[@yaroslavstepanov7417]

it was a good game with nice additions to the level design which fit Lara's new moveset and controls. The content that was cut mostly are corridors or some ordinary places. I don't get why people are so upset about it. It wouldn't not be interesting to play those places with new mechanics anyway. And it didn't look bland at all in my opinion. Very atmospheric + it had great architecture. Levels felt huge, unique and more intricate.

[@yaroslavstepanov7417]

Atlantis design in Anniversary sucks tho 😂

[@hatmanbuilder]

It was not bad, but they've cut too much and streamlined it.

[@JurassicMerman]

Anniversary is just so much more epic and beautiful than the others! It holds up even in 2024!!!

[@Raidercast]

It's visually much more realistic than all other versions - I expect it won't change much if they ever remaster it.

[@SB-dc3pb]

Cope🤣 it looks boring as hell and plays like that too.

[@GeekRaider]

Getting major nostalgia feels from this video! 🤩

[@Raidercast]

It was a hell of a nostalgiafest to make

[@rvnholm]

Anniversary looks so bland and colorless compared to the other versions. Been obsessed with the remasters 🤩

[@francescoalbano27]

Agree! I loved Anniversary but in recent years i started to find it so boring colorwise it's a huge step down from the beautiful colors of TR:Legend

[@bubbamax1990]

Im SO glad im not the only one who thought so! Anniversary is so unbearably dull and grey, I remember powering through for hours hoping to get to a prettier environment to no avail. In the end I gave up on completing the game :/ I’m excited to try the remastered version, it already looks so much better!

[@rvnholm]

@@francescoalbano27I agree. I think they were going for more realistic look for Anniversary but in my opinion TR is much better stylized rather than realistic.

[@TwoTailedCaperer]

Agreed fully. I think Anniversary did a lot of cool things with expanded puzzles, designs and platforming (and Natla has honestly never served harder); but the tradeoff was a muted color palette, and too much was either cut from the game or replaced with long empty hallways. Atlantis especially, the way they turned all the fleshy horror into hard black stone. If LAU ever gets remastered, hopefully they can add some color back in because it's sorely needed

[@katestone7929]

Came here to say that, I see it now even more vividly when it's compared side by side to the remaster and the unreleased remake 😊

[@Johnnybomb1]

For thr life of me, I can't understand how a select minority dislikes the addition of skyboxes in TR1R. Even playing this game back in the 90s, it never made sense to me why the "sky" was a black void. I actually questioned if thr lost valley was still in a cave. Haha Obviously it was due to performance in rendering.

[@retrobutiongames202]

I think it’s more about the lore behind it. For some players, the dark skyboxes of TR1 kind of give you a dark atmosphere or night time vibe to it. Games like Silent Hill actually have this same kind of eerie feeling to it with the fog. Some even say the dark skyboxes is akin to all levels in the game taking place underground, and that’s why you can’t see either light nor sky. And that makes things creepier. Perfect places for Tomb Raiding actually, for a Tomb Raider

[@retrobutiongames202]

However, after seeing the remastered trilogy of TR1 ceiling open up to the skybox in the Palace Midas level, I’m convinced that it really looks so good. It feels so fresh to see the light of the sky giving life to the palace itself. So maybe the problem wasn’t the skybox for people like me. Maybe my only issue is just not to make too many changes. So far, the Tomb Raider I-III Remastered? I love it❤❤❤😊

[@Raidercast]

I've seen people say that they feel: 1. It feels less isolated or claustraphobic, which they say added to the feel of the game 2. It feels less believable because anyone could've just discovered the tomb if it was out in the open However the same complaints are never levelled at TR3's India, or TRU's Thailand ...

[@JWM80]

Cool idea! I was always disappointed with how TRA handled Palace Midas, especially as they did a good job with St. Francis' Folly, but the colours looked too washed out for most of the game. Would've been nice to try Core 's Anniversary edition.

[@diogofcpinto]

This video is proof of what I've been saying for a while: we never really needed any of the 2 games in the middle, especially TRA - we just needed the original, remastered, exactly as it got released recently. This just shows how much of an amazing job they did on it. More remasters, less remakes...

[@NettanettaBayonettaaaa]

speak for yourself, i enjoy both

[@seanfogarty5559]

Yeah I liked Anniversary so I'd count it as needed. It's a fun, streamlined take on the original that offers an interesting take.

[@hatmanbuilder]

YES!

[@bryandingler213]

TRAE is so beautiful!! I love its environments!!

[@Raidercast]

Me too, it's such a joy to explore. All the vibrant colours and atmosphere are so inviting.

[@existentialbread4746]

Chris, you've missed one. Tomb Raider 1 in VR. Yes. That is now a thing that exists. Don't tell me you're not even just a little bit tempted? ;)

[@sandrostojcic]

As much as I love the new TR Remastered, Anniversary will always be my ultimate Tomb Raider game❤️

[@patham9]

TRA looks the best by far, even though it could be a bit more colorful like TRAE is.

[@AimlessThunder]

Tomb Raider 1 Remastered FTW!

[@paulwoodford1984]

Have always loved the original PS1 graphics. the ambiguity of what you’re looking at can be more unsettling and atmospheric.

[@katesykesUK]

That was awesome!

[@belegSJ]

I think Anniversary doesn't get enough love from the Tomb Raider community. Is this a bit controversial to say out loud? I mean, I definitely agree with the problems with the stale colours and the wall-centric platforming, but I still think the game did a lot of things quite well. Like... I never quite understood the complaints about streamlining the levels in the remake - yes, they cut some rooms and simplified certain areas (Cistern, my beloved favourite level, what did they do to you... And let us refrain from speaking about Atlantis entirely.) but there are also TONS of things that are way more elaborate in Anniversary and nobody seems to talk about it (Lost Valley and St. Francis Folly come to mind, and of course Croft Manor which I think simply oozes atmosphere in Anniversary). Also the music, the atmosphere and a lot of the visuals are really fantastic in the remake. I think it's a much better game than what a lot of people give it credit for! TR1 is my favourite in the series (along with the 2nd game and to an extent the 3rd) so I'm always going to the partial to the original visuals, but I've been super happy with the new remasters and will definitely keep playing them in the future. It feels just right, somehow - like it's new and shiny, but also same enough as to not feel too distant from the original. MIND YOU I really fucking adore the TRAE visuals, my GOD did we miss out on something wacky and fantastic! Looking at the snippets from it fills me with the same wonder I felt when I was looking at TR1 as a child for the first time. Core really had a special thing for interesting colours and designs!

[@theendisnear1131]

TRA < TRAE < TR1 < TR1R

[@NekotTheBrave]

I didn't know that TRAE had so much done with it.

[@BartolisHideoutGaming]

You can’t argue with TRAE colours, they are the best from the 4 but at the same time it’s unfinished state can’t put it up there. I think that if Anniversary was ever to be remastered, they would change the colour pallet to a more strong one and erase all the blurry on it, it would be the most beautiful looking TR Game (along with Underworld), but I have to Put the remaster up there. TR1R > TRA > TR1 > TRAE

[@laracroftstan]

Geez, watching this really showcases how diluted and, dare I say, ugly TRA looks compared to. Really wish TRAE would've been released, it looks so pretty!!

[@gaelenski_]

Missed a trick not putting the Remastered graphics right next to TR1, sort of loses the impact when it’s separated by two completely different remakes.

[@Raidercast]

I considered this, but settled on order of development and release.

[@djklink20009]

How complete is that psp dump of trae? because ive never seen some of these images before

[@Raidercast]

Probs around 50 or 60% - lots of the primary big areas are done, and many of the earlier levels. Everything here from TRAE is from the more complete areas, apart from Palace Midas - that was just a cool area I wanted to show.

[@hatmanbuilder]

I'm surprised that a lot of times Anniversary is actually... more faihful to the original! Still Remaster has my vote!

[@gstvgs]

TRAE's greece is so good

[@corentinguillo5577]

TRAE 👌

[@danielcain7740]

I finished 2013 yesterday. Pheonomanel. The final bosswas a cop out😑😑😑😑. And SHANTYTOWN🙉🙈🙊

[@KA71984]

The Original Is Still The Best For Me, The Colours & Brightness Look So Nice, They Just Pop, The Remasters Are Second, But The Other 2 Just Look Dull & Washed Out, Not A Fan Of Them At All 👍🏼

[@Ceasefirerightnow]

They need to remaster LAU

[@PortugueseMACPOW]

Only Remastered matters. It made everything else obsolete

[@Speed4Runs]

AE looks like a very dark game

[@Kriseiri]

TRAE is 2007core in a good way but TRA is 2007core in a bad way

[@TomTom-kq2lr]

Trae looks like someone was high when making those levels.

[@certifiedscott]

The aqua-duct in Anniversary is borderline comical at 6:47 😅 such a downgrade on all versions

[@tizianoperioli818]

13:18 wtf???? xD

[@Raidercast]

Explanation in the comments above 👍

[@Konic_and_Snuckles]

I know you ordered these in release order, but I think the comparison would be a little easier to...well...compare, if you placed the TR1 Remastered version immediately after the TR1 version.

[@FrankDP1]

Anniversary is terrible

[@AVEXentSUCKS]

I used to gush over that game until recently. When I found out why so many parts of the game were cut because of the producer either not liking those sections or didn’t want to do them. That’s when I really stopped liking that game. Never mind the pointless additions like a broken rope running mechanic, unreliable controls, and turning human boss encounters to QTE sequences. TR Anniversary is just a bad package.

[@Raidercast]

My main issue with TRA is that it took the game which pioneered 3D platforming and made the platforming so largely 2D. Lara doing wallruns, or Lara stuck to wall ledges where you can go left or right, or up or down, but not move *through* the environments. It puts me off so much. Neither Legend nor Underworld had it as such a focus.

[@zombieartig]

Anniversary is such a bad game...everything is grey and empty..That "Remake" should never been released

[@andrewsimm633]

Not going to lie but some ( just the Peru ) of the TRAE look horrible.

[@Raidercast]

Suit yourself, I think TRAE Peru has some of the better visuals of the set 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@sweet-christabel]

This was super interesting to see them all side by side! And just reinforces my belief that the folks at Crystal Dynamics are allergic to colour 😆