Back in 1996, I was only 21 years old. That’s when I first met Lara Croft. Funny, I thought I was a teenager when I first met her, working out that I was 21 makes me sound sad. Anyway, I met Lara and, like most gamer guys my age, I fell in love.
The original Lara Croft: Tomb Raider on the PlayStation 1 was epic. You had huge maps to explore, puzzles to solve, wild animals to kill, and a hot chick’s bum to stare at while doing it. I played the original game to death as a kid, I mean, young man. I dread to think how many hours I played Tomb Raider for.
Recently, they have remastered the game and put Tomb Raiders 1, 2 and 3, on the play store. It was only £25, so I thought why not? I’m so glad I did.
The Game
If you have played the original, like me, not much has changed. The game itself has had an overhaul, but the basics are still there. There are large cube blocks to move around, there are levers to pull, and keys to find. The layout of each map is just as I remember.
So much so, that I even remembered where some of the hidden rooms were. I remember, back in the day, having to buy PlayStation Magazine for the maps. The great thing about Tomb Raider was the replayability of each level. You finished a level, but you missed to secret rooms. Time to go back and play it again.
I find myself on YouTube trying to figure out where to go next. I have no idea how I coped as a 20-year-old, with no internet at the time. I think it was sheer determination and pig-headedness that got me through.
So far, I am still only on the first game, so I’ve not even touched 2 or 3 yet, but I am having a whale of a time, well, mostly.
Love/Hate Relationship with Lara
One thing I do remember about the original Tomb Raider was the incompetence of Lara. Well, I say that mostly it was me hitting the wrong buttons at the wrong time, but I always blamed her.
“Why did you grab the ledge you big titted tart?”
I would yell at the TV. Nothing has changed, I’m still yelling the same thing now. Although the language has gotten a little more colorful as my parents aren’t in the house.
I had forgotten that the game doesn’t have an auto-save feature. Something I found out after about an hour’s worth of play without dying. I then died, thinking I could just reload the last auto-save point. The last save point was the last time I saved!
I have learned from this and now save before and after every fight, before every dodgy leap, and pretty much every 2 minutes.
Speaking of the lovely Lara, she has had an update. Back in the day, she had triangle boobs which, at the time, were hot. Tomb Raider Remastered has given her an overhaul and she now has nicely rounded boobs. Although, they do like she’s had implants, but I’ll take what I can get these days.
The Nostalgia
What is great about playing this again is the pure nostalgia hit. If you’re of a certain age, and you remember the original, you’ll have fun with this.
I mean, I had to go back to using the D-pad to move around as the original PlayStation didn’t have the analogue sticks yet. This was weird, but after about 2 minutes it was all completely natural.
I love hearing the different animals as they skulk about. The patter of rat feet, the roar of a lion, and whatever noise the mummified animals from accent Egypt make. The little hits of music are great as well. The moments when you enter a huge room and the soft music kicks in, goosebumps.
Tomb Raider Remastered is worth the money if you are of a certain age. If, like me, you remember the little sex noise Lara would let out when you healed her, or the “No!” she would say, when she couldn’t do an action, you will love it.
It’s on the Playstation Store if you fancy a trip back in time.
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