Tomb Raider 2 - A.K.A That Time Core Design Shat the Bed Combat-Wise

[ThatOneLum]

So I've been playing through the OG Tomb Raider games (again) and having a blast with the first one.

Just reached second game and for some reason was getting nervous about the upcoming "Venice" level. I thought it might have been the boats, but it turns out that it's the enemies.

99% of the fuckers you're fighting are humans with hit-scan guns. What the fuck is going on here? This is one of the most baffling decisions I've ever heard of in my life, although it might just be that I'm more biased by my enjoyment of TR1 + 4, both of which have a more "exploration-first" sort of design.

Is it worth keeping this up? I've not long finished a playthrough of the game on the original PS1, rather than these new remakes, and I just think ahead to the stupid amount of boat and sunken ship levels and think that I'd be better off skipping this one altogether and coming back later when I feel like hating myself or something.

Has anyone else had this issue with TR2? It just feels like a nightmare, and I wonder how much of it is due to the insanely truncated development time that the team were given to deliver this thing.

 

[BrawlMan]

I won't be much help, as I have not played a classic PS1 TR game since the year 2000.

 

[ThatOneLum]

I won't be much help, as I have not played a classic PS1 TR game since the year 2000.

Personally, I think they've aged really well for games from the 90s.

On the other hand, someone a generation below me who reviewed the re-release disagreed, mostly to do with the camera, apparently -.-.

I really wanted to be like "feels like a you problem" but then I also feel like I'd just be Grampa Simpson shaking my fist at clouds.

 

[BrawlMan]

Personally, I think they've aged really well for games from the 90s.

On the other hand, someone a generation below me who reviewed the re-release disagreed, mostly to do with the camera, apparently -.-.

I really wanted to be like "feels like a you problem" but then I also feel like I'd just be Grampa Simpson shaking my fist at clouds.

View attachment 182432

I do know enough to remember that the camera has not aged well for these older games. Especially if we're talking about the first Tomb Raider. I have no problem admitting that.

There is something you should know: I was never really attached to the I.P, nor the character, Lara Croft. There are already plenty of female game characters I was more interested (still am for a majority of them) in before, during, and after she showed up.

 

[Blamhammer]

I like the first game, that was pretty fun. Second game environments are massive, the later levels have that "there’s more?!" moments to them. And yeah the combat is ass, so ass that the devs got rid of the save points for save anywhere. Sadly I didn’t finish the game, I called it a quits when I got to the temple.

 

[ct9983]

lately I have been finding myself more OK with just skipping games if I don't like them.
Like specifically, if it's a favorite series, but an entry I dislike; Skip it. zero craps given
For me, this means I only play about 9 of the Resident Evils (as an example) even though there are over 20, counting spin offs.
My inability to force myself through games I don't enjoy has finally overtaken my crippling OCD

 

[ThatOneLum]

I do know enough to remember that the camera has not aged well for these older games. Especially if we're talking about the first Tomb Raider. I have no problem admitting that.

There is something you should know: I was never really attached to the I.P, nor the character, Lara Croft. There are already plenty of female game characters I was more interested (still am for a majority of them) in before, during, and after she showed up.

tbh I never had a huge attachment to the character, at least not from my childhood. When I was a little kid I never played a TR game because I was too scared of the skeletons and monsters that I fought lmao but then again I was like 5-8 years old for most of the series.

I like the first game, that was pretty fun. Second game environments are massive, the later levels have that "there’s more?!" moments to them. And yeah the combat is ass, so ass that the devs got rid of the save points for save anywhere. Sadly I didn’t finish the game, I called it a quits when I got to the temple.

Yeah, the inclusion of the "save anywhere" thing in the re-release made it way less painful than the OG game. When I was playing on original hardware it was sort of a fever dream. I own the game in French, which I don't speak, so I had the dual head-fuck of playing in the wrong language and having to only save when hitting a crystal

 

[SamanthaSamantha's icon]

I have never moved past the first one (glorious memories of playing it with my sister), but I seem to recall there was a lot of burnout involved with the development because shareholders basically kept demanding sequels? Again, I have never played past the original, but I know plenty of people who did and they were less and less excited with each new installment that was released.

I can totally see them deciding on hit scanners because of crunch time and whatever. It'd have destroyed my enjoyment of the first one even as a young kid, so I can't see it being a conscious decision on their end... More like a classic case of 'this should keep you playing longer' — gaming's ancient, padding plague.

 

[BrawlMan]

but I seem to recall there was a lot of burnout involved with the development because shareholders basically kept demanding sequels?

You are correct. Eidos execs in shareholders constantly demanded sequels every year or every other year with these games. Hence why Lara, seemingly killed off in the 4th game. CORE was basically sick of the character and wanted to move on to something else.