"Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered" marks the end of one Lara Croft era and the transition to the next one. Like some old social media posts, the anthology delivers equal shares of laughs and winces, showing flashes of what made the games popular at the turn of the 21st century, as well as why the franchise has moved on.
The effort from Aspyr and Crystal Dynamics delivers three solid Lara Croft games for below $30. The titles include "Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation," "Tomb Raider: Chronicles" and "Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness." Each of the remastered titles gets a fresh coat of paint, with better graphics, control options that make Lara fare easier to maneuver, trophies and achievements and a photo mode. In a wink and nod to gamedom's past, the old cheat codes still work.
This set of remastered "Tomb Raider" games follows last year's remaster of the original trilogy, which I found tough to play. The second trilogy is far more user-friendly, and while still stiff and awkward in the manner of many 3D games from the era, has much more going for it than the original releases.
Loads of improvements over the originals are present, including the ability to skip cutscenes, an onscreen ammo counter, Flyby Camera Maker and the ability to toggle back and forth between modern controls and the original interface. Bosses now have health bars, new animations abound and you Lara can now shift her view 180 degrees with the tap of a button.
Some of the gameplay is still stiff, and the awkward, era-specific characterization of Lara can be a little unnerving.
Still, there is plenty to appreciate, especially in the pacing and sense of adventure that would inspire the "Uncharted" games and set the foundation for the fuller-featured "Tomb Raider" entries of recent years. The dual-wielding, shorts-wearing feminist icon had to start somewhere, and replaying this trilogy is the best way to re-experience her awkward adolesence.
Publisher provided review code.
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