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Post by Xeogred on Dec 6, 2021 14:19:31 GMT -5
Those shots from TR2 are impressive, given its age. It looks like the original TR games were heavily focused on exploration and I'm assuming switch/level puzzles. Do the PS1 TR games have music going on while you play, or is it mostly just ambient sound? 1996 TR1, could also say it beat Zelda to 3D blocks puzzles too haha. Though I wouldn't be surprised if some other 3D games were doing similar things.
In the second screenshot on the top right, yeah I had traversed to that lever that made some lava melt the ice below so you could jump down and swim through to a new area. What is interesting is how the TR levels sometimes overlap. You stumble upon that frozen water area in the previous level and it's the next one where you get around to that lever. The top left picture was in both levels, but the second level was the upper floor. It was weird how you can fall off but all the doors are sealed off, so I don't know if that's a soft lock or not. It makes sense that the game would only load a portion of a previous level it needs to display and not the entire thing again.
There's barely any music in these. Which amusingly further makes me think of Shadow Tower Abyss / Souls stuff now. I think it aids to the mysterious/dark vibes the games surprisingly have.
There are tunes and jingles though. After navigating a portion of a level, you might move up to a cool vista/view, or take a big dive into some water below, etc and it'll kick in some track. Or some stuff during big set action pieces.
I was actually surprised by this one:
This is the norm sprinkled in the levels though:
They still give me chills, so I'd say I quite like what they were going for. The placement is always chef's kiss.
I think the level design in the old TR's here is another thing that puts them above a lot of their contemporaries for me. I tend to think of stuff like Quake or Thief, PC games, with the design of these levels. Nothing ever feels lazily slapped together or repeated. Some stage themes I don't always love, like the sunken ship area in TR2, but yeah. The actual level design is consistently great all around and more complex than I'd expect for some 90's console games.
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Post by Ex on Dec 6, 2021 16:03:10 GMT -5
XeogredThe first track makes me want to punch a t-rex. I don't care for the second track (not a fan of choral stuff), but the third track is great. It's relaxing while also being ominous. Good stuff.
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Post by Chema on Dec 6, 2021 16:06:04 GMT -5
Symphony of the Night, here we go!
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Post by Sarge on Dec 6, 2021 16:08:21 GMT -5
Chema: Is this your first time playing it? You're in for an absolute treat.
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Post by Xeogred on Dec 6, 2021 23:50:21 GMT -5
12:01 IGT. Secrets: 30/48. Kills: 480. Health Packs Used: 50.5. The In Game Time for these games is amusing. I also got 12:05 in TR1, but it was probably more like 20 between all the deaths and trial and error. TR2 does feel a smudge shorter but not 12 hours short, so I'd wager it was more like ~15+ hours for real time. Another potential 9/10 for me with TR2. I still like TR1 more overall. That one was ALL dungeons/tombs for the most part and the level design seemed more devious throughout. Perhaps it's because it was my first of the classic TR's, but when I think back to that one I seem to recall the environment and level design being a bit trickier to navigate and more complex. So maybe I've just gotten better jumping into TR2 and can breeze through these levels in a way that feels easier and quicker. Either way, TR2 was freaking amazing as well. TR2 has two vehicle levels that you can get in and out whenever, that's something new. It also features a lot more action in the first half with normal enemy human grunts, dogs, etc. By the end of the game, I still had about 10 small medpacks and 10 large. Medpacks are limited resources you carry throughout the entire game, so you do have to be a little careful with it and the action. But yeah there was more room for error if I needed it. I also could have used my superior guns more to take down enemies faster if needed. Lara's default dual pistols have infinite ammo but do the least damage, though they're really serviceable too if you're flipping around or kind of semi-sniping enemies from afar. But yeah, you also have Automatic Pistols which are better, a shotgun, M16, grenade launcher, and then Uzi's. The Automatic Pistols and Uzi's are the best since like the normal pistols, you can flip around and keep firing in a lot of acrobatics. Not so much with the clunky M16 or shotgun that require two hands.
In TR2 you can also save anywhere even in the PSX version, so I just opted to use save states to speed that up. I went in wondering if that would make my experience with TR2 weaker than my run of TR1 in a way but I'm glad it didn't. Plus, I got 150+ screencaps out of this playing it on Duckstation, so I think I'll emulate the rest of the games too this way. Even though I grabbed them all on a PS3/PSN sale one day. The game can be somewhat very dark. Even some of my screencaps still probably look a bit odd. That is somewhat intentional because TR2 features Flares that Lara can use and it's kind of a cool atmospheric touch. It helps to know she can use them while swimming too. But still, I found the default emulation settings to be TOO dark, so I bumped up the gamma a smudge. It was cool to use the Flares throughout, but some areas still felt a bit overly dark in spots. Sounds like TR3 might have a similar issue, but I'm not sure yet.
If one likes more dramatic setting changes, then that's in TR2's favor. You start off in China which is kind of a normal outdoor/caves level. Then it's a Venice arc, then Offshore/Sunken ship, Tibet snowy mountains, then back to China/temples. The last arc felt the most like TR1 again and even reeled back on the action in ways, with the environments getting tougher again. I definitely enjoyed the back half the most. Just like TR1, the final areas will test and force you to have mastered every move in Lara's arsenal. It even demands some real tricky moves that you don't utilize much at all throughout all of the previous levels. Having to jump off a ladder and quickly spin around mid air to grab the ladder behind you, then repeat it a few times without falling into lava or spikes. Overall I wouldn't say there was a single bad level in TR2. I got 30/48 treasures. So I would somewhat go out of my way to find them sometimes, or naturally stumble upon them when trying to figure out the normal paths. Like the first game, there was definitely a lot of replay value here for kids back in the day who would want to speed up their runs or try and collect everything. Another big game here.
     
At this point, I'm going to have to play all the TR's and complete this journey. My rankings so far: CORE: 1. TR1 2. TR2 2nd Gen: 1. Anniversary 2. Legend 3. Underworld Modern reboot trilogy: 1. Rise of the Tomb Raider 2. Shadow of the Tomb Raider 3. TR 2013 The bolded ones are games I'd highly recommend to anyone, but only the hardcore in 2021+ will be able to conquer some of these excellent CORE classics I've played so far. The 90's 3D era is hit or miss to return to thesedays even for me, so it's been a pleasant surprise to play the original TR's last all these years later and end up loving them far more than I ever could have predicted. Never thought I'd write up such big reviews of any of this series either. Frankly I'd say TR1-TR2 are my favorite games in the franchise now. These were amazing experiences.
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Post by Ex on Dec 7, 2021 1:36:49 GMT -5
XeogredYou've definitely got my interest piqued with TR1 and TR2. In some ways what you describe reminds me of King's Field. The dark catacombs and caves aren't far removed from dungeons, and there's a focus on exploration/puzzles versus constant fighting. Never would have guessed these old TR games were as hardcore as you describe them either, another common aspect with KF. I will have to give TR1 a fair try someday, maybe next year indeed.
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Post by Xeogred on Dec 7, 2021 2:01:38 GMT -5
Xeogred You've definitely got my interest piqued with TR1 and TR2. In some ways what you describe reminds me of King's Field. The dark catacombs and caves aren't far removed from dungeons, and there's a focus on exploration/puzzles versus constant fighting. Never would have guessed these old TR games were as hardcore as you describe them either, another common aspect with KF. I will have to give TR1 a fair try someday, maybe next year indeed. And from my samplings of KF and how you and a few others I've heard describe them, yeah it's kind of the reverse comparison for me as well. Tomb Raider is the sexy platformin' King's Field. 
Honestly, I loaded up TR3 and it's tempting to dive straight into right now. But it's probably another ~20 hours, apparently one of the hardest TR's, etc. So I don't want to burnout. Though I really get a strong vibe I'll like it even more than TR2. Maybe TR1 on my rankings will have some competition with this one. You can tell they finally refined the engine even more with TR3. Controls are smoother, some new moves for Lara, new ways to traverse terrain that could open up a lot of new level design tricks, and the graphics look even better. Seems like it'll be an easy homerun.
I have some other ideas though, so might be better to spice it up.
- Armored Core (I can't remember exactly what I played of PSX era Armored Core, but it was something, or a demo disc...) - Thunder Force V - Parasite Eve - Soul of the Samurai etc |
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Post by toei on Dec 7, 2021 6:49:49 GMT -5
I played a little Ridge Racer. The handling is almost the polar opposite of Virtua Racing, which is the only racing game I ever mastered, so I struggled with. In VR 32X, you want to take turns as sharply as possible; you start turning just ahead of time, and you push the brakes a bit, let go of the gas, or both, depending on how hard you want to drift. Almost any of this will send you right into a wall in most of RR's curves. The car is hypersensitive, and the slightest tap of the d-pad will make it turn significantly. I don't like the delicateness of it.
Anyway, like I said before, I should have more time to put into a more substantial PSX game in about a week. It might just have some driving in it.
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Post by Ex on Dec 7, 2021 10:09:41 GMT -5
Armored Core (I can't remember exactly what I played of PSX era Armored Core, but it was something, or a demo disc...) I've beaten all three of the PS1 Armored Core games, and I enjoyed them all. These were my thoughts if they help narrow it down for you: Although Parasite Eve is a must. The game's plot takes place on Christmas Eve too, so quite timely. - I played a little Ridge Racer. There's one RR on PS1 that I greatly enjoyed and recommend: But yeah somebody's gotta play Racing Lagoon. - I will have more time for PS1 gaming in the latter half of this month. |
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Post by Xeogred on Dec 7, 2021 10:22:44 GMT -5
Type 4 is definitely where it's at. I don't think I liked the earlier ones either myself.
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