Game Discussion of The Week: Tomb Raider

I guess I eventually have to at some points, but I will do so rarely. My dad used to discuss how to beat levels with his work buddies, so he had some hints along the way.

We never played Chronicles, and it's supposedly bad, but if I do beat the first 4, I'll go all the way. My main priority is just beating the first one.

I saw it when it came out. This is why I know the 5th game sucks. I've played Angel of Darkness when it came out, and that killed our interest in the Tomb Raider franchise.

Easily got past the T-Rex once I knew where to hide. The next level was also pretty straightforward all things considered. The next level however, St. Francis Foley, was incredibly frustrating at parts. A lot of precise jumping and a lot of puzzles that had deadly consequences. I had a hard time getting past Thor's challenge. The next level was alright, but the Midas level that comes after takes forever to finish. It's all very exciting though. It's a tough game, but so rewarding. I'm now further than I have ever come on my own. I think I gave up on St. Francis Folly last run I had. As for supplies, I thought the game would be more unfair. It's not very charitable with ammo, but I have a ton of meds. A very fun game.

Finished Tomb Raider, and it's been one hell of a ride. It's been a long time since I've felt so compelled to play a game. I didn't touch my Xbox since playing it. The Atlantis levels are so hard compared to the rest of the game. Incredibly hard platforming where any mistake leads to death, super tough Atlantis demons and a bullet sponge boss. The hardest part is the the platforming before defeating the final boss. Every trap introduced beforehand is combined and makes it so hard to progress when save points are few and far in-between (those fucking boulders man). I'm proud to have beaten it, and I'm sure to follow up with some sequels.

Balder - Good to know you've liked it! I do agree with you that the first TR is a very scary game and that's what I miss the most from the Crystal Dynamics entries: the Core games, even when they toned down the isolation aspect, still kept some horror elements here and there. It was a series about the exploration of long abandoned and cursed places, so it made sense that there was a sense of isolation and fear.

I played all the Core entries some time ago, and it was not a problem to finish the first two games without ever looking up any hints online. By the third game I think I got stuck in one of the levels; the fourth, Last Revelation... I can't imagine someone figuring the entirety of that one without any external help, it approaches "point & click" levels of bullshit puzzles, especially since the levels are just too large (it's still among my favourites in the series, but the puzzles and the size of the levels got out of hand).

Nice that your father watched you playing and talked about it; I remember playing Tomb Raider for hours with my father on our Saturn. This game just brings great memories with it (my father died in 2000, so memories of we playing games together and having fun are very dear to me).